GuardiaN: "We can beat any team"

Kovács was a big reason to how Na`Vi were able to upset NiP in the opening match of the tournament yesterday afternoon. His stellar play with the AWP saw him top all three categories for it.

Today his team will go up against Titan, and he will have to deal with their new recruit Kenny "kennyS" Schrub. Continue reading to find out how Kovács feels about the games, the event, and more.

How confident were you going into the match against NiP yesterday? Had you prepared a lot for them specifically? Did you think NiP made a mistake in picking the maps?

GuardiaN: We are always confident before every single match. Even if we are playing a map that we have not played yet as a team, we are doing our best to show a good result. Map pool for our series gave us even more confidence in our plays, since we played our best map and on the other two we are a solid team.

We had not prepared specifically for this match, we just tried to play our game, our strats and tried fast picks in certain positions. I do not think they made a mistake in picking the maps, since we always ban a certain map and the other four maps are maps, that we are practicing every day. So we are prepared to face any team on those maps, and then it is just about the skill of everyone within the team

You had some really impressive rounds in the series, including the one-on-three clutch in the B bombsite of de_dust2. Do you feel you're back in top shape now? I recall you saying before EMS One that you had trouble adjusting to your new gear. Also, how do you think you will match up against kennyS later today?

GuardiaN: I just quit Dota and have been focusing on CS for the past two weeks. I've put a lot of hours in my individual practice to get ready for this event as well as I can. I am now playing with my old gear that gives me more confidence in my aggressive plays, so now there is no problem in my game.

Facing kennyS will be hard, but I think it will not be a battle of skill, but a battle of mindset. Kenny is an extremely strong player an AWPer and I will be the one to face him, but I think I am a bit stronger in my way of thinking and I will not let myself get overpressured by him.

GuardiaN had a RC EMS One Summer 2013-like clutch against NiP on de_dust2 

You had a solid showing at the previous SLTV StarSeries Finals in December but failed to get out of groups at EMS One Katowice. Where would you rank Na`Vi right now among the world's best teams? How good do you think you are in your current form?

GuardiaN: It is really hard to say... We have to wait for the next big event which will be DreamHack Summer to be able to rank our team. I personally think we can beat any team on LAN if we are in a good shape, but nowadays the CS:GO scene is really even. We really want to show everybody thay we are a top tier team so we will keep practicing and improving our teamplay and individual skills till we will be able to win a major event.

What do you think is your team's biggest strength? To me it seems the key to your win over NiP was the fact you were so dominant against their AWPers. Do you think the rest of your team will have more work against Titan, since you will have a tougher opponent in your duels?

GuardiaN: Our teamplay is and will be our biggest strength. If we win, we have to win a as team to be satisfied enough for the next match. If we lose, then we have to lose in the same way. It will be extremely hard to play against two really good AWPers and if I will be able to succeed at least a bit in the duels, then the rest of the job is on my team.

Seized played a really great game yesterday on de_dust2, he made a lot of entry kills and also Zeus made good calls in the best possible situations... Edward and starix did their job as well. On de_train it was all about our teamplay, everyone was playing their role and getting kills as they were needed. So in the end, we will have to all play well to get the win to our side.

How do you expect to do against Titan as a team? Do you think they are still favorites going into the match? What will be the key factor that decides who will come out on top?

GuardiaN: The new-old lineup of Titan is a big unknown at the moment. It will be hard to predict their game and setups on defense, so we will do our usual and try to do our best. Favorites or not, it's hard to say.. If we take a look at their results in the last six months, they are, for sure, the favorites.

But I would not do that, because at this LAN we have four great teams and all of them can become the champions at this event. The team who will let their opponents have more free space on the map will lose, so we cannot let them do whatever they want. This will be the key factor.

GuardiaN hopes his team will continue winning today versus Titan 

Coming into SLTV StarSeries IX Finals, what was your goal? Which placing would have been acceptable to you, or was it more about how you played? Is this event already a success for Na`Vi?

GuardiaN: We have only one goal, to be the champions of SLTV StarSeries IX Finals.

Have you faced pressure to perform from the Natus Vincere organization after the group stage exits (one of which you weren't a part of yet) at the two CS:GO majors? If so, has it affected you as a team at all?

GuardiaN: I've been only at one major with Natus Vincere, at EMS One Katowice. After our bad result, we were really disappointed, wanted to change lot of things. But then our managers talked to us, made our minds clear and we've set another goal. The staff in Na`Vi is really understanding.

You played in a Russian speaking team before in Virtus.pro last summer. How is the communication in Na`Vi now? Does it still hinder your play as a team, or have you gotten well used to it?

GuardiaN: In my opinion it's way, way better than it was in Virtus.pro. Now I understand what are they saying in-game, sometimes I do not... But then I ask and next time I remember all things. So in the end I think it's fine. I still need some more experience and time to get more used to it, to be able to talk in-game properly. Hopefully in the near future it will be much better.

Before we let you go prepare for the game against Titan, who do you think will win between NiP and Virtus.pro? Who would you most like to beat in the grand final if you were to get there? And finally, any shoutouts for your friends, or sponsors?

GuardiaN: Both teams are strong, Virtus.pro seems to be one of the best teams in the world at the moment, so the result will be 2:1. But I will still go for NiP, since they are a stable team, they can comeback from such a bad situation better than any team in this scene. It will be a great game, good luck to both... I would like to thank all of our fans, Natus Vincere and its sponsors for supporting us and having faith in us.

Kovács' Natus Vincere will play Titan in the SLTV StarSeries IX Finals' upper bracket final at 18:30 for a spot in the grand final. Loser will face the winner of NiP versus Virtus.pro.