n0rb3r7: "We're at like 50% of our maximum right now"

Virtus.pro have not had much time to practice in between events, but n0rb3r7 is still confident of victory in Dubai.

Virtus.pro are a hard team to pin down. They started CS2 well online, winning Roobet Cup and coming second at Thunderpick World Championship, but tests against top opposition have been hard to come by and their LAN debut went sour after a semi-final exit at ESL Challenger Jönköping at the hands of Monte.

They are straight into another event, flying to Dubai and leaving little time for scrims or off-server strategic work. They are practicing in officials, but with a scene in flux, advantages can be garnered.

Teams are "changing not one player but two or three, and we are the team that has not changed anything since CS2 came out." For David "⁠n0rb3r7⁠" Danielyan, the trophy beckons: "I think it is the time, and we will show it."

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Coming into this event after top four at ESL Challenger Jönköping, where are you at as a team right now?

Actually, we feel like we don't have time to fix our stuff because we're flying from event to event. We're fixing our game in the middle of the event and I think we're at like 50% of our maximum right now.

Is it a conscious decision to play a lot of officials? You got to the final of both Roobet and Thunderpick, can playing lots of officials sometimes make up for practice time?

It's good practice, because it's a new game and we have to play as much as we can. Officials I mean, not practice or pugs. It gives us more confidence in the game, individually and as a team.

FL1T has really come alive in CS2, are you basing your game around him any differently?

He's practicing more individually than as a team. He's playing more deathmatch and other stuff, and I think he's right now focused more on his own game than team play.

About your system more generally, MR12 highlights the way you control the economy — you're probably bored of talking about it — but has it helped you guys?

Yeah, maybe. As you know we save a lot, but because of that, we are playing more buy rounds. As CTs it's much better for us, I feel like in gun rounds we have more of an advantage than other teams.

Should other teams do it more? Or is it a style clash?

I think it's our style, we're used to playing like this. There's nothing special.

I also wanted to ask about these rounds where you had one AK, and you shuffle it around. Like, one person goes up Banana, then another one. Can you apply that to other maps? What do you think of those types of rounds?

We're doing this because right now, teams are playing a bit aggressively. So we think, let's buy one AK and try and find a mistake maybe. We're damaging their economy, and in the next buy round if we win they have no money and we have the advantage again. It's comfortable for us.

When are you going to get the AK?

(Laughs) I don't know. I'm the entry fragger, I'm not the space creator. So maybe that's why it's better to give to Jame, FL1T, mir. To everyone, but not me. I can take TEC-9 and run out, find the guy, and they will trade me. For me I'm comfortable running out and fighting the guy, I'm used to playing like this.

On that note, are you comfortable in this role? The team has improved since your return. How important is it to have a player like you?

Right now, sometimes people don't understand that in some situations you have to push through the smoke or take some important positions so you can create space for your team. In our team, it's me. I'm the guy that's running, trying to find the space, trying to move somewhere. After I came back, I felt more comfortable. I watched a lot of demos, I know my role better.

Where do you see yourselves coming into this event? I think Mauisnake called you a top-three team after those online results a few weeks ago, is now a good time to get that LAN victory?

Yeah, it's a good time. A lot of teams are making roster changes. They're changing not one player but two or three, and we are the team that has not changed anything since CS2 came out. I think it is the time, and we will show it.