Photo: ESL

The roster is set for now over at compLexity and we had the opportunity to talk with Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz about the past, present, and future.

compLexity’s in-game leader lays out some details regarding the removal of Jaccob “yay” Whiteaker, Bradley “ANDROID” Fodor, and Ron “Rambo” Kim before diving into the most recent Major run, Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert’s time with the squad, the North American scene, and Hunter “SicK” Mims’ addition.

VPEsports: A lot has changed since we last spoke at DreamHack Atlanta following the previous lineups run at the FACEIT Major in London. As a refresher and to catch some fans up, can you kind of walk me through what led to the removal of yay, ANDROID, and Rambo? Did it dawn on you all that that Major run probably wasn’t going to happen again with that lineup or were there other issues? Were you and Rambo just not able to get on the same page?



Stanislaw: After our Major run in London, we could never achieve the same level that we showed at that tournament. The lineup containing yay and Android didn’t achieve anything aside from top eight so we felt in order to move forward we needed to make changes. Both yay and Android had some difficulty fitting into my style, on t-side and ct-side respectively. I still have respect for both as I think they’re good players, it’s just the way things work sometimes where playstyles don’t mesh together. As for Rambo, it was more of a philosophical difference that made us unable to work together. I have huge respect for Ron; he is one of the the most genuine people I’ve ever gotten to know. However, I tried several times to get him on the same page of my philosophy and how I think we should be trying to play but we ultimately couldn’t agree. I think he’ll do great things on Cloud9 but it wasn’t working here at compLexity.

VPEsports: Focusing more on the here and now, recently n0thing was swapped out for SicK due to previous obligations the former had. The public display from the team certainly made it appear that you all would have liked to keep him around regardless of results during his time on the roster. Could you shed some light on that? While you guys had tough opponents at the Major and showed some real fire, you ultimately didn’t have many great results in terms of placements with him. What was it that made him so valuable to you all? Do you think the poor results are an unfair judgment due to such a small sample pool and practice time?



Stanislaw: It was a pleasure to have gotten to play with n0thing over the past few months. Ultimately, what makes him such a great teammate is his positivity and energy. Judging by the Major in Poland, if everything continued as planned from that moment and n0thing decided to stay, I think we would have become a top team. After the Major, he decided he didn’t want to continue competitive gaming at this time. Rickeh also had to go deal with visa issues, so our practice regime and overall progression was halted.

VPEsports: Another thing that’s been brought up a bit over the years is the question of whether or not n0thing is still invested in the grind of competing. dephh in the latest “Through The Smoke” episode that stated “when he gets to these events he’s just completely laser-focused,” but my question is, is that same focus and discipline alive during the strenuous practice leading up to the event?



Stanislaw: The way things are in the modern day counter-strike scene, I strongly believe all teams should have everyone located in the same place. For every Major, compLexity provides us with a bootcamp, and we can clearly see the team’s progression is much faster. It is difficult to have that same discipline and focus when you are playing from home online because there are a lot more distractions. This definitely impacted us towards the end of the roster with n0thing, as he and Rickeh were both playing remotely.

VPEsports: Something we brought up in the last interview was the difference in leading more experienced players like dephh and ShahZam against the likes of ANDROID and yay. In the end, the fresher guys were removed. Now you’ve brought on SicK, he’s been around a bit longer and been playing with the likes of Rogue, Misfits, etc…but neither of those teams have a history of top finishes. What’s the thought here? Is he experienced enough in your eyes or is it just easier to work with one fresher player rather than two?



Stanislaw: SicK has been in the scene for a long time, making waves early on with the beast that is now Twistz. He has the experience but is also young enough to still be hungry and eager to learn. I’ve always thought he was very talented, especially mechanically wise, so I will do my best to develop him and get the best out of him.

VPEsports: Escaping from compLexity for a minute, I’d like to hear your thoughts on Liquid, NRG, and Cloud9. Liquid have become a staple at the top, NRG has shown promise but falls short on the biggest stage, and Cloud9 can’t seem to get a roster to stick. You’ve played with many of the players on those teams so I’m curious about your perception.



Do you think Liquid is anywhere close to consistently being able to topple Astralis or is Dust2 their only real contest right now? Is Tarik to NRG the type of player/experience they need to handle that big stage shutdown? Is RUSH’s stock dropping the longer this shuffle at Cloud9 continues as his performance seemingly drops?



Stanislaw: In my opinion I don’t think Liquid or anyone for that matter will be able to compete with Astralis any time soon. I don’t know the inner workings of Liquid, but skill only takes you so far. I think they lost their x-factor in Zews, who is the best coach in the world. Having worked with Zews, I know how important he was to that team. I regret the way I left things on Liquid because looking back I wasn’t close to being the leader that I should have been. I’m still learning and trying to develop myself everyday, and I’m done blaming anyone except myself.



To improve on their big stage struggles, I think NRG needs to continue what they are doing and gain more and more experience. They’ve always been heading in the right direction and have an incredible roster but you can clearly see their nerves get the best of them on stage. Once they get enough experience to brush those nerves aside, they will be a consistent, top team.



As for RUSH on C9, I think it’s unfair to judge him by his performances. Ever since they won the Major in Boston, their roster has been unclear. It’s impossible to find consistency when your roster isn’t. I still think RUSH is a top player and he is what every team needs; someone who sacrifices anything to win. I wish more players were like him.





VPEsports: At this point do you know how SicK will be impacting roles within the team if at all? My curiosity stems mostly from wanting to know where Rickeh will end up. He was a force back on CLG and other teams but had some really rough runs in his first couple showings with you all. I know he’s openly stated he’s been swapping around, filling the gaps, just trying to do what is needed for the team, however, he’s certainly capable of putting up some numbers in a more stable and comfortable role if we’re looking at his history. Is this mostly the team still trying to figure things out, your own decisions, or his?



Stanislaw: With SicK now joining, my initial vision is having him as our main entry fragger and Rickeh/Dephh behind him. Rickeh was only struggling early on in the team because I was bouncing him around different spots and roles but it’s clear now he is much more comfortable and I’m very happy with how he is performing. For me, it is always a long process to identify the best positions and roles for everyone. It can take months of trial and error before I put the team together the best way possible but that is what I love about being an in-game leader – finding the best system with what you have. Nothing for our future is certain; we’re just going to get to work and try to achieve some notable results.

