Ami: «The main objective is to play our own game»

CS2 / News / 29 July 2021 — 10:15

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In the midst of the , we interviewed NAVI Junior coach Amiran "ami" Rekhviashvili about his impressions of the junior squads' competition, what went wrong in the first match of the tournament and why there was a switch on Vertigo.

What can you say about the tournament? Do you like the system? Is it hard to play one best of 1 a day for two weeks?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

The tournament is great, and we really like participating in it. The system, of course, is not the best with bo1 format, but everyone is on the same terms, we are already got used to it. The only thing I would change for the next season is the schedule because playing 2 weeks without a break is very hard for young players. There is no time to reboot, after each game we immediately start to prepare for the next one.

How is the bootcamp going? When do you find time to practice, considering that you have an official match every day?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

The bootcamp is going great, a little tired, but we still have a lot of games, we need to focus on them. We practiced a lot before bootcamp, we have renewed all our maps, so we spend more time on analysis and practice before the games.

You started your performance in the WePlay Academy League with a disappointing loss to BIG Academy. What happened in that match? Have you worked on your mistakes and that's why you guys managed to get revenge?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

It was the first game, and some players were very nervous. We foolishly gave up a lot of power-play rounds and we were punished for it. We analyzed the reasons for the loss, made a plan for the game, and tried not to make the same mistakes as in the first game, but still gave up several rounds, although we still managed to finish the game in overtime.

After that match, there were two victories over the main rivals - Young Ninjas and VP.Prodigy. What was the atmosphere in the team before the match with the Swedes?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

The main goal is to play our game and not pay attention to external factors. If we play according to plan and the guys feel comfortable, we will surely show good results.

And then again a disappointing defeat against Astralis Talents. Why does NAVI Junior beat the favorites, but can't cope with the outsiders? How do you think this can be changed?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

We lost this game on the A-sight, the guys were unable to execute the game plan, which led to a disappointing result. And of course, some of the players did not show their best side, some lacked confidence in their actions, which leads to a disappointing result.

On the fourth Vertigo, NAVI Junior had a substitution. Headtr1ck replaced pogor3lov in the game. What was the reason for this switch? And will Vertigo be the only map for Daniil?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

Sergey does not feel comfortable on this map, so I decided to give Daniil a chance to show himself. It was actually very dangerous because we changed not only the player, but the three roles, but everything worked out fine, and we'll use this setup from now on. Danya will play only Vertigo for now, and then we'll see.

Within the league, Vertigo and Overpass are the obvious meta. They were picked 11 and 8 times, respectively. Mirage could only be seen in NAVI Junior games, and Dust2 was only picked on day 8 of the tournament. What do you think is the reason for this kind of map pool?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

It's actually very simple: each team has prepared 4-5 maps for the League, a lot of people prepared Vertigo, that's why we see it so often. Dust 2, I do not even know why nobody plays it, it's banned against us, and even in other matches too.

A month ago there was an announcement that you were looking for an assistant at NAVI Academy. Has the search been completed? If so, when should we expect the results to be announced? If it is not a secret, how many applications were there?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

There were a lot of applications, but, unfortunately, most of them do not suit us (lack of experience, different vision, etc.).

A few days ago a new NAVI Academy player was introduced — froz1k. Where and who found Adam? Did you follow him for a long time before inviting him to the team?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

Adam has been monitored since he was 12 years old. Rodion said there was a cool young player and I liked how he had a feel for the game at such an early age. We decided to wait a little bit, since he was only 12 years old, but after a short time we chose not to delay and took him into the academy.

Since we're already talking about NAVI Academy, can you tell us about the Road to NAVI project? How many applications have you received? Should we expect new players in the near future?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

There are a lot of applications, we are slowly sorting them out. The players are very different, with different levels of preparation, but there are positive things. We select the best ones and will start testing them soon. Of course, if a talented player appears, we will try him and he will have a chance to be in our academy or Youth squad.

Aunkere's Ace

What are latt1kk and Dem0n doing in the academy right now? How soon will we see them in the official games?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

Demon is still 13 years old and can't play anywhere yet. He comes to the showdown sometimes and plays in small tournaments. In the near future, he and Adam will start practicing with our new coach and occasionally with me. Latik is still waiting for the Youth squad to be formed, and they will start playing tournaments in the fall.

What are the plans for the juniors at the end of the tournament from WePlay?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

Everything depends on the result, of course. If we make it to the LAN finals, we'll start preparing for the finals on the 10th and get ready for the bootcamp before the finals. We will need a little rest because bootcamp is very long and the guys are already tired.

And at last, do you want to say a few words to the fans?

Amiran «ami» Rekhviashvili

Cheer for NAVI, we are playing for you! And even when we fail, we really need your support, because we are stronger together!