FNS: "Having the same core helps us"

CLG are one of the two teams who advanced to the ESL One Cologne major through the North American qualifier, alongside Cloud9, and have been placed into a tough Group A with TSM, NiP and Renegades.

Take a look below to see wha Pujan "⁠FNS⁠" Mehta had to say on CLG's preparation prior to ESL One Cologne, their expectations, goals and much more in the following interview:

How have you prepared for ESL One Cologne? Are you going to or did you bootcamp beforehand or have you only been preparing online? Have you focused on anything in particular? (e.g. teams, specific problems at recent events)

Technically, we've been bootcamping for about 2 months now if you count the amount of time we've been in the CLG house together. We've been addressing all of our problems as much as possible and fixing them before Cologne. Since our groups have been announced, we're definitely looking to learn tendencies on teams like NiP and TSM.

Is there anyone who you think is underrated and could surprise in Cologne? 

Absolutely. I still think Titan has what it takes to beat Na`Vi or Fnatic. I also think a team like Luminosity can do some serious damage with the right preparation. Truthfully, every team at the major can beat anyone on a good day. Just depends on how much time they put into that specific match up.

What are your team's goals and expectations for the event? Where do you draw the line of what you’d be satisfied or happy with?

I think that if we were to reach the semi-finals, we'll prove to ourselves that we're right up there with the best in the world. Making it out of our group will prove to be a very tough task, but one we feel we can overcome. If we can at least make it to the semis, I think we'll have surpassed most expectations.

The level of teams has been evening out recently, a number different names have been in the grand final at events in recent months (EnVyUs, TSM, fnatic, Na`Vi, Virtus.pro, Cloud9), who will be the favourites to make it to top four in your mind?

The favourites are still the teams who have done it consistently throughout the year in my book. As far as top four is concerned, I think fnatic, TSM, Virtus.pro will definitely be in it. The last spot is a toss up.

What do you make of the change in the group stage format? Is it better to have a chance to play against more than three set teams before the playoffs? Is it going to be harder to prepare for such groups?

I think it's a good change. This way, teams won't necessarily be prepared for the team they play against after the re-draw. It'll come down to less preparation and more on who outskills who on that day. No teams should have any excuses since everybody should have their own game plan going into the event, anyway.

Train has been in the pool for quite some time, but ESL One Cologne will be the first major to feature it, how has it developed over the recent months? Was it figured out in terms of playstyle, strategy, etc.? Is the current map pool diverse enough?

I have no problem with the current map pool. As a team, we really like Train to be honest. As much as I hate change, I actually don't mind the map too much. I still think it sucks that ladders are a complete joke in this game, but overall, the map pool is as good as it can get at this stage. I do miss nuke though.

What are your thoughts on your group? Can you go through each match-up and say how it is likely to play out?

We play NIP first. I think that'll come down to the map we play, and how much we're prepared to play them on it. Hopefully, the veto system works in our favour. I can see us winning that game but it's map-dependent. If we end up upsetting NiP, I'd assume we'll play TSM. In that case, again, the vetos will make all the difference. Based on overall consistency, they may just overwhelm us. We'll see, I suppose.

Yet again this major has not seen a prizepool change, even though the sticker money is likely to get bigger, would you like to see it get increased?

I'd love to see a bigger prize pool. It incentivices the teams to put more hours in, brings more popularity to the game, etc. Increasing the prize pool will only help the game grow, at least in my opinion. I'm grateful to be playing for $100,000, regardless.

Lately the outrage against certain weapons has decreased (e.g. CZ-75 at the beginning of the year, Tec-9 during the second quarter of 2015), are you satisfied with the way Valve balanced them out? Are there any weapons you'd like to see nerfed or buffed?

I only have one answer to this question. Everything is fine except the jumping Scout/overall jumping accuracy. Fix this please, Valve!

Do you think the new anti-doping measures being taken by the ESL are going to change anything from past events, has this been blown out of proportion since Semphis' statements, or is it necessary?

I definitely feel like it's not as big of a deal as people made it out to be. As far as change goes, no I don't think anything will change. We'll see though.

With the proliferation of both online and offline events, and having had at least one big event every weekend or every other weekend for the past few months, and with many teams travelling around Europe and North America—or both—, how do you think it will affect teams' performances?

I think the travelling issue stops a lot of teams from getting in real practice. This means that event after event, they won't bring anything "new" to the table until they get the chance to practice it. Teams will essentially have to "try things out" in big matches to see if they work or not. That's really the only issue with having so many events back to back. I guess people also get burnt out after months of travelling, but we can learn to cope with that.

You've gone a really long way since the mouseSpaz days, and other than jdm stepping down for a while and the addition of tarik, it seems like you've been able to do it maintaining a solid core of players. Has maintaining that same core and growing together been a big factor when we consider where you are today?

Yes. I think having the same core has definitely helped us massively in being the team we are now. Each of us know how the other person works. Personalities click in and out of game for the most part. Overall, I think it's a big advantage for us that we've been together as long as we have, especially compared to most other teams.

Looking back at some of the latest results, including the Pro League semi-finals, qualifying for Cologne, and a rocky IEM Gamescom, it seems CLG is getting a feel for international play. How is this experience changing your style? Do you think this exposure has helped widen the gap between you, Liquid, and the rest of NA teams?

I still think we have a lot to work on in terms of overall consistency, but I do believe we're getting better. Event by event, we're learning more about ourselves as we grow. we're beginning to identify mistakes and taking measures to fix them. The experience we get definitely helps us overcome NA teams, but again, we're really inconsistent. That's our downfall, and that's our main issue. Hopefully, we can overcome that at the major.

Next up on the list will be eBettle's Piotr "⁠peet⁠" Ćwikliński and his insight on his team and ESL One Cologne overall later tonight.