amazingxkcd Profile Blog Joined September 2010 GRAND OLD AMERICA 15736 Posts Last Edited: 2017-08-10 08:56:32 #1



[Editor's note] This interview was conducted before the start of day 2 of DreamHack Cluj-Napoca





A few days ago I got the chance to be able to compile a quick interview with



In the following interview, sapphiRe was able to give me her thoughts and opinions on how North American teams are going on a continuous struggle when facing their European competitors. sapphiRe was also able to give me her review on Team Liquid’s present Counter-Strike roster, and how she thinks they will progress in upcoming leagues and tournaments.



What do you think Team Liquid or ANY other North American team need to do in order to be successful against much of the European competition there?





After North American teams have failed to make it to groups major after major, I've noticed a few patterns that persist. I'll start with patience. North American teams have struggled on CT-side time and again. Over-rotations and excessive use of aggressive setups have left North American teams at an early disadvantage during countless rounds. Eco rounds have been a killer for North American teams. Any momentum our teams have had is often squashed by a European eco victory. Addressing how North American teams approach their CT-side playstyle is key to at least keeping matches close against top Euro teams. On the Terrorist side, American teams do a respectable job of alternating their strategies to be dynamic.



Teamwork also seems to be an area of concern. Too many times, I've witnessed individual players try to make a play without recruiting a teammate's support. Trade kills sadly don't seem as prominent when watching a North American team. Comparing North American team play style to that of Europeans, I can see an astonishing difference between how teammates work together.



Another issue is simply lack of experience against Europeans, but that issue is dissipating as more and more North American teams are competing against Europe's stars. It's great to see Liquid gain experience at a major, despite their first round loss. The team at least provided they can be competitive with the best in the world. Unfortunately this time, Liquid lost in the late game due to Virtus.pro’s substantial experience and ability to remain focused when down. CLG and Cloud9 have also gone toe-to-toe with top Europeans on a number of occasions.



I love that Liquid is using an experienced player as a coach. A lot of the above issues are addressed after the match is lost rather than mid game. As more North American teams recruit coaches, I suspect greater success will follow. Coaches can be extremely valuable in a high pressure match as they are better equipped to identify and fix simple issues. I think it's only a matter of months until North America has a team or two that can finish atop a major event.





With your knowledge and such experience playing Counter-Strike, since 2001 I believe, If you could give any piece of advice to any team that qualified for Cluj but doesn't have success there, what advice would you give to that (unmotivated) team after losing?





Every match at this level of play, whether it resulted in a win or a loss, can be a learning experience. Besides missing an Australian team, I truly feel that this Major has the absolute best pool of teams. With so much at stake, teams have put in their absolute best preparation so there are few other places a team, especially a North American squad, can gain this much experience in one weekend. Learn from it and use it to harness future success. Not only should teams study what went wrong, but they should study what went right.



Moreover, if it's possible, I'd suggest they even study their VOIP recording to listen to the communication. When I watch North American matches that are streamed by individual players, it's easy to know who is winning and who is losing simply by the calls. Every top player knows how important communication is to CS. Tone of voice, level of detail in a call, disagreements on strats, among other communication details all vary when a team is winning or losing. The more successful teams maintain focus, reduce arguing and make proper calls even at the worst of times. I've always found that listening to how my teammates and I communicated during a match while watching that in sync with a match demo can be quite eye-opening.



Being a fairly new team, and just having the addition of Hiko to the team, who would you keep your eye on (performance wise, on TL) at this major and for the variety of future seasons for CS?





I'm extremely excited about the new Liquid roster. Leading up to the major, the team has shown such promise in online matches. Right now, they are leading the ESEA ESL CS:GO Pro League with major wins over teams like Cloud9, CLG & Luminosity. The new roster is exciting. Liquid couldn't have found a better pickup than Hiko, one of North America's most experienced players on the international scene. adreN, who I've watched since the early the mid-2000s is playing some of his best CS yet. I know he was in a rut for awhile and some fans were calling for his removal but he seems to be back to his old form now. I think Day 1 of the Cluj major was one of the brightest moments in ELiGE's young career. Compared to many of North America's other stars, ELiGE has a much shorter resume but has done so much in such little time on the pro circuit. Today he proved he can keep pace with the world's best.



Behind the all-star roster, I think some of Liquid's new found success can be attributed to the fact the team has employed an experienced coach in [GB]James. His work takes away a big burden from the players. The players can spend more time honing their skills while the coach does the dirty work - analyzing demos, identifying areas of concern, generating counter-strats and simply, but equally as important, ensuring his team remains level-headed during a high pressure match.



I'm very excited for what the future holds for Team Liquid as they start to emerge as a more global threat instead of limiting their skills to the North American scene.







Interviewer:

Editor: Nagisama

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A few days ago I got the chance to be able to compile a quick interview with Heather “sapphiRe” Garozzo , who won CS:GO ESWC Female World Champion with UBINITED in 2012 and has some of the most experience playing Counter-Strike.In the following interview, sapphiRe was able to give me her thoughts and opinions on how North American teams are going on a continuous struggle when facing their European competitors. sapphiRe was also able to give me her review on Team Liquid’s present Counter-Strike roster, and how she thinks they will progress in upcoming leagues and tournaments.After North American teams have failed to make it to groups major after major, I've noticed a few patterns that persist. I'll start with patience. North American teams have struggled on CT-side time and again. Over-rotations and excessive use of aggressive setups have left North American teams at an early disadvantage during countless rounds. Eco rounds have been a killer for North American teams. Any momentum our teams have had is often squashed by a European eco victory. Addressing how North American teams approach their CT-side playstyle is key to at least keeping matches close against top Euro teams. On the Terrorist side, American teams do a respectable job of alternating their strategies to be dynamic.Teamwork also seems to be an area of concern. Too many times, I've witnessed individual players try to make a play without recruiting a teammate's support. Trade kills sadly don't seem as prominent when watching a North American team. Comparing North American team play style to that of Europeans, I can see an astonishing difference between how teammates work together.Another issue is simply lack of experience against Europeans, but that issue is dissipating as more and more North American teams are competing against Europe's stars. It's great to see Liquid gain experience at a major, despite their first round loss. The team at least provided they can be competitive with the best in the world. Unfortunately this time, Liquid lost in the late game due to Virtus.pro’s substantial experience and ability to remain focused when down. CLG and Cloud9 have also gone toe-to-toe with top Europeans on a number of occasions.I love that Liquid is using an experienced player as a coach. A lot of the above issues are addressed after the match is lost rather than mid game. As more North American teams recruit coaches, I suspect greater success will follow. Coaches can be extremely valuable in a high pressure match as they are better equipped to identify and fix simple issues. I think it's only a matter of months until North America has a team or two that can finish atop a major event.Every match at this level of play, whether it resulted in a win or a loss, can be a learning experience. Besides missing an Australian team, I truly feel that this Major has the absolute best pool of teams. With so much at stake, teams have put in their absolute best preparation so there are few other places a team, especially a North American squad, can gain this much experience in one weekend. Learn from it and use it to harness future success. Not only should teams study what went wrong, but they should study what went right.Moreover, if it's possible, I'd suggest they even study their VOIP recording to listen to the communication. When I watch North American matches that are streamed by individual players, it's easy to know who is winning and who is losing simply by the calls. Every top player knows how important communication is to CS. Tone of voice, level of detail in a call, disagreements on strats, among other communication details all vary when a team is winning or losing. The more successful teams maintain focus, reduce arguing and make proper calls even at the worst of times. I've always found that listening to how my teammates and I communicated during a match while watching that in sync with a match demo can be quite eye-opening.I'm extremely excited about the new Liquid roster. Leading up to the major, the team has shown such promise in online matches. Right now, they are leading the ESEA ESL CS:GO Pro League with major wins over teams like Cloud9, CLG & Luminosity. The new roster is exciting. Liquid couldn't have found a better pickup than Hiko, one of North America's most experienced players on the international scene. adreN, who I've watched since the early the mid-2000s is playing some of his best CS yet. I know he was in a rut for awhile and some fans were calling for his removal but he seems to be back to his old form now. I think Day 1 of the Cluj major was one of the brightest moments in ELiGE's young career. Compared to many of North America's other stars, ELiGE has a much shorter resume but has done so much in such little time on the pro circuit. Today he proved he can keep pace with the world's best.Behind the all-star roster, I think some of Liquid's new found success can be attributed to the fact the team has employed an experienced coach in [GB]James. His work takes away a big burden from the players. The players can spend more time honing their skills while the coach does the dirty work - analyzing demos, identifying areas of concern, generating counter-strats and simply, but equally as important, ensuring his team remains level-headed during a high pressure match.I'm very excited for what the future holds for Team Liquid as they start to emerge as a more global threat instead of limiting their skills to the North American scene.Interviewer: DavidScott Editor: NagisamaGraphics: DearDave CSS: FO-nTTaX The world is burning and you rather be on this terrible website discussing video games and your shallow feelings