From 24-26th July 2009, the FnaticMSI Counter-Strike 1.6 team will be participating in the e-Stars Seoul 2009 tournament in Seoul, South Korea, representing Team West.
The popular Korean tournament, despite not being as traditional in format as its rivals all across the globe, is arguably seen as one of the most important series to attend due to teams and players only being allowed to participate via fan vote, the achievements earned in the previous season and the committees evaluation of the team and players as a whole.
FnaticMSI have been selected to play for Team West for the third time in a row and its only a small testament to the way the team have been dominant at every tournament so far this year.
So you get an understanding of a players point-of-view heading into the tournament, we will be interviewing a number of players from the team about their expectations and general view.
Patrik "f0rest" Lindberg
1. You've been dominant at every tournament so far since the new line-up, do you expect this to continue at e-Stars Seoul 2009?
I feel that we are still very hungry for another victory, we've had such a good run that it would be sad for it to end so I'm hoping for another title and another one after this ^_^, we wanna be the most dominant team ever!
2. How do you explain the success of the new line-up? The old line-up itself was very successful but the current one seems to be unstoppable, to say the least?
I think we hit a perfect match with picking up two players who are very hungry but also fitting into our team socially -- it just clicked.
3. FnaticMSI head into this tournament for the third time running in three consecutive years, are you confident of bringing home another title?
Of course.
4. What is it about the e-Stars series that makes it so special?
The way it's played, the voting system and KOREA!!! =D
5. What is your opinion on the format of the tournament i.e. the whole process of going through a voting stage and then The Team West versus the Team East aspect?
I think it's a great idea if the voting system wasn't so rigged! The fans get a chance to vote for their favourite teams / players to represent Europe which I find is a perfect chance to involve the fans more.
6. Do you enjoy taking a break from the more "traditional" tournaments when you play at e-Stars? Is there a little less pressure?
I think it takes some of the pressure off not being one of the more major tournaments but you still want to perform to your best and win, so practise-wise it won't change anything.
7. Last year e-Stars introduced the coaching system in which both the West and the East would be given a person to "coach" the team. From your experiences last year when Jørgen "XeqtR" Johannessen was the coach, how does it work and do you notice any differences to your play when they are around or are they more a motivator?
Nah, I can't say that it affects our game in some way since the coach's role there is trying to select the best match-up for each team.
8. Are you looking forward to Sam coaching you this year?
Sam has a good view on who's hot and who's not and also has a pretty okay understanding in both games (CS1.6 and WC3) so I definitely think it'll be fun.
9. What do you know about your opponents from Team East? We have Tyloo, WeMadeFOX and k23, what are your past experiences of them and why is it that Koreans always seem to play 110% better in their homeland and always surprise?
They are of course a lot more comfortable playing with the support of their fans but also being able to eat the food they're used to. I always find them bringing food from far away when they're competing here in Europe. I think those two might be the key ones ;).
10. What are you looking forward to most attending this event?
Competing and the lovely food over in Korea with the help of MSI, SteelSeries, UGAME and Bestpoker of course =D.
Related links:
0 comments
2854 Views
There have been no comments so far. Have your say below!