The reunion of the the highly successful 2009 lineup, winning three major titles, the biggest lineup changes since 2005 - 2010 lead to another exciting year in the remarkable history of FnaticMSI's Counter-Strike team.

In-game leader Patrik 'cArn' Sättermon and teamcaptain Harley 'dsn' Örwall, the two longest serving members of FnaticMSI, sat down with Fnatic.com to discuss last year's happenings.

One year from now, will Counter-Strike still be the biggest e-Sports title?

dsn: I'm pretty sure it won't be, Starcraft 2 is already bigger.
cArn: Hard to predict but I would not be surprised if Starcraft 2 becomes the title on everyone´s lips. This game has exploded in popularity and its unifies three continents, Europe, Asia and America, something that few games have ever done before.
There will probably not be a FPS game to replace CS1.6 in one year time as the game is still huge and attracts fans worldwide, however there will be more going on for SC2 than CS.

So could the current lineup be the last Counter-Strike team FnaticMSI had?

cArn: Tough question, it mostly depends on how well we develop as a team and how successful we can become. The Fnatic CS 1.6 team have risen from the "ashes" before and each edition has been successful and left its mark in the E-sport universe from 2006 and forth. Hopefully this new roster can maintain the fnatic spirit and deliver consistent results based on raw skilled combined with teamplay.
dsn: I think it could be. I wouldn't mind a fresh game that showcases what the gaming industry can accomplish in terms of graphics right now. CS 1.6 is a very good game, but it's old and the look of it doesn't attract a lot of new players.

What was your most important gaming related moment in 2010?

dsn: Winning the Arbalet tournament in Stockholm. It was a good tournament and we did beat NaVi in the final, therefore it tops my list.
cArn: I tend to repeat myself when being asked this but still I can´t recall anything but the time we spent on the road. The travel that comes along and the thrill to play the game you love in exotic environments is something I will remember for a very long time.

Why do you think could you not defend the throne in 2010?

dsn: I think we did a lot of stupid things and we didn't reach our potential; we didn't practice right, we didn't practice enough and most importantly, we didn't want to win as bad as NaVi did.
cArn: We began to play more as individuals than performing as a team of five. This was everyone´s fault and choice but obviously I have to take my fair share of the problem as I didn´t cope with it as I should have being a leader. I believe I should have highlighted the problem in an earlier stage but then again we did win a couple of titles along with many medals in the biggest cups out there, but then again, 2010 was nothing like 2009.

Did you anticipate any problems that occured at the last events of 2010 when reuniting the 2009 lineup last summer?

dsn: Not really, but when you are used to winning, losing is not really an option and it was one of the reasons to why the problems arose.
cArn: I did predict that the problems we had in the team in late 2009 would eventually come back by restoring that lineup in the summer of 2010. Everything was great in the beginning and we got a great boost in the first two tournaments, but then it went back to how it was in late 2009 but this time people had various ideas how we should deal with them.

As in-game leader and teamcaptain you hold the two most important positions within the team. How would you describe your management style?

dsn: I don't really think that being a captain means anything special, Patrik's role is far more important. I try to do the same things as everyone else; keeping everybody happy and comfortable and trying to get the spirit up before games.  
cArn: I guess you will have to ask my teammates about that since it´s really hard to describe and rate yourself. If you force me to use my imagination I would say I´m easygoing and open to listen to each team member´s ideas how we should play the game.

What if something goes wrong? It has been five years since such great changes occured in FnaticMSI's Counter-Strike team for the last time.

cArn: As any other professional instance we are dealing with it accordingly to our business model where we rely on dedication and loyality. We are not in it to build a one hit wonder, we are in it because we want to establish our squads as long-term winning machines.
People recognize Fnatic for it´s successes in CS 1.6 but I would like to remember them about our other squads such as CoD, HoN and our duellers who also have long histories as the best in their titles.

What eggs you on playing after several years in the scene and knowing that you already claimed almost every title there is to win?

cArn: The challenge and the lifestyle I´d say. I love what I´m doing so it´s hard to just give it up, even that my to be or not to be got questioned the other month I still feel passion and excitement to play the same game that has occupied my life for the past 10 years.
dsn: I still have the motivation to win and that's what drives me. Right now I'm not looking back at titles that we have won, I'm only looking forward to titles that we will win (hopefully) in the future.

How do you get away from it all after those stressful and exhausting events or seasons?

dsn: I try to not open CS for a couple of days, that usually does the trick. I rarely get exhausted by playing though.
cArn: Hanging out with friends or working out, trying to think about other things but gaming. It usually takes one or two weeks until you miss the gaming though so I don´t see the "cool down" period as something long lasting.

Harley, you recently returned from a trip to Brazil. Did you enjoy your stay?

dsn: Brazil is a great country with friendly people, good food and great weather. I enjoyed being there a lot and it's always good to get away from Sweden when it's cold. Rio is probably the most beautiful city I've ever visited.

Your former teammate and Fnatic Hall of Fame member Oskar 'ins' Holm accompanied you on your trip, what is he doing these days?

dsn: He has a normal life with his girlfriend. He studied to become a sommelier this fall (mostly for his passion for wine and for the fun of it), but I don't really know what he's planning to do this spring.

Patrik, you spend some time in Sweden. What is your home, London or Sweden?

cArn: My parents´ place in Sweden will always be my home but as I´ve been living in London the past 12 months it begins to feel natural to me so sometimes I refer to it as my home unintentionally.

Despite you two traveling a lot as professional gamers, you have been on the road in your free time. Is this one of the characteristics a professional gamer needs to have, this predisposition for traveling and cosmopolitanism?

dsn: Yes, I think so. If you don't like to travel a lot and see new places, gaming is probably not a good career option. For people who love to travel, like I do, it's pretty damn sweet.
cArn: Definitely, I think so if you want to have this profession for a extended time. Many talented players have abandoned the gaming dream just because they can´t stand the time on the road.
Also I consider this time, as a progamer, as something very privileged so with the opportunity you have to travel all around the world it would be sacrilege to not use that time in the best possible way.

Thanks for taking the time for this interview. Anything you would like to add?

Both: We would like to thank our sponsors, MSI, SteelSeries, BigFoot Networks, Raidcall and Slappa.
cArn: I would like to thank everyone in Fnatic and our sponsors for the amazing work you all do and contribute to building up the best organization there is out there aswell as the e-sport community that still has a long way to go to reach the mainstream audience.
dsn: Also a big thanks to our fans and everyone in Fnatic!

Graphics by Tomek 'TomL' Lewandowski. Second picture courtesy of Bruce/zotob.org