In the EWC Round of 16, FUT battled through a grueling three-map series, ultimately eliminating magic 2-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. But the loss on Ancient in Map 1 left a bitter taste for the whole team, as they squandered man advantages in multiple rounds, including must-win situations like 4v1 and 3v1.
In Map 1, they failed to convert the 2v1, 4v1, and 3v1. Krabeni told HLTV after the match, recalling those frustrating moments. "It was hard for everyone to control their emotions."
Q: Magic has been surprising a lot of people over the past few months. Talk about this matchup, what do you think makes them so tough to play against?
Kraben: We've never faced their playstyle before, this was our first time playing against each other. Honestly, on map one they pretty much steamrolled us. We weren't proactive enough in the server, we were completely being dragged around and our reactions were half a step slow, which directly cost us the first map. And honestly, I've never felt so frustrated losing clutches before, we must have lost like 10 clutches, it really hurt. Luckily we still managed to win in the end.
Q: What was the atmosphere like within the team at that time? Especially on Anubis there were several very tense rounds, like you lost a 4v2, and threw away a few clutches as well. If you hadn't held on in those rounds, the whole series could have been over.
Kraben: All I could think at the time was: "Damn, threw away another one." (laughs) Honestly, our overall comms were in a tilted state. But to be fair, the emotional swings were normal, because we really did lose a lot of clutches — we failed to win a 2v1, lost a 4v1, and threw a 3v1 as well, it would be hard for anyone to stay calm. But we had a good talk after Map 1, and kept communicating between the following maps. Even though we were still throwing clutches, we managed to keep our mentality stable.
Q: You mentioned before that this team is young and lacks experience in major tournaments, especially with little playoff experience on a stage like this. Do you think the pressure issue this time is still related to lack of experience?
Kraben: Yes. This is our second time making the playoffs as a team overall, which only started happening after we gradually began reaching good tournaments since last season. Every time we face a crucial match to qualify for the playoffs, or the first map right after entering the playoffs, we feel pressure. But after talking it through, it gets better. However, this pressure is indeed a big issue, and I hope we can handle it better in the matches ahead and play at our level right from the start.
Q: Let's talk about the next match. If MOUZ win their game, you'll face them again in the quarterfinals. That would be the third meeting since the Major. You won the first two, one of which was in this group stage, and that game was very close as well. Why do you always seem to have the edge against MOUZ?
Kraben: Playing against them is always nail-biting, but we habitually start with a lead every time, like 7-0, 8-1, that kind of thing. I don't know why, I always tell my teammates that a match against MOUZ will most likely end 13-11 or be decided in overtime. Sometimes we lead 10-2 and get dragged into overtime, but still manage to win in the end. Anyway, we really enjoy playing against them, and if we had a choice, we'd rather face them.
Q: Talk about your recent results. Before xfl0ud joined, you struggled a bit at the end of the season. Is this top-eight finish at EWC a turning point? What changes do you think xfl0ud has brought?
Kraben: The biggest change is that communication is better. Of course xfl0ud is still adapting, because on the CT side he's playing some positions he hasn't played before, while on the T side it's fine. On the CT side I'm back to my original positions, and he's taken over lauNX's spot. Reaching the top eight at this EWC is very important for us, I think. Hopefully we can win a few more matches after this, so we'll have more confidence in making the playoffs in the future. We always used to choke when we were "one win away from the playoffs," it was like a curse. Hopefully this will give us confidence to go further.
Q: Tell us more about xfl0ud, how is he different from lauNX? How do you use him in-game?
Kraben: He talks more than lauNX in mid-rounds, but overall the difference isn't that big, whether in terms of aim or other aspects. Position-wise, he did a good job and we're quite satisfied. He also brought some good ideas, which have been very helpful for the team.