JACKZ: "I think I can still play one or two years at the top level"

For the 32-year-old, this is the chance to prove he can still hang with the best.

Two games.

That's how little practice time Audric "⁠JACKZ⁠" Jug has had with Vitality after being asked to stand in for William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman at the BLAST World Final. For the IEM Cologne champions, the focus is on the RMR and the Major, so they kept practicing with mezii until almost the end.

But JACKZ isn't one to complain. He is walking around with a smile on his face as he prepares to play his first tier-one LAN since Pro League 17 (where he also played for Vitality as a stand-in).

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JACKZ to stand in for mezii at BLAST World Final

The 32-year-old is determined to make the most of this opportunity as he looks to reignite a career that has stalled since he left G2. His tenures on HEET and TSM without much to write home about, and Project G proved to be nothing more than a short-lived roster.

"I think I can still play one or two years at the top level and I want to prove myself and if I'm in good condition, I can still do it," he told HLTV during media day.

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It has been a while since we last saw you at an event of this level. How did you react when you were messaged about standing in for the team in this tournament?

I was really, really happy because I hadn't been to LAN since EPL last time. And I know myself, I know I play better on LAN. Just the environment, seeing people, talking. For me, it's a lot better. So yeah, I was really happy. Really, really happy.

Were you playing actively?

Yeah, yeah. A lot individually. I recently helped GenOne. It's a small French team. They had some small games in tier three. And for me, the most important was to keep my hand warm. So I played with them to help. And it's a French team, so I'm happy to do it.

Your last Big Event was EPL Season 17, where you also played as a stand-in for Vitality, in the group stage. I spoke to you after that event, and you said that, in that tournament, "I was taking space, being active on the T side, calling for flashes, doing the peeks that I wanted to do." You’re now replacing a completely different player. What is your role going to be?

Two different things. First, before EPL, I was practicing with Vitality. So it was easier to get into Dan's system. And I was the entry instead of dupreeh. So for sure it was better for me. And with mezii I had two practices with them and I watched some POV of him. For sure it's not my best role but I think I can do well in this role and in some strategies I'm still going in first. So let's see. Let's see.

Two full days of practice? Or just two practice games?

Two practice [games]. Not two days.

And it was just online, I imagine.

Yeah, yeah.

In that same interview, you said “if I have my roles I can get the job done.” But you’ve had a hard time finding a stable team. Why has that been the case?

It's hard to say. Sometimes, when you start a project from scratch, you have too many things to do. Sometimes, roles are not what I wanted to be, but I'm the type of guy who will say, 'Yes, okay. If you don't want to do that, I can do it. Blah, blah, blah.' So always taking these things. And as I said in the beginning, I know I'm better on LAN, and I chose two projects where I didn't go to LAN. For seven months on TSM, we didn't have one bootcamp, and I didn't see them and we didn't do a LAN. It was hard for me to always be in my house, on my desktop.

And how would you describe your time on TSM? A lot of changes have been made to the team since TSM returned to Counter-Strike. And do you think the way things went down with that team helps to explain why you haven't been able to find a new stable project?

I think we had some good players. But there were conflicting roles between CYPHER and me. And things didn't click on the server. And I came to TSM because I wanted to be with XTQZZZ. And two months later, he leaves. Rejin came in and he didn't want this lineup because it wasn't his project. And it's totally fair. But yeah, it was a bit hard.

What is it like to be reunited with XTQZZZ for this one?

I'm happy, I'm happy. I'm happy to see my French.

Do you see this as an opportunity to prove yourself, and to show everyone that you're still capable of playing at the highest level?

Yeah, yeah, because I know that in Counter-Strike a lot of people think about age. And when they see 32, maybe it's, like, "His career is over." But I think I can still play one or two years at the top level and I want to prove myself and if I'm in good condition, I can still do it.

With this stand-in situation, with the team coming here with a last-minute replacement, what sort of goals has the team set for this event? Have you talked about it?

They don't really think about that, they just want to enjoy it. They're going to give everything, for sure. It's a big event. Let's see, game by game, if we can go until the end.

Why didn't you play more practice games or practice days with the team? Was it a team decision to practice with mezii as much as possible?

Yeah. Vitality's priority is to be ready for the RMRs. So they practiced with mezii just before.

It was recently reported that the 3DMAX team has had to deal with outstanding wages. This is something that you're familiar with, it happened to you when you were playing with HEET, and some of the players who were with you on that team are also now on 3DMAX. How does that make you feel about the current state of the French scene and some of the things that are happening with French organizations?

For a few years now, the state of the French scene has not been the best. I think only 3DMAX is doing really great and I'm happy for them. But overall, I think we are missing something. French people are more about Valorant and League of Legends and not so much about CS. So yeah, it's hard.

I wanted to ask you about your career goals. You still want to give it a year or two to prove you are capable of playing at the highest level. You are now 32 years and it's been hard to find a stable team since you left G2. What do you think you still have left to achieve in your career?

A trophy (laughs). I want to lift a trophy, guys. Please. I have lost so many finals. For me, lifting a trophy… CS is my passion. I live for that, my heart is on that. So if I can get a good year or two, I'm going to be happy. After that, we will see.