Vitality defeated PV 2-0 in yesterday's EPL S24 playoffs. After the match, flameZ was interviewed by the on-site media. Let's see how flameZ evaluated the team's performance and his own role in this match.
Q: Okay, congratulations. You were insane on that Inferno. How did it feel playing that map?
flameZ: Honestly, playing Inferno is a joy. Every second we communicate with each other, there's synergy, there's "we do this. I'm hitting here. I'm pushing here." The team comms are super active every single second, and we as players know that when we communicate like this, no one can beat us. It will be very difficult for opponents to win rounds. So I'm super happy, and obviously, individually, me and mezii, every bullet was a headshot. A few jump shots, a few knife kills. So it's always so satisfying.
Q: Isn't it so satisfying when they get blasted down to only 50 HP by items?
flameZ: Yeah, yeah. I told Dan, "I'll finish off all the ones you leave low." He had 14 assists at halftime. He had 7 kills, I had 16, and I had lower damage than him, so how high his utility damage is, how good he is at this, it's crazy. Yeah, of course. That makes things so much easier.
Q: Overall, it feels like the team is recharged again, with all five back together. I mean, maybe apEX has to leave tomorrow, I don't know. But so far, everything is going well?
flameZ: So far, so good. We're really clicking together right now, and we're really looking forward to playing Aurora tomorrow. Obviously, they're a team we've recently lost to, and we also beat them on the same day, but they're a team we think is competitive. They're a good team. They have some good ideas. They have excellent individual players, so we're really looking forward to tomorrow's match, but I think if we bring our A-game, it will be very difficult for them to win.
Q: When you prepare for opponents, I know MaT obviously does a lot of work, but how much of it is just making sure you're at your A-game? Because we know that when you're at your peak, no one can stop you.
flameZ: Honestly, I think preparation is important for bringing our A-game, but one thing that brings our A-game is courage. If every player on the team is very willing to make plays and make things happen, that's when we're at our A-game. So sometimes we don't play that well individually, but we move so much that it's really hard for opponents to handle.
But when it comes to preparation, everyone also does their own individual preparation. Dan, the caller, MaT, Rémy [XTQZZZ], they all do a lot of preparation. Individually, everyone contributes something that gives them confidence in matches, ideas for their own game. That's it.
Q: How much have you grown when it comes to raising your voice within the team and things like that? Because we know when you first joined you were the classic entry fragger, right? But now you talk a lot more.
flameZ: I feel like I've always had the awareness to communicate, but for me, one thing I use as a reference is that sometimes you can get a bit lazy with communication. Sometimes I get lazy with communicating, and that's something I shouldn't... I'm a talkative person. I talk a lot, being vocal in-game and talking constantly works really well to keep the team comms active. This is something the team has told me multiple times that they need from me, and I just need to keep providing it because it's so important.
As for what to say, sometimes it's just throwing out ideas, sometimes it's just telling him mid-round, "Yo, Dan, we can do this," to put one more idea in his head, and that's good. Make him think, make him feel the game, sometimes it's said to other players, sometimes it's telling someone to make a play, don't be afraid. These little words, they make us... they've won us so many times.