ztr: "We needed to show we don't let one online qualifier define how good we are"

The Swedish captain admitted that he expected 3DMAX to put up more of a fight.

GamerLegion are one victory away from reaching the IEM Melbourne playoffs following a quick 2-0 win over 3DMAX in their first match in Group A.

It was a much-needed result for Erik "⁠ztr⁠" Gustafsson's charges after the recent setback in the Major Regional Qualifiers, in which they were eliminated with a 1-3 record.

"We spoke about it a lot, that we needed to show that it was not us and that we don't let one online qualifier define how good we are, you know?" the Swedish captain told HLTV after the match.

Looking back at the MRQ, ztr called for the removal of BO1s from Major-qualifying tournaments, but he said the team's mental state was the main factor behind their online struggles. "I would definitely say the mental side got the better of us, and that was what impacted us negatively," he said.

Even without the Major, GamerLegion will have no shortage of LAN action in the near future. After Melbourne, they will attend PGL Astana and IEM Dallas, and ztr is setting his sights on reaching the playoffs in all three. "[It] would be really great to gain that stage experience, which many of us lack."

Read more in the interview below, or listen to it on Spotify.

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A 2-0 victory against 3DMAX in your first match here in Melbourne. Can you give me your thoughts on this series?

It went really well. Everyone on the team, or at least me, expected a bit more of a struggle, but it felt like we got off to really good starts in both games. Maybe they got into it in the second half of both games, but we managed to stay calm and shut them down.

 This month has been a bit of a rollercoaster for your team. You got to the quarter-finals in Bucharest, but then you couldn't make it out of the MRQ. How important was it for the team to come here, get this strong start, against a very good team, and show a different side of yours?

I think it's really important. We talked about it a lot because we thought it was a very big failure that we didn't make the Major. Considering we had played three or four events with this lineup and we had made top 10 in every single one and playoffs in the last one, to bomb out 1-3 in the MRQ against much lesser-ranked teams was very disappointing for us. And we spoke about it a lot, that we needed to show that it was not us and that we don't let one online qualifier define how good we are, you know?  So I think this was really beneficial for us.

What do you think went wrong in the MRQ?  Because when you go to a LAN tournament, like Bucharest or this one, it feels like you can go toe-to-toe against any team, but when you're playing in an online tournament, you're just not the same team.

Yeah, for sure we did not play well. There are, I guess, many reasons for that. Maybe it was that we went home from Bucharest, had one day off, and then played the qualifier. But I wouldn't say we were that exhausted. I would say the major thing was our mental state. The only player that is experienced in these types of tournaments is REZ. The rest of us, me, tausoN and sl3nd, had played one RMR before and PR had not played in any RMR. So I would definitely say the mental side got the better of us and that was what impacted us negatively.

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There was a big debate after your elimination about the format of the MRQs. Do you think BO1s still have a place in a tournament as important as a Major qualifier?

Definitely no. I don't believe so. They made the matches shorter, so I feel like we can at least have best-of-threes in such career-defining and important matches as the Major. They made the matches shorter, so why not just make it best-of-three when careers are at stake?

I was watching a podcast with ash, and he said everyone was super disappointed to miss out on the Major. What can you say about the mood after that match against SAW? What did you discuss after that game?

I mean, the first 30 minutes after the match, it was like someone had died. Maybe some of us were talking a bit, but for the majority of the team, it was full silence. People had to go out and recover a bit individually. But after a few hours, I would say we were almost fully recovered. And the day after, at least on the outside, everyone seemed, not fine with it, of course, but we weren't taking it that hard, like we needed a week or something to recover.

And do you feel you're ready to move on from that?

Yeah. I mean, of course it's always going to be there, the result, etc. But I think it's just a great learning experience for us. And as long as we take something from it, which I'm pretty sure we are, it will be beneficial for us in the future.

I wanted to ask about Metizport's qualification for the Major. You have the emotional connection because you played for them, and they're the first Swedish team to make a Major since 2019. What did you feel when you saw them qualify?

I would say I'm pretty decent friends with some of them at least. And it's really great to see a Swedish team qualify for the Major. I think the last time it was 2019 in Berlin or something? So yeah, it's really great. But of course, I'm also a bit jealous that they made it and I didn't. But I would say I'm happier for them than jealous. And it's like the first Major for two or three of them at least. And I would say they are my friends. So I'm really happy for them.

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Obviously, it's going to hurt, not making the Major. And I guess you want to make the most of this event and the other two you have coming up, PGL Astana and IEM Dallas. What goals have you set for these events? Because this will be a very busy period of the season for you.

I think our main goal before this tournament, like I said before, was to bounce back from the MRQ and show we're not absolute shit. It was only one game, we're on the way to doing that. We still need to show a high level. At least our goals before were to try to make the playoffs. As soon as we reach the playoffs, it will be a whole new experience for us. So yeah, reaching the playoffs in all of these tournaments would be really great to gain that stage experience, which many of us lack.