Jame on Major race: "It has been too tough a year for expectations, I’m not going to celebrate early"

PARIVISION's captain is trying to avoid thinking about his team's chances of making the Major.

Entering Majestic LanDaLan 3 just outside the cusp of qualifying for the StarLadder Budapest Major, PARIVISION have given themselves a fighting chance of reaching one of the most important events of the year after taking down BetBoom 3-2 in the final.

PARIVISION's Major aspirations, however, are now entirely out of their hands. The team has no further matches before the invitation deadline, while several other teams on the verge of qualification, such as Gentle Mates, OG, and HEROIC, still have chances to eke out a spot ahead of PARIVISION.

"I don't even want to think about it," shared PARIVISION captain Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali when asked about his team's shot at reaching the Major.

"It has been too tough a year for expectations, and every time things didn’t go according to plan. So I’m not going to celebrate too early."

While Jame did not want to speak much regarding the Major implications of his team's victory, PARIVISION's captain readily discussed his feelings regarding the LAN overall, his team's progress as a unit, his discomfort with his role in the team, and the rumors tying him to BIG.

Editor's note: This interview was conducted in Russian and translated by HLTV staff.

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Jame, you just won the final of LanDaLan 3 versus BetBoom. What are your emotions after this match?

The emotions are overwhelming. For most, it might look like just another Moscow LAN, but for me it’s something more. Because the young guys put in so much effort, and it paid off at this moment. I was holding back my emotions as much as possible. Of course, it’s not a Major, but still very strong feelings. I haven’t experienced this in a long time, even though we didn’t win money or some big title here. But given the past circumstances and how far we had to come, it’s very pleasant.

From the perspective that this final might possibly give you a ticket to the Major – how important is that to you?

I don’t even want to think about it. It has been too tough a year for expectations, and every time things didn’t go according to plan. So I’m not going to celebrate too early.

How do you evaluate your team’s progress? Are you satisfied with this result, considering that after an unsuccessful tournament in Budapest, you now managed to win a trophy?

Of course, when you win, you’re happy for everyone. And all the mistakes that players made – you overlook them, because in the end we won. If we had lost, I would have looked at it differently. But they are young, inexperienced players, but very hardworking, talented, and united in believing in... I won’t praise them too much. They did well.

But the key thing, I think, is how we reworked our system after Starladder, how we approach matches now, and how we reorganized everything for this tournament.

You crushed BetBoom on Overpass. How do you explain that? Was it preparation on your part, or did your opponents just not show up?

I think we simply hadn’t played Overpass all this time, and people also didn’t really want to play against us, maybe because of our reputation, too, since we had a strong Oveprass in Virtus.pro. We could use it for a while, but in the end, we practiced it anyway. We feel very confident on it and are ready to play any team. The praccs are proof of that, the guys show good understanding of micro-timings, and so on. So we're 100% confident in Overpass.

There were rumors that BIG was interested in you. Can you comment on that? And in general, do you consider moving to another team in the near future?

About BIG – no one ever contacted me directly. I don’t know how it works behind the scenes. There were invites from years ago, good ones, about which I was told nothing. But personally, no one ever approached me, and if they did, I would redirect to the organization anyway. So I don’t know what’s happening backstage.
As for moving to another team – I’m not thinking about that. My task is to justify the trust of the people who believed in me in this organization. I do everything for my new team, my new organization, to succeed.

In a previous interview, you said you don’t have a strong desire to be a captain, but at the same time, you were ready to give up the AWP role. Do you feel like sooner or later you’ll have to give up one of these roles? And if so, which option is more likely?

I believe life can’t be fully planned. If I mention some options, it doesn’t mean I constantly think about them. Especially after losses, when people ask questions, I just voice some possible solutions. In general, I don’t reject any path, even as far as... becoming a coach. It's the same thing. As long as I have work and the desire to do something, I’ll stay in esports.

In your current role with this roster, are you rather comfortable or uncomfortable?

Of course, I’m uncomfortable. It’s impossible!.. I have four young players who only started playing competitively half a year ago. No offense to them – they are the best of the best. And in CIS overall, many teams are struggling. A few years ago, three of us reached the semi-finals, even though it was online. Now things are much worse.

Before, it demanded enormous effort and sacrifices from me. I was sacrificing everything, and in the end, it didn’t bring results. Unless certain circumstances aligned perfectly, I had to call everything and perform individually. Meanwhile, I play against the best players in the world: against a superstar AWPer whose only job is to target and kill you, and at the same time, against one of the best IGLs in the world.

And these two roles are impossible to combine. You need different tools and a different type of hybrid structure. I can handle everything related to building structure, teaching, creating connections, watching demos – anything! But during the game, I’m helpless if I don’t have teammates who can share the load and help me focus. Even with that, it’s still tough sometimes.

And how much does nota help you, considering he is also young?

I see incredible progress in him over these eight months. From a player who was silent, who didn’t know what to say, he has grown into someone who takes responsibility. And since dastan and I were the only ones who worked on shaping his vision, he doesn’t push his own agenda. He agrees on everything for the sake of the team. That’s very important to keep the integrity of our play, so everyone feels comfortable, and we, as one mechanism, play the same thing.

How important is dastan's contribution, considering you've worked with him before?

With dastan, we speak the same language. I don’t need to waste energy solving problems. Of course, not everything is perfect, and we often disagree. Many people think we see the game the same way, but that’s not true. But since we’ve spent so much time together, we understand each other’s states and thoughts. When the captain-coach connection is strong, that's the key. He is one of those people who live only for the game. He moved into the bootcamp place, lives with the young guys all the time, and gives everything he has. I have no complaints about him. He does everything possible, and I hope I do the same.

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Disregarding the Major, what’s next for your team? How do you see your future after this victory?

I think for many, this should be seen as a positive reward for all the hard work. In the future, people will understand why we’re doing this and what for. For example, BELCHONOKK played five or six years and never won, he probably never felt these emotions. Only recently, he qualified for a LAN at Starladder, and now he's winning, and the crowd cheered for him. He’s the most experienced in my team (and that’s an important plus). As for us, nothing will change. We’ll keep practicing, keep working, keep grinding, and see how far we can go.