xlo: "Teams keep underrating us"

We continue our pre-coverage of DreamHack Winter with another interview, this time with Tomas "xlo" Falden of Danish sensation 3DMAX.

After finishing third in the Danish DreamHack qualifier, 3DMAX  took part in HLTV.org's internatinal qualifier, securing one of the two spots that were up for grabs following victories over k1ck, mousesports and Western Wolves.

In Jönköping, they will have to work very hard to make it out of the group stage, having been pitted against Hawks and VeryGames, as well as one of the two teams who will come out of the BYOC qualifier.

This interview touches on a variety of subjects, including 3DMAX's preparations for DreamHack Winter, Falden's expectations about the tournament and also his opinion about the team being labeled 'online' in some quarters.

How have you prepared for DreamHack? Have you bootcamped or only practiced online? Do you feel ready for the competition?

We have focused on getting some new strats on the table since we thought we needed something new. We have worked on new flashes and smokes to find those small details that can give us an advantage in different scenarios. We had bootcamps two weekends in a row, but that was two-three weeks ago; during those bootcamps, we really worked some things out, they helped us fix some essential elements of our game and were beneficial for us. We will be playing as much as possible individually and practice every day up to the event.

If we feel ready? We feel confident that we can do some real damage with our preparations; besides, we can change a lot in a week with the right focus, so we will be as ready as we can be when the matches start, but the answer to the question would be yes, we feel damn ready for the competition.

Your team was one of the two to come out of HLTV.org’s online qualifier, beating teams like k1ck and mousesports. Did you expect such convincing performances from your team?

Well, I would lie if I said that I was expecting the match against k1ck to go as smoothly as it did. Regarding the match against mousesports, we knew it would be a tough game because they are a great team, and it was a game of three maps! However, I feel that teams keep underrating us, we knew we were capable of beating those teams; the question was just if we would play our A-game. Thankfully, we did, so we actually expected to win those matches.

Do you fear that your team may be labeled 'online' after such performances? Do you feel there is an extra pressure on the team’s shoulders?

Personally, I do not think that makes any sense, all of our players have been to several events and performed well over long periods of time. dupreeh is the only "rookie" on the team, as far as the number of LAN events is concerned. People can label us the way they want, we have proven our worth several times, so no, we do not feel any additional pressure.

3DMAX after winning a LAN tournament

As it stands now, Denmark will be the most represented nation in the tournament, with four teams. What do you think that the reason for this is ? Will Danish teams dominate the CS:GO scene?

I believe it is due to the talented players we have in Denmark. There are players on every team that can destroy, when given the chance. If you mix that with a lot of tournaments, practice and dedication, then you have a Danish scene that hopefully will keep a high level in this game. I do not know if Danish teams will be dominating, since we have not won anything major yet, but I believe we will influence the scene and attend all major events with at least one team every time, but if the Danish scene will dominate... only time will tell.

You lost to Copenhagen Wolves in the Danish DreamHack qualifier and then to Anexis in the International qualifier. Do you rank your team behind those two?

I will not be making any excuses for that, the match against Wolves could have gone either way, but they were better than us on that day and we got punished for our mistakes. Thankfully, as I have already mentioned, we have a strong scene in Denmark and all the top four teams know that the outcome of a match will depend on the day, since everyone can beat everyone. So no, I do not rank our team behind those two.

Just days before the tournament, Valve released an update which nerfed the Molotovs. What is your opinion about this update, and do you think it will change the way that teams will play?

Personally, I like the update, there are some things in it that I do not understand, but when focusing on the Molotovs, I think it will make players take some chances. like walking through the Molotovs, so you cannot eliminate angles the same way as before. I think it will speed up the game, so I am sure it will change the way teams play.

Can you talk about your teammates and explain to our readers what everyone's role on the team is in-game?

First, we have socN, who hates his ingame nick and prefers to play as falkizh. He is a rifle player, the mad fragger and the one who makes the entry frags. socN was a top player in the Danish CS:Source scene for quite a while and he is very underrated, in my opinion. He makes some crazy stuff sometimes and is really consistant. socN and I have been playing together for almost one and a half years now, so we know each other quite well.

Then, we have gravity, who is our main AWPer. He was a top player in CS:S for many years and was with the Imperial team when they dominated the scene back in 2010. He has the most insane AWP and is not given credit for the things that he does with that weapon sometimes. He has a lot of experience, is aggressive and a really smart player.

Third, we have vng, who is our oldest member. Despite being 27 old, he still manages to keep up with the younger generation, has a mean deagle and when I say mean, I actually mean devastating. He is a rifler and our defensive player. He is also a very fun guy and always keeps the morale high within the team.

Our fourth player is dupreeh, who is our aim kid and aggressive rifler. He was just below the top in CS:S, we saw a lot of talent in him and he has only proven himself ever since we started playing with him. He has a crazy aim and can pick teams apart; he is also our "clown", he usually comes up with weird comments and funny one-liners for the rest of the team to laugh at,. He is also such a happy person and rarely has an off day.

Last, but not least, there is me. I am the ingame caller of the team and a rifler, too. I would describe myself as the guy who always goes first and is the "mad dad" when things are going the wrong way, but I try to motivate the team to always strive for more, not only individually, but also as a team. I also smile a lot and hopefully bring some humour into the team as well.

On a side note, we have our manager, tn1ap, with us as well: he keeps the pieces together concerning events and planning, so I see him as part of our team, too.

xlo in action with the team

You have been placed in the same group as VeryGames and Hawks. What is your opinion about these two teams? What is your team aiming for?

Well, both teams are sick, VeryGames are just really good and I know they are hungry to be number one, They dominated the CS:S scene for many years and will not settle for second. Hawks have some great individual players and the potential to be an international top team. With that said, we are also going for the win and we know we are capable of playing great, so we are aiming to get through the groups and reach the best-of-three matches and then take it from there.

What are your thoughts on CS:GO? What do you like and dislike? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I like CS:GO, I have played both 1.6 and CS:S and I find the game entertaining. There is the possibility to have great action, just like there was in 1.6 and CS:S. For me, it has always been about having fun, playing with people I like and getting challenged tactically, and CS:GO does that job perfectly.

If I had to change one thing, I would change the crosshair on the AWP to be like it was in 1.6, just because I like that crosshair better.

What are your expectations for DreamHack? Who do you consider the strongest three teams going into the event?

My expectations are high, I have been to DreamHack before and it is a huge experience, and the atmosphere there is just so positive, the people are great and it is just like one big party, so I have big expectations for this event, especially now that CS:GO is part of it. However, I do believe there will be delays.

The three strongest teams going into this tournament... Well, VeryGames and NiP are too big to be left out, the question is the third team. I think i am going to put Anexis in there, as they have been playing like mad men and I doubt they will be slowing down before the event. They did not perform as expected at ESWC, so I think they want to prove themselves properly this time. NiP will be coming in with a lot of confidence and they are strong, so they will be the team to beat. I believe that we will see a different VeryGames from the one we have seen so far. The reason for that is simple: GOTV demos, ex6tenZ and time before an event equals a different level for them. I am really looking forward to this event.

Are there any other events on the calendar for your team, after DreamHack?

We will be attending NorthCon after that. Then, there will be Danish LAN called HKLAN, which we will attend as well, but as a rule we want to participate in as many events as possible, so if there are more events being announced, we will be looking to attend them.