Happy

After a year together, does it seem to you that the EnVy of today has some certainties on the game, or do a lot of fuzziness and doubts remain?

I think that, at the end of this year, we have come to the review part, we will sort through the good and the bad. There were a lot of both during this year. The goal is to come back with a refreshed and more rigorous game plan, which we lacked a lot in the very close matches we had in 2017.

How does nV strat’? Do you create blank strategies on a server or do you create the game plan in opposition to the strategies of other teams?

Most of our game plan is obviously the team’s, I would say the ratio is 80/20. Of course, we are observing the game of the top teams to either create counters or to draw inspiration for new phases of play.

As a leader, what role do you think you played in RpK’s form resurgence at the end of the year?

First of all, I think he has to be congratulated for his personal work, he showed a great level of resilience and rigour, he has always been motivated to improve himself as a player and teammate, this will have been the true pleasant surprise of this team. Then, I would say that a lot of our phases of play, especially on the offensive side, are centered around Cédric’s moves, which highlights him, and, thanks to his level, he has perfectly been able to take advantage of this situation.

SIXER has had difficult moments and his confidence probably suffered from it. How are you handling that as a leader?

I think it is a whole, one must not forget that a lot of his confidence problems came from the community, that was bringing him down after each game, no matter if he was performing in the team or not. But I think that his end-of-year level is a telltale sign of a change of position regarding all this. Chris has a lot to bring to a team, the only difficulty is to make him realize it. One must really understand that the level of a team doesn’t stand on the individual level of one player, it is supposed to be a coherent whole. And, on this, he is ahead of a lot of people.

“A feeling of incompleteness that will have followed us through the entire year”

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

The thing I’m most proud of? That’s hard, I would say qualifying for the Boston Major, the possibility of having a chance to get back to the Major cycles is very important, and having a sticker for xms, he is very proud of it. In terms of teamplay level, I am hesitating between the DH Atlanta that we won, or the level we displayed at the IEM Oakland. We could have landed in semi-finals instead of NiP if we hadn’t melted down in that last match. But the “ifs” don’t count on CS, so I would say Atlanta.

Your worst memory of the year?

I think it will remain a feeling of incompleteness, of “almost succeeding”, that will have followed us through the entire year. If I had to choose a date, it would be the first Minor, qualifying for the PGL Krakow Major, first Major I will have missed, very hard to handle.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

A bit hard to say, I don’t have an exemple that specifically struck me. Again, I would choose a moment: the group stage of the ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals, where we squeezed into the quarters against some very good teams, with a very good team level, a chemistry.

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

As previously stated, this victory, in its time, was a little symbol for us, after a DH Valencia far short of our hopes, we were able to bounce back at the next event, the DH Atlanta. It gave us a moral boost just before the summer break. The team really needed a symbol of victory, and we got it, even if the competition there wasn’t tier 1.

RpK

What has changed, since the season started, that could explain your form resurgence at the end of the year?

I’d simply say my rigour and my confidence. I gained a lot of confidence individually. I watched the other teams a lot, the players and their positions, etc., and I learned a lot from it.

Could your current form in-game be compared to the one you had on Source?

Hmm, I wouldn’t say that. I think the general level is very different on CS:GO compared to Source, all the players have stepped up on CS:GO. So I’d rather say I’m a new RpK, with the confidence I had on Source :p

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

The thing I’m most proud of is definitely our performance at the Minor, for the Major qualification! That was one of the main goals for this year!

“I’m a new RpK with the confidence I had on Source”

Your worst memory of the year?

Our complete failure at the first Minor. I never thought we’d fail so bad, knowing that we had been very strong online just a week before!

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

The match that comes to my mind where I was pretty good is the one we had against SK on Inferno, at the ESL Pro League finals, in Dallas ^^ there’s also the one we played against NiP, at ELeague.

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

A victory always feels great, it remotivates the team and gives confidence. I know it’s not that big of a title, but it allowed us to end things well before summer break and to come back even stronger after the break. That’s how I saw it personally.

xms

It has now been a year since you reached the “top level”, what major differences did you notice between EnVyUs and your previous structures ? Regarding the team’s management by the structure, the preparation, in game, etc.

After a year within EnVyUs I can notice a few major differences, I would say the professionalism and the seriousness, mainly on the structure’s management part.

In the in-game part we often try to find new things and to improve them if we think they’re not good enough, or else we try to invent new moves, etc., something that wasn’t necessarily there in my previous teams. And the practice schedule in the afternoon allows us to be free in the evening (especially when a player doesn’t live alone, it allows him to spend time with his family for example).

What do you think of Happy’s leadership when compared to others you have known, especially Ex6TenZ’?

I’d say I haven’t had a lot of teams so I won’t have any comparing to do, but if I can make one between Happy and Ex6TenZ, it’s that with Happy I’m more free.

While knowing that I’m not a mastermind and that sometimes I need someone to tell me what to do in certain situations, I can make the move I want, if I decide that there is an opportunity, even during a call for example.

“Everything is a question of desire, you desire to be the best or simply remain a good player”

Individually speaking, do you feel like you’ve progressed in a year? Did you change something in your way of playing, to perform more?

Yes, I feel like I’ve progressed individually speaking this year, with the help of maLeK, our coach, but also the players that were telling me what to do in certain situations.

It’s all about watching demos, but also knowing the mistakes you could have made during a match and telling yourself that if you had played differently at that exact moment, you could have turned the tables around and won the round all by yourself. Everything is a question of desire, you desire to be the best or simply to remain a good player.

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

The thing I’m the most proud of this year, if I had to pick just one, I would say having played a lot of tournaments (IEM, ELeague, ESL Pro League, DH Masters), where, even if we didn’t make it past the group stage, I took a lot of pleasure in travelling but also participating.

Your worst memory of the year?

My worst memory of the year, honestly, I have no idea… Maybe when I broke my glasses and couldn’t see a thing for a whole evening and a morning!

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

To me, the victory at the DH, it’s something, even if it wasn’t one of the greatest tournaments. It’s my first international victory, and my biggest cash prize won in a tournament at the moment.

ScreaM

kioShiMa was saying that you were pretty free in EnVy’s game style, how would you define your role within EnVy this year? Were you at ease with it?

I changed my style a lot compared to my beginnings in EnVyUs or even to the G2 era. Given the lack of aggressiveness / initiative in the team, I’m trying to bring an aggressive touch to the team. For now it’s very individualistic, I allow myself a lot more things, precisely because I didn’t feel at ease with my role inside the team, a quite confusing year overall.

You were kind of announced as the “star” of the team at its creation, how did you deal with this pressure, with these expectations ? Do you feel that your status evolved during the year?

We play around a “star”, I wasn’t really the star of this team in game. Maybe outside, but sadly, this won’t help to win matches. Let’s say that 2016 and 2017 have been completely different years for me, I don’t know what to think of this. But overall, I’m disappointed with myself and with what we have been able to produce in terms of results…

“I try to bring an aggressive touch to the team”

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

The DreamHack Atlanta, a victory as a team!

Your worst memory of the year?

The Minor, the first of this year

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

The first meeting against G2, it felt very pleasant to win that match :D

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

As you say, our only success in 2017, so quite important indeed!

SIXER

In terms of pure skill, how do you explain that you can sometimes perform spectacularly by having 1vs4s, but can’t seem to have a steady and strong impact in the games?

It’s all a matter of role and position, but most of all of consistency, in order to have an impact. Regarding clutches, I can’t explain why, I just feel very at ease during these moments.

Back on 1.6 and at the beginning of CS:GO, you embodied self-confidence. Do you feel as confident now? Isn’t that an essential quality for a sniper?

It’s true that 1.6 was another game, but also a whole other story: I wasn’t afraid of anything, the only person that could beat me was myself. Now it’s not that I’m more scared of my opponents, but rather that my individual level isn’t the same anymore. During this year, I started doubting my performances. But don’t worry, I’m working on it, and it’s coming back at high speed. I think confidence is an essential quality for a sniper, but also for every other player of the team.

There have been a lot of talks about mental preparation and coaching for esports’ teams. Do you think this could help you? Have you already brought it up?

Many international teams already have mental coaches, and yes, I think this could help us regarding a lot of small details, in-game and outside. If I remember correctly, we’ve already talked about it, but only a little.

“During this year, I started doubting my performances, but I’m working on it”

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

Qualified for the WESG World :D

Your worst memory of the year?

There are a lot of bad memories T_T but also very good ones, I would say the qualification for the PGL Major in Bucharest where there was largely enough room for us and we weren’t able to make it.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

As a spectator, EPICENTER 2017, the grand final SK vs Virtus.pro in Bo5.

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

Prove to ourselves that we can do it, that we can win, everything is in our hands.

maLeK

You’ve finally achieved your first year as a coach, was this role up to your expectations?

Overall, yes, it’s what I expected it to be. My idea of this role got more and more precise during the year, and I’m still progressing as I’m talking to you right now! There isn’t “a single” method, you have to question yourself constantly, learn to listen to others, be fair and be able to push people at the same time, instill rigour in the players, improve the motivation and desire that allows a group of people to enter a virtuous circle… that’s where the the magic happens!!

Did your working methods, by yourself or with others, change over the months? Did you have to radically change something compared to how you worked at the beginning?

I did change my methods, but not radically! Overall, I think the red wire remained the same. I truly focused on the human side, and on the mentality we had to develop in order to progress. It ended up being a daily accompaniment, during our training periods and even during tournaments. Almost everyone in the team had to get out of their comfort zone (if it actually exists on CS) and produce a real effort in order to fit their new responsibilities.

Of course, I had to adjust some things by myself, event after event. But that was also thanks to Vincent, Jordan, and every single member of the team, in accordance with their personal needs and feelings. Today, I can say that we all got to know each other better, after investing a lot of time in the “us”, in the individual, in the important principles, etc.

Some of them are more autonomous now and it frees up more time. It allows me, amongst other things, to open up to the outside world, I can take a closer look at what is done elsewhere, I prepare our matches with better analysis. I think we’ve found a balance nowadays! We’ve had some moments of excellence here and there but that wasn’t enough, and we’re doing our best to reinforce it until January. Major is coming.

Unlike G2, EnVyUs doesn’t have an analyst. Do you think this could help you, or don’t you feel the need for one?

Of course, with performance in mind, I’d easily imagine a mental coach, an analyst, a coach per player, etc. I’m sure it’d be effective! However, support isn’t everything. There are only a few moments when an external opinion or a helping hand will actually be useful. I want my players to remain involved and invested. SK, for example, does it pretty well ;)

This season was mainly focused on the “us”, the team, and Vincent’s requests regarding pure analysis were very few. He only needed to know about our opponents’ special features, regarding the pistol rounds, first buy rounds, the usual positions (who goes where?), this kind of things.

“Almost everyone in the team had to get out of their comfort zone”

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

The second day of the tournament in Dallas (ESL Pro League), where we beat SK, fnatic in overtime, and Immortals, thanks to a clean and incisive play!

Our victory at the DH Atlanta, the first one with this team, the first one for me as a coach, this one is very important and will always taste great!

Last one goes to the qualification for ESL One New York. This could seem insignificant, but I think this was my proudest moment of the season! The play style, the mentality, the cohesion, everything was there!

Your worst memory of the year?

My worst memory is our failure at the first Minor, and the following weeks. After reaching the quarter-finals at the ESL Pro League, it would have been logical for us to qualify for the Major. The whole season would have been different then, I’m sure of it.

If you had to pick one match this year (where you coached, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

The first one that comes to mind is our match against Astralis, during the last day of the ESL Pro League, we managed two great victories that lead us to the grand finals. We fought like lions on this evening!

As a spectator, I really enjoyed the EPICENTER finals, SK - VP! It was great!

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

As I said above, winning always tastes great! This victory is very important, and I hope it’s the first of many others.

Next

After a successful year 2015, 2016 and 2017 seemed more complicated for EnVyUs. Did you feel any change in your relationship with the structure after these lukewarm results?

Indeed, since the end of 2015, we lost some of our strength in 2016, same for 2017, but this time we took a new turn and gained new faces, gathered players that had never played together before. I won’t get too much ahead so that I don’t jinx it, because my relationship with EnVy is more and more based on trust (and it’s doing well), and EnVy is an important part of my life. I don’t think the results had any influence on it. Now we have to return the same trust they have given us.

Around mid-year, you were telling us about the fact that players had to be ready to get more “physically” involved, such as living in the same city, meeting “in real life” to share moments, etc. Is this something you’ve already talked about with the team? Do you think it could help?

Yes, I persist and stick to my opinion. That’s a very important step for a team of our level! And yes, we’ve talked about it, but some of them aren’t ready to commit. I’m not blaming anyone, they’ve traveled a lot this year, and I know very well how important it is for some players to balance the “family, friends, girlfriend” moments in order to perform and not give way.

In my opinion, I think this could help, if we make an adapted planning. This could allow us to implement new things, like mental preparation sessions with everyone, sports, vision tests… I might be going too far but I have a lot of ideas sometimes and it might be worth testing them.

“The fact that we managed to achieve a year, even if difficult, as a humanly welded team without imploding.”

The thing you’re most proud of this year?

It’s hard to choose. The qualification for the Boston Major, the great performance at the ESL Pro League finals in Dallas, where the team fought to the very end with overtimes against fnatic and SK. But most of all, I’m proud of the fact that we managed to achieve a whole year, even if difficult, as a humanly welded team without imploding.

Your worst memory of the year?

Our failure at the first Minor of the year, even after we had been preparing and training hard, was a real shock. It was the first time EnVy couldn’t try its luck to qualify for the Major… a first for the team. That was a very difficult moment to deal with, as a manager and as a human.

If you had to pick one match this year (where EnVy played, or as a spectator), which one would it be?

With EnVy, I’d say the match against SK at the ESL Pro League finals. But the match I enjoyed most was the SK-VP EPICENTER finals.

How important was the victory at the DH Atlanta to you, your line-up’s only success in 2017?

A victory is always important for a team, it happened at the right time and it felt great. The only thing I regret is… that I wasn’t there :’(