Peppzor: "Going from an academy team to another team would feel great"

The 20-year-old academy player speaks about his improvement from the last time he stood in for fnatic to now.

fnatic started Elisa Masters Espoo by going 4-1 in the group stage, suffering their only loss at the hands of a Complexity squad that did not qualify for the playoffs. William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman's squad kept calm in the big moments, including in an overtime against SAW, and posted a comeback in the final game against Bad News Eagles.

fnatic are playing with Peppe "⁠Peppzor⁠" Borak instead of Freddy "⁠KRIMZ⁠" Johansson at Elisa Masters Espoo due to the veteran suffering a hand injury, but the international squad didn't fret without their stalwart and topped their group to advance straight into the semi-finals.

The 20-year-old substitute was a big part of the team's early achievements in Finland, averaging a 1.17 rating in the round-robin portion of the event. During fnatic's day of practice, Peppzor sat down with HLTV to speak about filling KRIMZ's shoes, his increased confidence, and how he is ready for more than an academy team.

You have topped your group, how is the prep going and how are you dealing with the pressure of making the semi-finals?

I don't think we have any pressure, I feel like our prep has been pretty good. We have watched all our games and tried to figure out what we have been doing or if we made any mistakes and how we can fix them as fast as possible for the next game.

Would you say you have a preference for an opponent?

No, not really, I think we are the favourites in most of the matchups.

You have come in as a stand-in for KRIMZ, who is a big name, especially in the Swedish scene. Was there any pressure in filling his shoes?

Yeah, of course, there's a bit of pressure, but I've been with this group now for a month during the Major and everything. I don't really feel like I'm replacing KRIMZ, I'm just doing my own thing in his spots. We are not the same player, I'm just trying to fit in as much as I can, but still bring my game to it so I feel comfortable. I'm just trying to feel as comfortable as I can because that's going to help the team the most.

You must be feeling comfortable because you've been performing very well at this event, is there a secret as to why?

I think all of the guys are so nice. Everyone is very reasonable, no one is tilting or anything. They are all giving me a hand if I want something or want to do something, they are always willing to listen and try to help me in all the ways. I feel like I get a lot of space everywhere, we are getting along outside of the game very well. So I feel like it's not easy but it's easier.

Speaking of that space, how would you describe mezii's calling style?

I feel like it's pretty loose, most of us are having an input to the game in terms of what we should do and what they are doing, and how we should react to it. Everyone is helping a lot, so I would say pretty loose.

Even though you are only 20 years old you have a decent amount of experience, especially in fnatic as you've been part of the organization since April 2021. Would you say that experience makes you ready to play in front of that crowd tomorrow?

Yeah, I guess. I feel like before, when I was standing in, I didn't really feel ready and I wasn't really comfortable with myself. Now, after a while, I noticed that, and I tried to change it. I noticed that I wasn't comfortable then, so when I went back to the academy team I tried to be as comfortable as I can, because I know that I am good, but I didn't feel comfortable. I didn't really feel like I could do what I wanted.

I just put so much pressure on myself, but now I just tried in the academy team, and now when I play with them to do what I feel because I know the decisions that I usually make are the right ones. I just have to be confident in myself and do it. This event and during the practices, I've really felt like I've been doing it and it has really shown for myself and for everyone else.

What would you say your biggest difference is between you now and you back when you were with the roster at ESL Pro League?

I have become a lot better and I understand the game in a different way. I would say mostly not overthinking and thinking about what I should not do but instead thinking "the enemies are playing in a specific way, what can I do to abuse it or take advantage of it?" Or about how should I play in a specific scenario or against this team instead of thinking "oh I should not do this, I should not do that."

Would you say you are now ready for more than the academy team going forward?

Yeah. I feel like I'm ready. Going forward, going from an academy team to another team would feel great for me. I have a lot of input not only inside the game, but outside the game I start to feel comfortable bringing some ideas and how to solve problems. I really feel that's what a tier-one player needs, and I feel like most of the players in the academy teams are not as experienced.

Academy players are usually struggling outside the game to come up with solutions and what to do in specific situations. Even in this team, sometimes I can have my input and they respect it, they try the way I think or a specific solution. I think they like it and I feel comfortable doing it.

You mentioned tier one there, how far in the future do you think tier one is for you?

I'm not sure, I'm just trying to improve day by day but hopefully one day I will be able to do this full-time.

Would you say you prefer being on international rosters or would you want to be on a Swedish roster?

I have played in both and I don't really have a specific preference if it is international or full Swedish, for me it doesn't matter. As long as it works with the roles and the individuals, I feel like it's always going to work no matter what language you speak.

Going back to this event, what are your expectations for tomorrow?

I think we are comfortable no matter who we play and I think we are going to win. I think we are in a really good situation coming straight into the semi-finals, and being able to watch back our demos and see what we are doing wrong or what we can improve on. Hopefully take this tournament home.

You are around these fnatic players, how would you say the Major and how far they got has impacted them?

I think it has impacted them quite a lot, because before they didn't really know where they were, or how good they were. They felt like they were good but didn't know exactly. Then after the Major, it pinpointed that they are at least a top ten team in their firepower. All the individuals are really good at problem-solving and coming up with ideas, they never tilt and never give up and are trying to improve all the time. So it wouldn't surprise me if they are coming as the top one soon.