Flickshow #2 - Interview kennyS & bodyy

Those interviews comes from a podcast made in French here:

The transcript of these interviews was made by our translator firsou, thanks to him! Enjoy.

Kenny "kennyS" Schrub

neL: Hey Kenny. Happy new year, wishing you great successes, how are you doing?

kennyS: Happy New Year to you and to everyone.

Let’s get right into it. I have to ask you, even though… yeah. Would you like to comment on the report regarding the French shuffle, published on FlickShot.fr?

No, not really. My team and I have important upcoming tournaments and we’ll do our best to win them. That’s what’s important. After that, reacting to rumors and everything that’s happening on the Internet… it’s not really interesting. So, no. I don’t have anything to say about that.

Okay, good answer. So we’ll start with a little retrospective on the qualifier, because it was still pretty tough. So, how did you prepare for the qualifier, how were you feeling about it

Well, regarding the first matchup that we had which was Immortals, we were not very happy about it seeing as it was a team that we had beaten repeatedly throughout the season, and that eventually stops at some point or another. Unfortunately, it stopped at the major, well for the major qualifier. So yeah, we weren’t very happy, we lost the game, it happens. Win streaks against a team don’t last.

Then we got G2 as a second match. They had a slight psychological advantage over us, because they had recently slapped us at Northern Arena as well as at Starseries even though it was a game we could have and should have won. 

So we lose, and we’re now 0-2. As you can imagine, it was pretty tough.

So, right there exactly, you can be put against Cloud9, Renegades and thus Spirit. Were you afraid, more or less, to face Cloud9 or even Renegades?

Well, Cloud9 is Cloud9 and Renegades were relatively well-performing in practice, even though they had a shock in the qualifier, they were really strong in practice. We had two hard draws in the beginning, so I won’t lie, we were hoping that the wind would blow our way. And it really did, we got Spirit and we were very happy about it.

So Sprit, 16-2, easy. Then you had Tyloo, it’s not NiP or Cloud9, but it’s not CLG or Vega either. It’s still a pretty good team.

We got the third least bad, we wanted to avoid NiP at all costs.Cloud9… well Cloud9 whatever, you know? We would have played them, but we really wanted to avoid NiP. So, anyway, we played Tyloo. As you could witness, it wasn’t the easiest nor the hardest, we won pretty easily and that’s it. Then we were left at 2-2.

Yes. So, you ended up against Vega. Per se, it’s great, however they have just beaten NiP 16-2. So, you were there, what happened?

Yeah, we watched the game from start to end. Well, it was pretty crazy obviously. 16-2 isn’t... Well it’s an upset but it’s not 16-14. It would have been an upset in any case but here it was a pretty unique game. First of all, we were, I’d say, glad to dodge NiP, they were out but it was a bit annoying at the same time. It’s a team that had never missed a major and it definitely has its place in the major. However, at that point we were glad to avoid them. We had the choice between Cloud9, HR and Vega.

HR is a team that can be annoying to play against so we were again a bit lucky to get Vega but they had still 16-2’ed NiP right before and we were able to notice, whether it was in our game or theirs, that they still had skill. We don’t necessarily know all the players either, but they were skilled.

It wasn’t an easy game.

It was definitely not an easy game. We had a lot of crucial rounds, with Nathan we had a 2v4, I had a 1v3 at 14-12 or something along those lines, I mean if we hadn’t had those rounds it could have turned in their favor easily. So despite the easy drawing on paper, we went into this match as if we were playing NiP.

Speaking of easy drawings, a lot of people have said that Envy faced Spirit, Tyloo and Vega. What do you say to that?

Well… it doesn’t really matter to me.

You got the job done, that’s what counts.

We qualified, that’s what’s important. The manner in which we did it… The Major qualifiers are always tough regardless of whether you face a prepared team or whether you are a favorite team. Even if you’re favorite it’s hard. The pressure is really, I’d say, higher than at the major because at the major you’ve obviously got pressure but you’re there. Here it’s really different and it’s true that we had it somewhat easier on the three last games but on the first two we didn’t have the best luck. So, it doesn’t really matter what people might say, we qualified and that’s all that matters.

The two first matches were Immortals and G2, they play each other right after you and it was very close. Did you think, at the time, that they weren’t going to advance (G2) ? Because it was 14-12, I believe, for Immortals and G2 on eco. You were watching, how did you experience it?

Well, usually, us french don’t really support each other, we have a bit of a rivalry going on that makes it so we kind of like to see the other lose sometimes. But right there and then, whether it was G2 or us, we all supported each other during the event. And since we were completely with G2, on the outside it was really a crazy game. There were crucial rounds from G2, it was a tense game and very stressing to watch. So at the end, we were happy for them, and yeah it was tough.

So anyway, the two qualifiers in the bag. Then there’s the WESG that are coming up, well next week.

Well, I’m flying tomorrow.

So, it’s your first time in China right? As we were saying earlier, Verygames went to China in 2013, but you weren’t there anymore.

Nah… they kicked me.

Then it’s the first time you’re going there, are you happy, is it something special after visiting so many countries?

Yeah, I always wanted to go to Asia, including China. I heard very good things about it, excluding the fact that it’s polluted and overpopulated but it was a dream of some sorts, so I’m really happy to go.

I assume you’ve seen your group? It’s not the simplest. You’re playing against the Russians, including hoocher, DavCost, that are the “strongest”. Then VP, Epsilon and then Team One, who’s that again? It’s the Brazilians, we don’t really know them. And then there’s the Canadians of subtLe. And they had a banned player, I don’t know if you’re aware.

The guy that got 100 years?

No, no, it’s a Canadian that got VAC banned at the end of December. So, he can’t go and they’re playing with someone else. Anyway, it’s not a simple group, but how are you feeling about it, will it go well?

Well logically, yeah it should be okay but there are a lot of factors.We’re coming back from holidays. We tried to get back in shape, but it’s not our peak level, whether it be team wise or individually. But the preparation is pretty much the same for everyone as we’re all coming back from a break. It may be an advantage against teams like VP but on the contrary it could be a disadvantage against teams like Epsilon.

What are you hoping to achieve, what would be a failure?

Below Top 3 would be a failure, when you look at the teams who are attending. There’s a big cash prize, the teams aren’t incredible and excluding GODSENT, VP and maybe Kinguin or Space Soldiers, it should be fine. If we lose against anybody else, it would be an upset. So yeah, we’re aiming for Top 3.

So you’re going to China and it ends on the 15th, followed by the Major on the 22nd. Travelling for so long, is it not too tiring? How does that go for you all, are you going directly to the US?

I don’t know, I don’t think so. We’re staying home for a bit.

You come back home and you leave directly after?

It’s very complicated, it’s part of the job. But it’s definitely not easy. I can’t stand planes, nor the long travels, it’s tiring. I don’t like travelling, basically. When you land, it’s pretty great but in between it’s pretty annoying. Well, here it’s the beginning of the year so we had time to rest but during the year…

Sometimes you do 2-3 weeks in the US, right?

Exactly. It’s pretty tiring.

The Major is coming up, right after this event. First, what do you think of the Swiss Format at the Major ?

For the qualifiers, I like it. After that, we’ve got to test it. It will be a bit different from the qualifier in the sense that you cannot really prepare the games as the teams are all on the same level pretty much. It’s an advantage for teams like us who are kind of outsiders, so good for us I guess. But it’s a shame for the big names who would have a better chance in the previous formats with BO3s.

But it avoids Groups of Death.

There’s that as well.

Having 12-13 hours to prepare for the next team, is it annoying, do you already have anything prepared or are you doing it there?

We have a pretty good analyst, so he does his job pretty quickly. For us, it’s not a problem, but for others it might be. Like I said, I like the format but we need to try it out first in this kind of event, because there will be upsets. You get 3 wins if you’re a bit lucky, even if you weren’t really a favorite to get out of groups to begin with.

What do you think of the third map randomizer?

I’m not really a fan of it. I mean, it’s always been like that in the majors.

Would you get rid of it, if you could?

It’s not that I would remove it, I’d first make it more balanced. If Overpass is left and another map, it shouldn’t be Overpass, you know what I mean? It’s always the same thing.

You think it’s already decided?

Well, a little bit. I’m not screaming conspiracy, but I’m not really a fan honestly.

Well, anyway, the random draw has placed you against Team Liquid. It’s kind of the easiest draw, seeing as you could have gotten Fnatic, SK or VP.

Liquid is pretty relaxed. But you know, in Cologne we were happy to get Liquid there as well and they owned us so we have to be careful. But recently we’ve beaten them pretty well in Sao Paulo, so we’re pretty happy to face them at the Major even though they do have some very good players.

When you played them, they still had S1mple? Now they have P1mp, they’re a bit less impressive.

It depends for who.

Not for you?

Well, S1mple doesn’t impress me, neither within the team don’t worry. He did give them quite some firepower, he played really confidently and had quite a difference of skill with them. More than today maybe. In any case, he kind of played a bit puggy. And when you have S1mple playing at 100% and you have ELiGE, nitr0 and the rest who are relatively good, if they’re confident they’ll have it pretty good. Now, with P1mp, they’ve lost some firepower it’s true. I have a bit of a hard time figuring them out at the moment, so I don’t know, but they’re definitely weaker than before.

With the current context, what is your objective, will you pass the groups, can you pass the groups, maybe win it all?

Of course, of course. You have to set some objectives, you know. But we always start from the same basis in Majors, it’s hard to pass the groups. For example, even in Cluj where we were favorites, getting out of groups was the first objective. Only after that do you set new objectives. So, let’s pass the groups and then we’ll see.

It depends on the group draws and lots of other things.

It depends on quite a lot of things of course.

Well, we won’t keep you here too long, let’s finish with SIXER, are you having a better time within the team or is are the wins helping?

Well, obviously, the wins allow you to have more fun and to love playing but SIXER, honestly, I’m close to him outside of the game. He really brought our confidence up and the team environment, we all appreciate him as a person. In game, he’s not annoying to play with at all, sometimes he makes us laugh, he always wants to drop me AWPs, he wants to drop M4s to everyone. Sometimes we even tell him to have fun and to keep them and get kills. He lacks a bit of self-confidence, he came into a difficult context but he’s a player that we admire and that we like, whether it be in game or outside.

And what do you think of him with the AWP, as he played it in 1.6?

Well, I actually find him pretty good at it, really. If he really put himself into it, he wouldn’t have any difficulty to get into the Top 2 in France.

Behind who?

Behind to1nou, of course. No, but seriously, you’ve got to1nou’s and SmithZz’s who are very good snipers but if he worked on it he could easily at least contend with them. At the moment, he doesn’t pick up the AWP often, but when he does he kind of impresses me.

He’s still got his reflexes from 1.6.

Yeah, yeah. But, you can tell he’s a sniper. It’s not like all the hybrids like snax, Dev1ce, s1mple. All very good snipers, but they’re not snipers by trade you know? That kind of player, you directly notice it, and you can see that in SIXER, he has the basics and if he worked on it he could become very strong.

Well, thank you kenny. Good luck for your trip to China, for the tournament and for the Major if we don’t see you before then.

Well, thank you, bye!

Alexandre "bodyy" Pianaro

neL : Hey bodyy! Happy 2017, first of all.

bodyy : Hey nel! Thanks, and you as well.

Alright, let’s directly start. You know I have to ask this question, would you like to comment on the report of the french shuffle published on FlickShot.fr?

No comments.

Little review on yesterday, so Monday the 9th. You’ve played the qualifier for Dreamhack Las Vegas. You played against Dark Passage and it doesn’t go too well in the beginning but then they forfeit and you go on to face Fnatic and it stops there. Do you have any regrets, did you think you would advance?

Well, I did not expect Fnatic to play at the level that they did. Well, let’s start by the beginning with Dark Passage. We’re coming back from holidays, we didn’t necessarily play much and on top of that we’re playing a map we did not really work on, we also veto it most of the time.

Did you know the players and the team a bit or not?

We knew they played FPL and that they were pretty good. Well, we didn’t think they were as good as they were actually. They surprised us on the first map and almost on the second map as well, let’s not lie to ourselves.

Yeah, 16-14 right?

Exactly, we got the 16-14 and then they had their flight to catch for the WESG in China. They couldn’t qualify anyway. They were just playing us for the experience.

Well, they weren’t bad were they? SasuKe was a bit on fire.

Yup, they’re tough guys, it was close.

Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Any regrets about not being able to go?

 Yeah, I regret it a bit of course. Las Vegas is pretty cool!

It is. We’ll get back to the United States later. Regarding the Major Qualifier in Atlanta. It was right before the Christmas holidays. Were you confident going into the event?

We were pretty positive, we came out of good weeks of practice, two I think. So yeah, everything was going pretty well, we started at 1-1. The first game against Godsent that we lost, we actually thought we would win that one, thought we were ready on Overpass but that wasn’t the case.

Did you come prepared to specifically play this map against them

Not necessarily, but we were ready on Overpass and we knew how they played it more or less but we were not able to execute everything that we practiced. They surprised us and we lost 16-11 I think. Then we play Envy…

First, what did you think of the draw? Were you disappointed to play against Envy or did you know you had an edge

We know that it’s always 50-50 against Envy. Even more so on Dust II where we each get a turn at winning every time. We knew it was going to happen anyway, honestly.

Better for it to happen at the start?

Yeah, Envy 0-1 and us 0-1 as well, the odds of us playing them were quite high, knowing the draws.

Then you play Vega, did you have any knowledge about the players?

Well… Vega not at all. We knew Team Spirit a bit, the other Russian team. However we never practiced against Vega neither had we heard much about them.

In the end, was it an easy match?

Well, it’s a match we handled well to be honest, it seems like it wasn’t very easy looking at NiP’s game.

Well, before getting to the dignitas game, Vega versus NiP, you guys were playing right before. Did you watch the game live, what happened?

We were playing right after, if I remember correctly. We also played before, well that’s the game we lost against dignitas on Nuke. We knew we couldn’t play Vega again anyway.

So you did not watch the game in details.

No, we watched the game just to watch it. Although we were afraid to play NiP, it’s not a matchup that really favors us, so it was kind of a good thing for us.

So speaking of your advantage, watching NiP being owned in this way, did it mean anything to you? They’re kind of stars that aren’t going to the Major and everything.

It’s true, they’re guys that have always been legends at the Major. 7 times in a row, I think.

Every time yeah. Except the last one, right?

Yeah, they’ve always been Legends, and to see them not even pass the groups then… I think the next Major Qualifier will be pretty stacked as well.

So, here you’re playing dignitas right before as you said, you lost on Nuke right?

Yup, it’s on Nuke.

Well, what do you think of Nuke? It hasn’t been back for long. Do you enjoy playing it?

Yeah, I think it’s a map that works out often for us. It’s a map that we enjoy playing, it’s always been a map for the French. Well, here it wasn’t really a map for the French, oh well.

You lose against dignitas, you get to the final stage. You can face either Hellraisers, Cloud9 or Immortals. You get Immortals. Honestly, it was kind of a crazy match. At one point you’re losing 14-12 and you’re on eco. At that moment are you telling yourself “This is going to be close, I’m scared we might not advance”, do you honestly think about that in game?

No, I was more focused on my own game and I was telling myself that Adil was going to get the 1v1, it’s that round right?

Yes, the round where he gets the one tap. But really, never do you have a moment where you tell yourself it might be close or tough?

Well, I knew it was going to be very close because we were on eco at 14-12 but in the end I also know that we’re capable of coming back in games and rounds, and you’ve always got to run before your team and to believe in your dreams!

Well, in the end, it works out and you advance. You qualify, that’s what counts. So I’ll move onto the subject, you were in the United States beforehand for a few weeks. How do you manage that, does it annoy you to travel so much overseas?

Well, let’s not kid ourselves, it’s pretty cool to travel. However, three weeks in a row, it’s kind of long, lots of moving around from country to country rather than to be at home. I think it’s a rhythm of life that I have to learn, I may not have grasped it yet but I still think it’s cool to travel around and to have the opportunity to do this job.

I agree. And is there any place in particular that you really enjoyed or would like to return to?

I liked Montreal. I really enjoyed it. Everyone is nice and they all speak french. I really felt at home except that it’s in America, it’s not France.

Did you not see fRoyGe, your old mentor? (private joke as fRoyGe is one of his first leader, who also played with a young NBK & kennyS)

Nope. He’s still hiding.

Let’s move onto the Major now. What do you think of the Swiss format, that was used in the Qualifier but also in the Major?

I think, like everyone, that there isn’t a ridiculous Group of Death like we had in the previous Major. I think it’s nice considering that it favors upsets for teams like Hellraisers that might surprise some teams and pass the groups with BO1s, or like us maybe.

Do you consider yourselves underdogs?

Not especially, but to be a BO3 team you need to be prepared on six maps, and currently we’re ready on five. So BO1s are more advantageous to us. We can at least do two vetoes on maps where we aren’t confident. So, the Swiss Format is nice and the group stage favors us because of it, at least compared to the previous major.

But is it not harder to have to prepare on the spot, because now you know you’re playing a team at the Major, but you don’t know who you’re playing right after that. You’re telling me it’s an advantage for you not to know, but then how do you prepare from one day to the next?

Well, as I’m speaking to you, we know we’re playing Fnatic but we haven’t necessarily prepared ourselves to play against them. We’re at one week from the major and we haven’t watched any demos or prepared any antistrats on the maps we think we will play. We will probably do it, but right now we haven’t done it yet. We are focusing more on how they play the map and how they will set themselves up. And whoever watches the demo, probably shox will allow us to adapt to them. He always does it well, and it will most likely work.

And playing against a team we don’t know beforehand is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage as we can’t be antistratted and we can’t antistrat them either. We’re more or less equal so it’s not really a problem.

You were talking about shox watching the demos. Have you never thought about hiring an analyst or a coach that really does this job and that way shox doesn’t have to focus on that, or is it really him that wants to do it with SmithZz maybe?

We thought about it before they announced the new coaching rules, where the coaches can’t talk except for timeouts and cannot lead basically. We decided that we knew how to analyze anyway, but it’s good to have a second opinion of course. I don’t know if we need it right now, though, we’re doing fine without it. It might be necessary in the long run, I don’t know.

Speaking of which, some have asked what is actually the role of Jérome in this regard, he has a headset on behind you, does he talk to you during games? Any tactical input? Or is it really you guys that deal with that and he only speaks to help you relax?

Well, Jérome, he just looks good with his headset and he’s behind us. No, but seriously, he’s such a calm guy that whenever he speaks it already calms us, you know what I mean? If he sees that we’re in a bad spot and we’re making mistakes because he’s often there with us during practices, or if our communication isn’t good, he will ask for a timeout and talk to us. I think he’s pretty useful.

In the Major, you’ve got another random aspect. The third map randomizer. Is that something you like or do you think there should just be a full veto?

I’d prefer to be sure of the map I’m playing and to prepare the veto beforehand. Because we know what the other teams are going to ban against us, most of the time. I’m not a fan of it, but I think it’s pretty balanced with the side picking. I’m kind of 50-50 on the issue.

Is the starting side important for you?

I think we manage to get into games better when we start as T. We’re running around a lot, it helps to warm up, rather than waiting. If you get your first LAN game and you start CT, you’re not really warmed up and confident, you’re just holding angles and waiting for guys to show up. I’d rather start T, run around and feel confident when switching to the CT Side.

Moving on specifically to the Major groups. The two french teams could have gotten SK, Fnatic, Liquid or VP. Even if it’s SK with fox, it’s still a strong team.

A pretty strong team.

Indeed. VP, well we know them. And Liquid and Fnatic are the two lesser teams, Liquid even more so. Envy got Liquid and you got Fnatic. You’ve just played against them yesterday. It sounds pretty good compared to the other teams attending, what do you think about the drawings?

It’s a pretty good matchup for us. But keep in mind that nowadays, every team that you play at the major, aren’t to be feared, but the games are going to be pretty close. We still know that Fnatic are pretty strong in Majors with olof and KRiMZ that are still double Major champions. They’re used to big stages, they will probably perform well at the Major. They are also probably going to be very well prepared.

It’s kind of like GODSENT. You don’t see them often or you see them a bit shaky and when they get to the Major, things get serious pretty quick.

Exactly, they’re pretty tough.

Since we can’t predict the matchups, what are your objectives for this event? Maybe passing the groups or even taking it all?

The objective at the moment is to get out of groups, can’t lie about it. I’d really like to do that, I played a Major last time and I didn’t win a single game. It would be something to be proud about for me, and I really think we’re capable of doing it. And why not get to at least the Semis. The ball is in our court.

Alright. Semis, noted. I won’t keep you out here too long, a few more questions to wrap up. You’ve been in G2 for about 8 months now, since April I think? How did you feel the change in perspective from LDLC to G2 where you were previously just playing with your friends and now you’re playing with people like shox, ScreaM, SmithZz and RpK? Players that you’ve known for a while, that you’ve watched maybe even cheered for. How does it feel to play with them and to take it to the next level?

Well, it felt just like when I joined maxisaucisse at the time. I was a nobody who was joining four people who already had a lot more experience than I did. I wanted to learn as much as possible and to prove myself. Even on the first day, when I hopped on the server I instantly thought, damn they are good.

You really noticed a difference?

Yeah, a bit, yeah.

You don’t think that mathEND could have a seat there? (private joke)

Maybe if he gets back into a DM.

How did they welcome you? Did they accommodate for you and your positions or did they choose your role and you adapted?

They were looking for a player like me that played solo on sites and that played in the entrying trio. I played a lot of positions that I played on LDLC. I integrated pretty quickly. They’re good people.

Thanks a lot for coming to see us. Good luck at the major, have a nice bootcamp and happy new year.