LNZ after advancing to the semifinals of the 2026 CS Asia Championships: “All the guys are happy with how things turned out.”
MIBR CS2 captain Linus “LNZ” Holteng shared his thoughts in an interview at the CS Asia Championships 2026 following the team’s advancement to the event’s playoffs, discussed his relationship with Felipe “insani” Yuji, and spoke about the team’s expectations for the championship.
On his feelings after advancing to the event’s semifinals
I’m very happy with the result: we didn’t expect at all that we’d be able to make it to the semifinals directly from the group stage. All the guys are happy with how things turned out, and, of course, we want to achieve even more. As for the match itself, the team performed excellently on the attack on Inferno and Ancient. To be honest, we didn’t give our opponents a single chance, which I’m undoubtedly happy about.
On our relationship with insani
I’m confident that we get along great both on the server and off it—you could say our personalities just click. We have a great relationship, and that really helps in the game. Of course, he’s a very strong and skilled player who’s been waiting a long time for his chance on the Tier 1 scene. This guy fully deserves to be at the top. He has incredible talent, which he demonstrated back at the Shanghai Major. Yes, there was a period when we didn’t hear much from him, and many probably doubted that he was still as good, but since then he’s only gotten stronger.
On expectations for the tournament
When you reach the semifinals, you’re already close to the trophy, so I think that’s exactly what each of us wants right now. A lot will depend on our future opponents and other external factors. For some of my teammates, this will be their first time playing in the arena, so I don’t think we should have expectations that are too high. Regardless, we’re very happy with the result we’ve achieved. As for me personally, I really want to go all the way and win this cup.
Today, MIBR defeated B8 Esports in the upper bracket final of the CS Asia Championships 2026 group stage with a score of 2-1 in a best-of-3 series, securing their spot in the championship semifinals, where they will face Legacy.
Photo — PGL.
