nicoodoz: "You can't compare the old Heroic to the new one"
After one of the most controversial and unexpected transfer sagas of all time Heroic found themselves with just two players left from the team that had risen to the top of the Counter-Strike world in the last few years.
In need of a rebuild, the Norwegian organisation turned to kxysan, Nertz, and nicoodoz, a trio that would retain their Danish roots while also transitioning the team into one more representative of the current international meta.
The final member of that trio, nicoodoz, is no stranger to tier one thanks to his time with fnatic, a period in which he says he was "below average".
Having since developed a unique style as a star for Preasy, nicoodoz is now ready to impress for Heroic in 2024 and we spoke to him about just that.
Photo: Michal KonkolInterview with nicoodoz
Before joining Heroic you were doing really well with Preasy, do you think you stepped up as a player during your time there?
"For sure, I think it was a great place for me to fall back to and regain some confidence. I was struggling in fnatic and also started to question myself and my level of play. Doing good in Preasy was a huge confidence boost."
Preasy as a whole was doing really well, was it a hard decision to leave?
"At first, when I wasn't sure about the lineup, I had some doubts. But as soon as I heard what players were staying and what players were going to join, I knew it would be a place I would love to be at."
You’re now back in tier one, having previously been there with fnatic. People were quite critical of you in that time, but do you think that’s unfair given you made the Major playoffs once, almost made them a second time, and had a respectable rating versus top 20 teams?
"I think I was pretty average in fnatic, maybe even below the average mark for AWPers in general. So I think the criticism is fair. I just wanna play my own game now, and keep pushing with my newly regained confidence."
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenDo you feel like you have a point to prove on Heroic?
"I want to please the fans and show them Heroic made the right choice. But at the end of the day, I need to be personally satisfied with the work I put in. If I do what's needed, then the results will come. I fully believe that."
You’ve already made it through the open qualifiers for the RMR, what was that experience like? Was it a relief to make it through?
"I was really confident in myself and especially in the team. Practice leading up to the qualifier has been going really well. So I wasn't too scared about not making it. Perhaps if we would've gone to the third or fourth qualifier it would've been worse."
The previous Heroic team has been one of the best teams in the World over the past few years, does the new team have what it takes to pick up where the old team left off or will it take some time?
"I don't think you can compare the old Heroic to the new one. It's a completely new core, but we will bring the positive experiences from the two old heroic players for sure. They have both achieved a lot. I do truly believe in the potential of the team, and even possibly surpass the old heroic team, with time of course."
You have developed a very interesting style of hybrid AWPing that seems to be working really well for you, is that style the key to your success?
"I would say yes, I really believe the AWP is a lot weaker in CS2 compared to CSGO. I think the peeker's advantage while wide-swinging is rough as an AWPer. I am also fairly comfortable while wielding a rifle, so it opens up multiple ways to play and keeps the team more flexible."
Photo: Michal KonkolDo you worry it may not work as well against the World’s best teams?
"I have practised versus a few top teams, and I would say it has worked as intended. I'm not really that worried, because I have good players, and good staff around me to make sure I keep mixing stuff up."
You have a tough group at Spring Groups, how are you feeling about it?
We have BIG, C9, and VP. I think it's a great group with great teams, so it's going to be a good test for our first LAN together as a team. I believe we can make it out of the group!