EliGE: "I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm in a position to win in 2025"

"That's the only thing I want," Complexity's superstar told HLTV after his team's elimination in Shanghai.

Complexity bowed out of the Perfect World Shanghai Major's Opening Stage with a 2-3 record after losing a three-map series to BIG, making it the first time that Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski will miss the top-16 stage of a Major since PGL Major Kraków 2017.

Complexity were among the favorites to advance as the fifth-highest-ranked team in the Opening Stage, but were left staring down elimination by the end of day one after back-to-back Bo1 losses.

They clawed back with wins over Imperial and Cloud9 but were stopped short of advancing to the Elimination Stage by BIG, a long way short of reaching the playoffs of the Major, which had been the minimum goal for some of the players coming into the event.

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Make-or-break: Complexity look to turn around a disappointing year in Shanghai

"I usually am always coming here to get to playoffs, top-four, win," EliGE told HLTV after Complexity's elimination. "That has always been my goal, to win, so not making it even close to playoffs is obviously terrible. Yeah, just nothing but disappointment."

The 27-year-old has been in imperious form since the release of Counter-Strike 2 but frustration — both from fans and Complexity's players — continues to build as the team struggles to provide the consistency and firepower around him to contend for big titles. With the year at an end, EliGE made it clear that he won't be satisfied with the same heading into 2025.

"We haven't talked about anything obviously, and I don't have any plans that I already have set or anything like that," EliGE said about whether any changes are on the horizon for Complexity going into the off-season. "But for me, I want to win next year. I've been feeling like I want to win, I'm ready to win for 2025, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm in that position to win."

If you cannot see the SoundCloud embed above, you can listen to the interview here.

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Commiserations on the loss, a hard one, out of the Major 2-3. Tell me how you're feeling right now, it's the first time you've missed the top-16 of a Major since Kraków 2017.

Pretty disappointed. We had it in our hands if we wanted it. On Ancient we just let it slip super hard. We made a mistake on pretty much all of our strats, which is super unfortunate when we could have just closed it out. I thought we were playing super well on CT side. Dust2 as well, we just couldn't really get our feet going. It's tough.

Coming off of a loss like that, how are you feeling when it means it is a top-16 at a Major that you are going to miss for the first time in seven years?

Yeah, I mean... I usually am always coming here to get to playoffs, top-four, win. That has always been my goal, to win, so not making it even close to the playoffs is obviously terrible. Yeah, just nothing but disappointment.

Last Major you went from 2-0 to 2-3 in the second stage, this Major you almost went from 0-2 to 3-2 in the first stage. Having recovered a little bit, how are you feeling with that going into the break?

I guess I'll take a couple of days off, try to reset a little bit, but the season is over for us. Now it's just looking onward to 2025, make sure I keep up with all of the games, just keep looking forward, and try to do our best for the next year.

Before this event, you and I talked about the potential of where Complexity could go at this event and what it meant for you to make the playoffs. With that in mind and going into this off-season, what can we expect from Complexity? Are there changes on the board, do you have an opinion, regardless of what might happen?

We haven't talked about anything obviously, and I don't have any plans that I already have set or anything like that. But for me, I want to win next year. That's the only thing that I want, I've been feeling like I want to win, I'm ready to win for 2025, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I'm in that position to win.