Ari on 1w Team: “We still believe in this roster, so we’ll just keep going and try again.”

It’s not just about TI—the entire second half of the season hasn’t gone very well for us. I think that motivates everyone to strive for victory again. I hope we get off to a strong start at this tournament.

We need to discuss why we lost and whether we need to make any changes. We talked about it and decided we don’t want to change anything. We still believe in this roster, so we’ll just keep going, try again, and work even harder this time.

I actually like the current patch, but it’s been going on for quite a while now, so at the same time, I’m a little tired of it—if you know what I mean. I think there are good heroes for me in the meta, but I’d like to see some changes, just to freshen up the game. Overall, I still enjoy competing. I just want to win everything. <…>

Keeper of the Light has been nerfed quite significantly, and he was probably the strongest “four.” Probably the only one who posed a truly serious threat. So not much has changed for me. But I think that’s actually a good thing: other roles are getting weaker, and mine stands out as stronger by comparison. So the patch can be called a success, even though it’s boring for me.

To be honest, we didn’t practice much before this tournament and didn’t even hold a boot camp. We just played a couple of practice matches when everyone returned from their break and started flying into Europe from their respective countries. So, basically, we just showed up and will see how it goes. We’ll see what it’s like to play with perhaps a little more freedom and less pressure on our shoulders.

[Is this approach refreshing after a grueling second half of last season?]

I think so. When the decisive part of the season rolls around, everything gets very serious, and you try to get the most out of everything you do. But here, you’re starting a new season without much preparation—you’re just playing freely, in a way that feels natural to you. It should be fun.

I think quite a few teams have gotten stronger: Team Falcons broke up, and its players moved to various Tier 1 teams. I’d say that each of these teams has gotten stronger as a result. So this year should be very competitive. <…>

I’m a little surprised that ATF and Malr1ne ended up on different teams. I’m curious to see how they’ll perform on their respective teams. I’d like to see both teams in action.