MATYS: “I think we can win this tournament, one hundred percent”

I think we failed in a lot of details. We did not expect them to fight so hard for certain areas of the map. Obviously, credit to them: they one hundred percent deserved to win yesterday. They played much better than us. We needed to step up, and we did that today, so I am happy. But yesterday, they fought a little harder than we did. We were also not ready for certain scenarios in the way we should have been, both individually and as a team. That was the main problem with yesterday’s match.

— MATYS

How do you rate G2’s chances of winning this tournament? It has been a while since we saw the Samurai lifting a trophy.

I think we can win it, one hundred percent. Obviously, from most people’s point of view, the biggest contenders right now are probably us and FURIA. But we know that anyone can cause an upset. We have already seen some surprising results: The MongolZ went out, and FaZe were also eliminated, even though both teams were expected to make a much deeper run. We are simply trying to take it game by game. We know that we can reach the final, but we can now see how difficult it is to play here. To be honest, we were pretty close to being eliminated as well, but we kept fighting, and I am happy about that.

— MATYS

If we are talking about the most dangerous opponent at the tournament, is it FURIA?

I would not call them the most dangerous opponent exactly. But FURIA are obviously the most experienced team, and they are the hardest team to face in certain scenarios. At the same time, as you can see, anyone can surprise you. magic, for example, have a very unusual — although I do not want to call it weird — and specific style of play. They are aggressive in situations where you would not expect it at all. That is also why they managed to reach the next round. I do not think there is only one dangerous team here. There are a lot of dangerous teams at this tournament.

— MATYS

Can you tell us a little about the atmosphere within the team? Who is your best friend on the roster, and why?

I do not think I have one best friend. We are all really good with each other. Honestly, that is my genuine opinion, so I cannot name one specific person.

— MATYS

What is the main difference between r1nkle and SunPayus for you? Perhaps it is communication?

I think the communication is a little different. It is not that either of them talks less. But Álvaro used to call a lot on the macro level: how to finish rounds and how to handle those kinds of situations. He helped a lot with that. Artem is a little more focused on his own individual game. He is more vocal about what he wants to do himself and which move he wants to make, while the other players connect to his ideas — NertZ or huNter-, for example. I would say that is the biggest difference right now. But we are trying to find a new balance again.

— MATYS

Who do you consider a true example of professionalism throughout the history of Counter-Strike?

I would say f0rest.

— MATYS

Why?

Because of his personality. I think he always looked at the positive things, while taking only useful lessons from the negative ones — at least that is how it looked from the outside. He was my idol for a long time. He always approached the best moments with a good attitude, and I think that allowed him to learn very quickly from every game he played. His transition from Counter-Strike 1.6 to CS:GO was especially impressive: he just kept going and remained at the highest level.

— MATYS

Who would be your second choice?

If I could not choose f0rest, I would say frozen or ropz. They have played an enormous number of matches, including in CS2, but still managed to remain at the very top, both individually and in terms of team results. They kept adapting to every change, and I have a lot of respect for that.

— MATYS