BC.G's official channel has released an 18-minute interview with their new in-game leader, Magisk, covering his thoughts on joining the organization, the GOAT debate between s1mple and ZywOo, and the team's blueprint for the new season.
Q: As a four-time Major champion, a Major MVP, a Grand Slam winner, and one of the most decorated players in CS history, some might argue you have nothing left to prove. So, what’s driving you to join a new roster and take on a completely new role in such a fiercely competitive era?
Magisk: Well, I think there are multiple layers to it. As a professional player, one of the biggest challenges is constantly finding the motivation and reasons to keep pushing, especially after you’ve already achieved some of the goals you set for yourself. Personally, I’ve always been someone willing to step back and let others take the spotlight and the glory, which is exactly why I feel the new role of captain or in-game leader is a perfect fit for me.
At the same time, I feel that over time, the community has come to recognize this role as one that carries a lot of weight. Being an IGL demands a lot, but if you can become one of the best in the world, it also brings a massive sense of prestige. For a player like me, taking on this challenge, stepping up to show that side of myself, and honing my skills to become a better leader and captain—being the person who helps elevate my team to its best version—really resonates with me.
Yeah, I think that’s definitely the main reason—because I feel I have a lot to bring to this role, and I truly believe that over time I can develop into a top-tier IGL. Of course, only time will tell how it actually plays out, but yeah, that’s absolutely part of why I made this decision: to prove myself in a new role. It’s relatively new to me, comes with a lot more responsibility, and there’s so much I can directly influence. I’ll be deeply involved in the decision-making process—figuring out why we execute a certain strategy or make a specific call. It’s a crucial role within the team. And I genuinely feel that from an outside perspective, the community can really understand and appreciate that journey. Yeah, I’d say I also want to carve out a new legacy for myself.
Q: Compared to when you first started your career, do you feel more or less pressure to prove yourself now?
Magisk: I wouldn't say I feel more pressure. As a player, whether you're young or older, the pressure is always there—I just think it manifests differently. When you're young, you want to make it to the big stage, you want to be part of the fun, just getting out there and competing. As you get older, it's actually quite similar: you want to stay relevant, you want to remain at the top, and you're still chasing that thrill of playing in major tournaments and competing for titles. So I'd say the pressure is the same, it just shows up in different ways and for different reasons.
So at the end of the day, I've been part of building a legacy. I've helped achieve things that very few people can claim, so I can always carry that with me. I don't feel the need to chase anything, and I don't have to think that I must win this tournament or else my career won't be worthwhile. I have the opportunity to make my career even greater, to elevate it beyond where it is now, and not many people get that luxury—of not having to fixate on chasing one specific goal.
I think that can actually be a massive advantage. A lot of players have been chasing that Major trophy for five, ten years, and some never win it in their entire careers because the pressure just keeps compounding. So right now, I can just focus on settling into this IGL role, focus on climbing back to the top with the team, and making sure we hit the level we're aiming for. I see it as a luxury that not many people have, so I'm absolutely excited to step into this next chapter.
Q: After being rivals for so many years (excluding your time with Falcons), what's it like now being on the same team as s1mple?
Magisk: I mean, I feel like we’ve all been through those CS:GO eras together, and Sasha (s1mple) is arguably the greatest player in CS:GO history. You know, it’s always a pretty special feeling to suddenly be teammates with guys you’ve been battling against for years. Honestly, if I hadn’t been on Astralis back then, he probably would’ve won a couple of Majors.
You know, there’s always a lot of history between you, and obviously it’s history as rivals. But at the end of the day, we play CS because we love it, and we do this because it’s our passion. I think it’s really exciting to see a completely different side of these guys—now you’re working together, now you’re teammates, now you have to make it all work as a unit. I find that incredibly exciting.
Q: Sticking with s1mple—three years ago you called him the greatest AWPer of all time, ranking him above your two former teammates dev1ce and ZywOo. Has that take stood the test of time?
Magisk: I think that’s a really tough question to answer, especially since I’ve actually played alongside all three of them now. Initially, I would’ve said dev1ce was an incredibly strong candidate, but I do feel like s1mple eventually took over that spot. And I have to be honest: after Vitality’s run over the past year and a half, I truly believe ZywOo has now surpassed them and claimed that throne. He already did it in CS:GO, and he’s won everything in CS2 so far. I think s1mple still has things to prove in CS2 if he wants to be the undisputed GOAT and the greatest of all time.
I really do feel like I have to go with ZywOo now, simply because he’s been the one collecting all those championships and MVP awards. But if you look at community impact—which isn’t just about trophies and medals—then without a doubt, s1mple is the GOAT in that regard. When it comes to sheer impact, no player even comes close to him, especially with the kind of connection he has with his fans and everything that comes with it. That’s something I genuinely feel we might never see again.
I feel like there are a few players who might have come close to having that kind of influence, but at the end of the day, it's nothing compared to what s1mple has built, and that comes from all those achievements and all that... Yeah, I also feel that when you talk about the GOAT debate, it's always a bit unfair because I think ZywOo was probably part of one of the greatest teams in history, and you could argue the same for dev1ce back in the day. And, yeah, NAVI was definitely strong back then, they won a Major and stuff, but they never really achieved—I don't think they had that kind of sustained stability over such a long period to help s1mple build that legacy, if you know what I mean. So I feel like in this regard, the starting line for the comparison is a bit unequal itself, so I can see both pros and cons for both candidates. But I think, in terms of trophies and achievements, I'd probably still have to go with ZywOo right now; but if we're talking purely about impact on the game, I'd say that's definitely Sasha.
Q: What do you think will be the toughest challenge for you personally, as well as for the team as a whole, during the early stages of this roster?
Magisk: Yeah, I think that's a very fair question. I think a lot of people actually share that feeling—how are we going to piece this together? Both the community and people outside. You know, if I had that magic pill, I'd obviously give you the answer right here, right now, and tell you exactly how it's going to work perfectly. But I think that's also part of being a pro player—you don't always have the answers. I need to get to know these teammates, I need to understand them, I need to figure out how they operate and how they think, and from there you can build a team that actually functions.
I'd say I think the biggest challenge will be the culture aspect. At least from what I've seen so far, everyone is really great, they're very talkative, you know they have a lot of jokes and stuff, so I'm not too worried about the whole dynamic outside the server, I think that will run smoothly. But we need to make it work while also competing, and that comes down to communication, comes down to how we build things as a team—what our style as a team is, what my style as an IGL is. You know, this is the first time in many years that I'm stepping back into this role, and I have a lot to learn myself. I need to figure out how I want to do things, what my calling style is, how I can be the best version of myself while also helping my teammates be the best versions of themselves. This is going to be a project that requires a lot of work. We'll need to talk a lot about CS, talk a lot about how we want to play, when we feel comfortable, when something isn't working, and that's going to take a lot of hours. But I truly believe that if we put in that time, we can build something really great here.
Q: What do you think are the best qualities of your younger teammates? As their IGL, how will you leverage those traits?
Magisk: First of all, I need to—since we're still in a very early stage, I need to better understand how these young guys like to work and how they want to play CS. At least from the outside, from what I've seen, their mechanical skill is incredibly strong, so I definitely consider that one of their biggest advantages—when it comes to pure aim, when it comes to duels, if I put them in the right situations and set them up for 50/50 duels, I believe they'll win the majority of those duels. So from that perspective, it's simple: I want to make sure they're in good situations, taking the right duels, and figure out how I can help them get into positions that are highly favorable for them.
This is obviously easier said than done, but if I can manage to do this consistently for them, consistently setting them up for the right duels and good situations, I really feel that's where they can exceed expectations, and they might even perform better than before. Yeah, so I think this will definitely be crucial—I want to try and free them up a bit, make sure they feel comfortable in the team and feel trusted, but at the same time, I need them to have that respect for me: when I stop them from doing something, it's not because I don't trust them, but because I see something else, I see that we need to do something different.
And that comes from learning through experience, through losses, through winning matches, through losing matches, through talking about those situations, but most importantly, through getting to know each other. Sometimes that will also be my role—I need to be the tough guy, to say no, I don't want you to do that right now, I need you to listen to me, I need you to do what I say. It's going to require a balance, because at the same time I want them to feel that they can trust their instincts, and if they feel like something is right in the moment, they can go for that duel.
That's pretty much my philosophy—I want everyone to trust themselves, but at the same time I want them to understand that if we talk about a mistake, it's not because I want you to stop making mistakes. I know mistakes are always part of the game, we're going to try things that don't work and stuff, but we should be able to talk about how we can do it slightly better next time in the same situation; or like, I think your timing on that rush was off because of this and that. Then you'll have these discussions about CS where you're trying to make each other better, and maybe I can understand a bit more why they did what they did, and so on. I think it's always that hard balance to strike, because I've seen many players who get scared once mistakes are brought up, and then they stop trusting themselves next time, and they think, ah, but if I mess up, I'm scared we'll have to talk about it again and stuff. I want everyone to know that if they feel something, just go for it, I don't care, even if we lose the match, I want you to trust yourself; but I also want us to be able to talk about it afterwards, whether it was good or bad.
Q: On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, your first match against coach TaZ was 11 years ago in ESL ESEA Pro League Season 2, when you had just turned 17 and were still with SK Gaming. First, do you even remember that tournament? Second, what does it feel like to now be working alongside him?
Magisk: I'm not entirely sure if I still remember that match, but I definitely hope we won back then. Uh... but it's always kind of special, really. You know, I've been competing against him, he's been coaching opponents I've played against, and I have a lot of history with a lot of people here. He comes from that era, a bit before me, but when I started playing, he was still an active part of the pro scene.
You know, there's a lot of history between many players, even with Sasha and electroNic, I've known them for a long time. But when you suddenly become teammates, it always feels a bit different. You know, there are a lot of stories, a lot of moments like that—something that was good for me was bad for them. And now, you know, we're united, we're here to compete as a team, we're part of the same roster now. I think that's exactly the beauty of CS—we have immense respect for each other, we've all been through a lot, good and bad. It's kind of crazy to think that 11 years ago I played what might have been one of my first pro matches with SK, you know I've been playing pro CS for a full 11 years now, and a lot of the people I played against back then are still active in some way. Yeah, so, yeah, I think it's pretty crazy—that after 11 years we somehow ended up on the same team.
Q: In your career, is there anything you regret or feel was left without a proper conclusion?
Magisk: I'd say, I think at some point you just need to—you know, I think we all make mistakes, maybe joining the wrong team, maybe leaving a project you shouldn't have left, or making a decision that felt right at the time but turned out not to be. And I don't like living in the past, I don't like dwelling on mistakes, or feeling like my career is over just because I have to prove myself all over again.
I think the important thing is that you don't—at the end of the day, we play CS, we play CS because we love CS, it's a passion, and when I make a decision or do something, it's because at that moment I believe it's the right choice for myself. So, yeah, at the end of the day I feel those decisions rest on my own shoulders, I've made mistakes, you know, maybe I could have been a bit more careful when moving between teams and stuff. And, yeah, I think at some point you just have to make a decision: I'm moving forward.
I can't keep living in the past. For me right now, thinking back to those great old Astralis days doesn't really do me any good; it won't help me win matches today. You know, it's not the same game anymore, not the same players, and definitely not the same version of the game. So I think it's really important to focus on the future and focus on living in the present. You know, I'm not going to sit here and say I've been perfect at this throughout my entire career, but I think this has definitely been part of my growth into a stronger person—not just as a player, but mentally as well. I think you slowly start to realize how important this is, especially when there are things you really wish you could teleport back and change, but that's just not how life works.
Yeah, I think that's definitely something I've learned along the way—you need to learn to let go, you need to understand where you are right now, and that's the only thing that matters. Because at the end of the day, nobody cares about you, if you know what I mean—nobody cares that you used to be good, or whatever you used to do. Yeah, that's history, but people don't care about that now, you know, in terms of which team you're on or whatever. So you need to focus on the present, and that's definitely something I've had to learn along the way. You know, I'm also glad I've gotten to know myself better in this regard. I've had to grow up in a way, instead of letting others make decisions for me. I've had to mature and start taking control of myself. I think that's been a really important growth curve for me personally. And even so, there will always be things you wish you could teleport back and change, but I still feel that going through all of this has been important for me as a person.
Q: Which team or players are you most looking forward to facing?
Magisk: Playing against your former team is always special. I mean, it's always kind of fun, you know, there's some pride and some honor on the line. I think playing against Falcons would be really interesting. Obviously, yeah, they're a very strong team now, and they won the last Major, so that would definitely be a really interesting matchup, and a good way to see where we stand as a team.
And, you know, playing against the best teams is always the best benchmark to measure how far you still have to go, what you're missing, and what you need to become to potentially join the ranks of the top teams. But, yeah, I also have a lot of old friends in Vitality. They're very close friends to me, I've always considered them good friends, and we share a lot of memories, so playing against Vitality is always really interesting as well.
Q: Do you like the new version of Cache?
Magisk: I do, I like it. I think it's pretty good. It'll be interesting to see how it develops once it's fully rolled out and everyone has been playing it for a few months. But I think it offers a lot of strategic options. I feel there's still a little room for improvement, but it's a pretty solid map, and I think it's always been a solid map in the pool, so I don't think they'll replace it for a while.
Q: What's your favorite map?
Magisk: Favorite map, that's a bit trickier. But new maps are always super fun, you know, it's fresh, there are so many ideas you can try out, you can even bring back tactics from 2016 and stuff. So I like Cache right now, simply because it's new. But I've always been a hardcore Nuke fan. It's always been really fun for me, and I think it's a brilliant map—you can play it fast, you can play it tactically, you can out-strategize your opponents, or you can play it sneaky. The T side has a lot of options, the CT side has options too, maybe slightly fewer, but you can still pull off good executes. So I think if I had to pick from all the maps in history, it would be Nuke for me. But right here, right now, it's definitely Cache.
Q: Do you want Cobblestone to make a comeback?
Magisk: I honestly don't think the map will be as good as it used to be, in terms of playstyle and how people compete nowadays. And I think the map is just too big. But do I want it to come back? Yeah, I think I do, because I feel like I've always played well on it, you know, throughout my entire career, it's always been one of my best-performing maps. But if I had to choose, not just for myself but for the community as well, I don't think Cobblestone offers a good viewing experience for anyone. I think it's a bit boring to watch.