This time around we had a chance to speak with our CS:GO coach Morten "zEVES" Vollan. As a coach he brings leadership and structure along with the addition of new in-game leader AcilioN. He also supports the team in any way possible which is important for a new roster. We spoke with zEVES about the recent changes to the lineup, his time as a coach and some of the recent CS:GO updates.

The team recently made two new additions in the forms of Lowel and Acilion. How did the decision of removing Tenzki and Cromen come about?

zEVES: We decided to make changes mainly because we needed an in game-leader with experience. Ruben did very well leading us, but he has a mind with way too many thoughts and ideas so that resulted in a dip of his individual performance. When Ruben plays his role he is one of the best in his respective position. This is why we decided to bring in the Danish youngster AcilioN. He had experience leading before and he has played under some huge respected in game-leaders in Denmark.

There was a lot of back and forth about removing Cromen or not because he is so talented with a huge skill ceiling. He never complained about his role or where we put him because he knew coming into this team that he will have to impress us under stressful situations and handling it to his very best. Huge talent, but in my book, communication is the key to success. Jørgen had problems taking the initiative (something that was really important within his role) and communicate in high pressure situations. These are some of the reasons why we ended up bringing in loWel. Christian has a lot of experience with international teams from his time in Penta and mousesports and his communication is top-notch - something we really need.





What kind of switch up can we expect from the team with the new additions? Will the team continue trying to play a looser style or will it become more rigid and tactical?

zEVES: Under the leadership of AcilioN you will see a much more structured team and also more composed, something Asger and I see eye to eye on. We have already started working on the tactical aspect, something we lacked with the previous team.





Moving on to you. Tell us, how did you get involved with Team Dignitas and what went into your decision making when you decided to switch from playing to coaching?

zEVES: After my time ended with LGB eSports and Copenhagen Wolves, I decided to take a break but that was not for long. After two months I decided to make a team with four young talented players from Norway because we have so many talents but not enough leaders to guide them. We did pretty well, but it also ends there. We played for over a year together dominating the Norwegian scene but that was it. After a disappointing loss at Copenhagen Games I talked with my former boss, Nikolaj Nyholm (rfrsh entertainment), that I wanted to quit and try something else. I talked a lot with Ruben at that time and I asked him if they were in need of a coach and he said yes. I am 26 now and I simply did not find the motivation and drive within me to continue playing when you somewhat knew that it was never going to amount to more than just dominating the Norwegian scene.





Have you enjoyed your time so far as a coach? What are your key takeaways and difference between being a player and being a coach?

zEVES: Yes, I really enjoy it. I feel I have so much to give to a team of this caliber in guidance, being a leader and the tactical aspect of the game. The key takeaway is that in my position you don't have to use time to keep up your individual level as a player and you can use much more time analyzing your team, opponents and find new innovative things.





For you as a coach, what is your personal goal and what do the players expect of you?

zEVES: My personal goal is to educate every single player within their role to perfection. Some roles on both sides can be very difficult and there is so much to think about. When the players start doing it naturally without thinking about it, then I feel I've reached a huge goal of mine. I want to become a top team in the world, competing in as many tournaments as possible, but to get there we need to work hard as a team and individuals. I think the players expect some of the same things, that I help them with problems individually - not only about the game but also socially as well. I hope they look at me not only as a coach but as a good friend too.





Do you think or want to get back into being a player or do you think you’ll become a coach indefinitely?

zEVES: That is a really hard question because I don't think I’ve got an answer to that. As I said before in this interview, I am really happy being a coach and I feel in can contribute a lot from the side-lines, maybe even more than when I was a player. Of course sometimes I really want to play, but we do this together as a team and I get just as happy or maybe even more than the players when we win.





With both the majors being over and no more to be played this year, what is the goal for the team?

zEVES: Right now we don't have that many tournaments or qualifiers coming up. I think there is about three until 2018 that we could participate in but this also gives us the chance to practice a lot and come out swinging when we enter 2018.





What is your opinion on the current major format, would you change anything about it?

zEVES: I personally think that there is room for improvement for sure, but I've always had the mindset that it is what it is. Going around complaining will not change much. However, I am hoping they start using bo3 in all matchups in the group stages and maybe play two games at the same time or a longer tournament.





Valve had unveiled during spring that CS:GO would be moving to Source 2 which would include a new Panorama UI. What is something you would like to see from this transition (Source to source 2) and what is something you wouldn’t?

zEVES: I have not read much about this yet so at this very moment I have no idea how to answer it.





We are, however, yet to see this transition, but in the meantime valve is working hard to balance the pistols. What do you think of the changes so far? Are you happy with them, would you change some of them?

zEVES: I feel the CZ is way too powerful right now. If you play it correctly, you can easily get 3-4 kills even with the small amount of bullets. It is only making it harder for teams to win the consecutive round after winning pistol and making the game much more economy-based.





Friberg recently showed an inconsistency with the Glock. You can kill an armoured enemy faster by shooting them in the legs. This, as well as the CT rifles not being able to one shot headshot, while a five-seven can, is very strange. What would you suggest to change here, how would you personally balance the guns in CS:GO?

zEVES: Yes, I saw that on Reddit. I think Friberg's suggestion about a full body armor should do the trick.





Would you like to make any shout-outs?

zEVES: I want to thank my team, our superb support from Team Dignitas and all the sponsors we have.

Thank you zEVES for the interview!



Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialzeves/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/zevescsgo

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/zeves