NiKo: “I think the EWC is a great event to test our strength at this point.”

It’s a bit unusual to have so many days off in a row, but we tried to make the most of this time: to train properly and rest well so we can approach the match feeling fresh and prepared. On top of that, we’ve all really missed playing in official matches. If you look at our schedule, since the end of the Major in Cologne two months ago, the team has played only two best-of-three series. So we’re really hungry for wins and want to get back on the field as soon as possible.

There’s no doubt that we’ve achieved significant success with this lineup fairly early on, and that’s exactly the foundation we want to build our future gameplay on. I think the EWC is a great event to test our strength at this point. Even before the season started, the guys and I discussed at boot camp that we’re currently among the strongest teams in the world, but there are many areas where we need to improve.

We don’t entirely know what to expect from our opponents here. Maybe someone will try to replicate the strategies Team Vitality used against us—who knows? Yes, that would be very difficult to pull off, but we’re prepared for that possibility either way. Our main priority right now is to gauge our current level, see how well-prepared we are, and assess how our gameplay has evolved since our Major victory. At BLAST Bounty, we lost to 100 Thieves, and that defeat stung, so we’re eager to play a couple of matches as soon as possible and get a win.