Vitality will defend their Major title in the LANXESS Arena after denying BetBoom a comeback on Nuke in the 2-1 pool to clinch a playoff berth, but the team is still working towards showing the kind of dominance it had for much of the season.
“That’s the thing we’re trying to work on,” Robin “ropz” Kool told HLTV after the match. “Every day we’re hoping we can play our best game of the season; today probably wasn’t the best, but it was getting better. That’s what we’re hoping for, just each day we get better and better as long as the tournament goes on for us.”
The Estonian is looking forward to taking the stage in the LANXESS Arena, and admitted that playing at the Major always comes with nerves.
“I always feel nervous playing a Major; it’s the Major, after all,” he said. “Even if you win these tournaments, if you have a legacy already, if you care, you’re going to be nervous, you’re going to be pressured. And we care, so there’s always pressure for us.”
Listen to the interview here.
Congratulations, you’re in the playoffs. Close one in the end on the last map there against BetBoom. Talk to me about closing that out and just how you managed to do that, because it looked like they could come back and force a decider there.
We had a lot of opportunities to close it out on Nuke. I think we gave them one too many. We lost a three-on-five and probably had one or two more rounds where we had really good opportunities; maybe we just wanted to end it a little bit too quickly. That can happen; you’re feeling these emotions and you’re trying to roll on the momentum, but then things suddenly don’t work. It is what it is. At least we found a solution in the end and managed to close it before overtime.
It’s been a bit of a shaky start for this tournament, obviously, we’re trying to find our form, I think for everyone. ZywOo is playing really well, but the rest of us are trying to do our best to play better. I’m just happy to be in the playoffs. That’s the result now that really matters. Happy to be here.
We probably didn’t have the best bootcamp. We had some days where we were playing badly, some days we were playing good, but it was kind of mixed results
In the first part of this year, you were so dominant just like last year, but there was a period now where you went to Atlanta, you didn’t practice, then you came here and people thought with this month off, you’d have a lot of practice to come in really hot. Talk to me about how you came into this tournament, how you started, and what you made from your start after the first couple of games.
Prior to the tournament, it was kind of the usual approach. We started to get into the practice mode online, and then we warmed up and got into a bootcamp. We had a short bootcamp before the Major, that’s always how we do it. The thing is, we probably didn’t have the best bootcamp. We had some days where we were playing badly, some days we were playing good, but it was kind of mixed results in that sort of sense.
That’s maybe a good thing because from my own experience, usually when you have bad practice, you have bad results, but often you’re going to play better in the games themselves because there are a lot of teams that play good in practice but they never show up in tournaments (laughs). I think that’s usually the case.
We’re talking and we’re trying to get in the mood, or find the way again, because obviously we’re not playing as dominantly as we have been so far this start of the year and last year. That’s the thing we’re trying to work on. Every day we’re hoping we can play our best game of the season; today probably wasn’t the best, but it was getting better. That’s what we’re hoping for, just each day we get better and better as long as the tournament goes on for us.
The level that players have in general nowadays makes it so hard to stay consistent, and anyone can take maps off you, even series
As you mentioned, making the playoffs is what matters. It’s been an interesting Major with some of the results that are going on. What do you make of your form going into the playoffs and the way the other teams are playing around here?
I think CS is just becoming so, so individual; every player can out-frag everyone. Obviously, you have some superstars, but the level that players have in general nowadays makes it so hard to stay consistent, and anyone can take maps off you, even series. I think that’s what you see with the results here. You see some really talented players coming from the previous stages coming in here hot.
I mean, I always feel nervous playing a Major; it’s the Major, after all. Even if you win these tournaments, if you have a legacy already, if you care, you’re going to be nervous, you’re going to be pressured. And we care, so there’s always pressure for us. Yeah, just happy we made it out of the group stage, and now we can play the playoffs.
Nervous until you reach the grand final, then we get grand final ropz.
It’s just a coincidence (laughs).
apEX has previously talked about how, when you are winning for so long, when you lose, it feels weird. You did lose a game in this event as well. When you lose that, how are you approaching it? Does it actually help having some losses here and there to figure out what you have to work on?
Losing definitely helps to learn, as you’re never going to learn much when you win because more often than not, things are going to go your way. Obviously, I think chemistry and communication are the main things we’re working on. The form will come with the games; that’s not something that we worry about, but the communication is something we can control. We are just doing everything that’s under our control, doing those things the best. Pushing 110% even in those areas, and the rest of the things I think will take care of themselves.
Going into the playoffs, you’re the defending Major champions, but last year’s Cologne didn’t really go the way you would have wanted. So, how much are you looking forward to going into LANXESS and making it a different story this time around?
I’m always emotional playing in LANXESS. It’s a historic and really prestigious arena, and I think it’s the first time I’m on the stage here for a Major. I actually played one of the Majors in 2017, maybe it was a Cologne Major? I can’t remember.
2016 was the Major.
Okay, okay, so yeah, it’s the first time for me as a Major. It’s a first for many players, I believe, and I’m happy to be part of this moment. I just can’t wait to get to the stage. I have some family coming, and I’m sure everyone else does as well, and make everyone proud.
