​ DBLTAP’s Jarek “DeKay” Lewis caught up with MIBR’s Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo after MIBR defeated compLexity 2-0 (16-4, 16-12) in the quarterfinals Thursday of the FACEIT Major.





Jarek “DeKay” Lewis: As far as your opponents go, compLexity is a young and bright team. What advice would you give them as they move forward because they do have a lot of bright spots?





Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo: I think stanislaw has proven himself many times that he can build teams to fight at the top, and of course it’s not only on his shoulders to be able to put performance on stage. I think a lot of guys who are playing for the first time there, you can speculate nerves and you can speculate shakiness because it’s a different atmosphere. CompLexity should be proud of themselves. Quarterfinals of the Major are a big accomplishment.





JL: I’m sure a lot of people have asked you about YNk and what he’s been since coming onto the team. Is there an example from today where you could tell he was contributing?





GT: I think for this matchup, Janko helped us the most by understanding positions that we played, how it would normally look like, stuff they like to do. We had some tendencies that we could try to read during the game if that was necessary. In the first map, he didn’t have to say much because we had a good performance. On Inferno, he tried to keep us calm during the pauses and make sure we kept believing we could win that game. It wasn’t an easy game to win, and during breaks he was keeping the spirit up for everyone.





JL: Right after you added both Stewie and tarik, you added two North Americans. Is there a reason you decided to go that direction instead of going for two maybe up-and-coming Brazilians or two Brazilian players the scene knows?





GT: We could go for the up-and-comers, but some of the up-and-comers we are looking for had very expensive buyouts, and it’s hard to spend a lot of money for someone who you don’t really know how it’s gonna be. At the time, we understated the fact that speaking English would be that hard. We thought it would be easier, so we kind of felt we could bring top players that are already established in the scene and could bring our level high as soon as they got onto the team. And of course, it’s been a rough 2-4 months in terms of communication and getting into the flow. But I don’t regret anything. I think stewie and tarik are sick players, and it’s great to have them on the team. Such good people as well. We’re loving them.





JL: You had played with them multiple times in pugs or played against them. Is there something you didn’t expect from them when they finally came onto your team?





GT: I think those guys, they came from a very different school of Counter-Strike, to be honest. The way they think, the way they react, the way they wanna pace the game is very different from the way we play it, and that’s why there was a bit of conflict at the beginning. But the qualities I knew from Stewie in the past: Those flashy plays through smokes, those plays where he understands “now I’m gonna find you kills,” I always knew he was able to do that. I’m just proud we are managing to recreate that atmosphere for him. For tarik, I did not have much idea how to play with tarik. All the other teammates he had always say he was a good teammate, and I’m doing super well with him outside the game. He’s someone who’s committed to doing everything the team needs to do to win. So tarik’s been a great addition as well. And the fact that we’re now speaking the same language, the way we want to approach the game is getting better and better.





JL: You look a lot more comfortable on the AWP than you used to be. Is it because of the changes in the team? Or something more individually you’ve done?





GT: I think it’s the team looks more organized and knows more what to do, and that relieves a bit of pressure on myself in order to be able to really see what’s going on. I just feel more natural during games, and Janko helped me with that a bit as well, on what I should be looking for in practice and stuff. I’m just doing things I’m comfortable with, things I always reproduce in practice. It’s working so far. Every time I have great performances, it’s based on my talent and stuff like that. But the team has to be organized. The team has to be working in order for me to work as well. It’s hard to see me outshining players and the team doing bad. Normally, I need the team flowing well, and that’s when I stand out the most.





JL: You guys have had a history of attending a lot of events. Have you ever thought about taking the Astralis approach and playing fewer events?





GT: The last time, Astralis tried that, they regretted it after they lost the Major, so they gave up on that idea. We always talk about going for less events. It’s just that we love to play CS and don’t stop. Every year it’s the same bullshit. “Hey guys, this year let’s go for less tournaments. Yeah yeah yeah.” Then a tournament pops up. “Yeah let’s go for that one.” It don’t stop. It’s because we that shit and we love to play this game.”





Photo by Adela Sznajder/DreamHack