ash on GamerLegion's new players: "This is a way to increase our firepower and balance the team"

It's more of a disappointment, the plan was to stick with the team we had and the start we enjoyed with them and go from there.
When you see a lot of these breakout teams, like The MongolZ for example, you see how a team that has time together can explode. I would have loved to have had that opportunity, but we just didn't have it this time.

Not instantly, there's always a fall back unfortunately, but I think with the players we're bringing in we can bridge the gap very quickly and get back top a very similar level.
That said, even when we had the good run during the Major I didn't feel we were anywhere near our potential, we were still in the beginning stages of the team and maybe just getting towards where we would have liked to be. It'll take a while still, for sure.

FL4MUS was playing as our main aggressor, he was making most of the plays and we were playing around him quite a lot. Also, he was finding a lot of entries and doing a lot for the team and we felt that just making the one change wasn't going to fix the problem.
We had the same problem when we brought volt in to replace iM initially, the balance of the team was a real mess. Going into the start of 2024, we felt it was completely off and we couldn't compete, so I don't want to make that mistake again.
Bringing someone like REZ in, I don't think he's as aggressive as FL4MUS, so making him do everything by himself would be a dangerous thing to do. FL4MUS was already on the extreme levels of how much you should be doing for a team and what we need from him, so it felt like we needed to make two changes at once rather than just bring REZ in and asking him to be what FL4MUS was.
This is a way to increase our firepower and balance the team, which I think we really needed.

I definitely wouldn't frame this as a masterclass, I don't think he's a secret. This guy has been fragging out hard for MOUZ NXT for a long time in quite difficult roles, and when I asked about him I got glowing reviews. He was a hard player to bring in, so I think MOUZ rated him very highly.
His mechanics are exceptional, and I've said for a long time that he looks as good as anyone mechanically and it will only improve, but I would ask people to have patience with him because he's just turned 17 and stepping into tier one will be a big step, but personality wise I think he'll be fine in no time.
I'm delighted to bring him in because he has unbelievable potential, I'm surprised other teams weren't looking at him and maybe age put them off if they're a top tier team because of the sample size, but I think eye-test wise he's a no-brainer.

I think you have to talk a lot about the social media side, as a young kid I think it's going to be more difficult because there's much more pressure and expectation surrounding him.
Going away from his family will also be difficult, so we have to make it a good environment for him that will be enjoyable for him and he doesn't miss home when he's at events.
We have to be there for each other and I'm sure REZ will be great for that, he came into NIP when they still had friberg, GeT_RiGhT, and f0rest and they did the same for him, so that sort of thing won't be a problem.
As coaches, we'll make him feel as valued and comfortable as possible, so I think he'll love doing it, but the very start might just be a bit difficult.
I don't see there being an issue at all with his age though, we have the time to bed him in and he's a fantastic talent.

I think there's a misconception about what we're trying to do here, because we're trying to build the best team possible. That is the only thing I'm trying to do, and that involves looking at what we can get and who we can attract.
For me, someone like REZ is someone who has performed consistently for quite a long time in what was probably the least consistent environment in all of Counter-Strike. He's had academy players come in and go straight back out, IGL changes, coach changes, the fans of the organisation are scrutinizing them a lot, they always seem to have a stand-in, they've just been losing left, right, and centre.
Obviously, REZ has been a part of that, but to play consistently individually whilst that has been happening says to me that there is someone that is potentially undervalued. Looking again at him, he looks like a player that really does have the mechanics, and talking with him makes his passion and motivation clear.
He just wants to go out and prove himself, and I love this hunger, it matches exactly what I'm trying to put in this team. If that motivation and hunger comes from someone a little bit older and If that's a REZ in the prime of his career, then fine, we'll reap the benefits of that.
I think also, he'll be heavily valued here and there's less fan pressure here, so I think he'll fit in perfectly.

I think it's just because of the rest of the team. The team has been a mess, on paper it hasn't looked good and when you're trying to win games you need something around you, you need other pieces in the team to be consistent as well because you can't win every game by yourself. Even the top players in the world haven't been able to do this.
I don't think the structure has been the best, I don't think they've had any confidence, and what more can you ask from a player than to go in and try to be consistent and put up numbers? Obviously when it doesn't go well, they're just going to lose.
I think r1nkle has felt the same sort of pressure on himself and we've now seen a drop off in him, so I expect him to come back to a better position with a better team around him.
I think it's just natural when a team isn't doing well, and they've been really poor fro the last year or two.

That's my job, right? I need to put them in roles where I believe they can be consistent and if they're not, then we need to go and watch and see what's going on. I look at the demos and he can shoot good, he moves well, he understands the movement in CS2 which shows me he's put the time into the game and isn't just phoning it in.
It'll be the same as with any other player, if he's struggling we have to just look into it and see what's going on. I don't think he's a player that isn't capable of thinking critically, he'll just be a another person who wants to learn and improve, and hopefully he'll listen to our input to fix things over time.

I'd like to qualify for the LAN, that would be nice, but there is the issue that our players are sick so we haven't played a single game yet and we're worried we might not get a single practice together. We'd at least like to jump in a call and speak so we recognise each other's voices, that would be at least a starting point [laughs].
But, I think teams will potentially want to play us, and we're not going to be scared of anyone we can go up against. We'll prepare as always and teams, as always, won't expect so much from us and be surprised.
The more people that say we won't get through will give us more confidence that we will, so we're going to give it our best shot because this will be the weakest we will ever be with this lineup but I still think we can be competitive straight away.

I would probably be picking a team that I thought had the least amount of time to prepare, or one that hasn't impressed me so much recently. I think that would give us the best chance to win, rather than looking at the bounty on their heads.
I think we'll be a target, because there's a lot of strong teams and not many teams have made two changes like we have, but the teams that are going to pick us will be more prepared which I think gives us a better chance to beat them as underdogs.

I'm not sure it will lend itself to upsets, but I think that it's interesting. I like that we're trying something different and it makes things interesting for the viewers again.
I don't really like that it's single-elimination or straight after a player break, so the level might not be the highest, but doing it this way will be interesting and upsets could be very interesting.
I love the idea of picking opponents and making the seeds mean something, so I'm excited for it but I have no idea what's going to happen.

[laughs] I can just about manage when it's a BO3, but if it goes to three maps with overtimes and tech delays, then maybe I can't manage.
I get through it, I'm not crocked and I play sports whenever I can, but it's just a little bit annoying. I'll be fine [laughs].