Mousesports are playing extremely well at ESL One Belo Horizonte, yet they still don’t see themselves as a contender that could win the event.
With former Cloud9 star Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert acting as a stand-in for Tomas “oskar” Stastny, Mouz went 2-0 in Group B, defeating Nao Tem Como and Team Liquid in two best-of-threes. They’ll be playing SK Gaming in the semifinals, who just won their decider match against Space Soldiers.
Related: FaZe and Mouz advance to the playoffs at ESL One Belo Horizonte
Dot Esports sat down with Robin “ropz” Kool and Chris “ChrisJ” de Jong following their successful group stage run at ESL One Belo Horizonte to talk about their time during the group stage, with ChrisJ also reflecting on his career with Mouz.
Ropz, you were one of the top performers in your match against Liquid yesterday. How did you feel about that match?
Ropz: Well we were off to a good start. We won the pistol round. And individually, I just got some really nice eco kills that made me feel good. During the match, we just played good as a team. Our communication was good and I was just feeling on point. I mean I got pretty lucky at times, but all in all that’s it.
How has the general vibe on the team been with n0thing instead of oskar so far? Has the dynamic changed and has he had any transition difficulties?
Ropz: I would say it’s pretty positive. N0thing is really just a good guy. He’s giving us really good vibes. Our communication is a lot better than usual, and we’re feeling really good in the matches. He has a really long history of [Counter-Strike], so he pretty much knows what to do at every point. We have no problem playing with him. He just knows how to fill the gap we have. He’s just a complete player, and that’s what makes him a really good stand-in.
ChrisJ: First of all, of course the roles changed. There wasn’t really an [AWPer] available. There’s almost no [AWPer] on the level of oskar. From the beginning, we knew we’d have to get a different type of player. I think with Jordan, not only is he a nice person to be around, but we can also have fun with him before, during, and after the game. Also he’s experienced, he played a long time in Cloud9 at the top of the American scene and even at the top of the whole CS:GO scene. He knows what he needs to do in a team to really help the team. He’s not like, “I don’t care about this tournament and I’ll just do whatever.” He’s really listening to us [saying], “What do you need from me? What grenades do you want me to throw?”
So it was really helpful in that case, and he really filled the gaps that we needed now. It feels like everybody [in the team] is playing with a bit less pressure now because we have a stand-in now. One one hand, we have a bit different mentality [with] Jordan on the team. On another hand, because we’re playing with a stand-in, everybody’s playing more loose, like “okay just do what you want and do what will make you feel good because we haven’t practiced. We need to do some kind of thing to try to win rounds.” I think that combination really helped us, especially in the group stage. Everyone was playing free, things were really clicking in-game, and everybody was hitting their shots.
What are your expectations for the rest of the event and what are you planning to do until the next Major?
Ropz: I guess our main goal here was to get to the arena. I mean we had no expectations because we came in with a stand-in. To be honest, our expectations were to just enjoy the arena and just enjoy the fans. I mean we made it here and we’re just really happy to be here. If we can somehow win [the whole tournament], that would be amazing, but the stars would have to align for that.
ChrisJ, you’re the longest tenured player on Mousesports [since 2013], how do you feel about seeing Mouz become one of the best teams in the world over the years?
ChrisJ: I think it’s really cool, obviously. We’ve struggled really long in Mouz, and [had no] really big impact. Sometimes we were pretty good and sometimes we reached top four when we had NiKo or something, but [we were] never as consistent as we [are] now. It’s really nice. It’s weird to say that hard work pays off, because obviously we just changed the lineup. We just got a better team, but also the team is just working hard. I feel like I’ve done more to have more impact in the game, so it’s nice to get some results out of it.
How do you think ChrisJ changes the vibe of the team and what difference does he make during matches?
Ropz: It’s true he has a long history with Mousesports. He took the in-game leader role when I joined the team. He’s been advancing really well. He’s a pretty good in-game leader nowadays. Even though we have input from everyone, everyone is calling at times. It’s all about teamwork in the end. But chrisJ has been so much better. [Mouz coach] Lmbt has also been helping him.
What is the best part about being with this team, especially during training and at tournaments?
Ropz: I think we have really good inside jokes. That’s the really funny part. I guess, in the game, we understand each other pretty well individually. We know what we want to do. If someone wants to make a play, we know how to react, and that’s what makes every team good.
Considering all of the team and management changes that Mouz underwent over the years, how big do you think is your role in the growth of this team?
ChrisJ: Especially lately, I haven’t been too involved in what the lineup is. The management did it. They’re in a better position to do that and decide who we should get. But I feel like I’ve grown as a player and as a person, learning to realize what my teammates need more from me. It’s not like I always play for myself, but I didn’t think so much on how I can best help out my teammates. Especially now that we have good players in the team. If you just get those players comfortable, you’re gonna perform a lot better. I would say that’s the big thing that changed over the years.
ChrisJ, you’re 28 now, do you feel that you’re in your peak performance in [Counter-Strike] right now?
ChrisJ: I think, skill-wise, I cannot say that I’m really at my peak. I feel like a few years ago I had better movement, I would shoot faster, and I would aim better. But today… I’m just the kinda player that goes in with the AWP and kills people, like a really aggressive playstyle. But still, I’m trying to think more and put my experience into the game like, “Okay, we’ve had this situation before, play this move better, play this thing different, stay more calm, keep playing your game even if it’s going wrong, even though we lost we can still win.” I still get tilted sometimes, but before I gave up a bit too soon in games when we almost lose, and I would get so pissed that I couldn’t think anymore. But I feel like I got that under control now. That’s the thing that just comes with age.
When do you think you’ll stop having a role as an active player on Mouz? Do you see that as a reality soon?
ChrisJ: I would say that it’s quite far away from my reality still. I feel like I’m having enough impact in the game to play on a high level. I don’t know, especially because there are other players that are older, in their 30s, and they’re still playing. I feel like I could easily go a few more years. I’ve also never really been the kinda guy that plans ahead in life. I just live, right now I’m just playing CS. I’m gonna go with it for as long as I can, and after that we’ll see what I do.
How much longer do you see yourself playing [Counter-Strike] if you could choose?
ChrisJ: Right now, I don’t know. Maybe at least two or three more years and after that I will see.
Bhernardo Viana contributed to this report.
