The head coach talked about the issues on the offensive side in Mirage and Inferno, opinions on MOUZ's choice of Inferno, and other topics.
Q: What were the issues on the offensive side in Mirage (only 4 points) and Inferno (only 3 points)?
B1ad3 : On Inferno, we failed to control Banana well and were very chaotic in the mid-game.
We lacked a good solution, a clear, effective, and quick solution, so the opponents couldn't repeat their strategy. On Mirage, after gaining map control, we were very impatient when trying to find a breakthrough. We played too hastily and carelessly, not following our tactical layout.
Q: Earlier, there were reports that you were very surprised by MOUZ's choice of Inferno. Why do you think they chose this map?
B1ad3 : It did surprise me because they rarely play this map... I can't even remember the last time they picked it. That's one surprising aspect.
The second is that this map's win efficiency is not high; you only pick it if your opponent plays very poorly on Inferno.
Third, they hadn't played this map in this IEM Cologne, so it would be difficult, regardless of past practice.
The last time they picked Inferno might have been during the Esports World Cup, so I think their timing for choosing this map was off.
But they came very close to winning, so it was a good attempt.
Q: Was Aleksib 's clutch and eco rounds the key to victory, or was it a collective effort from all players?
B1ad3 : If we take Mirage as an example, yes, because everyone played very well on Inferno.
On Mirage, I think luck was on our side because we couldn't clutch eco rounds as we did on Inferno's T side.
Those two clutch rounds could have resulted in a completely different outcome. Clutch rounds are always a highlight in matches. For example, if they had won those two clutch rounds, we would be saying in the post-match interview: yes, because we lost those two clutch rounds, what if we had won them? This is CS, no room for error.
Q: I saw you were very active behind the players during the match. Your win rate on Mirage is very high, up to 90%. Were you worried they might lose this map?
B1ad3 : Worried about ending the winning streak? No, I didn't think about that during the match. But indeed, a thought crossed my mind when the score was 1-5 on the T side. I jokingly said if we lose the match, at least we won Mirage, so the streak continues.
But the opposite happened. I thought about it and realized I wasn't worried about losing because there was still map three, Ancient.
Q: It turned out that Aleksib's clutch rounds proved that stats don't matter in CS. Personally, he started with a 1-11 score but managed to turn the match into a victory.
B1ad3 : Yes, you know, we played very poorly on the T side of Mirage initially. It felt like we couldn't perform to our true potential; we were a bit nervous. When he couldn't find his rhythm, we were also making mistakes.
Communication on stage wasn't smooth, and we couldn't communicate as accurately as in practice matches. This might be a personal issue for the players.
One can continue doing nothing, but Aleksib is very good at focusing. In those two clutch rounds, he was very focused, and we could see he knew exactly what he was doing.
Next, NAVI will face Vitality in the IEM Cologne finals tonight at 23:00. Stay tuned!
