Cr1t on Team Falcons in Dota 2: “Laning and the early game are our biggest weaknesses.”
Team Falcons support Andreas “Cr1t-” Frank Nielsen, in an interview following their victory over BetBoom Team in the 1win Essence II playoffs, discussed the team’s approach to the tournament and highlighted its strengths and weaknesses.
On the redrafts in the first and second maps
In most cases, when you win and the other team doesn’t change anything, you… You generally discuss between matches what they might do differently, and if they don’t do anything, then there’s no need for you to change. We thought about what options were best for us, and we liked the draft, so we decided to repeat it.
On our approach to the tournament
We’re treating it like a qualifier; we understand that a major tournament is coming up, and, in fact, we’re currently at boot camp, which just so happens to be running parallel to the tournament, so for us it’s a good opportunity to practice tournament situations and play high-quality KV. It’s a reason for us to be more focused.
On whether teams are hiding their strategies ahead of The International 2026
I don’t think anyone is hiding anything; people are more eager to try something unusual or strange. I don’t think anyone is hiding anything. At The International 2026, you usually need to have a lot of options in reserve, not just one specific play. No one wins TI with just five heroes, so I don’t think anyone is hiding anything; on the contrary, they want to develop what they already have.
On what the team is doing well and poorly
I think our laning isn’t in the best shape right now. That’s one of the things we’re trying to fix so we can feel more consistent. I think that’s our biggest problem. We’ve always been a strong team in macro. It helps that we’ve been playing together for so long—we understand where we are on the map. That’s something that gets better with time, and I think it’s our strength. Laning and the early game, on the other hand, are our biggest weaknesses.
Team Falcons will face Team Liquid in the upper bracket final of the 1win Essence II playoffs today. Six teams remain in the competition, battling for a $200,000 prize pool, with first place taking home half of that amount.
