Nikola “LEGIJA” Nini?, the ex-player for BIG and the current manager of the team spoke to Snowball Esports about the visa process, the biggest problem of the German scene and segments of his career.

What happened with the visas in terms of XANTARES and on who’s end did it fail?

LEGIJA: Right after when we qualified for Australia, we applied for the visa. The thing is, obviously, the political situation. It’s a longer process. Because of him, he has a working visa and he’s living in Germany with us. We actually flew him to Turkey with one of our staff. We applied for the visa and I’m not 100% sure, but apparently the German government had to approve it as well. They approved it in Turkey, sent it to Germany.

But then there was Easter in between and Turkey they had a holiday. In the end, it just didn’t work out unfortunately. We did it as soon as possible.

I know that XANTARES is one of the big pieces in BIG, how has he taken over other players’ roles and been integrated into the team?

LEGIJA: I would say so. In general, German terms they have a certain philosophy of the game. It’s a lot of communication and teamwork based, which is what XANTARES is lacking a bit. As in his previous teams, he was the main person, everyone was around him. In our team, everyone has to be there for each other.

He did a great job and he obviously still has to learn a lot. He will learn a lot. The problem is – I think our system is maybe way too structured for him to adapt really fast into it. But with time it will come. He’s doing a really good job and I think we can work around him.

In terms of the overall team chemistry, with Smooya leaving the team, what happened in that situation?

LEGIJA: In the end, it was from both sides. Once you have problems in the team and people get unhappy with each other, the mood is not really the best. It will hold you back at tournaments and online games. It is really hard to say, it was kind of from both sides, we didn’t agree with his attitude sometimes. Not that it’s really bad or anything but sometimes it can be rough. He gets really emotional. Owen is a really good player and a good person. At some point you have to learn how to control your emotions.

I think he learned a lot in the last 6 months since he has been benched and we will see what the future holds. I think he is very talented.

In your personal career what has it been like since your top 8 run at PGL Krakow, in terms of transitioning into a back-end role?

LEGIJA: It was hard. For me it was because I had health issues, I really had a lot of problems with my stomach because of stress. It influenced my performance in the end and I wasn’t happy. Because these guys are my best friends inside and outside of the game.

Maybe it’s on me that I put sometimes too much stress on myself. Sometimes the community too.

Tabsen has been transitioned into the main AWPING role, how has it been for the team in terms of implementing him into the team?

LEGIJA: The good thing about Tabsen, is that I feel like he is one of the players with the best game sense in the world. Obviously with some other people. It helps you a lot if you have an [main] AWP with a good read and anticipation of where the enemies could be. With the AWP it can open the rounds and he’s a very good clutch player. I think the weapon suits him very well. He still has to learn a bit.

Sometimes the aggression he had as an entry fragger causes him trouble in the game. But I think he’s learning very quick and it works on himself a lot.

In terms BIG and your personal career, who has been your biggest mentor in the game?

LEGIJA: I think my mentor was Gob b, which is probably [the same] for everyone else on the team. He has the most experience and he is in and outside the game a really good friend of mine. He taught us so much. How to react to things and how to stay calm.

In the German scene how do you see the scene progressing, is there any one particular problem in the scene?

LEGIJA: I would say the attitudes of the people. I don’t see the dedication that we showed at the beginning of BIG and still show, I would say. The biggest thing is the dedication, how they react and how they talk to each other. It’s more of a rivalry for them. Rather than working together and learning from each other. I remember when back Mousesports and Alternate-aTTaX in 1.6 were the best teams. I know that Gob b taught me before tournaments that when Mousesports didn’t play a tournament they would talk to aTTaX, they talked to each other. They gave each other confidence. They spoke about the games, the enemies, what would they do.

Maybe it could be the case that I don’t see it as much as we are not that involved in the German scene, as we are playing internationally. From what I can see, there is no dedication and I don’t like the attitude.

To close, why did you start playing Counter-Strike?

I started Counter-Strike in 1999 in Beta 7.2, I think it was. Ever since then I started loving the game and was a casual player till 2002. Until I got introduced to ESL and started playing all the ladders and started playing professionally. It took me and I just love it.

Obviously, the thrive to win competitively is really nice. I think it’s the best esport ever.

It’s easy to play on a decent level, but it’s very hard to master, and that’s what I like about it. There are so many components in the game in which many people don’t know about. There is so much to the game. It’s beautiful and it’s nice.

With BIG returning to Europe to compete in the Closed Qualifier for the StarLadder Major and ESL One Cologne over the next couple of months, LEGIJA returns to his usual post as XANTARES returns.

He’ll be looking to get his charges back to the heights they experienced at the FACEIT Major in London last year.

Photo credit: ESL | Alex Maxwell & Adela Sznajder

We had the courtesy of speaking to Brazilian support player and the consistent presence of Epitácio “TACO” de Melo. He spoke to us about the team’s travel, the nature of the competitive scene and the bond he has with other Brazilian teams.

In terms of your lack of practice because of travel, is that a big issue for the team?

Our schedule, our busy schedule, is a big issue for the team. With LAN, our schedule with the team for everyone together. There’s no one to blame because we all agreed and everyone was on the same page for it. But we actually regret it. Because we decided to play a lot of tournaments, almost every tournament possible. It was not the way we wanted, because we didn’t have time to practice.

The travel and flights were so long! We had to go to China two times, which was a really long flight. Then we had Sydney. We had a lot of really faraway places. Yeah, it definitely was a big problem for us because we didn’t have time to practice, to adapt. CS:GO is about week to week, you have to change a lot of stuff. CS:GO is a lot more competitive now. So it definitely was a problem.

You mentioned the competitiveness, what did you mean by that?

By saying CS:GO is getting more competitive, I mean there are a lot of good teams now. Back in the day there were only 4 or 5 teams that could compete for the trophy. Nowadays, everyone can win against any team.

So, there is no favourite – of course Astralis is now the best team in the world and they are proving it in every tournament they go – but beside Astralis, I think everyone is the same level, everyone can win, everyone can lose in the group stage.

Counter-Strike is very volatile now. You guys had a very good showing here in Sydney, what was so special about this event that pushed you guys to perform? Was it the fans or your preparation?

Absolutely, the fans in the arena make it special. It’s awesome to play here. This was my second time here, we got invited to play, as soon as I joined Liquid, we got invited to come back to Sydney. But we only had like three days to pack our bags and get the visas and travel so we decided against it.

In terms of your time on Liquid, what was it like for you to speak English compared to now being back on a full Brazilian line-up?

Of course, It’s always better to communicate in your native language. For example to communicate in Portugese. But in Liquid I was already used to it. In my mind it was already alright to communicate in English.

In the beginning, I was kinda bad. But I improved a lot and I was getting better and better. In the end it was really fine to communicate in English. But of course, it feels better to come back to MIBR and communicate in Portuguese. Even daily talking Portuguese with my team-mates is awesome and much better.

How do you feel about the map pool change? Is Vertigo something that you are preparing?

So, to be honest, I really like the fact that Valve is changing the map pool and putting in new maps. I think it’s beneficial for everyone, for the fans and the players as well.  We always have something new to learn and we have something new to watch.

But I’m not sure if Vertigo was not the right map to put in the map pool. I just think the map is so casual. It’s not that competitive. If we compare Vertigo to Mirage, in Mirage you have mid, you have B, but Vertigo is kind of a mess. We started playing this map last week, but we are planning to full-practice the map this week.

Something else I wanted to ask, as a member of the players board, what has your been impact been so far? Also what is the money system like?

I think the CSPPA is doing a great job. In the end we are working for the players. I’m pretty sure everyone is doing a really good job. For me personally it’s great to be a part of this. It’s awesome that Valve is also listening to us. I think it’s really great.

And about the money system, my first reaction was that it would be nice. Because it would make teams have more money. Because resets would be out and would not exist anymore. But somehow now I feel bad, because when teams are winning a lot of rounds but the rounds are really close. If the other team wins one round, then the winning team is broke.

It doesn’t really make much sense in this sense. I don’t think it’s a huge problem, but I think there should be a good solution for this problem.

Who is the favourite player you have ever played with?

I have a huge history with Coldzera. We started playing together professionally in Brazil. So we came from the very bottom to the very top.

We were together for so long. But I really liked everyone I played with in SK. I really like fnx (Lincoln Lau), I really like felps (João Vasconcellos) and fer (Fernando Alvarega) of course. Everyone I played with in SK was really special to me.

How do you guys feel about the tier two Brazilian teams and their development?

I think it’s awesome. Since we have came to the US, of course we wanted to win trophies. But we wanted to help the Brazilian community.  When we look back and it would have been impossible to have a qualifier in Brazil. Like a ESL Pro League qualifier in Brazil. But now it’s possible. Every season we have a Brazilian team playing in the ESL Pro League.

It’s even better that another team in Brazil is doing great. I really root for Furia, LG, INTZ, TeamOne – I really like the guys and want them to succeed.

TACO and the rest of the MiBR squad have a couple of leagues going on, but they’ll be out of events to participate in until ESL One in Cologne at the beginning of July.

Follow them along on their journey to re-find their world-dominating best now that TACO has rejoined the fold.

Photo credit: ESL | Bart Oerbekke

Snowball Esports was fortunate enough to sit down with legend of the game and long-time Swedish role model Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg. He spoke about his form, why the Swedes always play like it’s the end of the world and also NiP finally coming out of a slump.

The team made the semi-finals in Sydney against long-time Swedish rivals in Fnatic and played one of the best series in recent memory.

Firstly I wanted to ask, how have you been a mentor to some of your younger players such as REZ and Lekr0? How has this contrasted to your early days in your 1.6 days and what is your biggest difference in mentality?

f0rest: I don’t see myself as a mentor, if I’m going to be honest. I guess they do look up to me. I just try and set an example because I have been playing for almost 14 years now on a pro level. So if I see them, or I catch them be nervous, or I catch them talking about something, sure I will help them out, but I think they’re doing great. I can give a few tips and tricks to REZ (Fredrik Sterner) for example, but that’s pretty much it. I just try to be myself and hopefully it rubs off.

You mentioned you have been playing for almost 14 years, how have you continued this era of consistency for such a long time?

f0rest: I believe I am very fortunate to be able to do what I love to do. I don’t take anything for granted and I just try and work hard and I do love everything I do here. As long as I have the motivational drive to do it, I will not give up on that dream.

Well it’s always the passion isn’t it?

f0rest: I think the passion is one of the biggest reasons that I think I can keep going. Even though I’m over 30 now, I still love it.

I know that you have had a couple of close games against Fnatic, what is so special about these swedish derbies? Is it about the rivalry between history of Fnatic and NiP or the history of swedish CS?

f0rest: It’s definitely is the rivalry between who will be the best Swedish team. I think once we get up on the stage and play against Fnatic, I believe they feel the same – we are not playing at this tournament anymore, we are now playing [to decide] who is the best team in Sweden. I would say it becomes a messy game. Gloves are off and we just go in.

I will honestly say that was one of the best games of Counter-Strike I’ve ever watched. I wanted to thank you for that.

f0rest: It’s a hard game to play and I think I know that as well. I think that decisions are poorly made and everything is all out war.

In terms of your overall preparation coming into Sydney, what were your expectations?

f0rest: We had pretty high hopes. We kind of fluked out of ESL Pro League in London prior to this tournament, but I still believe that Dennis came back to this team. We felt good to have him back, we had high hopes in this tournament. It was definitely not in our plan [to go out in semi’s]. The way we went out as well, definitely saw us going to the finals here and fighting for the trophy.

Going back to EPL, I know that you went 1-2 and it was decided off of map differential compared to playing another series? How would you like for it to be decided?

f0rest: I would rather have it decided by rounds. Maps was new, we didn’t know – but it doesn’t really matter at this point. I definitely would have taken another game. It took us hard that we lost. That was the rule that had been decided and we have to live by it. We should not have lost against Devil’s Ones but they played well that day.

In terms of you recent form, how has it felt to be back under the limelight of CS, compared to two years ago when you were in a bit of a slump? How does it feel to be playing some of the best teams in the world once again?

f0rest: It feels great. Yeah, it definitely feels great to at least make it to the playoffs and play in front of the crowd again. I think the major, being back in the major circuit definitely boosted our morale. I don’t like being down behind the shadows of anybody else. It definitely feels good to be back. At least fighting for playoff spots and being in the playoffs too – to have a slight chance to make it to the finals. So we will just ride that momentum and see where it goes.

One last thing, who has been you own personal mentor in your own career?

f0rest: The only one that I can come to think of was when I was playing with SK in 1.6 was Robban, who used to be the coach for FaZe Clan. He had a very big impact on me as an individual. So I think for me in some sense, he would be the guy that I look to.

NiP look currently hold the 9th rating in the world and look to make a run in BLAST Pro Series and the next major in Berlin that is being hosted by StarSeries. Only time (and f0rest) will tell if the Ninjas in Pyjamas magic finally bring their first victory since IEM Oakland of 2017.

Photo credit: ESL | Helena Kristiansson & Sarah Cooper

Nitr0 had some words to say about the team’s previous choking mentality, how they fixed it in game 5 of the finals and why this line-up was so special compared to others.

Firstly, congratulations on the victory, what changed for you guys in that map 5? I saw that you had a bit of a huddle. Was there anything that was said there? Did you guys put pressure on yourselves?

Nitr0: We didn’t say anything like, “we have to win this”. We really don’t put pressure on ourselves, because that’s what we did in the past. We went into that map and felt like, let’s just have fun. Let’s just have fun like we do in scrims and online leagues. Let’s play like we do when we destroying people in the server. We are all just laughing and having fun.

We all regrouped and tried to refocus for Inferno. Because in Dust 2, we had very little comms and the ideas weren’t flowing. We knew that Inferno was the last map and we just had to refocus for it.

In terms of your own personal career, I know that you have been there since the very beginning and for the 2016 Majors. Why was this lineup so special and what was the distinction for this lineup in particular that made it stand out from the others?

Nitr0: I just think that this line-up has obviously the most skill right now that we have ever had. I think that everyone can play for themselves and can adapt to the game to their role. I think this is what separates us from our old line-ups. We all have the experience now and we are all becoming more mature. And also, out of the game is a big factor. Out of the game we have a winner’s mentality and a championship mentality. We were kind of like let’s just get on and play. I think that’s what the biggest difference is right now I think. We are here to win and become the best team and everyone has that goal in mind.

Now everyone is going to be asking you this question, can you take on Astralis?

Nitr0: Yeah we are always ready to take on Astralis. Like I said in my other interview, I don’t think that Astralis is our biggest enemy. I think the finals are our biggest enemy. Overcoming the finals was the biggest thing for us, no matter who it was against. I think in our past group stages against Astralis, we were fine. We matched up pretty well with them, but when we got to the final, we just fell apart against any team.

So do you think the pressure was the main factor in falling apart in finals?

Nitr0: I don’t know exactly what it is. Obviously the pressure is a big factor because that’s what causes our mentality to weaken.

? @nitr0 #IEM pic.twitter.com/dThLn5lBZc

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 5, 2019

I know it was mentioned in previous interviews that you had an esports psychologist. How have they helped out the team?

Nitr0: He helps a lot. What he does is that he tries to keep a steady competitive performance. Like for example, there’s the A game, B game and C game. When you’re on your A game, you don’t want to be too over confident. Where you make mistakes where you are too overconfident peaking an example, for example. But you don’t want to be too scared. Say you’re on your C game, where you are playing so passive and holding an angle, waiting for the other team to play their game.

The B game is when you are in between and playing your game. That’s when you are going to perform your best and obviously if you can control your A game, that is when you are going to perform your best as a team. And that’s what we have talked through a lot.

When you are looking to your future event schedule, I know some teams are prioritizing certain events. Allowing them more time to bootcamp and prepare for tournaments. Are you looking at going to less events and adopting that mindset?

Nitr0: Last year we went to a lot of events. There was a lot of travel, like 260 something days on the road. This year when we go to a tournament, when I feel like we are going to win it. We are going there to win it. That way we can feel prepared as a team. We want to feel more prepared as a team.

I feel like that’s the biggest difference between last year and this year: We want to feel more prepared when we go to a tournament. Instead of just going because it’s a big tournament. I think we’ll have a way better chance at winning more tournaments over a long period of time, rather than just going to every single tournament hoping to win one without the right prep.

One last question, what is your favourite part of Australia as it is your first time here?

Nitr0: The fans are crazy. They are always doing something crazy. It’s just fun in games and it felt like they weren’t cheering for a specific team. Obviously, the Renegades but they went out in groups.

I feel like they came here to enjoy CS and that’s perfectly fine. It doesn’t matter if you are here to support or not, but having the fans there is amazing and they are a great crowd.

With Liquid taking out IEM Sydney 2019 they move to a share of the lead for the next IEM Grand Slam worth $1,000,000. They’ll next contest the Grand Slam at DreamHack Masters Dallas at the end of the month, but Liquid fans can see them a little earlier at cs_summit on May 23rd!

Photo credit: ESL | Helena Kristiansson

Team Liquid’s Semi-Finalist Jake “Stewie2k” Yip faces MIBR this afternoon in another return to facing his old team in the Brazilians.

How have your role changed on Team Liquid compared to your previous team experiences in regards to your previous experiences on your last line-up?  

Stewie: The main difference is that I’m playing more of a chief than an Indian on this team. On Mibr, I was more focused on listening, and doing what I had to do with them in terms of my role. Meanwhile on Liquid, I have a lot more voice, I can say a lot more and I have more freedom. That freedom can be a bad thing in a team as well, but I think it’s working out for us currently.

You speak about your previous line-up, in Mibr, how much did communication play a part in the team’s issues?

Stewie: I don’t think it was as big as a problem as people say it is, from the outside looking in. I think it’s a little exaggerated. I think it’s something that the Brazilians lacked in terms of their communication. It was hard for them to work on it, so it took a lot more time, but I think that’s about it in terms of communication issues.

How is the AWPing role being bounced around in terms of Team Liquid and is Nitro still the primary AWP?

Stewie: Nitro is currently the primary AWP. Sometimes when I am feeling it or I tell my team before the game. In this team is a lot more freedom. Anyone can pick the AWP up and we all know how to play around it and use it, as such we have the luxury with the weapon. There are no set-rules surrounding the AWP.

?? @Stewie is ready for his match-up against @mibr, are you? ?#IEM pic.twitter.com/0ErdS0WbFs

— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) May 4, 2019

Who is your favourite team-mate of all time in every line-up you have ever been on?

Stewie: My favourite teammate of all time has to be FalleN. He has a lot of good leadership qualities in and outside the game. He always has his attitude in check, I don’t think there was one time where I’ve ever heard there was anything negative in any way, whether it’s minor or major, whether it is a small or big problem, I have never heard him flame in any way. I think he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.

How has Liquid adapted and changed in 2019 compared to 2018? In terms of the amount of your losses and the time taken to sort out the mental element. I understand there were a lot of grand-final losses last year for the line-up, looking at Astralis it is obvious that their core has been together for a long time. Is this a strategy that your team is adapting to work on?

Stewie: I guess that comes back to our team focussing too much on the negative aspects of the game during our practices on our down time. Mentality is an obviously an issue in terms of repeat second placings even before I was on the line-up. I feel like we have been working on fixing this issue immensely in the last two weeks. In this tournament, if we make it to the finals, I honestly feel that we will have the mental edge, we would be over it and we would know what it would take to win and to make it over the edge.

Lastly, what is your favourite element to travelling to Australia?

Stewie: It’s banned now, but I would have to say the shoey. It’s a little bit unique to Australia.

Stewie2K and the rest of his Liquid teammates are two matches away from their second title of 2019. Check out their run as it picks up again this afternoon against MIBR when IEM Sydney continues! They’re live from 3:00PM AEST live on twitch.tv/esl_csgo.

Tickets to IEM Sydney 2019 are still available on the official website or ticketek.com.au.

Photo credit: ESL | Adela Sznajder

IEM Sydney is a progression of our local scene on a grandiose, global scale.

It’s a consortium of local favourites like Chiefs, Grayhound and Renegades with legends of CS:GO like Team Liquid and FaZe. It’s being a part of one of the biggest esports events in the Intel Extreme Masters, which travels to all corners of the world. It’s prestigious, and it’s the result of years of work in the region.

“IEM Sydney is the most prestigious esports tournament in Australia. As one of only four world stops for Intel Extreme Masters with some of the best CS:GO players on the planet competing, having local talent representing us up on a global stage is fantastic for our region,” said Nick Vanzetti, Managing Director of ESL Asia Pacific Japan.

Last week, the Chiefs were able to clinch the very last spot after toppling Breakaway Esports in the Sydney Derby. They joined Australian top 5 team Renegades, who received a direct invite, and cult favourite Grayhound, who qualified through the OCE Closed Qualifier, as the three teams heralding the hopes of Australia at IEM Sydney.

“We’re happy to have qualified for IEM Sydney again,” said Chiefs captain Tyler “Tucks” Reilly. “This team is very special, and we’re feeling confident going into the tournament.”

16 TEAMS CONFIRMED!

With the @ChiefsESC taking out the #IEM Sydney Derby and earning the final qualification spot to IEM Sydney last night, we now have our final lineup of world-class CSGO teams attending the event!

??Get your tickets now: https://t.co/o0502H2q3N pic.twitter.com/1Ji3F5u4Tl

— Intel®ExtremeMasters (@IEM) April 19, 2019

IEM Sydney is a great chance to showcase the region’s best up-and-coming talent. With players like Jay “Liazz” Tregillgas and Sean “Gratisfaction” Kaiwai making it big on the international stage after starting in OCE, Vanzetti hope this chance in the spotlight will allow the region’s gems to shine.

“Grayhound and the Chiefs have an amazing opportunity in the spotlight and they’ll have the support of a huge local crowd behind them. We’re eager to see how they perform” said Nick Vanzetti

The intense competition of IEM Sydney will span over six days, playing out in front of thousands of fans at Qudos Bank Arena and millions more online. With $250,000 USD on the line, only one of the 16 world’s greatest CS:GO teams will be taking the title of IEM Sydney 2019 champions home.

However, it isn’t just the world’s best CS:GO teams descending on Sydney for a week-long esports festival. Australia’s best Overwatch talent will be fighting it out at Qudos Bank Arena on May 4-5 for the Contenders Australia Season 1 2019 finals. A spot at the Pacific Showdown in Shanghai to represent the region is on the line, as well as a share of the $100,000 USD prize pool—the biggest in ANZ Overwatch history.

IEM Sydney 2019 is the best rendition of Sydney’s biggest esports event of the year, and it’s another monumental step for the growth of esports in Australia. Tickets are still available, starting at $45 AUD for a day-pass.

For more details, visit the offical IEM Sydney website or check out the IEM Twitter and Facebook pages.