G2 sit 2-0 after day one of Stage 2 but it was not a day without frustration for the European combine.
They hit the ground rolling with a 10-2 first half against M80, but struggled to close the game on T side. Monte, on the same map of Mirage, provided an even stern test as they took their higher-ranked opponents the distance in triple overtime.
“Holy fuck, I’m happy that this map actually ended,” Matúš “MATYS” Šimko told HLTV post-game, relieved that some of his mistakes didn’t come back to bite his team.
Since the arrival of Guy “NertZ” Iluz, yet another loud voice, MATYS has had to adapt to some new positions, including unfashionable ones like B on Mirage and Long on Dust2.
“People tried to abuse me [in my new spots] in the last few events, and props to them, they did,” MATYS reflected. “Since we had a lot of practice, since last event, the point is that I managed to fix a lot of stuff, so now, even if they want to counter me, they will get fucked, to be honest.”
Listen to the interview here.
Okay, crazy game, saw some frustration from you, what’s your immediate reaction to that game?
Immediate reaction? Holy fuck, I’m happy that this map actually ended. I did throw some important rounds on me to be honest, that made a big difference I would say. But I still managed to come back mentally. And we did as a team, like we were losing 15-18, right, and it’s not easy, especially when these games matter a lot.
Now we are one BO3 away from qualifying for Stage 3, so I think we showed an insane mentality and balls when it mattered the most, and we came back on top as a team, as a better team. I think that’s why we won.
I wanted to ask about 15-18 and how you came back.
I think that finally I had a good spawn, I think, and it was 15-18, to be honest. Finally, I had a good spawn. I think almost the whole game, I didn’t have any good spawns to go aggressive Middle, and I’m a guy who wants to be aggressive when it makes sense, and I wanted to.
So I was a bit lucky because I got full blind, but I got the entry kill. That matters the most in the moment, and the 5v4, we converted really well as a team. So I’m happy for sure. Maybe if I was more scared that round, I would not make the choice to go aggressive, but I made it and I’m happy for it. And yeah, we learned, I learned, a lot and yeah, we are happy, obviously. Not much to say about that.
We are players that sometimes talk on top of each other under pressure because we want to […] take responsibility for the round”
Because we’ve not spoken to you for ages, tell me a bit about taking on spots like B on Mirage, Long on Dust2, things like this. You’re still able to be aggressive, like you say, with the good spawns. What’s the adaptation been like for you? I know you’ve played some of these spots before as well.
I think I’d have to adapt a lot. People tried to abuse me in the last few events, and props to them, they did. Since we had a lot of practice, since last event — I’m not exactly sure what the event even was, to be honest, it doesn’t matter — the point is that I managed to fix a lot of stuff, so now, even if they want to counter me, they will get fucked, to be honest.
That was my mentality for this event, and I already saw, again, another map, Mirage, where they tried to abuse some stuff where I’m playing, but they didn’t manage to do it at all. I think this will boost my confidence, and it will be better for us as a team, especially on CT side, for future matches at this event.
NertZ’s arrival caused a rejig for MATYS
Are you happy in those kinds of positions? Do the team kind of, because we know it’s a team where it’s kind of quite equal in terms of resources, are you completely fine in these new spots?
Well, I’m the guy who will play no matter what it takes if the team is working. If this is what it takes, then I’m here to do my job even though sometimes I want to be more vocal. Some spots I have the vocal part, and I’m fine with that, and some spots I just talk less because it’s not that important.
I was just trying to find the balance. I was always the guy, usually, who tries to fit in, not coming with 100,000 ideas. Now this is how I want to play, I don’t want to change anything, I try to always take something from others or what my teammates offer me, and add on top of it some of my stuff. Exactly like on Mirage, I was getting a bit of abuse, so guys, I said, ‘guys, I need way more help,’ and I showed how, and then we managed to put in good work, especially on CT side, for example.
As G2, [it’s] high expectations, we don’t want to end in stage 2, we don’t want to end in stage 3
And with how many voices there are on the team, how has it been trying to integrate NertZ’s ideas. Now it’s been a few events, do you think you’ve got that balance?
I think in practice, it’s obviously way easier, because there is way less pressure. But I think officials will still take a lot of time because, all of us, we are players that sometimes talk on top of each other under pressure because we want to have ideas, we want to take responsibility for the round. We are still trying to find the balance. But I think, obviously, no rounds are perfect. This is one of the most prestigious tournaments in history, so there are going to be a lot of mistakes.
No matter what team you look like, even if it’s stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, there is not going to be a lot of clean games. And we are trying to focus on mentality. There will be mistakes from us, from the enemy, but [we need] to be better than others mentally, where we had a bit of an issue in the past, I would say.
Now 2-0, scrappy at times, but you’re away. What’s the kind of expectation for the Major as a team?
Obviously, I think, as G2, high expectations. We don’t want to end in stage 2, we don’t want to end in stage 3. We know we had good time to prep before this event, we had a lot of prac days. I’m not going to say what maps or what exactly we prepped, but we fixed a lot of stuff, so we are very confident. Even though in the game it maybe didn’t look like it, to be honest, obviously we still have a lot of things to fix, but we showed a lot of improvements. Right now I’m very very happy, very very happy.
