Boombl4: "I don't think I can be stable as the AWPer"

The Russian in-game leader believes the team still has much work to do despite their 3-0 run.

Cloud9 have completed their campaign in the Opening Stage of PGL Major Copenhagen after just two days, finishing with a 3-0 record after notching wins over ECSTATIC, Legacy, and SAW.

Despite their unblemished record on paper, the Russian side's run through the Major's first stage was not a walk in the park. Cloud9 endured close matches in their BO1s, which included recovering from a 4-10 deficit versus Legacy. Their BO3 series proved similarly difficult, with Cloud9 overcoming double overtime in the first map against SAW before managing to finish the series 2-0.

Shortly after their hard-fought win over SAW, Cloud9's captain and periodic AWPer spoke to HLTV regarding their run through the Opening Stage, how the team has been working on their roles, and the form of teammates Sergey "⁠Ax1Le⁠" Rykhtorov and Abay "⁠HObbit⁠" Khassenov since Cloud9's overhaul over the summer.

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Cloud9 complete 3-0 run through Opening Stage

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Boombl4, congrats, you're through 3-0. A little revenge win over SAW as well, how does it feel to get through with not too much trouble?

It was a little bit of trouble because there were no easy matches, all three were really hard. The first map was crazy versus SAW, and like you said, it was revenge for the online match. When we were playing online it was high ping and something like this, and of course it's a 2-0 match, it's a good time to get revenge and we did it. So I'm happy we have some extra time to practice until the next stage.

After the game you were yelling at them a little bit too, saying 'it's not online.'

Yeah, it's some funny thing because SAW are playing a French server in practice every time and they want to play only on these servers. It's really high ping for everyone, not only for us. But it was a little joke, it's ok.

You had a 3-0 record here and at the RMR, but there have still been questions about roles on the team, particularly regarding AWPing. Can you tell me about the role balance and how you're making that work?

There's a lot of questions for us still. Every time we're trying to fix or find better roles for some player. Like when we were playing the first three or four tournaments we were still testing, and maybe right now it's not... maybe we will fix more after this tournament. We're trying to work day by day. Everyone in our team just wants to feel comfort in their roles, so that's why we sometimes swap the roles, the AWP, on some maps. Right now, who's AWPing depends on the map.

How do you feel in terms of comfort in your role?

You know, sometimes I'm feeling good before because I was playing on 1win and deko was sniper, and sometimes he just tells me on practice day 'I don't want to play AWP' and I was playing, so it's a funny fact that I got some practice before the Cloud9 AWPing. I was second AWPer for NAVI at the start of when I joined NAVI, but after b1t took the role, and I was not playing with AWP. Sometimes I'm happy, but I don't think I can be stable as the AWPer; sometimes I can really shoot good, but I don't know what I need to do to be a stable AWPer.

To make it back to the Major with a different team, Cloud9, and to make it through here and the RMR 3-0, how does it feel for you to lead your team to that?

Yeah, of course zero losses at the RMR and Major, but it was still hard matches and we got a lot of problems to fix. In some rounds, it's crazy stupid mistakes and still, we got a lot of work, and we should think of the next stage. We don't need to think about 'we got 3-0, woah it's a crazy result!'. We're thinking about qualifying for the next stage, we don't care if it's 3-2, 3-0, or 3-1.

There have been questions about Ax1Le's form in this iteration of Cloud9. How have you guys been working through that, especially considering that he has been playing a lot better this event?

I think with Ax1Le and HObbit, then electroNic and Perfecto come, it's new Counter-Strike for Cloud9. Two guys from one school, two guys from a second school, and after this maybe they have little comfort, and a new IGL and AWPer. I think the guys just need more time, and they are trying to be confident day by day.

I know you used to work closely with B1ad3, but what has it been like working with groove?

Oh, we really have a great relationship with groove. We're working a lot, talking a lot. I think every team has problems sometimes, and it's normal days for every team. I was working with different cultures, and I am trying to get experience from everyone.

Going through 3-0, you now get two days off before the next stage. How are you feeling with the days off before going into that stage?

Oh still, you know, it's two BO1s incoming, or maybe three, so it's a roulette, random sometimes. But we will just practice our map pool and watch the demos on this stage, just trying to fix and be better, that's all.