alex: "We are not focusing on the ranking, we are focusing game by game"

Gentle Mates are trying to keep their focus as they work their way up the VRS.

Gentle Mates have been on an intense grind in recent months, racking up official after official as seemingly they play in every online event or small LAN that they possibly can.

After a tough opening loss against Passion UA, Gentle Mates ensured their stay in Budapest continued with a relatively convincing 2-0 victory over 9INE.

Gentle Mates' grind has been helping them climb their way up the VRS, inching ever closer to Major qualification, but Alejandro "⁠alex⁠" Masanet says the "rollercoaster" that is the VRS has kept them grounded.

"The ranking system now is so crazy so we don't focus that much on that," he states. "We didn't give up at any time, so I think we deserve to be where we are right now."

Listen to the full interview here.

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What are your thoughts after that series?

I think today we played our game, we are happy that we were able to compete today.

What do you think the difference was between today and yesterday, because you didn't play your best yesterday?

We are working so hard on that aspect because I think we have some mental blocks that are not allowing us to play and compete. Even we are not doing the basic stuff properly as we know. So that was the difference, today we just played, we just enjoyed playing, and that's it.

How does it feel to play a LAN like this, because you've played some smaller LANs and online matches?

It feels totally different, of course. We have been playing small events, as you said, and now just to be able to have a practice room, for example, is a plus, so you can actually prepare for the games event better. The schedule and everything is perfect, you know, so you feel like you want to be here for your whole career, I would say.

You have been grinding a lot, playing a lot of officials and really trying to rack up those VRS points. How has that been for you?

It has been a rollercoaster, I would say. We have been grinding since we were ranked 100th or something like that, and now we are ranked 27th or 26th. The ranking system now is so crazy so we don't focus that much on that. We didn't give up at any time, so I think we deserve to be where we are right now.

You've recently joined Gentle Mates, the organization, so what's that been like for you?

It means that we have a club behind us that trusts us, and we have the support so that we just need to focus on CS, playing the game we love. That's it. It's a privilege to be in such a great organization.

Date	Matches
StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025
20/09/2025	Gentle Mates 11:00 PARIVISION	Match

A lot of this grind has been about VRS points for you. How important is this tournament, because a good performance here could go a long way to pushing you towards the Major?

Of course it's important but we are not focusing on the ranking, we are focusing game by game, step by step, because we need to grab some experience we do not have yet. I think these kind of games are helping us to get there, to where we want to be.