apEX: Ready to do some damage

G2 gave a good account of themselves at the SL i-League StarSeries Season 3 finals, their first offline event with the new roster, beating NiP, HellRaisers and SK Gaming in the Swiss stage before being defeated by FaZe in the quarter-finals.

The French team have travelled to Austin riding the wave after a sensational series of results that has seen them move up to third in the ESL Pro League, while in ECS they have won three of their first four games.

apEX says his team has not stopped improving

In an interview conducted before the event, we asked Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire about the loss to FaZe, the team's fine run of form and their favourite status heading into DreamHack Austin.

You played your first LAN together at StarSeries Season 3, making it all the way to the quarters before falling to the eventual champions, FaZe. What are the most important things you took away from the tournament?

It was our first tournament and we did not go there with the expectation to win. We went there to get our first offline experience together. As we have already said multiple times, with this team we want to think long term, take the time to set up our game and not rush anything. So, clearly, we did not have crazy expectations before this tournament, we were just trying to figure out what could go wrong. Despite a really good showing in the group stage, we simply lost to a better team in the quarter-finals.

What do you think that went wrong in the match against FaZe? Were you perhaps overconfident after such a strong group stage run?

I cannot really explain why we lost, but we did not have the same mentality and attitude that we had shown in the group stage. Even if FaZe were a stronger opponent, we shouldn't have lost like that. We lost all six pistols rounds, which didn't help us at all. But honestly, FaZe played a strong game and were simply better in that series. When you lose against the winner, even in the quarter-finals, you cannot be that disappointed.

Did you get a good feeling regarding the team's performances in Kiev?

Yes, of course. As I said, it was our first tournament together after such a long online training period. We had worked a lot since February 1, and we saw that in some ways it paid off. We struggled with a few things that we have tried to work on for this tournament, like the pistol rounds and the way we have to approach a big match. Everyone is working hard to become the best, and it makes me feel really good.

It seemed like you started out quite roughly online, then you got praised by several teams saying you were very strong in practice, and finally you had a good showing at SLTV. How do you think the team is progressing? Are you happy with where you’re at now?

We are satisfied because we have not stopped improving. We began playing leagues almost right after the team was created, which was pretty hard because we wanted to take the time to create our own play style and we knew it could take a long time [to achieve that]. Since NBK, kennyS and I did not play some maps on EnVyUs last year and G2 had a different way to play, we were pretty lost on several aspects of the game, losing half of the powerplay situations and throwing many easy rounds. But in the end, we managed to find some common ground after a lot of discussions. SmithZz and enkay J provided great support during this period. We cannot be satisfied because we have done nothing at this point, but I am happy with the way we approach the game. 

Improving pistol rounds has been a concern of the team's, admits apEX

NBK- said you were still changing some positions and roles in the team right before StarSeries. Are all the pieces in the puzzle fitting better now? Are all the players happy with their roles and positions? Are you still tweaking some things?

Indeed, we changed them a few times to make everyone happy and comfortable, even after StarSeries. But today, all the roles and positions are well defined and everyone looks comfortable with them. Although we have roles, we are looking to be as complete as possible and to be able to play every role the best way we can. I think it is the best approach to be a really good performer in CSGO today. 

Your second LAN is going to be DreamHack Austin, how are you feeling ahead of that event? Could you tell us what kind of preparation you have had before the event?

We are feeling pretty confident for this tournament, even if during the past two weeks our preparation was not as good as we hoped. Some of us had a few personal issues, and we were forced to play less than usual. But it can not be an excuse if we fail in this tournament, we are definitely ready to do some damage.

What kind of results would you expect to get in Austin? 

Well, I guess we all expect to be in the final and obviously to return to Europe with our first title. We want to show what we can do and get as much experience as possible.

What are some of the things you want to see from the team at Austin, and what progress would you be happy to see?

First, I want to see the way we approach and play the game, it should be the same in every match. Being calm and confident, and playing together are the basics. It is also important to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them over and over again. If we combine those things, we can become a top 5 team in the world. Ah, and I forgot something: winning at least 50% of the pistol rounds!

There are a lot of big names missing from the event, would you agree that you are the favorites in your group, and even of the whole event?

Indeed, some big names are missing, but the level is so high nowadays that we cannot underestimate anyone. Moreover, some of the teams in attendance have already upset some "big names" a few times. I think we have our chances and we could even be seen as the favourite. I am confident, but a few mistakes can change the whole story, so we need to be focused and play well. Our group is not easy, we will need to play to our full potential from day one. 

For a while, you were in the bottom places in the ESL Pro League, but now you are sitting third and in a good position to reach the offline finals. Did you expect such a turnaround? What was the secret?

Yes, we started out so badly... I think we were 1-8 at one point and we lost many games that we shouldn't have. Honestly, after that start we didn't expect to qualify for the finals. We just played round after round, map after map, and then we managed to enter the top places after a strong run. Now, we can definitely hope to travel to Dallas in June. There was nothing special behind that run, we just knew what we are capable of and what we are made of. Then the 'remontada' started, and it has helped us to gain even more confidence!