ropz: "We expect to win when it matters, and that's why I'm here"
Who would have thought we would be seeing ropz in a Vitality jersey in 2025? We certainly didn't, but that's the reality we now face as we await his debut at BLAST Bounty this week.
One of the biggest moves of rostermania, we caught up with the Estonian superstar ahead of his first game against Metizport.
"We felt like we could have done more"
You're on a new team, how are you feeling about it?
I'm feeling very good. I've met the guys now, played some games with them and got some first impressions, and I think everything is very smooth. It's going better than I expected.
Does it feel any different to the last time you had a new team?
The last time I moved team I felt like we could win everything from the first moment, I felt like the team was ready and it was the right lineup. I have the same feeling now with Vitality.
The people here are extremely good in and out of the server, so I feel like we can click as soon as possible and start winning.
Photo: Michal KonkolAt what point was it that you decided it might be time to move on from FaZe?
There's no real answer to that, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for at least six months. I had the conversation with FaZe and I knew they would like to keep me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay or explore other options.I made the decision, not in the last minute, but I pushed it as far as I could to give myself as much time as I could to think about it.
I even had a break, but it didn't feel like a break because I was stressing a lot on a personal level. This was a huge decision for me, whether I was to stay or not, but in the end I decided I would like to move on and start a new page in both my life and career. This is a huge decision in that sense.
In terms of your last year with FaZe, there were some disappointing losses, but are you happy with what you achieved in the last year with them?
I think we weren't satisfied, we expected more. When you look at it on paper, two Major grand finals is a very big result, but inside the team we felt like we could have done more. If you're playing for a team like that, you expect to win tournaments. So I feel sad that we couldn't do it, and we all know that we could have done better.
Some analysts have spoken about potential role clashes between you and frozen on FaZe, do you think that moving to Vitality might help you on an individual level?
I never saw that big of a problem between myself and frozen, I think it was more just that we all dropped in individual form and got wrecked in many matches as a result. It wasn't that big of an issue, and it won't be that much in Vitality either.
Do you think that because you had issues with form and the big losses you had is good experience and preparation for going into a new team?
For sure, experience always does good and knowing how to deal with tough moments or problems such as individual levels is helpful. It's going to give you perspective you may not have had before.
Photo: Michal KonkolObviously you were one of the bigger moves of the rostermania, but are there any moves that interested you?
I guess I'm just excited to see FaZe, really. Them getting EliGE will be very different to how they were with me, they're getting a more aggressive player so I feel it will be very different as a result. I have no idea how their playstyle will be.
You mentioned earlier that you feel like you can just go and win right off the bat, in terms of the next six months, what are you hoping to get out of it?
Just to win, there isn't much more than that. We're going to Katowice expecting to win, and we're going to go into many of the tournaments with the same expectation. We expect to win when it matters, and that's why I'm here.
In the much more short term, you make your debut in BLAST Bounty with a game against Metizport, how are you feeling about that?
So far I'm feeling good. We had a short bootcamp before the HLTV Awards and the chemistry is great both in and out of the server. Everything is smooth sailing so far, and you never know how the matches will go, but it's looking good and I'm very excited for it.
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