trace: "We simply got better"

In another interview as part of our ESWC pre-coverage, we took the opportunity to speak to mTw's Martin "trace" Heldt about his expectations and plans before the big tournament, as well as thoughts on his team's recent success at DreamHack.

mTw returned to the big stage last week with an impressive winning campaign at DreamHack Summer. That victory and especially the manner in which they achieved it, without losing a map, will make them one of the main favorites ahead of Electronic Sports World Cup 2010.

Heldt's incredible form at DreamHack was crucial to his team's success, and it will probably be crucial for the potential success in Paris this week. So here is your chance to hear what he has to say about their preparations and expectations in this exclusive interview with HLTV.org:

This week you will travel to Paris in order to compete at ESWC 2010. What are your personal expectations for your first ESWC?

As you mention it is my first ESWC, so of course I am looking a lot forward to it. I expect a nice tournament with a good structure, and no problems whatsoever - it is always important that the tournament runs smoothly, which seems to be a bit tough for some, unfortunately.

It is really important that we get something to eat, so we won't get exhausted, that is really a pain in the ass.

The event will be held at Disneyland resort, what is your comment about picking such a location for a tournament like ESWC?

Haha, that sounds really fun in my opinion, but the most important thing is, that they make it work with the tournament, and I expect them to do so. Maybe we can go and ride some rollercoaster’s in the mean time, should be fun!

You have been drawn into Group D with Alternate and eu4ia. What is your opinion about this group?

The group suits us just fine I believe. We've had a nice grip on Alternate the couple of times we've played them, so that’s a plus. Don't know much about eu4ia, but of course we should be able to beat them, without having the biggest trouble.

Last time you faced Alternate, which was at Arbalet Cup Europe, you won a close game on de_tuscan. With their latest addition KenaN, do you expect it to be a close encounter time as well?

I don't know who they replaced him with, but it must be for the better, so I'm sure we are in for a bigger task this time. I expect us to win the match, and it could very easily be a close one, like the last time.

You guys won your first event in a long time when topping DreamHack Summer, what would you say were the key elements for you victory?

We simply got better. We got all the tiny bits and pieces to fit together(that sounds really lame), so in every aspect of cs, we improved a lot, and that obviously helped us a lot, not losing one single map. We also won almost all of our pistol-rounds, and that makes it easier - that was something we couldn't manage to do, in all the other events where we placed 2nd and 3rd. We also weren't as unlucky as before!

Will you need to change a lot of the things you did right at DreamHack Summer to do well at ESWC, is there a right recipe in order to win?

I don't think so. We are just going to keep playing the same way we did at DreamHack, there is no reason to change that. I think the recipe is the same, but the most important thing in order to win ESWC, is that we still hit the shots we did at DreamHack - If we do that, we have a really good chance at winning.

Since your return from DreamHack Summer, how have you been preparing for ESWC?

We played a couple of days online, and then we have been bootcamping since Sunday at ave's place. It's a short bootcamp(it is ending on today obviously), but we try to get the last things in place in-game, trying to get the right mindset for the tournament and just having a lot of fun, which is important!

We have previously heard that bonding and having fun plays a very important role in the team. Could you try explaining the readers why it is important for a team to do well?

Yea, that is a tough question though. If you don't connect within the team, you have a tendency to whine, flame and get angry with each other, a lot easier than if you are all good friends(if you have a grudge against a teammate, or something like that).

Obviously that results in the team performing poorly, if you don't get along, because it removes the players focus from the game into personal stuff, and that will really hurt you in-game.

Your captain told us after DreamHack Summer, that you go into every tournament with a mindset that you will beat all teams, but what are your personal expectations for the tournament?

That is one clever captain! We know that we can beat every team, and not believing in ourselves is just plain dumb. I won't say that I expect to win, but I am really hoping for it, and I know we can do it. I'd say a top 3 is the goal to aim for, but of course it is never satisfying with a 3rd place, when you are so far in the tournament, and you will be left with nothing else but disappointment, at least in the beginning.

So we are really going for the 1st place, and I expect a nice, good-structured tournament, with a lot of nice and intense matches, because that is what makes counter-strike so fun to play!

Winning a tournament shortly before ESWC, do you see it as a disadvantage, as all teams will study what you did in order to win and without revealing too much, have you made any major changes?

Maybe a little bit. We have a lot of tactics and we are going to adapt our game depending on who we are facing, so no major changes, but some few tricks as always! One thing is for sure though - We will be at least as prepared as everyone else.

At DreamHack Summer you managed to be one of the best entry fraggers, but also the best clutcher. How would you describe your role in the team?

It's kind of hard to describe my role, it is different depending on the map, and how we are playing against a team. But I guess the first fragging part is a big part of my role, as well as the pistol rounds. But it all comes down to us making a great team effort, which we have been doing lately, so I hope we can continue our play.

ESWC will be one of the event highlights of the year, who do you see as the main candidates to walk away with the trophy and which teams will play a role as dark horses?

The field is very strong, so it is hard to pick just a couple of candidates for the title, but I'd say fnatic and Na´Vi if I had to mention, let’s say two teams! But again there are so many good teams, so it is really hard to say who is going to be victorious. I don't think a dark horse will win ESWC, but I think Playzone might do well and make it far in the tournament.

The Poles from Frag eXecutors have won the event twice in a row, but lately a lot of criticism has fallen on the team, stating they can do no damage anymore. Do you believe they got just a big a chance to win it again as any of the other top teams attending?

Well that's a bit harsh, saying that they can't do any damage. They are a good team, and if you face them on a good day they are very hard to play against. I think they're slightly underdogs in comparison to other top teams, since they haven’t been playing that well lately, but maybe this is their tournament, since they are really hungry for a victory nowadays.

The tournament format at ESWC will feature two group stages before heading to the playoffs. What is your opinion about the structure, do you fancy a second group stage rather than more teams in the playoffs?

I think the structure is just fine, I have no problem whatsoever with an extra group stage. I believe it was the same at Arbalet Cup, and that worked out very well. So it doesn't really matter to me if it's early playoffs, or one more group stage. You also get to play more different teams with this structure, so maybe it's more likely to find the right winner.

The event will gather the best teams of the world, are there any in particular you would like to face and what would a dream final in your eyes look like?

Not really. I would like to beat Na´Vi, since that is something we haven’t been able to do the times we've met them, but it is not a huge desire of mine! I don't care who we meet, as long as we come out as winners. I think people are rating fnatic and Na´Vi to be the best teams right now, so the best final would probably be against them, and that would also feel great to beat them in a final.

But again, it doesn't matter to me who we face, as long as we are in the final.

mTw will be a part of the recently shortened Group D that will also feature Alternate and eu4ia. Stay locked to HLTV.org as we will bring you the best on-site coverage from ESWC 2010 July 1-4.