s1n: “slaxz and I especially want to make our country proud of us.”
M80 captain Elias “s1n” Stein spoke in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 about his move from BIG to the North American team, explained how the change in region has influenced his development, and shared his emotions about competing in a home tournament.
On the move from BIG to M80
Essentially, I played for BIG my entire career before moving to another team. I grew up in their system when I was very young, around fifteen. I was on the academy roster. So I absorbed their philosophy, the way they think about the game. And then there was a shift in the region. Especially when it comes to the North American region. It seems to me that this is a kind of opposite to how German players are usually perceived: very structured, for whom every detail matters. Unlike Americans, who play more on instinct. So, I think this combination helped me in CS2, because ultimately, CS2, in my opinion, is a fairly simple game in terms of strategy. But at the same time, you have to execute every detail correctly. And I think that’s one of the reasons why Team Vitality is currently the best team in the world, perhaps the best of all time. They do everything at the highest level. So, yes, my past experience has helped me a lot. And the change of scenery has also helped me a lot, allowing me, so to speak, to rethink myself.
On playing at a home tournament
You can only dream of how incredible the crowd support will be. But it’s not just about the arena—I feel the support online, too. I really do feel it. Slaxz and I especially want to make our country proud of us. And yes, we’re just going to give it our all.
Right now, M80 is in Pot 2 of the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Today, Elias “s1n” Stein’s team will face NRG in a match to advance to the second stage of the tournament—the match starts at 8:00 PM Moscow time.
Photo by Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.
