Spinx on 2-8 record vs. Vitality: "They've just been getting trophies on our backs, and it wasn't easy"

The group stage game between MOUZ and Vitality felt like more than that to the Israeli rifler.

MOUZ punched their ticket to the playoffs at IEM Chengdu with a group stage upper bracket win against Vitality, which marked a big win as it was only their second out of ten.

"They just farm us," Lotan "⁠Spinx⁠" Giladi says. "Of course, this game doesn't mean much if we meet them in the semis and we lose or whatever, so yeah, I'm just happy. It's a small win towards the trophy we are looking for."

Now, MOUZ will play one more group stage game to see how far along the playoffs they start, the semis or the quarter-finals.

You can listen to the interview, here.

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Congratulations, a win after a slog of a game against Vitality with multiple overtimes on Inferno. What's going through your mind after that?

Crazy game, it felt like more than just a normal group stage game. We're in the arena and it felt like, I don't know, some crazy semi or something. Crazy emotions at the moment. It's just a group stage game, but just moving forward, that's it.

It does feel like playing Vitality is never 'just a group stage game,' nowadays though, right?

Yeah, of course. There is some backstory to it in a way, and also they are winning so many rounds, eco rounds and some shit like this, so it's really hard.

Talk to me about that backstory, because you were 1-8 against them this year (Spinx laughs). It's been a brutal one, so how does it feel to get a second win on the board?

Yeah, it's been hard. They just farm us, that's how we say it in the team (smiles). They've just been getting trophies on our backs, and it wasn't easy. Of course, this game doesn't mean much if we meet them in the semis and we lose or whatever, so yeah, I'm just happy. It's a small win towards the trophy we are looking for.

There are only two events before the Major now, so this must still be a big one to get on the board, at least for your confidence as well, right?

Yeah, of course, and also showing that we don't give up so easily, that we fight through it, and this game was a good example of it. I'm happy.

What was different against them this time around? Train was super dominant as well, was there anything specific you changed?

Nothing specific. Everyone came back after some practice weeks, so we knew maybe they were cooking something, we had no idea. So we were just confident in ourselves, it was good for us in practice and we were feeling confident on it, so we were like, 'Let's pick it.'

You came here from a third-place at EPL where you lost to Falcons twice. You had a real chance to fight for the trophy there, so what was the mentality like coming here after that?

First of all, every tournament we go to, we are fighting for the trophy. We struggled a bit against the 'big dogs,' like Vitality, Falcons, Spirit, the teams who are actually going for these trophies. I think lately we struggled against them a bit, and we just focused on now, that we can beat them, and I'm happy we managed to show it today.

Going into the playoffs now, there are those fights against the big dogs coming. How important is it for you to have a chance at another trophy before we get to the Major?

It's super important. It's the most important thing for us, I would say. Of course the Major is the goal, it's the goal for all the teams, but winning a trophy before it is a confidence boost. Also, we're now in the playoffs, we won this game against Vitality, but if we lose in the quarters, semis, or finals, [nothing] matters.

You're also going to have a match against FURIA to see if you go straight to the semis or start in the quarters. What's your mentality going into that matchup? How do you feel about the way they're playing and how you stack up against them?

FURIA are playing super well. I love to watch them play, they've done an amazing job with YEKINDAR and molodoy since they joined. They're shooting good, you see the games and they're shooting insanely good, they have good chemistry between them, so I expect a good game.

Can you also talk to me about Brollan's calling here, there were a lot of rounds where he called into good positions; you and xertioN also had some big plays. How has it come along in that sense? It has been a bit of a struggle [for titles], but it seems like you're steadily working through things.

I'm happy he managed to show up in a way in this game, in terms of... when you play overtime after so many rounds, maybe you have some pocket aces in your hand, but at the end of the day, after so many rounds, you need to come up with something yourself and he did a really good job faking and moving them a bit, and also individually. I think Brollan is one of the best leaders individually, and I'm happy he managed to show it today. Some super important clutches.

You touched on it right at the start; you got to play in front of the crowd. It doesn't feel quite like a group stage game, what was that experience like?

It doesn't feel like a group stage game, especially when you play against Vitality in front of the crowd. It's instantly playoffs in a way. We talked about how weird it is that we just arrived here in front of the crowd, but we're enjoying it, we're enjoying the moment, and the Chinese fans support us. It's a pleasure.