Aleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev and Denis "⁠seized⁠" Kostin fell to FaZe's duo in the opening match of the HTC 2v2 Invitational, losing 2-1 to one of the favorites for the tournament—Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard.



s1mple thinks that all tournaments should use the same coaching rule

Following their match, the two Natus Vincere representatives talked to us about the tournament, their motivation, and hot topics such as academy teams, different coaching rules, and female CS.

Why are you the Na`Vi duo here, were you both invited, or did you both want to come more than the rest?

seized: It was supposed to be s1mple and GuardiaN, but GuardiaN couldn’t make it here so I came instead.

Why did you decide to come?

seized: I was here last year for the 1v1 tournament and I liked it, so I wanted to come back.

And what is it you like about these tournaments?

seized: I like this tournament because they’re funny, you come and meet the other players, and I don’t care so much about the result.

s1mple: I care about the result.

Haha, a lot?

s1mple: Yeah, so I’m going to go sleep at midnight because we have a game at 11, and I don’t want to lose to the girls.

seized: the pressure is on. [laughs]

Talking about female CS, why do you think they can’t reach the same level as males?

s1mple: I think they have a lot of things they have to do in real life. A lot of girls want to be beautiful, and they want a lot of things, but for us, it’s just work. We understand this, and I hope they will see it as work one day. I hope a female team can make it to the Major qualifiers one day.

And what about online CS, do you think it’s still relevant?

s1mple: I don’t think it’s important, but for example the six spots for the LAN finals in Pro League are really important for us. But I don’t know. Just online games, they’re not important at all. Qualifying for LAN is important for any team.

seized: Online and LAN is very different. I would prefer to play only on LAN.

It appears lately it has become a bit harder to predict results and outcomes in tournaments or find very dominant teams, do you think it has to do with the high level of competition, or the current meta, or something else?

s1mple: I think it has to do with the high level of competition there is. Everyone is practicing a lot, and trying hard. A lot of new teams, good players.

seized: Every team now has a coach, every team knows how you play, and trying to counter…

s1mple: And now organizations are signing academy teams, so for example in the future the main team can practice against the academy team and not show strats to other teams.

And what do you think about academy teams, are they good for the game?

s1mple: They can’t play some tournaments, right? I think that’s a bad thing. I think academy teams are good for CS.

seized: I think it’s good for countries. After a few years, more talents will be able to grow. Right now, for example, in CIS, we have a few really good players, but if you compare it to Swedish or Danish CS, they have a much deeper pool.

You mentioned coaching and teams now all having coaches, how do you feel about different tournaments having different rules about coaching? Do you think the ruleset should be unified?

s1mple: I think all tournaments should use the same coaching rules, every big tournament should just follow Valve's rules.

How has that gone for you? You’ve had to change IGL several times, and have gone through different coaches.

seized: When starix was our IGL we had this problem because for example, in one tournament he could talk, and he could decide what we have to do to play better… Now Andi is the coach, and I’m the IGL all the time, so we don’t care so much anymore.

Have you been enjoying it more, or is it something you feel forced to do?

seized: Some days I enjoy it, when everything is going well, but when it’s not going well, sometimes it’s pretty bad.

How is Andi adapting to the team as a coach?

s1mple: I think he is adapting really well. He needs a bit more experience, but he is good for the team. Now he’s helping with strats and helping seized become a better IGL. It’s fun to work with him.

seized: He’s trying to fix our mental problems and trying to create a better team spirit, which is a very important thing.

s1mple, you used to be a bit more free and now it seems you’ve been playing more roles. How has the adaptation gone?

s1mple: It’s good on the T sides… wait, let me think… It’s easier for me to adapt to this playstyle even though I sometimes still want to go get entries, but I’m trying to do it for the team. It’s easier for me on T side than CT side. Sometimes I need to decide on CT side if we double AWP, and that can destroy our economy… I’m not playing very passive on many maps, I’m still playing like before, but a little bit more calm in some situations.

Last but not least, what is for you the most satisfying thing about CS?

s1mple: The competition. I also love the fans and traveling around the world. It’s always nice to see other people from different countries.

But what about in-game?

s1mple: I just enjoy the game. Even when losing. Many players need to understand that losing they can get a lot of experience, and that they should never give up. Even if they lose 16-0 like we did against mouz [laughs].

seized: I love my job, seeing new countries and new people, but talking about CS, I totally agree with s1mple.