FalleN: "Have to beat them all"

Regarded as one of the best IGLs, Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo transformed his team from a one-map upset squad to the best team in the world and his contribution to the development of the Brazilian CS scene is undeniably astounding.

As the Brazilian team were getting ready to defend their Major title, we got in touch with FalleN to get his thoughts about the upcoming one million dollar contest.

How are you preparing for ESL One Cologne? Have you had a bootcamp to specifically prepare for the second Major of 2016?

Right after the ECS finals we went to Cologne and started practicing in our new facilities at SK Gaming. We are working hard every day and approach our best shape.

With the contract dispute between Luminosity and SK coming to an end, how does it feel to be able to focus on playing and not worry about outside factors? Did this development help you prepare better for ESL One Cologne?

It's a huge relief, that's for sure. We are a CS team first and with the development of esports we also became a business. I don't want to get into it again but we had a lot to learn on the business end. Now it is back to focus on playing and it feels great of course. We are zoomed in on the tournament right now and I can tell all our fans that our preparation is on point and we are ready.

What are the differences between being a part of Luminosity and SK? Do you think switching to SK has been a big change?

With LG we grew together. It was a great experience and still it makes us proud what we achieved together. SK has been around for 20 years and has a legacy in CS that we want to continue with them. It is the next step in our careers.

How do you feel about what might be the deadliest group in CS:GO Major history? Do you think facing fnatic, FaZe, and G2, who beat you at the ECS Season 1 Finals, to kick off a Major opens the door for an early upset potential?

I don't even think there can be many upsets in the group, because it seems like every team has the potential to win the entire tournament, so there are no underdogs. It is the defending Major Champion, the defending ESL One Cologne Champion, the winner of the most recent tournament at ECS and FaZe, a team that has some of the best players in the game. The group is madness but we know what we are capable of and if we want to win the Major, we have to beat them all.

The inefficiency and the unfairness of the current Major seeding system, which opens the way for groups such as yours to spawn, has been criticized before by journalists and players. What is your opinion about the system and do you think it should change?

Well, the group is unfortunate for sure but the chances of that happening were very slim. Maybe the seedings could use some more recent results. CS:GO is very fast paced, so what happened three or four months ago could be outdated when the next Major arrives.

What will be the goal for you in the tournament? What placing would you consider a success and what would be regarded as a failure?

The goal is the same as always. We are here to win.

In most of the CS:GO Majors so far, the tournament favorite couldn't win it all. What does this mean to you as you have been the #1 team since May 9 and are going into the Major as the favorites? Does being the favorite put pressure on you or your team?

Honestly we did not think about that. We put the pressure on ourselves. We will prepare as good as we can and we will play as good as we can. Being the favorite might make us even more of a target for the other teams but that doesn't matter. We work very hard to be the best team and it is time to prove it again.

What is your opinion about Nuke as a competitive map and do you think it is ready to be played at a Major? Do you feel comfortable playing it or are you still adjusting your game and developing?

I think every team is trying to adjust and develop their strats on this map. Every single time we play it we learn new things and come with new ideas. Should be like this to everyone, I guess. We are ready to go for NUKE on this tournament.

What is your top four prediction and which team, in your opinion, can surprise us?

Impossible to say. There are the obvious favorites like fnatic, G2 or NaVi but there are also other teams that have the potential to create big upsets. Maybe Envy will get back to old form, maybe VP will surprise with the experience or mouz with the home crowd. Really anything can happen, which makes this event probably the most exciting tournament in CS:GO history.

Is there anything you want to say to your supporters before we end our interview?

I want to let them know what their support means to us. Everything. The past months were very hard and you had to go through that time with us. We are sorry for that. Now this is behind us and we start a new era together.

Our pre-Major coverage will continue with more interviews as well as group previews. Below are all the pieces about the upcoming Major:

Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo: "Have to beat them all"
Jacob "⁠pyth⁠" Mourujärvi: "We will definitely recover"
Kristian "⁠k0nfig⁠" Wienecke: "Main goal is top eight"
Damian "⁠daps⁠" Steele: "Focus on getting out of groups"

Group A preview by Michal "stich" Malachowski
Group B preview by Milan "Striker" Švejda
Group C preview by Michal "stich" Malachowski

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