Titan: "We are ready to do better"

This Titan team was born after the French shuffle in September, that saw LDLC, Epsilon and Titan mix up their players, seemingly started by Titan's decisionc to change.

After the changes Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire said there would be no winners or losers, though Titan started off better at first with a win at DreamHack Stockholm over LDLC.

Since then LDLC have been clearly better, with Titan even having to miss out on DreamHack Winter due to Hovik "⁠KQLY⁠" Tovmassian getting VAC banned just days before the event.

Now Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans's team has recruited Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy back after two years of inactivity, and we decided to talk to the entire team about this change.

RpK teams up with his old teammates after two years of inactivity 

How long did you have to think about coming back to Titan? What were some of the pros and cons you weighed in your decision?

Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy: I only needed a few hours of thinking before I agreed to launch the game and see where I stood, if my motivation and passion were still there. The possibility to make a living from CS, which has always been my main passion, was a big deciding factor when making my choice.

What type of player were you ideally looking for as a replacement for KQLY? Did you have a pre-existing player type in mind to fit your system, or were you open to adjusting it?

Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans: If we had to outline the type of player we needed, the description would be: someone who continually works on his personal skill level, who’s calm, mature and who stands his ground; a rifle-player able to play passive positions and get two or three kills in a row.

So far you haven't been the kind of impact player in Titan you were consistently in LDLC. Do you believe KQLY being gone might open up that opportunity for you? Will you have a larger role in the new iteration of Titan?

Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire: I really struggled in one tournament with Titan, the StarSeries finals, but following that I think my performance has been good, although not on the same level as in Cologne with LDLC. Online, however, I’ve been less on point, and I blame my lack of personal preparation for that. I’m the kind of player who relies heavily on individual and team practice. I think that the more experience I have with my team, the more my personal level is positively impacted. I dropped-out of university in November in order to be 200% dedicated to CS: GO, so I’m hoping that it will bear fruit this year!

Do you find your coaching duty easier after actually playing real matches with the team? Were you able to pick up on anything that may make a difference from playing that you didn't notice while watching?

Jeremy "⁠ioRek⁠" Vuillermet: Yes, I didn’t expect that, but playing is of course really different from watching, even if you are on teamspeak. You don’t feel the pressure, and there are situations where you need to be in-game to truly understand some of the team choices. But although I did learn that aspect of it, going forward I won’t be able to play with the team like that except under exceptional circumstances, so I need to find another way to gain the same input. On the other hand, I also really want to focus on facts, statistics and analytics. This is something which is missing in Counter-Strike, and as a computer science engineer I know how to get that data.

I did pick up some things about how to be more efficient, but the team is still in its early stages so those aren’t really any clever/revolutionary insights, just basics that we are all aware of and which need to be applied. I’m still thinking a lot about the economy management, as it’s something important and maybe still underrated by some teams. With a player like kennyS in the team and the efficiency of auto snipers, there are a few more strategies/trade-offs that need to be considered.

Overall I’ll try to continue playing on my own and try to stand-in whenever possible, so I can stay up to date with my coach/analyst job.

apEX dropped out of university to focus on CS:GO 

With KQLY gone the team no longer is composed from a majority of former LDLC players. Having played under Ex6TenZ and Happy, how would you compare both leaders' approaches to the game?

Mathieu "⁠Maniac⁠" Quiquerez: I think they have a lot in common in their way of considering the strategic aspects, but that the role they give themselves in-game are completely different. Both of them are really interested in the tactical understanding of the game. They like to optimize their team play, find tricks to get an advantage or to know how the opponents play. However, Ex6TenZ often finds himself in the “attack trio” and leads the team from the inside, while Happy had a tendency, in our version of LDLC, to stay behind at the edge of the map, counting on his co-captains to manage the attack in “micro situations”. All in all, they are closer in their way of thinking than most people assume.

While your team has struggled throughout 2014, and especially after KQLY's removal, you had the best year of your career, and one of the most dominant years statistically ever. Is it at all frustrating to feel at the top of the world individually but struggling as a team?

Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub: I’ve felt really consistent with my level of play this year and I’m very pleased. I intend to do whatever it takes for it to stay that way.

Our year didn’t turn out the way we expected it, especially with KQLY’s ban which ruined the entire last half. We took a huge blow, and missing DreamHack Winter was a difficult moment for the team and me, knowing that we were well prepared and confident in our chances.

However, concerning my skills this season, I want to emphasize that I am fortunate to be surrounded by great players who give me the opportunity to express myself. There is a great deal of trust involved. I would also like to highlight my team captain Ex6TenZ who’s an admirable person in the team. Since my return he’s always put me in the most optimal positions, he’s a workaholic and he’ll be even better next year with what we had to go through.

This season was frustrating and a disappointment for everyone but I have faith in the future. We are ready to do far better in 2015. 

kennyS is pleased with his play in 2014 

Did you really not play at all for two years? If so, do you believe it is still realistic to catch up to where you were in 2012? There are virtually no successful comeback stories in the history of CS with such a lengthy break.

Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy: I haven’t touched the game during the last two years, except maybe once. I only played a few FPS games during my free time but nothing consistent.

If I’m back it’s because I think it’s possible. You only need the proper will and motivation, and I accepted that I would have to start from scratch with a very busy schedule. I train every day from 5pm to 5am, I’ve never played that much before. My evenings are divided between one thousand DM frags and watching a lot of demos to keep up to date with the positioning, the moves, etc. I’m also listening to a lot of tips from my teammates, I’m progressing rapidly, learning from my mistakes and making sure to correct them the best way I can.

You obviously have a good understanding of both this current team and RpK. How much of a change will there have to be to fit "The Tank" back into the team? How soon do you realistically expect to compete with the very best?

Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans: I think we have a shot of having the required skills to evolve constantly. With RpK’s return, we are reconsidering everything and making a fresh start. As long as we progress and that the momentum is good, the time it takes isn’t really all that important. You need to give yourself some time to build a solid foundation. Also the first big goal will probably be in March, which leaves us two months.

Considering how brutal the scene can be at times, are you at all afraid of the negative press that will come if you don't instantly perform well? What kind of goals have you set yourself on an individual level?

Cédric "⁠RpK⁠" Guipouy: Negative press won’t affect me because I know that I’m starting over, and that initially it’s possible to encounter some difficulties. I hope people will realize that, but I won’t hold it against them for having high expectations. The only thing I can say is that I will work very hard to make sure to reach my level. My goal is not only to come back to the “TANK” that I was but to become even better :)

You said in your statement that you looked into other players as well, and expect some youngsters to break through in the coming months. Can you name a few examples for the scene to know who to look out for?

Jérôme "NiaK" Sudries: We looked quite a lot at rising French players in teams like Platinium but also webspell, Remake and Awsomniac. There are few connections between these teams, which represent a pool of new talent, and the interconnected trio of LDLC, Epsilon and Titan, and it’s one of my goals to get more involved with that new generation, like we did successfully with Kenny for instance. A lot of them have the potential to break through, but if I had to give you one name: ALEX, the young webspell player pleasantly surprised me. Definitely stay tuned in the upcoming months!

Ex6TenZ thinks ScreaM has improved as of late 

Is there any reason in particular you did not reach out to ScreaM, with whom you had considerable success in late 2013, and who has resembled his old self lately in Epsilon? Does he simply not fit the Titan mold, or are there other reasons?

Kévin "⁠Ex6TenZ⁠" Droolans: Let’s be clear, this is a joint decision within the team. We have very good relations with Adil, and we really value him. He knows what our reasons and concerns were when he left, and we hope that those can stay between us. We’ve all been able to see him play with more impact recently, and it’s a joy to see and I hope it signals his return at the top this year.

After the French reshuffle in September, you said there would be no "winner" in the changes. However, it's safe to say now that LDLC has come out on top, at least for now. Does it feel they drew the long stick in the changes, or simply that you haven't gotten your due for some reason?

Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire: It’s true that for the moment LDLC are doing way better than we are, truly playing on the world stage. We didn’t perform as well as them post DreamHack Stockholm, but we practiced massively for Dreamhack Winter, and I felt we were ready to cause an upset. They will keep a head start on us like many other teams but we are going to focus on ourselves and start our journey with a solid foundation.

In line with your previous question, did you feel it's important to get you help in the fragging department after KQLY's departure? Do you expect RpK to be able to give you that help despite his long break from competitive play?

Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub: We all have a very specific role in the team and after KQLY’s departure we were looking for someone like RpK, which is to say a player who has a skill that stands out, great composure and reliable communications.

I have been able to play with RpK for a few days now and I have no doubt that he will recover his former level. He’s not there yet, but he’s working hard on getting there. Cédric has shown great determination, and I’m really confident that he will allow us to be even better equipped for 2015. 

Titan will debut with RpK at ASUS ROG Winter 2015 on January 30-31 in Helsinki, Finland. HLTV.org will be on-site to provide full coverage of the $25,000 tournament.