ENCE were one of the biggest underdog teams of 2022.
Major semi-finalists at PGL Antwerp, the Finnish organisation had slowly put together a team that looked capable of taking down any team in the world.
Sadly, the success would not be maintained as Vitality would come calling for Spinx, and hades would also make way in order for the arrival of SunPayus as the organisation looked to rebuild their team in the wake of the Israeli’s departure.
Now going into the final Major of CS:GO, ENCE are on the up again following the arrival of Nertz and a top-four finish at ESL Pro League Season 17.
“I mean Nertz is doing amazing. He's showing he's a super amazing player, he's doing a lot of work for us and we're giving him the space and the freedom,” in-game leader Snappi told BLAST.tv.
Of course, for ENCE to be on the up again, there must have been a down, and while a previous move for valde didn’t pan out, Snappi believes Nertz can be the player to get ENCE back to the upper echelons.
“I think we were lacking a star player, and I think he's filling that role well. We are trying to set him up and create the space around him and also allow him to be the type of player he is so he can execute his plays and aggressive moves that he can do,” he said.
It’s clear to see from talking with Snappi that he’s as confident now as he’s ever been, when asked what the peak for this iteration of the team could be, his answer was simple: “I think we can win the Major.”
Now that might seem far-fetched, but his explanation should be more than enough to convince some people.
“We need good vibes and to just play our game. I think the last two LANs we played with Nertz we beat Cloud9, Vitality, and G2 in BO3s, I don't think you'll find many better teams than those three. If we can beat them and we can show a consistent level I don't see why we can't challenge for the trophy. This is a very open major, there might be four or five favourites and three or four dark horses, I consider us one of the dark horses," Snappi said.
The confidence in his team is admirable, and it’s confidence that extends to his own abilities as a leader too. Danish IGLs will always be revered in CS:GO, gla1ve and karrigan are widely believed to be the two greatest IGLs of all time, but Snappi has a different answer when it comes to which Dane is the best right now.
“I think I'm the best Danish IGL, I do honestly believe so. I think all five [cadiaN and HooXi included] of us should probably believe that we are the best because we're competitors and we're facing each other. I'm doing it with a budget that is far less than all of them, I'm bringing tier 2 players into tier 1, and I do believe that I'm good. I have belief in myself and in the current team, I don't care if it's a mad thing to say but I do believe I'm currently the best,” he said.
Snappi believes that the Danish IGL's all have different strengths:
"I believe that glaive was obviously untouchable with the Astralis lineup, it was just everything coming together with that lineup, and I think Karrigan and I actually have a bit of a similar style when playing the game," he said.
"I would say the difference between him and me is that he has always had the best players in the world and he has done amazingly.
I have so much respect for Karrigan's achievements especially over the last year. For everyone and for me Karrigan has been the best IGL in the world over the past year and a half, but I also have to believe I am good enough to beat them,” Snappi told BLAST.tv.
Snappi’s confidence is inspiring to many fans. A man who has consistently brought players into the limelight and turned them into superstars, he will likely go down as a very underappreciated figure in the history of Danish CS:GO.
That being said, should his actions back up his words, and his name will be written in history in a way very few players will ever get to experience.
If you’re an ENCE fan or even just a CS:GO aficionado and you want to see Snappi and his team make waves in Paris, make sure you stay tuned to BLAST.tv, with every game on stream (in 4K!) and exclusive interviews and coverage, there’s no better place to be for the final Major of CS:GO.
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