Collapse: “I was thinking of taking a break even if I hadn’t won TI, because I need it.”

Collapse: I’d say I’m just trying to find new motivation to play this game. I probably need a little time—five or six months—to feel that hunger again. But right now, I feel like I’ve achieved more than I wanted to. For me, right now, it’s just a relief. ...> I don’t want to end my career because I’m 24. I’m still pretty young. <...>

I was thinking of taking a break even if I hadn’t won TI, because I need it. But if I hadn’t won TI, I’d say I wouldn’t deserve that sense of relief, because I hadn’t achieved my goal. To me, that would have felt somehow undeserved. Korb3n would probably have given me a little scolding: “What the hell are you taking a break for? You’re a damn bot.” Something like that.

Collapse: I don’t know. I’m a little hesitant to say something like that—I’m afraid that Neta [33] will take their third TI next year. So I need to keep quiet and win a fourth Aegis so I can say again that I’m the best. Right now, I’m a little hesitant. I’d say I used to be more afraid, because there are a lot of two-time champions. I just want to be one of the first to achieve this—me and Yatoro. That was my motivation.

Collapse: I’d say I didn’t really feel any hype leading up to the playoffs. I was just hoping to make it there, because we hadn’t made it out of the group stage for the past two years. We were also crushed in the group stage—first by PARIVISION, then by Nigma—and we were a little tilted. So for me, it was a bit strange. But once we made it to the playoffs, I was hit with an absolute rush of excitement because the atmosphere was incredible. The crowd really gets you fired up.

There are a few tournaments that inspire me to win. These are the ESL tournaments, because they usually hold one of these championships once a year. ESL One Birmingham was a major event for me; I was hoping to win it. And Riyadh, too, although my feelings were different back then. The second Riyadh was the best of them all. <...>

It probably sounds a little selfish, but at every tournament, the crowd just loves us. They’re always rooting for me… I mean, for us, for Team Spirit, more than for any other team. That really gets me fired up. I think it was important for Yatoro, too, because we hadn’t played on stage for two years, and for us, it was a big deal. I missed the crowd at TI so much… It’s always a huge stadium, a massive arena, tons of people—everyone’s just having a good time. It’s the best feeling.

Collapse: I was hesitant to go to Saudi Arabia because there were a lot of rumors about what was going on there. We were a little scared.

Insania: We felt the same way. I remember we were scared and kept asking for more and more ridiculous things. We told them: “If you buy us business-class tickets, we’ll go.” And they just agreed to all our requests, no matter what we asked for. In the end, we were like, “Okay, we’re in.” But then MATUMBAMAN said he wouldn’t go, so we took ana instead. But it was a good year; it was interesting to be there.

Collapse: The main factor is confidence—confidence in our players, in our strategies, and in ourselves. I’d say that’s the most important thing for me. When my confidence is at its peak during a tournament, I’ll dominate everyone, do whatever I want, just play well and stay focused—very focused.