Flamie: «We are concentrated on improving team play»

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Soon, the five of NAVI.GG.BET will have to face the LAN-finals of the ESL Pro League S8, and then compete in Lisbon and defend their BLAST Pro Series champions title. While our guys are at the bootcamp, we managed to talk with Egor «flamie» Vasilev and found out about the most painful loss in his career, asked him about his favorite positions in the game, and also found out what he thinks about the recent economic changes in CS:GO.

— Hi! In anticipation of ESL Pro League S8 Finals and BLAST Pro Series Lisbon, you have set up a bootcamp. What goals did the team set for this training period? What are you planning to work on first?

— First of all — work on our weak maps. And also concentrate on improving team play.

— S1mple in a recent video said that the priority for NAVI is the finals of the ESL Pro League S8. What is the reason? How important is the Intel Grand Slam challenge for the team?

— This is one of the last top-championships this year, so we want to show the best result. If we manage to win the Grand Slam — nice, but if not — it's not a big deal. So, we do not prioritize Grand Slam and for us, it is more important to win the tournament.

— During your career, you have already played in three finals of the Major tournaments. In which of the defeats you suffered the hardest? What was the reason?

— I think, it was on the second Major (MLG Columbus — NAVI vs Luminosity), because we felt confident in our success. We lost the first map in overtime, gave away our game, which was quite painful.

— Continuing the theme of victories and defeats. Maybe you had a loss more painful than the Majors finals?

— No, I do not think that there were more unpleasant defeats than the Major finals.

— Regarding victories — which success of a tournament brought the most bright and intens emotions? Why was that victory so significant?

— ESL One Cologne. It was a Major tournament with a prize pool of $ 250,000. We beat  Astralis, which was almost at the peak of their shape. Additionally, the importance of this championship added the fact that there were represented all the best teams in the world at that time.

— In the second half of the year in the games of the Born to Win, a certain pattern can be observed: if the team participates in tournaments for two weeks straight, then in the second case an unsuccessful performance follows. What causes this? Is it just fatigue or are there other factors?

— It happened twice, when we were flying from Europe to America: it was a long flight, we didn’t take a rest, and maybe it was just hard for us to immediately switch to another schedule. I think we need a more competent approach to this issue.

— After the off-season, NAVI participated in six LAN tournaments. You showed the best result on FACEIT Major (1.18 rating), and the worst — on IEM Chicago 2018 (0.74 rating). What was the catalyst for success in London, and what was the reason for not quite the best performance in Chicago?

— I can not name the exact reasons. You can never know in advance how you will play. It seems to me that we just got into a good shape before the FACEIT Major and as a result, the game were going smoothly. And in Chicago, we very quickly dropped out of the tournament, in fact, the whole team performed poorly, including me. Thus, when you play two maps badly, it seriously lowers the rating.

— It is interesting that the most successful map for you in the last three months is the Train (1.10 rating), and the worst is Nuke (0.92 rating). Is this related to your role in the team? And are you satisfied with your position or would you like to change something on some maps?

— Yes, I think it's correlated. I have a more flexible role on Train, which is pretty easy to play in terms of statistics. At Nuke, I have such a role that i have to look at “ramps” where rivals do not particularly often go, and on the offensive side, it's not that easy to find a frag. In general, you can always perform better and improve your game.

— Do you have the most beloved and most hated map in the game? Name three positions where you like to play the most, and three — where you only dream that the game ends faster.

— Train evokes the most sympathy. As for the positions, a supporting role on Train, the plant side B on Overpass, and on Inferno, I liked to watch “five,” and also play on a supporting role.

— Do you like the recent changes in the economy of CS:GO? What other changes would you like to see in the game?

— Economy — yes, the changes have brought some new and interesting rounds. Now, finally, the teams practically do not force buy in the second round. And after the score 2 : 0 there is an chance to see the AWP in action.

— Recently, you have begun to be more strict about the food you consume. Tell me, please, what is included in your diet?

— I'm not particularly strict about the food. I just consume it in smaller quantities. So the most common diet, just need to eat less. And do not abuse junk food.

— It is known that you are keen on football and support Real Madrid. What do you think, what are the current problems of the team? Was it worth firing Lopetegui in a such situation?

— I think that the problems of “Real” is due to the fact that Cristiano left and no one replaced him. And Lopetegui just ended up in the team at the wrong time. As all the players said, he is a very good coach, but he simply did not have enough time.

— You are also a quite actively player of the Football Manager. Have you already bought a new version? So, if you were the manager of the Real Madrid club, what steps would you take to remedy the situation?

— Yes, I already played the new Football Manager — and first of all, I would buy a striker for Real Madrid.

— Thank you so much for the interview! Good luck on the LAN tournaments!