frozen: "I'm enjoying every moment"

The Slovakian is over the moon after switching teams and reuniting with two former teammates.

It's a new beginning for David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský, who recently completed his first transfer since leaving the local Czech-Slovak scene for MOUZ over four years ago. He is set to make his debut with FaZe on Wednesday at the BLAST World Final in Abu Dhabi.

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier World Final 2023
13/12/2023	FaZe 11:35 HEROIC	Match

The 21-year-old didn't have to take a blind leap, as he is surrounded by known faces in his new outfit and the transfer is just about as natural as one could be. Former MOUZ teammates Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen and Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool have been crucial in easing the transition, although frozen did take over many of the roles left open by the Estonian when he left for FaZe in 2022, so fans can expect some novelty in the newcomer's play during the World Final now that the two are reunited.

Expectations are always going to be high for a team of the caliber of FaZe, but frozen looks at his debut through a realistic lens. "There wasn’t much time to practice and it’s the first tournament, so I think it’s just [about] enjoying the process," he said. "There is so much in front of us next year, and I think this is going to be a great starting point"

This is your first event with FaZe, a new team after over four years with MOUZ. What does it feel like to be part of a new team?

In a way, it feels like a new beginning. You know, the excitement of meeting the teammates for the first time, of getting to play the first official game on LAN for the first time. As you said, it’s my first time changing teams, so I think it’s a very unique experience. Overall, very enjoyable, I would say, because the guys also make it easy for me to slot in.

I saw the message that you posted after you left MOUZ, and it was very clear how strong a connection you had with them. What does this organization represent to you?

I think, in a way, it was like leaving your parents’ house and moving out. I had been with MOUZ since I was 16 they saw me grow up, basically. It’s the best comparison. I was there for my first tournament, my first win, my first big loss. I think all my fundamentals were learned in that organization. It feels good to know that I have been part of it.

You're now reuniting with karrigan and ropz. Did that play a role in your decision to join FaZe?

Definitely. Obviously, if we hadn’t played together before, it would have been much harder for me to jump into the team, and the transition wouldn’t be as smooth. So yeah, it just feels great to come into the team and see familiar faces, people I can call friends. I still have friends in MOUZ, but it made the choice really obvious.

Was there a world in which you joined another team, or in your mind, it was between staying in MOUZ and joining FaZe to reunite with karrigan and ropz?

I would say there were maybe little glimpses of me going to another team. But, for me, it was always between those two teams. As I said, having friends on the team just made it kind of obvious to join FaZe, even though maybe there were some other offers. It was a no-brainer kind of choice, I would say.

What are your first impressions of the team? Obviously, you already knew karrigan and ropz, but what is your opinion of broky, rain and NEO?

I think I always kind of had a good relationship with everyone on the team, so it was super easy to come in and slot in. Before, we weren’t teammates, but we would still talk at tournaments a bit, so there was some connection. I think everyone is great and welcoming. It just feels great, to be honest. I expected it to be harder, but I’m honestly just enjoying every moment.

You’ve already practiced for a few days. What are your first impressions of how the team is working?

It’s kind of what I was used to with Finn back then, you know? It’s more about getting used to his system again, the way he is and how he coordinates people. But yeah, since we had already played together, it has felt natural, almost from day one, I would say, even though I had some new partner on the site or whatever. But I still think it went much smoother than I would have expected.

Can you explain the process of moving from MOUZ to FaZe? Did Finn message you and say, ‘We need a replacement for Twistzz,’ or was it something that you had already discussed in advance?

I’m not really sure how much I can get into this, but we remained in contact after [he left] MOUZ. We are friends, right? We would always talk at tournaments. So I knew there was something happening, and I was told that I was their main option. So I knew about it beforehand. I tried to be pretty fair with the MOUZ guys, I was very clear and open about everything. I had known about it for some tournaments, but I still had my duties to MOUZ. I wanted to make sure I left on good terms and that everything was done in a fair way.

Were you a little bit sad about the way that things ended because you had that tournament in Espoo and results didn't really go your way?

I think the circumstances maybe weren’t the greatest. I was a little bit disappointed with the way I played. I had a lot on my plate, but I really thought I would be handling it much better. It sucks that we didn’t end it on a good note. Given the circumstances, I think we tried our best. I wouldn’t even say the reason why we played like we did was because of this. I think it was more a little bit of everything going around.

What can you say about your role on the team? After ropz left, you kind of took his roles in MOUZ. Are you taking Twistzz’s roles and spots, or are things going to change a bit?

In MOUZ, I had almost all of ropz’s roles on the T side, I think I kept my roles on the CT side. Coming to FaZe, I don't’ want to spoil too much before the games, but I think people will see me in some familiar places but also some new ones.

What are your expectations for this event? You’re coming into the team, and you didn’t have a lot of time to practice. With that in mind, what are your goals for this event?

I still have high expectations for myself and for the team, but I’ve got to be realistic. There wasn’t much time to practice and it’s the first tournament, so I think it’s just [about] enjoying the process. This is the last tournament of the year, but there is so much in front of us next year, and I think this is going to be a great starting point.

Finally, what are your goals for 2024? Maybe get a few more trophies under your bag? A Major, perhaps?

I would say to do as best as possible in a way. I don’t want to specifically say that we have to win this tournament or that tournament. I think that at every tournament we go to, we should aim high, basically.