NEO is set to make his LAN debut as Astralis' coach. He joined the Danish club two weeks ago, following the end of his nearly three-year stint with FaZe in March, which was the first team he coached.
"I can understand that perspective, and I don't want to go too deep into the details, but the team needs some changes, and changing the coach is one of the first steps clubs often take," he said when discussing his removal from the squad. "So it's part of competitive sports, no hard feelings, an amicable split, that's just how it is. But I've learned my lesson."
The Polish player stated that he is bringing what he learned at FaZe to Astralis to work with HooXi. HooXi has a different in-game leading style compared to karrigan, and he is still getting used to it, hoping to help the team reach its full potential.
"Just like when I joined FaZe, I joined a team that had already been playing together for a while, so they have their own playstyle, and it's been a learning process for me," NEO said. "The journey so far hasn't been bad, but it hasn't been ideal either, though there's definitely room for improvement, and you can see the potential. It's just that there's still a lot of work ahead of us."
Q: You are now the coach of Astralis. How have your first few days with the team been?
NEO: It feels really good. Being in a new environment with different personalities is refreshing, and it's great to get to know everyone both as a regular person and as a player. I like what I see; there's huge potential in the team. There's definitely a lot of work to do, but it feels great to be back.
Q: Even though you've been coaching for a long time, this is only the second team you've coached. Does it feel strange to no longer be surrounded by those FaZe players you've worked with for so long, and now face a new challenge?
NEO: I didn't really feel it until I saw those players wearing the FaZe jerseys today, and that really hit me differently. I enjoyed my time at FaZe, and I really liked the people around the team as well as the team itself, so it was a great time. I'm happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it. But it's been a few months now, so I think I've gotten used to the fact that things change, and this is the next step for me.
Q: karrigan told us that the team didn't expect you to be the one dropped from FaZe. Now that some time has passed, how do you look back on that decision?
NEO: I can understand that perspective, and I don't want to go too deep into the details, but the team needed some changes, and replacing the coach is often one of the first steps a club will take. So it's just part of the competitive scene, no hard feelings, that's just how it is. But I've learned my lesson.
Q: You achieved a lot with FaZe, winning tournament titles, but also went through difficult slumps, and it was your first coaching job. What is the most important thing you will bring from that experience to Astralis?
NEO: I've definitely learned a few things. I've been a player for much longer than I've been a coach, so maybe I tend to look at things more from a player's perspective, but coaching requires a different approach, and I'll change a few things when working with Astralis.
Throughout my coaching career, I have only worked with one in-game leader. Since the coach and the in-game leader work most closely together, I only know karrigan's way of doing things. Now I am working with HooXi and gradually getting to know him. He has a different approach and different ways of handling things, so I am learning those as well. However, I am very grateful for the opportunity to have worked with karrigan. He is an outstanding captain, and I have learned a few things from him.
Q: You mentioned the connection between the in-game leader and the coach. HooXi is also Danish, but has a different style. How do these two compare? Given that they come from the same home region, do they share any similarities?
NEO: I'm not sure if this is a Danish trait, but there are indeed some similarities as well as some differences. I don't want to go into too much detail, but they are two quite different people.
Q: Your results have been up and down so far. You've had some solid performances in the bounty tournaments and qualified for the LAN finals, but the StarSeries qualifiers didn't go as planned. Is this just growing pains from sticking to your own philosophy, or are there other reasons? How would you evaluate these first few days?
NEO: Considering that most of those were online matches, it's always a bit different from playing offline, so I expect to learn more here. We had a bootcamp, and it went really well. I got the chance to get to know these players. Just like when I joined FaZe, I'm joining a team that has already been playing together for a while, so they have their own playstyle, and this is a learning process for me. The journey so far hasn't been bad, but it's not ideal either. However, there's definitely room for improvement, and you can see the potential. It's just that we still have a lot of work ahead of us.
Q: Another new addition is Cache. You've played it three times, winning twice and losing once. From an outside perspective, the macro gameplay seems very similar to before. Do the new smokes and skybox make it feel different, or does it feel basically the same?
NEO: It has changed a bit, but not that much. You can compare it to Dust2, which was removed and then brought back; you'll see most of the same things play out again. Thanks to the invisible walls, some new strategies have emerged, but it's actually quite interesting to see tactics from 10 years ago being used. I'm glad Cache is back in the map pool. I've always liked this map and enjoyed playing it. It's a straightforward map, though, so it's really fun to play.
Q: You mentioned that some of these tactics date back 10 years. Does that experience help you set up your team on this map? I spoke with MOUZ earlier, and their entire roster has played four official matches on this map, while you've played far more than that. Does your familiarity with this map give you an idea of what to expect?
NEO: Yes, of course. Being familiar with this map and having played it in the past, I have some ideas on how the players should play their positions and execute certain tactics. Some things have changed—in CS2 you can clear smoke with grenades, so it's a bit different—but a lot of things remain the same, so this will definitely help the players get familiar with the map better and faster.
Q: Many favorites were eliminated in the online stage, which means you are the top seed here and won't be able to pick your own opponents. Does this make it a good opportunity to start the season strong and accumulate VRS points, thereby easing the pressure for results over the next few months and allowing you to focus on improvement?
NEO: Yes, of course, this is a very important tournament, and we're glad to be here. As for picking opponents, whether we get picked or not doesn't really matter. You just need to play good CS and go as far as possible. We will keep doing our best, strive for better results, and become more consistent.