BLAST Open Porto kicks off today, with MOUZ facing 9z in their opener. Ahead of the match, Spinx sat down for an interview, discussing the new lineup's chemistry, the ups and downs at EWC, and his personal goals. MOUZ lifted a trophy quickly after PR joined, but Spinx said, "No one expects perfect synergy as soon as you step into the server," adding they still have many details to polish. Talking about the opponent, he said, "It's always great to face jL on the server." On his goals, Spinx was direct: "I want to win in a big arena, against all the top teams — that's what I want."
Q: How does it feel to be here for this competition? How is your form?
Spinx: We're in pretty good shape, feeling good. We just got back from EWC, where we spent almost two weeks. It's definitely not easy to jump straight into another tournament after all that traveling, but it's the same for everyone, so it's fine. Feeling good.
Q: Your schedule has been really tight, going straight from BLAST Bounty to EWC and then rushing here. Was there any real time to catch your breath in between?
Spinx: Just a little, but not much. We took a few days off in between, and of course we still had to train, because the next tournament is right around the corner. This schedule is definitely not easy, and the community is discussing this issue right now. All top teams are facing the same situation, let's see how we handle it.
Q: Speaking of the schedule, your group stage draw was pretty tough, opening against 9z, with Vitality also in the group. What do you think of this group?
Spinx: I don't really mind. I quite like playing against strong teams. The stronger the opponent, the more room you have to improve, win or lose. Our current form does need some minor adjustments, so this match after the EWC is a good test. 9z and Vitality, I'm really looking forward to these matches. And I'll get to face jL on the server again, though he's wearing a different team's jersey now, but playing against him is always a pleasure.
Q: This roster change of yours is really interesting — right after PR joined you immediately won a championship, and then you had to face reality. How do you adjust to that gap? How did you go from "everything is perfect" to "now it's time for a proper review"?
Spinx: Honestly, this kind of situation is quite common in CS. There have been many cases of stand-ins playing well and new lineups winning their first tournament. You win the first tournament, you might lose the second one, then you see more areas that need improvement and just keep working hard.
We are a new team, and there is definitely still a lot we need to work on together. No one expects everyone to sync up perfectly as soon as they join the server. I'm glad we won a championship so quickly; at least it proves we can do it, and it gives us extra motivation and confidence.
So it's okay that we didn't win EWC. We never expected to win six championships in a row this season anyway. Take it step by step—find problems and solve them. That's what we're doing now.
Q: Before the season started, did you set any specific goals, or are you taking it one game at a time?
Spinx: We haven't set any specific team goals. Personally, I want to win in big arenas. It's been a while since we last won in a big arena, and the feeling at PGL in 2025 was really great. I hope to win on a bigger stage against all the top teams, that's what I'm most looking forward to personally. As for team goals, it's about taking it one game at a time, making the improvements we need to make, and playing better CS.
Q: Just curious, of the remaining tournaments this year, which one do you most want to win? Besides the Major.
Spinx: A Major is of course the standard answer. But actually I'm not picky about which specific tournament, as long as it's a big arena, the playoffs are all strong teams, and then we win it, that's it.
Q: Back to the topic of your roster changes. PR has been playing very impressively, taking on a fairly central role on many maps and putting up a lot of damage. Your current role is more passive, mostly waiting for teammates to create space and then looking for opportunities to trade. How has your playstyle changed since teaming up with PR? How is it different from playing with other players before?
Spinx: First, PR does have a better role on certain maps, just as you said. But no one expects him to drop 30 kills every game on Mirage B. So I want to clarify — he does have a really good role on some maps, and an average one on others, which is completely normal.
For me, the role is indeed more passive. I'm probably the most passive position on the team, at least on the T side. Sometimes your performance really depends on the space your teammates create, on how things are going on the other side of the map. But it works the other way around too — when they create good chances, you have to convert them. When they do their job, you have to do yours.
Also — in this version, you can't just play passively all the time. You need to mix it up, push out aggressively from time to time, or play more conservatively than your opponent expects. Keep adjusting the pace.
Q: Has your personal playstyle changed because of the change in spacing? Or is it just executed differently?
Spinx: From a team perspective, the overall framework is pretty much the same. It's more about PR doing that work in his own way. Of course you want to let him play the way he likes — what he likes, what he doesn't like as much, all of that has to be taken into account. So there are definitely some differences. For me... I can't really say, I haven't thought about it carefully.
Q: Last question. You made it to the knockout stage at this EWC, but didn't go all the way. What do you think needs to change to win the championship here?
Spinx: We need to truly be "locked in" on the server. While it sounds like a cliché, we really need to play better CS. Even in the win against GamerLegion, there were a lot of rounds that were too messy and we weren't on the same page. We need better communication and better in-game performance. I think we have that ability and have shown it before; what we need to do is deliver it consistently, no matter the opponent or the moment.