Ne0kai: If you had told me at the start of the year that I was going to work the final ever CSGO RMR I genuinely would have laughed in your face. A pretty big event for me was underselling it a bit though [laughs], it was genuinely massive. I remember when I got the offer for the event I was so overwhelmed I was trying not to cry with happiness, especially considering I was on a train. It was unbelievable from the get go.

First of all, it was my first time working in a studio with BLAST for CSGO it was awesome to see first hand how they earned such a brilliant reputation. I had the chance to work the Rio Major RMR, but I was doing the online casting, and this time I've stepped it up a level from RMR online to RMR in person.

In itself, that’s a huge thing for me, and if you think about it, the only thing I have left is to cast on the stage. To get to work at a tier one event, to prove I can handle the pressure and level of teams as well as the busy schedule was a big thing for me.

Now for BLAST or other TO’s, it's no longer a gamble of whether I'm ready as I've proved it now. Of course, I'm not saying I'm tier one by any means, but it's awesome to prove to myself that I can hang with some of the big shots and make it look synonymous and not be out of my depth.

I’m extremely thankful to BLAST and I hope this spurs on further opportunities in the tier one space like premier events or IEM’s in the near or far future. I was very overwhelmed with emotions when I got the offer, because it cemented to me that the grind was paying off and the big shots were starting to notice the  dedication, improvement and hard work I’ve been putting in.

I actually bought Major tickets on the pre-sale prior to the offer because I did not expect it at all, but it makes this final Major even more special for me, considering that I was part of it in some way. Now when I get to Paris, it's going to make this 10 times as special.

Ne0kai: There were so many cool storylines and therefore sick games to cast. But the Cloud9 game against BIG to make it to the final of the LCQ was insane to cast just because of the narrative alone.

Also cloud9 vs Ence was pretty good as well, I feel like myself and Anders really did that game justice and the stakes were insane too. It was like 12th in the world vs 7th or something along those lines, and it was just an elite game with a lot of hype moments. But also there was something so nice about casting the UK boys, despite the results for Viperio or when ITB lost, it was cool to see these guys on the big stage.

Ne0kai: The big one was seeing all the tier one guys around the hotel and studio. Even though I have casted the vast majority of them and met them all at least once, it was still a bit surreal.

The talent was top notch as well, I could honestly say I enjoyed hanging out with them, whether it was playing card games in the evening or just chilling in the green room which always makes the event more fun and comfortable to work at. We had a dark day and went into the centre of Copenhagen and watched the new Mario film which was far better than I expected.

But honestly even the small things, like picking the brains of some of the experienced guys there like Anders, Harry and Hugo and trying to soak in as much knowledge as possible to hopefully help my career was pretty surreal to me.

It was also really cool to see a big UK turnout, not just in talent but in terms of the the teams too. Having Viperio and ITB involved was awesome, as I have spent the last two or so years casting their rise to the top level of Counter-Strike. We’ve sort of grown at the same time. And just having conversations at the bar, or in the hotel was super nice.

Ne0kai: I was honestly so proud of them. Not even just my UK bias of course, but as I mentioned earlier, my career has risen at the same rate as a lot of them. So to both be there for our first in-studio RMR alongside each other was sick.

But it was also really satisfying as well. I’ve been saying for a long time that there is incredible talent within the UK, they just haven’t had the right opportunities to thrive, and finally some of the best we have to offer like CYPHER and volt have proven that even as youngsters they can hang with the best.

Also for someone like Thomas who is synonymous with the UK scene but hasn’t been able to make it to the top, it's really awesome to see all of them prove that the UK and Ireland isn’t this big meme that everyone wants to believe.

Also on a larger scale you hope that the ITB boys can inspire the next generation of UK players into CS2, and as a scene we can support them to grow it even further.

Ne0kai: I think they were definitely a surprise to be making Legends, and I think if you had asked the CS population 99% would agree. But I don’t think it was a surprise to see them qualify in my opinion. The individuals are nuts, so I knew they could make some magic happen.

I think Monte really surprised me to be fair. I knew they were good in the online space, but lack of LAN experience was the big doubt in my mind. Speaking of doubts, I had absolutely none about the god that is BOROS, but I wasn't sure if the rest could keep up, so I’m really excited to see if they can translate it to the challengers stage.

Another to mention is Apeks, I really didn’t expect anything out of that team. At most the LCQ, but them making the Major was most definitely not on the cards for me, so credit to those guys, they have really turned around what was looking like a rough 12 months or so.

Ne0kai: I know it's the obvious answer but Virtus.pro was wild. Just because, if I'm right in saying, the reigning champions not qualifying for the major has never happened before, so that alone was wild.

But I'm also super surprised to see how poorly Spirit did, especially considering recent performances from them and the insane level of talent they have on that roster. But that's the RMR for you, they are upset central and that's why we love it.

Ne0kai: There are a few that I would throw out there. I think CYPHER from Into The Breach proved that he is capable of hanging with some of the best, especially when he massacred Sprout and got like a 2.24 rating. Both the ex-Endpoint players of Nertz and BOROS absolutely farmed as well, which was awesome to see.

But anyone who had been watching domestic UK CS at those points knew that both of these guys were way too good to be stuck on Endpoint. Finally, the hades redemption arc was so sweet to see. 9INE have been putting on a show recently and cementing themselves as a solid tier 1.5/1 team the way BNE are, and I'm all here for it.

Ne0kai: I think 9INEand Monte have really proved the importance of coming into these sort of tournaments battle hardened and ready. You see a lot of the tier one teams who in my eyes were a little over-confident or un-prepared and it came back to bite them.

For example, having spoken to hades, the 9INE guys are huge fans of G2 and counter-stratted them down to the finest margins, something in which the vast majority of tier one teams didn't seem to do.

I think 9INE in my eyes were always destined to make it to the Major, I had absolutely no doubts in my mind. Not only are they mechanically at the level of tier one teams, but strategically they are an elite roster. Some seriously good Counter-Strike has been played by them over the course of 2023 so I'm glad people are now starting to wake up to it.

Monte was a huge surprise to me. I know they won a CCT just prior to the RMR but the difference between a familiar setup of your bedroom to a manic, loud, distracting studio in a setup that is not yours can always be the real litmus test. And these boys passed with flying colours. I have a strong feeling that Monte will sweep through Challengers Stage if BOROS can keep up his insane form.

Ne0kai: Very surprised but also at the same time I wasn’t. I think FaZe is a side who are so inconsistent. One day they play like they're the best team in the world, and then the next they are all over the place. That being said, going into the Major itself I'd be very surprised not to see FaZe in the top 4.

For Cloud9i I think it just cements the idea that we already knew, that - interz was not the right call and adding buster most definitely wasn’t. The problem at C9 was always nafany as the caller, who seems to be out of his depth at the elite level nowadays.

So honestly, I wasn't too surprised. Cloud9 needs serious work, and we know for a fact it isn't the AWPer or firepower that is the issue so only leaves a few other options. Strategically their team just seems so poor in comparison to others around them. And the reliance on sh1ro and Ax1Le was always going to fall flat at some point.

Ne0kai: Actually the million dollar question. I think it's between three. G2 and FaZe just for raw firepower, and the level of performance we know that they can provide, but then also Heroic.

Heroic are just Mr. Consistent right now when it comes to teams they can beat, it's just a question of can they find that next level and step it up into being the best of the best.

But if I had to take a gamble on who to aim for, my bet would be G2. I just think firepower alone they are so scary and for the most part consistently at the elite level. Just a question of whether they can get over their own mental block. A G2 vs Heroic final seems the most likely in my eyes.