In an interview between interviewers just before the Champions stage of the StarLadder Berlin major, James Banks told Frankie Ward and Dexerto about a rare lack of confidence he saw in CS:GO star Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev.

In a series of interviews for Dexerto, powered by Razer, Frankie Ward has spoken to several members of the StarLadder Berlin major talent team. One of them is James Banks, who has been performing interviews with a number of prolific CS:GO players throughout the tournament.

Read more: How to watch StarLadder Berlin Champions stage

When Frankie asked James what the most surprising things he’s uncovered in his interviews are, he spoke candidly about his conversation with s1mple, who has famously never lacked in confidence.


"I’ve been interviewing him for so many years and speaking to him as a friend, but I’ve never seen him not confident in his own ability... He said himself he’s not at his A game. He’s not the confident s1mple you normally get."

You can watch Frankie’s full interview with James Banks here:

s1mple has always gone the extra mile when it comes to mastering his craft, playing hours and hours of Counter-Strike and focusing solely on getting better, even during player breaks.


In his interview with Banks, he acknowledged some new steps that he and Natus Vincere are taking, including spending more time together both in game and out.

Despite his status as one of the world’s best players, s1mple is demonstrating a more team-focused approach, and this Na'Vi team is definitely one worth watching, both in Berlin and after.

Jarek ‘DeKay’ Lewis has reported that Na’Vi are exploring options for replacing Danylo ‘Zeus’ Teslenko, and Banks said in his interview with Frankie that it’s apparent we’ll see Na’Vi and Zeus part ways after the major.

Banks spoke at length about the potential of the team’s newest addition Kirill ‘Boombl4’ Mikhailov, saying that Na’Vi have everything they need going forward.


With a young leader being groomed for greatness, a star still at his peak, and team chemistry at an all-time high, the future of Na’Vi is very bright, and they’ll be looking to win that elusive major title when the Champions Stage begins.

Banks still has Team Liquid winning the major, adding that when he spoke to Liquid, they said the extra games they played in the Legends stage would be important to knocking off the rust.