This is Part 2 of TheSwedishJoker’s interview with ZywOo. Make sure to check out part 1!
Hugo “TheSwedishJoker” Nilsson Meier, BLIX.GG: They put in Anubis. And now you’ve had a little bit more time to try it out, do you think it’s a good map for you as an AWP-er? Do you think it’s good to AWP on Anubis right now?
ZywOo: Actually, this is good for AWP because you have a lot of angles. So whenever you have a lot of angles, the AWP can be really good. And yeah, this is the beginning of the map, and Valve is gonna change it, of course. We see Vertigo, and they change everything to the beginning. So they’re gonna change Anubis, and we’re gonna see if the AWP is gonna be good [then] as well. Because yeah, this is also a close map⦠I mean, I want to see the next 2-3 months, because to see the map right now? Itâs a good map for the AWP, Yeah.
BLIX: Would you say you’re more comfortable AWPing on Anubis than on any other map?
ZywOo: I’m not gonna say that because I didn’t play this map a lot. Because only in practice and faceits, I don’t know because sometimes people ban it and we cannot play [it]. So I’m not more comfortable in this map, but it’s fine. I mean, I’m gonna train, I’m gonna play as much as I can on the map, and I’m gonna try it.
BLIX: Do you like the way that Valve is going? Adding community-made maps by taking people from the community into the map pool, immediately removing some of the old ones. Do you think that that’s good for the game?
ZywOo: Depends on the opinion of everyone because yeah, for me, it was, it’s good. When I’m speaking like this from the community. Of course, it’s really good for that because⦠this is coming from our communities. So this is really good. But also, I wanted to see cache or cobblestone coming back, or disk⦠But yeah, I mean, it doesn’t matter to me. I mean, this is one map. Anyway, you have to be good on every map.
BLIX: Let’s talk a little bit about Cache, Cobble, and Tuscan. Would you like to see the map pool go a certain way in the future, maybe adding some certain maps or removing certain maps? Which direction would you like Valve to go in terms of the map pool?
ZywOo: If I follow my brain, I’m gonna say I want to see cobblestone and cache coming back⦠I don’t think it’s gonna come⦠because if that follows communities, they’re gonna create a new map, and they’re gonna create a new thing⦠maybe new weapon, and I don’t know what they’re gonna do. But this is Valve, and also, it is really hard to think like them because they’re not speaking about what’s gonna be the next version of the game. So we don’t know. So actually, I would like to see cobblestone or cache, but we don’t know if it’s gonna go out.
BLIX: Would you have liked Cobble or Cache to go in instead of Anubis? Or would you rather have seen them keep Anubis in the map pool and take out some other map?
ZywOo: Actually, Anubis is fine. Because we don’t know since we played that, we don’t know if we’re gonna be good on the map, if we’re gonna like it or so I think it’s good to put the new map. But also, I would like to see all maps. Because this is how CS was because we also had Dust2. I mean, this is, I think, the first map everyone played in this game. There was Dust2, so I was a bit sad when it was going out. But this is a game, and sometimes you have to change… And I think that’s fine.
BLIX: Valve recently came up with this new ranking for the RMR. Do you think that that’s the right way to go? Because in the last major, we saw FaZe playing top teams in the first two games, and you guys also played the top teams really early. Do you think that is the right way to go?
ZywOo: I think they want closer teams in the RMR right now. Because the odds are closer, right? So I think they want somewhat closer games, they don’t want one team to get destroyed, and the other team gets an easy win. They want everyone to have a hard game every time we play matches. They want hard games.
BLIX: You’ve been in the scene now for quite a while? How would you say it is now for you compared to when you first started? Would you say that you are a lot more comfortable in the tier-one scene than you were, maybe, let’s say, a year or two ago?
ZywOo: Yeah, of course, I feel more comfortable right now. Because in the beginning, my fear⦠was my English because whenever you do a competition, you have to do interviews, you have to do a media day, and you have to speak with everyone. And maybe this was like a war with everyone. So my fear whenever I came to the tournament, well, but for now, I feel comfortable coming to do interviews, to do media day, to do everything. So yeah.
I feel really nice tonight. Because I think before I was thinking about the consequences of the interview. But when I was doing it and saying what is in my brain and just going elsewhere.
BLIX: You and s1mple are top one and two for the past two years. Do you personally feel that there’s some rivalry between you or that there’s some competition or extra tension between you, being the number one and number two in this scene?
ZywOo: I think I don’t really realize the top one or top two because this is not my real goal in the game. I think my main goal will be to win the major and lift more trophies. I mean, if I’m going to be top 10 in the world and lift one major trophy and four other tournaments, I’m going to be happier than being top two and only one trophy. So for me, my main goal is to be a good teammate and lift more trophies.
BLIX: Sharks announced a new team, but with the French scene being the way it is, what do you think is needed for more French players and maybe fully French teams to come back to the top like it used to be?
ZywOo: I think what we miss is because, in FACEIT, I used to play with FACEIT guys. They are really talented. I mean, they can have a really good aim. They can headshot anybody. But it’s sometimes, and I’m not gonna say they don’t know the game, but they doing[sic] like, I feel as if they’re not thinking. [They] want to kill people, and I think they need an experienced guy who can coach them to be a good player.
You’re gonna teach them like the CS overall, the new meta. It’s not only about FACEIT, but itâs also not only about team play or about flashes, entry⦠everything like this. And I think what we need is coaches with experience to coach them, and they have to follow that.
BLIX: Do you think that the HLTV awards show that they had this year is something positive for the scene, rather than just seeing it on the website? Is it something that you can see yourself going to in the future?
ZywOo: Yeah. I think it’s really positive for the scene because it’s a battle. Also, it’s something really great for the game. So I think this is very positive. But for me, I don’t really like to do this in my personal opinion, but I don’t really like it because I don’t like to speak in front of people, you know, when it’s live and everything like this I don’t really like. So, it’s positive overall for new players, for anyone following [the scene]. I think this is pretty good for the future.
BLIX: Do you think that you’re way more comfortable speaking in front of a crowd now? Because we all remember the FACEIT major? In England? Do you feel that you’re like that you could go up on stage and talk somewhat comfortably?
ZywOo: I don’t know. Actually, I don’t know if I can still do it in front of crowds. Because I really don’t like to speak in front of people, in front of live [crowds], in front of things like this⦠I don’t know. But if I think I’m used to [it], maybe I could do it. Yeah.
Cover image credit: Copyright ESL | Stephanie Lieske
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