NBK-: "Love the work that the IGL role implies"

DreamHack Masters Marseille will be G2's first offline event since Oscar "⁠mixwell⁠" Cañellas stepped into Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon's shoes and the first since Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt took over as in-game leader.

G2 recently failed to qualify for IEM Sydney 2018 following a defeat to Virtus.pro, so the French team will be out to prove their worth in Marseille, where their first match will see them take on Cloud9.

DreamHack Masters Marseille will be NBK-'s first event as G2’s in-game leader

Read the interview below to find more about NBK-'s view on his team's preparation, their expectations for the tournament, as well as a variety of other topics, including mixwell's adaptation to the squad.

As G2's new in-game leader, what have you been working on with your team? And how well do you think you have adapted to this new role?

I think the biggest part when taking the lead in a project like this is to be able to explain to each player how you want them to be a part of your plan. I need each individual in my team to understand my calls and their goals, and the limits to their freedom. Add to that some packed plays and specific tactics, and this consists of 80% of my game style. Then there will always be the specific anti-strat and adaptations that will happen in-game.

I personally feel very comfortable with that role, whether it is inside or outside the game. I love the work that this role implies in order to be among the best, and I hope that I can share that enthusiasm with my teammates to make them both happy in-game and motivated to push themselves.

How much have G2's roles changed since the addition of mixwell?

The roles, in general, haven't changed that much. I have a different view from the leaders I have played with in the past and therefore adapted some things. For instance, giving more trust to players like kennyS and apEX and giving them more room. Their playing styles are completely different from mine, yet I created the space for them in my gameplan in order to have people at the best of their abilities. In term of pure roles, not much has changed.

What is your opinion about the team's results since picking mixwell up? Was the defeat to Virtus.pro in the IEM Sydney qualifier a disappointment?

Results could definitely have been better. We threw away some games (the 0-2 against North in EPL, one map against Godsent recently) and we cannot be happy with that. Again, I think I have a different approach to handling those situations and try to take it step by step with everyone in the team, trying different ways to fix solutions depending on who I am talking to.

The basics have always been rather shaky on our roster, and my main focus right now is to lock down the rounds that are given to us and that we should win 90% of the time - 5v3s, advantageous situations, etc. - by trying to share a more analytical and less emotional approach to the game.

The defeat against VP sucked in the sense that it was a qualifier for an important and sweet tournament, but it was very good practice and I took a lot of information about our own game style with that loss. So in the end, I am not that disappointed about it! 

mixwell is still on trial, but what can you say about his performances thus far?

I think Oscar has a solid understanding of the game and is a very, very skilled player. His main weakness are his communication and some very specific areas of the game. Coming into a roster that has always played within the same "rules" and principles of the French scene, he has to adapt to all of that while it comes naturally for us. Add to that me trying to set the basis up for a whole "new" game style with my leadership, and his brain might quickly be overloaded with new callouts, new strats and new principles while trying to focus on his crosshair.

I am 100% sure that it will only get better, I expect him to overcome all those challenges and become a much better player than he is right now!

Let's talk about preparation for Marseille. How have you been practicing for it? Is there anything in particular you have been focusing on?

My approach is different from other teams as well. More or less in the same style of NiP back in the beginning of CS:GO, I don’t really care which opponent I am facing in practice. I will use the practice games to really focus on some areas of our game style depending on the opponents we are facing, and to try to get information about ourselves while doing so. Our results in practice have been really inconsistent, but I am not afraid of that at all!

As a team, the focus has been a lot on trying to be less emotional with the actions in-game, securing the rounds that have seemingly been won, putting energy when needed and communication during "hot" moments. Hierarchy in communication, that kind of stuff. 

Can we expect any special changes for this event? Perhaps in your map pool?

I think the game style I want to put in place is around 70-80% ready. I need to explain to my players a bit better what I want from them in some situations, so that they can use their freedom in the most efficient way possible.

The main change is that we will not be playing for practice, and that we will use every tactic, defense, etc. that we have, with no holding back and with full trust. That's the most important thing!

As for the map pool... Wait and see!

What are your goals for DreamHack Masters Marseille, especially considering that this will be your first offline event with mixwell?

First event or not, we have the potential to do a lot of damage and win it all if we all go off. However, potential doesn't always go with reality!

With motivation, which will be very high, and our game plan almost finalized, we need to be able to switch from several weeks of practice leading up to that event to actual tournament mode. This means that we need to stop thinking about what to improve or work on, and actually focus on our crosshair and 100% efficiency within the game, regardless of what happens.

Our goal is going to be the victory for sure, but I don't like to remind my team about that. I want to get out of the BO1 phase, and then I will feel more comfortable about being able to take it game after game. 

Given the fact that the tournament will be held in France, does it have a special meaning for you?

Absolutely! I think that every team competing on their home soil has to perform well! People are coming to cheer especially for you, you have many more fans than you would see anywhere else, and disappointing people is the worst thing you can do during those events. 

We need to pass the group stage and see our crowd, otherwise it will be 1000 times more painful than a simple "loss" would be.

What are your thoughts on your group opponents—Cloud9, FaZe and your countrymen EnVyUs?

Interesting group, to say the least! I think the playstyles of C9 and nV make them particularly scary in a BO1 format as they can easily snowball into beating your ass throughout a half. If they get rolling, you kind of get into a mode where you "follow" them until they break, and only then can you try to change the pace of the game, so we cannot allow to let this kind of teams to start rolling, otherwise it will get very hard.

Concerning FaZe, I don’t think there is much to say. They are easily one of the favourites for the tournament and clearly the favourites for our group, and they will be a very tough opponent to face if we have the chance to do so. 

Looking at the participants, do you think there is a dark horse in the groups?

I am expecting big things from Space Soldiers. Not only because of their latest online results, but also because I know that they can finally have their real breakout event. I am sure that they are super hungry to get it, I just hope it won't be against us because I would hate to have to stop them… But they're really great people and I wish only success for them!

Astralis seem to be back at an insane level, and I am very interested to see if they keep their form coming into this tournament.

Going back to the concerning lack of playoff victories since DreamHack Masters Malmö. What steps has the team taken to be able to win playoff series once again?

That streak is terrible! I am not entirely sure that I have something specific for that, except that I want the team to grind back together to be better again. We are rather solid on all the maps on our map pool, which might be a good strength for BO3 series. I think that the most important thing still remains the fact that our players need to be able to go off in order to make it "easier" to win all of those important BO3 situations. 

Last year, DreamHack Open Tours gave your team its first title. Would you like to go back this year if you cannot qualify for the Pro League Finals?

That is a good question. For now, we don't have all the details about the tournament, but as we are almost certainly out of the ESL Pro League Finals dream, it might be a possibility. For now, I can only pray to be lucky enough to go through to the EPL finals, although we lost so many maps earlier in the season that I’m not sure if that would be deserved. 

To finish off this interview, what are G2's goals for 2018?

First of all, to gain back some stability. Whether it is in our gameplay specifically or in the bigger picture, being sure that we are backed up for a longer time and not just on "trial" with our roster. It is something that is in our mind, and we don't want to let down the people who trust us whether it is G2 or the fans who support everyone in their decisions. In game, being constantly a solid contender for the top 5 would be a huge achievement, considering how volatile the scene is.

And as per usual…. Winning a Major. Miracles might still happen… [laughs]