Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken and Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo answered questions from reporters ahead of Liquid's ELEAGUE Premier semi-final bout against Natus Vincere, which will take place on Saturday.

Liquid made it to the semi-finals after beating MIBR twice in the group stage and falling to Astralis in the winners' match. Now in the playoffs, Liquid will have to beat Natus Vincere if they are to secure a spot in the grand final.

Liquid were able to freshen up their map pool before ELEAGUE Premier

Twistzz and TACO sat down to talk to members of the media and answered a range of questions over half an hour, touching on topics like their matches in the tournament so far, freshening up Liquid's playbook, or their plans for the future, among other things.

Your match against MIBR was tough at times but eventually it ended up being a sweep. What do you think went right for you, was it more MIBR being sloppy or you stepping up?

Twistzz: I think a bit of both. Our practice and preparation was really good coming into this event and MIBR just kind of looks like a mess right now, which you'd expect after them picking up a new player. Their way of practicing seems pretty flawed considering they're purposely going to events... for practice, I guess? That's not really smart in my eyes.

TACO: I think that we have been together with this lineup for 3 or 4 months now, and we have improved a lot. The last week of practice was good for us, we had a chance to create new stuff and to change a lot of the stuff we were doing in the past. Since I joined the team we hadn't changed anything and this week we had some time to change because before that we were traveling a lot, just playing tournaments for months, so we didn't have time to really change stuff. I think we were the better team, but I also didn't see a strong MIBR, they were not looking very good. Maybe it was because they just changed a player and they need time to change stuff and get used to each other.

Since I joined the team we hadn't changed anything and this week we had some time to change because before that we were traveling a lot, just playing tournaments for months, so we didn't have time to really change stuff. Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo

What do you make of the change between Cloud9 and MIBR and has it opened it up to create a chance for you, Liquid, to become the #1 team in NA?

TACO: In my opinion, as a Brazilian playing in the North American scene, I think it's clear and easy for everyone to see that Liquid is now by far the best American team playing in the United States. Before I joined Liquid they were already the best American team even though Cloud9 had a really good start by winning the Major, but after that Liquid became a super good team. They're just improving, and now I'm a part of it and I also think that we are close to making it to the next level.

The last time Liquid faced Na`Vi was at the EPL Finals, where you beat them. How confident are you going into this match-up considering you've only faced two teams so far in Atlanta, MIBR and Astralis?

TACO: Na`Vi is a team we respect a lot, but it's also a team we're not afraid of playing against because, as you said, the last time we played in Dallas we beat them, and it was 2-0. I'm pretty sure they're a strong team, they just won in Cologne, they're doing really well this year, they're being really consistent, but we also think we're a strong team and that we can just beat them like we did last time. Individually, my record against Na`Vi has always been good, so it's not a team I'm afraid of playing even though I respect them a lot and I think s1mple and electronic are playing really well and are really difficult to play against.

You guys repeatedly run into Astralis at tournaments. Maps are all really close, but they tend to win. What do you think the biggest stumbling block that you guys face with them is?

Twistzz: Personally, I feel we lack preparation when we play against them. I feel like it takes something else, a different playstyle, to beat them. Something looser, because every time we play them, and I think I answered this in the ELEAGUE pre-match interview, we kind of play the same way they do but they have practiced and have had their playstyle for much longer than we've practiced ours. I don't know, we always get so close. I feel like we're getting closer every time. I feel like this event we can beat them.

Going back to MIBR, tarik and Stewie2K are new. Were their playstyles similar to Cloud9 or the past SK? Did anything stand out to you about them?

TACO: I think they're playing mostly like the old SK, they play kind of passive, holding, trying to make some space on the map, trying to find first kills, and then they regroup and do something else. That's the style that FalleN likes to play, which I think is really good as it's really hard to play against. In my opinion, they're playing like the old SK.

Twistzz: I feel like Stewie and tarik's playstyle has changed in a pretty negative way. They're not supposed to be passive players and they seem lost because they're forced to play passively in an actual system, whereas in C9 I don't think they even had a system, so I think they really damaged their individual playstyles joining this team.

TACO and Twistzz believe Liquid are currently playing at 70%

Nobody has really dominated CS, except maybe Astralis coming up now, since the old SK lineup. What was it about that team that dominated so long and that was that good and why has no other team been able to find the same success you had for such a sustained period of time?

TACO: I think at that time CS:GO was our life. We lived to play CS, traveled to play CS, we would do everything and anything to play CS. We were really hard working and we had really good players. A really good in-game leader, the best player in the world, I was a good support as well... I think we improved really fast, we had the chemistry in our team, as well. Everything matched. We were happy playing CS. I think it takes a lot of hard work, a good mentality, and we never had a mental coach or whatever.

I also think that the competition is getting harder now. I feel like teams are getting more money to invest, we have professionals behind us, a performance coach, a lot of people that help us just focus on the game... Every top team now, if you look at the Top 8 teams in the world, they all have really good support from their organizations. A good salary, people behind them helping them focus only on playing CS... Also, the tournaments are providing really good quality as well with practice rooms at the hotel, which makes a big difference for every team, I’m pretty sure. Players are most likely only focused on playing CS now. When we come to a tournament it's to play CS, not to sleep at the hotel or go to a bar or whatever. The level of competition is higher now.

In an interview that EliGE did after Cologne he said that the team needed to pick up the pace and get back on track because you hadn't had enough time to practice before the event in Germany. Things seem to be going a bit better, but if you had to give a percentage, how ready do you feel at the moment, between 0 and 100?

Twistzz: I don't know, I feel like there's still a lot we have to go over in practice, I feel like our chances of playing against Astralis and doing pretty well are... I mean, we took a map against them in Dallas and I feel like we have pretty high chances of doing that, but on different maps. Our map pool has definitely changed and we have new stuff on every map. I think we're playing at like 70% of what we can be playing at.

How long do you think it will take to get to 100%?

Twistzz: Not long, honestly, after the player break we'll have a bootcamp and I think we can really excel after it. We'll be really ready and I feel like the next season is going to be ours.

TACO: I was going to say 70 as well.

Can you talk about how the team morale is right now heading into this tournament and approaching the player break?

Twistzz: Morale is pretty high, our practice went super well which is part of the morale being high. We're all constantly in the practice room together playing CS, as a team or individually, having fun and enjoying our time here, which I think is super important if the team wants to stay happy and keep morale high at the event. Going into the break it seems like it just keeps going up. So far, so good.

Morale is pretty high, our practice went super well which is part of the morale being high. We're all constantly in the practice room together playing CS, as a team or individually, having fun and enjoying our time here, which I think is super important if the team wants to stay happy and keep morale high at the event. Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken

Talking more about Na`Vi, who showed good form in Cologne, what is it like going into that game? Is there any doubt?

TACO: I think the game against Na`Vi will be good. First, because we're happy to be in the semi-finals and second because we have no pressure. I mean, they are the favorites, we're not favorites. They just won Cologne so they have to prove that they can keep winning tournaments. I don't think we have something to prove, so we have no pressure. We're happy, we're confident because we beat them the first time we played against them, so we're feeling great going into this semi-final. I also hope we can win and play another grand final.

You constantly play Astralis at almost every single tournament, what do you have to say about facing them? What about them makes it so frustrating to play against and what do you have to say about the fact that every event you end up paired up against them?

Twistzz: To be honest, I feel like every time we played them before they always had the advantage, even before going into the game. We haven't had time to practice new things so everything we were doing against them is stuff we've always done and it became really stale. We're still getting 12-13 rounds or even maps off of them, but I feel like when we get real practice in it won't be a difficult game for us anymore. Even at this event, when we play them, and I think we'll play them in the grand final, I don't think it's going to be as difficult as the group stage match.

TACO: In my opinion, I wouldn't use frustration as the word. Every time we played them and lost they were just the better team. Astralis are a really good team, I don't think I even have to say that. I don't think there's any doubt about this because they're a super strong team, so there's no shame in losing finals to Astralis, although we'll work very hard to try and change that. I agree with Russell, I'm pretty sure next time it's not going to be as difficult anymore because we're still a young team. Liquid was not a team that was used to playing on the big stage and in grand finals. As a player, I was used to it because I’ve played like 15 or 16 grand finals already, when I played for SK, so I'm used to it, but I know that before that it was really hard for us.

we're still a young team. Liquid was not a team that was used to playing on the big stage and in grand finals. As a player, I was used to it because I’ve played like 15 or 16 grand finals already, when I played for SK, so I'm used to it, but I know that before that it was really hard for us. Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo

If you look at our record in SK, for example, you're going to see that the first six or seven tournaments we always lost in the grand final to fnatic or Na`Vi. It takes time, and I know that. I have that experience already, and I know that at some point if we keep working hard and doing our best in practice we'll win a tournament, so I'm very calm about it. I also want to give props to Astralis because I think they're a team that work really hard and they are no doubt the best team in the world.

Twistzz: Yeah, they definitely work hard. I'm never frustrated losing to them, it's more a "damn', they're good" kind of thing which just proves that we have to work harder.

TACO, during the first match you played against MIBR here I could feel your frustration, nothing was going right for you... Were you a bit nervous playing against your former team? do you feel like you played better in the match against Astralis and then in rematch against MIBR? In the interview we did with EliGE he said you had to stay in Brazil before Cologne and didn't have your own setup, so were you able to practice the way you usually do after that event?

TACO: My preparation, being really honest, was terrible. I was not able to practice at all. We had five days of practice for this tournament, which is OK, but still not enough for me as a player. I like to play a lot, I have to play a lot... I don't think I'm gifted [laughs], so I have to work really hard to play at the highest level. Of course, the match against MIBR was really bad for me, I have to say. First, because I was playing poorly, and second because the decisions that I took in-game were really bad as well. The best part of it, I mean you have to look at both sides, always, I'm that kind of guy [laughs], so the positive side for me was that I was really calm during the game even though I was playing bad. It was easy to know that I was playing bad just by looking at the score, all you had to do was press tab to see how bad I was playing [laughs], but the positive side was that I was calm, I was communicating, I was giving calls, I was helping my teammates, and I was not blaming someone because I was playing bad.

All you had to do was press tab to see how bad I was playing [laughs], but the positive side was that I was calm, I was communicating, I was giving calls, I was helping my teammates, and I was not blaming someone because I was playing bad. Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo

Despite not doing my job and playing well I was helping my teammates in some way. I think other players in my place would be blaming someone or smashing tables or complaining or being a bad teammate and I was not that guy, I was always positive even though I was playing bad. I was talking to NiKo and he said that when he left mousesports and joined FaZe he also had a really hard time playing against mouz, so I think it's normal. I changed my mentality for the second match, and I didn't play great, but I think I did my job. After the match I felt like I did my job, and it was enough because my teammates... I think they like to play against MIBR. Twistzz and NAF were playing superb and nitr0 was giving great calls as well and EliGE was on point, so it helped me. I think now, for the first time, after we won against them and I played OK, or even good, now I think the pressure is gone. The curse is gone. I think the next time will be better.

Any thoughts on the upcoming Major, since you're coming in as Challengers? Some great teams made it through the Minors...

Twistzz: I think the Major qualifier last time around was... I don't know if it keeps getting harder or it keeps getting easier. Last time there was FaZe in it, Vega was playing really well although now they're irrelevant, Cloud9 was in the Major qualifier... so I think last time around it was harder than it is going to be now. Even teams that should be there like NRG didn't make it, so... I feel like the competition this time around is going to be easier and I don't think it's going to be difficult for us to get through.

I remember Na`Vi anti-stratting Astralis really well in Cologne, especially on Inferno. How will the team adjust if they anti-strat you as well?

Twistzz: It's pretty easy to tell when a team's anti-stratting you, there are giveaways in the first few rounds, like if they know what we're going to do on the first gun round and they make it really obvious, that's usually the signal of them having a game plan against you and you have to change whatever you're doing. I feel like adjusting to someone knowing what you're doing is pretty easy because they're not going to do like random aggression so you're safe if you're a pretty basic team that just has setups that you usually fall into, and that's sometimes what we do. Individually, I think all of us make sure that we change how we play throughout the rounds and throughout every map, so I think it's going to be hard for teams to anti-strat us now.

Anything you want to say to the fan that said that every time he sees you on his monitor he wants to touch your hair?

Twistzz: [laughs] Uhm, I don't know, man. Everyone's talking about my hair and I'm just trying to play CS. I want CS compliments, man. It sucks, I look at my Twitter feed and it's all hair comments. I'm, like, "did they even watch the match?" I don't know, I'm just playing CS, I don't really care what I look like on stage. I'm just playing.

Why did you decide to skip the ZOTAC Cup Masters, an event you'd been invited to? Is it a conscious decision to prepare for the Major or is the tournament just not interesting for you? You won't be in Stockholm for DreamHack Masters, so you'll have more time to practice for the Major...

TACO: I think it's a bit of both. We are actually skipping that tournament to practice, but also because there are now Tier 1 teams in the tournament besides MIBR. The first idea is that we feel like we need to practice, we feel like we need to change stuff. This season we played a lot of tournaments in a row, so we decided we'll do things differently next season. So yeah, that's the reason. We don't feel ZOTAC is a really good tournament to play at and the main reason is that we want more time to practice before the Major.

This season we played a lot of tournaments in a row, so we decided we'll do things differently next season. [...] We don't feel ZOTAC is a really good tournament play at and the main reason is that we want more time to practice before the Major. Epitacio "⁠TACO⁠" de Melo

Twistzz: Cologne kind of made us realize that going to this probably isn't the best idea because originally we were going to use that event as a confidence booster going into the Major, but Cologne made us lose some confidence, it put us back in reality, and we all realized we need to practice more as a team to make new things and become fresh. I mean, it's hard to explain. It's clear that we're stale, but Astralis is constantly fresh, if that makes sense. They're always doing new things, I feel. You can never really prepare for one thing because how they play is so different.

Liquid will continue their ELEAGUE Premier campaign on Saturday at 23:00 , against Natus Vincere. You can follow the match live on ELEAGUE's official English stream.