npl: "Stage 1 has a lot of weak teams, so I don't think going 3-0 is a surprise"

The Ukrainian captain says the team simply fulfilled their favorite status.

B8 finally made a Major after a plethora of RMR heartbreaks in Austin, and the Ukrainian squad has extended their stay in the USA after progressing through Stage 1.

Andrii "⁠npl⁠" Kukharskyi's troops beat Imperial, OG, and Wildcard to progress with a 3-0 record, but the IGL admits his teammates felt a bit nervous in the final match.

"We didn't lose Train because of their game, only because of our mistakes. We started this best-of-three a bit nervously and shakily," he told HLTV after locking in his spot in Stage 2.

---

Congrats, you made it through 3-0 — a pretty good result. How do you feel about your performances here so far?

I'd say that that wasn't hard, because Stage 1 has a lot of weak teams, and we were one of the favorites, so I don't think that's a surprise.

You mentioned there's a lot of weak teams here. A lot has been said about your RMR struggles before you qualified for Austin, so would you say that this stage is easier than the European qualifiers?

Yes, for sure, this is obviously easier. Because teams from other regions play weaker CS, that's all.

Today you played Train, which is not a map that you seem very comfortable on. Did you expect to play it and what went wrong?

We didn't expect it. We thought that they would pick Inferno, but still, we didn't lose because of their game, only because of our mistakes. We started this best-of-three a bit nervously and shakily. We didn't do our things properly, so that's why.

How did you bounce back at the end, because the next two maps were pretty straightforward?

I don't know. We just played.

Talking about yourself as the IGL. You're just 19, but you're the most experienced next to headtr1ck in this team. How has that been for you, guiding more inexperienced players alongside you?

As I said, on Train we had some problems… It's not a problem, I'd say, but we just started with some nerves, and I had to tell the guys that they have to be a bit calmer in-game. I think you have to ask them next time.

When standing next to you guys, it's obvious you became a very vocal player, you talk pretty much all of the time in the team. When you came into NAVI, you didn't have a very big voice, and now across these few years in B8 it seems like you developed some authority and a bigger voice. How was that?

When I came to B8, the coach gave me a lot of space. Then when I became IGL, we worked together, and yeah, I feel that I have a big voice.

You're playing star roles as well as IGLing. How is balancing those two things for you?

I just don't think about it, I just play my game and call, that's it.

Stage 2 is up next. Where do you think B8 can get to at this Major?

We'll see, I don't know.