Vincent "Happy" Cervoni Schopenhauer is the rifler and lurker for Team EnVyUs, as well as a staple in the French Counter-Strike scene. Happy and co. recently won the World Electronic Sports Games 2016, which featured the largest prize pool in CS:GO history, but their main sights are on the upcoming ELEAGUE Major 2017.

Ahead of their matches in Atlanta, Happy took the time to speak to theScore esports about his feelings on the past year and the current state of the team.

Did you do anything special during the holidays? What was the best gift that you got?

No I didn’t have anything special done for the end of the year vacations, I just chilled with friends as it was a much needed small break for 2016. The best gift I received is love of course … and that big swaggy coat.

You guys came into 2016 as one of the strongest teams in the scene after your victory at the Cluj-Napoca Major in late 2015. However, you guys ended up having a pretty up and down 2016, including last place finishes at the Columbus and Cologne Majors. How would you sum up 2016?

Terrible, disappointing, waste of talents … [The] list goes on and on to be honest.

I think a lot of people felt the same about us, we just went down without being able to keep our heads out of the water. So it was a slow and painful agony as you can imagine, because we really were at the end of 2015 one of the best team. We tried many things, different approaches, we switch players and roles around but something always felt off, we couldn’t get all five players on the same page and we completely missed our timing.

It is hard even in 2017 to see any silver linings, I feel like we should have worked better and in a smarter way rather than destroying ourselves one at a time.

Team EnVyUs after their win at the DreamHack Cluj-Napoca 2015 Major

How did you feel about the number of events you guys played in the year? Was overplaying an issue? Will you guys look to reduce event attendance in 2017?

It didn’t feel like in 2015 we played a lot, but I didn’t have the same feeling of being tired and just couldn’t take anymore events. In 2015 we went deep in tournaments so it adds that pressure and it puts tension on you during a long period of time.

Since we didn’t do as good in 2016 it was a bit more “easier,” but of course other feelings came into play, like disappointment. I have no idea how 2017 will look like.

You guys have already kicked off 2017 on a high note, winning WESG, which is the biggest CS:GO pot in history. But more importantly, it gave us another rare picture of you smiling.

How important was that win for you guys? The tournament has a bigger prize pool than the Majors, but did you feel the same amount of accomplishment as when you guys won Cluj-Napoca?

I came into this tournament with only one thought: it is our golden chance. And I think we took it. Not in the cleanest way possible, but a win is a win, no matter what people will say.

We made a small talk before our first games, I asked for some of my CT positions back, the in-game leader role on that side as well. It worked out, we had that “mix team” feeling that helped relieve some of the pressure.

I’m not blind, I know that tournament doesn’t hold the same amount of glory as winning a Major, but for someone who has lost a lot of confidence during the last year, I can assure you it’s important. Winning a tournament no matter the size of it is always an achievement.

Wtf we won the tournament ?



It's the best looking trophy. We are the WESG Champions and take down the biggest cashprize in CS history! 😍😍 — Nathan Schmitt (@nV_NBK) January 15, 2017

Rumors of yet another French Shuffle have been making the rounds, do you have any comments on this?

Well my comment is forced to be no comments. it’s classified, like Area 51.

Regarding the supposed French Shuffle, you were deeply affected by the first French Shuffle, as shown in your profile by Valve. Not even going into details, does the possibility of another French Shuffle fill you with dread? Or is this sort of thing something you’ve, unfortunately, gotten used to?

If there is one, with a big if, swapping players around is not always the easiest task. There is always a big risk being taken, multiple risks in some instances, and risk can be random, unpredictable, and not bear any fruits.

I think you never really get used to swapping teams, no matter if you are the decider or a left over. CS:GO works in cycles, you just have to be smart enough to know and work with that. I say that but it’s always a pain.

Christophe "SIXER" Xia seems to have a somewhat opposite personality to you, at least as far as his outward composure during games. He’s kinda like the Brazilian’s in how he expresses himself, loud, high-energy.

Considering that, how do you two get along? Do you have a friendship where “opposites attract,” or are you guys simply teammates? What does he bring to the team?

I think with SIXER it comes from two facts, the first being that he played in 1.6 and he has a lot more experience with playing “with his heart out,” where I’m indeed on the more calm side of the spectrum.

The second being that he knows, as the new player in town, that he had to be perfect, showing up, bring energy to a slowing team, being a driving force inside and outside of the game. On that regard, he got things right, he was smart about that.

I have no issues at all with him, in fact it happens that we get along, and sometimes even laugh together. I never really had troubles with people having a completely opposite personality as I have, it’s just a matter of what people bring into the game that’s relevant.

How have you guys been preparing for the Major? What are the main points of focus?

ELEAGUE Major being already the second event in 2017, and so close to WESG, we will just go with the same mindset (I hope, fingers crossed) as the event in China.

We don’t have the best preparation, the best mentality, players not hitting their peaks in form … We know all that, we just gotta move around these obstacles and prove that despite tremendous difficulties, French can always find a way out, even with a bad hand dealt.

You’ve experienced the Swiss format during the Cologne and ELEAGUE Major qualifiers, but what are your feelings about it being used for the ELEAGUE Major itself?

I have no problem with the Swiss format, it seems fair, random enough so people don’t go full anti-strat on you. I just wished the veto system would improve, why can’t we just have a regular ban-ban until the last map is decided?

Random aspects always bothers me in a slight way, but you have to work with that no matter, even if it is unfavorable to you.

What else are you looking forward to at the ELEAGUE Major and Atlanta?

I’m going to be straight, I’m not a big fan of Atlanta, but I hope to visit the aquarium this time around. But I’m a fan of the ELEAGUE production, the staff is on point, the event itself is awesome, so again big props to these guys who, out of nowhere, created one of the best tourneys ever.

The only thing that I will miss like a lot of players is a huge crowd like in ESL Cologne, that you can’t deny, it plays a big part in why I even play this game. Despite that, much love to you guys, wink kenny.

Why do you love pandas?

What is there not to love about them? I’ve been to China and I didn’t even had the chance to see one. I don’t even know if they let you pet them, but that’s in my wish list. They are so fluffy and clumsy, they seem like harmless creatures that just eat bamboo all the time and sleep. They are a keeper, as a pet of course.