nicx: "I'm playing tier one games but I don't know if I'm a tier one player yet"
Losing EliGe was expected to be a huge blow for Complexity, but the arrivals of nicx and cxzi, as well as the leveling-up of both Grim and hallzerk, have more than made up for his departure.
With hallzerk set to be absent from the BLAST.tv Austin Major, Complexity will instead be the team with the most American representatives on their team, as junior steps in to replace him.
Ahead of their home Major, we sat down to speak with nicx about his adaptation to tier one, having adreN join as a coach, and what it would mean to play in front of a home crowd.
"I'm excited to work with [adreN] when we get hallzerk back"
You've been a part of the team for five months now, how have you found your first season in tier one?
I've enjoyed it, it's definitely a steep learning curve. There's a lot of difference between tier one and NA ECL, so I'm still learning, and I'm enjoying it, I think I'm getting better every game.
Is there more differences than you expected? What are they?
I did expect it to be different, I wasn't going in expecting to be playing the same game, but there's definitely more teamplay. Everything around how teams function is way different to NA, even in ECL it's like you're just pugging against a lot of teams, but you have to actually play with your team if you want to win in tier one. That's the biggest change.
In terms of your individual performances, are you happy with them or is there still some way to go before you're happy with the step up?
I think there's definitely room for improvement on my end before I'll be happy, I've had some good maps, I've even had decent series, but there's still work to be done before I consider myself a full, tier one player. I'm playing tier one games, but I don't know if I'm a tier one player yet.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenIf we look at PGL Bucharest and the experience there, how much of a boost was that tournament for you?
It was definitely a very unique experience, we didn't get to play in arena, which was kind of a bummer because we've played four of five LANs and haven't gotten to play in one.
But, it was definitely another level when we got to the playoffs. We played G2 in the group stage and you could definitely tell they were way more locked in when it got to the playoffs, the same goes for FaZe, too. They were a different team in playoffs, way more prepared. I'm excited to play more playoffs in the future and play more teams in their final form.
For when you get to that position again, what is the key to finding that extra level?
Right now, it's sort of based on individual performances. Grim and hallzerk are both playing like top 20 players right now, so if they're both performing and one of the rest of us are, we can beat any team in the top ten, probably. Well, except maybe Vitality... probably.
So, improving our floor as a team and as individuals will get us into more playoff situations and have us make deeper runs when we get there. It's just all about consistency.
Is there still a chance hallzerk might make the Major?
Technically, yes. He could wake up one morning with a visa and fly there mid-Major, but the chance is incredibly low, so we're assuming we'll be with junior the whole time.
How are you feeling about playing with junior?
We've been practicing with junior for two weeks or so, he's a good player, so we're just trying to fill him in on all the strats and getting new preparation in.
hallzerk has been here to help him, he's been sitting in on the scrims and helping us all, so that's been nice to have.
We feel pretty good about playing with him and going into the first stage, if we're able to keep going and make playoffs, I think we'll be happy.
You've also got adreN coming in as the coach for the Major, how are you feeling about having him there and what are you hoping he brings to the team?
I'm really enjoying having him around, he's very critical in a way that I enjoy. I enjoy being told when I'm doing things wrong, I want to know what I can do better, and he does that a lot for me. I appreciate it.
So, right now, we're just focusing on fixing a lot of macro stuff with having junior in and making sure that we're cohesive as a team. He's helping a lot with that.
I'm excited to work with him when we get hallzerk back, as well. I feel like it will be a new dynamic because we haven't had a coach for several months now.
So adreN is in permanently?
Technically no, he's only on contract until the end of the Major and we could wind up with someone else or remain with no coach, but in my mind, I assume we'll have him around.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenHow does he differ from T.c?
T.c helped a lot in reviews and and trying to understand people's reasoning for doing things, he's very good at that, but it's just two coaching styles. I love him, though, I'm happy that Passion UA are doing really well.
Austin is also a home Major, how much more does that mean to you?
For my first Major, for it to be in America, it's pretty awesome. I'm excited.
Besides that, in some ways I'm trying to go into it like it's just another tournament, I'm not trying to think about it too hard. It's a big deal, obviously, but I'm going into it with the mindset that it's just another tournament that we're there to play and win in.
Is it more important to do that for this one than other tournaments not just because it's the Major but also because it's in America?
Yeah, like I said before, we haven't played in front of a crowd yet so if we are able to do that and it be in Austin, that would be incredible. We're definitely trying our best to make that happen, even if we have a sub.
You play OG first, how are you feeling about that?
I feel pretty good about it, I think that we feel pretty confident against most of the teams in our stage. They're a good team, but I don't think they're anything we're super worried about, we'll go into it and prepare like we would for any other game.
Is playoffs the minimum expectation? Has that been discussed?
I don't know if it's our goal as a team, and I wouldn't say it's the minimum, but I'd say that it's my personal goal. I would love to make playoffs. We'll see.
