TheSwedishJoker met up with Christian “Buzz” Andersen after his 2-1 win against OG.
Hugo ‘TheSwedishJoker’ Nilsson Meier, BLIX.GG: How would you summarize this first tier-one event with the main roster?
Christian ‘Buzz’ Andersen: I think I’ve learned a lot. Obviously, we lost some matches in the beginning, and we really needed to play some officials to test everything we had in practice and find out if we could take what we have in practice into the officials. We just learned from that and came back stronger in the other matches. But it’s been a really nice experience; a lot of adrenaline in the matches and a lot of fun.
BLIX: You guys were 0-2 coming into the Knockout Stage. Did that give you any added pressure, knowing that you were driven into the corner and having to win to avoid the Showdown?
Buzz: A little bit, but I think we’re pretty good at not letting the pressure get to us. A lot of people are watching, and a lot of people have eyes on Astralis, but we are trying to play in a whole new way, and we’re not going to be the number-one team in three weeks. It will take some time, but we must keep improving. So, a bit of pressure, but we are good at putting it aside.
BLIX: Now, I want to talk a little bit about the game. Could you start by telling me a little bit about Inferno? What do you feel went wrong for you guys?
Buzz: For myself, I had a rough match; everything was not going my way. Yeah, I have to see if I even can remember the match. I think we had a pretty good idea of what they did, but mostly it was on the individual level that we failed a bit.
BLIX: Then you played Vertigo, OG’s map pick, and this time around, it was you guys who managed to win 16-14. How did you manage to pull off the comeback?
Buzz: Especially myself, I put a lot of focus on and kept listening to the guys, like, we have to believe in it and keep up the good mood. Even though there were some mistakes and some sad rounds we lost, if we keep believing it and keep playing as we can, we will surely win.
BLIX: And lastly, Ancient was a real nail-biter, just like Inferno and Vertigo, if not more so than those maps. Do you think you guys have a better mental game, which allowed you to prevail and win?
Buzz: Yeah, I think so. Obviously, we had a really great start. That always helps, but we also, towards the end of the map, had some pretty tough rounds we should have won, but everyone was good at keeping their head up, and we just had to focus on winning the game. So, yeah, I would say our “mental” in this team is pretty strong.
BLIX: Were there a lot of nerves, and did you somehow manage to calm them down a bit during the game?
Buzz: Yeah, I would say so. Most of the time, it’s like in the first map, but then when you get in the game, and you start to play, and you get in the zone, it doesn’t really bother me that much. So, I wouldn’t say, of course, there were some close rounds in OT. I would say there was some adrenaline, but I wasn’t nervous at the end of the game.
BLIX: And my very last question is about the future for you guys. Now you have some downtime after this event since you guys are not going to Katowice. What are your plans now? Are you going to go to boot camp, and if not, what else do you have in store?
Buzz: Since we started at the very beginning of January, we have been grinding at a boot camp with ten-hour practice almost every day. I think we have had like one day off so far. So, now we’re going to have a couple of days off, get back some energy, and then we are just going to keep practicing, and I’m not sure when our next tournament is.
BLIX: ESL Pro League, right?
Buzz: I’m not sure; maybe we’ll play something before. I’m not sure.
BLIX: Something that isn’t announced yet?
Buzz: Yeah.
BLIX: Okay, well, I’ll be looking forward to that!
Image: Copyright BLAST | [@Vexanie]
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