Maka: "Watching the Falcons game put me in a little bit of stress"

The French captain admits that the previous results in Austin had an effect on him.

3DMAX became the final 3-1 team to advance after beating FaZe in a two-map affair and getting revenge for two one-sided losses agianst Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen's troops in 2025.

The French squad, which agonized over the Falcons vs. MIBR game in the playing area while waiting for their game to start, did so without any special plan against FaZe, the team's IGL told HLTV after the win.

"It's not prime s1mple, it's not prime FaZe, so I'm still happy to do it, but it's not like we beat the best FaZe ever," he said.

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You made it through to Stage 3 after beating FaZe of all teams. How do you feel after the win?

It feels pretty good. The last two performances against FaZe have been in the back of our minds. We didn't show up, to be honest, it's not like FaZe had some really good game plan against us. We just didn't show up, and I'm glad we did today.

You mentioned the previous two results against FaZe, which were pretty one-sided. Did you change anything for today?

No, I don't think we changed anything in particular. We just trusted the way we played and focused on the connection we needed to have in the communication, and also the energy and attitude, that's it. Nothing special against FaZe.

Considering the names on the other side of the server, does it feel special to beat them to go through?

Yeah, always. Playing against big names is always good to play. I mean, we are pretty much proud to play in this stage. But in the end, we compete, so we have to put that aside. We're not big fans. It's not prime s1mple, it's not prime FaZe, so I'm still happy to do it, but it's not like we beat the best FaZe ever.

Before the game, I saw you guys watching the Falcons game for quite a while. Did that motivate you in a way?

I will not talk for my teammates, but watching the Falcons game put me in a little bit of stress. I was like, 'Oh my god, that game is so stressful.' I tried to put myself in their shoes, Falcons and MIBR, and yeah… I didn't warm up particularly, just enjoyed that game, then jumped into our game, and laser focused on what we worked on for today.

Last time in Shanghai, you also made the top 16, but you got just one win in Shanghai. Will that result help motivate you to do better this time around?

We always aim to improve, so last time we made it to the Legends stage with one win and three losses. We had quite close games against MOUZ, even the G2 game was clearly super close despite it not showing that on the scoreboard. I think we have the weapons to show we belong in the playoff teams. We always think about it, and we need to keep improving, keep working, and I'm pretty sure we can show more than what we showed until now.

Overall your season was kind of up and down. You made some playoffs, you had some group stage exits. How much are you counting on this Major to put a bow on your season?

It's not something we talk about between players, but as an IGL it's something we mention with the coaching staff. The major is the new line for the second part of the season, and I think we need to get as many wins as we can, so we can get as many invites as possible for the next part of the season.

About the ups and downs, I think the IEM format is quite hard to be honest. You get into a tough spot, you have to play the big teams, and when you have two losses, you're out. That format is really stressful compared to the Swiss stage.