faveN: “The more we win, the stronger our opponents become. So it won’t get any easier.”
BIG rifler Josef “faveN” Baumann commented on the team’s victory over MIBR in an interview at IEM Cologne Major 2026, assessed Benjamin “blameF” Bremer’s performance as captain, and shared his thoughts on the team’s current form.
On the match against MIBR
I had a good pistol round; I think I got 4 kills. And that’s usually how it goes: if you start the match well, then the game just rolls along smoothly until the very end. And, of course, I got a little lucky. Plus, tabseN creates a lot of space for me on Inferno.
On blameF’s calls
I want to point out that blameF made some absolutely incredible calls. He did a lot of micromanaging. Seriously, a lot. <...> In the break room, blameF also does a great job with post-match debriefs. He prepares a lot and does the right things.
On BIG’s current form
There are still moments when some players, including me, might not listen all the way through. Sometimes we use grenades incorrectly. That happens. It’s also the pressure. After all, this is a Major. If we fix these issues, we’ll be able to advance to the third stage. But, of course, the more we win, the stronger our opponents become. So it won’t get any easier. It will only get harder. And we need to keep working.
Right now, BIG is in the 2-1 bracket of the second stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Today, Josef “faveN” Baumann’s team will face G2 Esports in a match to advance to the next stage—the match starts at 8:00 PM Moscow time.
Photo — StarLadder.
