Q: How do you view the start of the second half of the season?

We had a pretty successful start to the second half of the season. The original plan was to shorten the players' rest time, train at home first, and then head to the training camp. I think this was a really great plan and a good decision.

During the EWC, we kept improving and performing better, eventually winning the first event of the season. This is another trophy we've won this year, and it feels great. Who knows how this season will develop, but the entire team is very proud of our work so far.

Q: You mentioned the decision to shorten the rest time. When was this decided?

I think it was during the BLAST Spring Finals. We were constantly discussing this issue because the schedule was very tight. But in the end, the team didn't significantly shorten the rest time and still went to the training camp four days earlier.

Q: With such a tight schedule, aren't you worried about professional burnout?

Yes, I am very worried. I think this will definitely happen during a long season. But if you want to be a top team and hope to perform well, obviously training camps are unavoidable.

From now until the end of the year, NAVI will appear in every top event, some of which are in distant places, including the Major and RMR at the end of the year. So when you look at all the event dates, you also need to consider travel time to reduce jet lag, which may require traveling a bit earlier.

Then, there are the training camp arrangements. We are a team that likes to improve through training camps, so if you want to add them to your schedule, you will find that the season is packed, with almost five to six months of constant travel. At the same time, we will arrange some rest days or days at home to help players relax.

Talking about professional burnout, you never know when it will come. Some professional players may hit a bottleneck at any time, but I hope our management team can find the best way to keep us performing well because I think part of the reason for burnout is when the team can't fully commit, the team's potential starts to decline.

Q: You just mentioned the dense schedule for the second half of the year. What do you think top teams need to do to better cope? We've already seen teams like Spirit skip some events due to the schedule.

I'm not too sure how Spirit operates, but I am certain there is still some level of cooperation between the club and some event organizers. So it depends on whether you are in a team with such possibilities, and then who will you cooperate with? Like the second half of the year, next year's events will be very dense, but I think NAVI can't participate in all the events. If you do this all year, it will be very crazy. I think the team will miss a lot of training days, even a few weeks.

Regarding the schedule arrangement, I remember that professional players used to have a lot of say, but now it is more about the team deciding which events to participate in and which not to. Obviously, this is beyond my control. I will listen to NAVI's opinion, and if they ask for my opinion, I will share my thoughts with them. But I will only focus on the upcoming things and hope the team can have an outstanding season.

Q: Let's talk about the team itself. Some people say that NAVI's performance at the Major was a fluke. Do you think NAVI's current performance has proven this statement wrong?

This is an interesting question because winning the Major was significant for my career. No other Finnish player had won a Major before. I believe every professional player dreams of lifting the Major trophy, and I was the first Finn to do it in this game.

After the Major, our performance wasn't good. We no longer played like the same team and were missing something. We had several team discussions, analyzed the issues, and made firm adjustments during the BLAST Spring Finals. We reached the finals but were ultimately defeated by Spirit. Nevertheless, we saw hope like during the Major and regained our motivation and desire to win.

We ended the first half of the year in a good state, which is important. If we had continued to struggle in London, we would have started to doubt ourselves. So, as we begin the second half of the journey, I feel the team is on the right track. After winning the EWC, I feel the Major is very precious because I have been searching for myself for the past five years, so lifting that trophy meant a lot to me.

This victory was well-deserved. It's not that we didn't enjoy the Major victory, but at that moment, the Major championship felt destined. At the EWC, we felt we were there to win. If we continue to maintain this state, I believe we can lift our third trophy this year.

Q: In the long run, which trophy is more important for NAVI? B1ad3 said he felt the Major honor came too early.

I won't lie; the Major trophy is the most special no matter what. I also saw those who supported us along the way during the Major: friends, family, friends of friends, and some who joined midway. They are not die-hard CS fans, so this honor is very special, and the Major trophy is the most important trophy.

But from the current perspective, this is a highly valuable championship because nine out of the top ten teams were there. Throughout the Major, we had a few maps where we played terribly, but this also meant we showed enough resilience to recover. In the finals, we lost map two but still smiled at the end. This is another excellent quality of ours and a result of our diligent training. It feels amazing.