1.6 legend give us his insight to roster changes and why it's better to try stick together through thick and thin...
SK’s four month domination of the professional CS:GO scene has come to an end and in it’s wake there are five teams vying for the top spot.
With CS:GO entering what could be the most competitive stage to date, we sat down with Emil ‘HeatoN’ Christensen to discuss the climate of pro CS, French shuffles and who is the best player in the world.
Is it good for CS:GO that there is no single dominant team?
H: I think it’s really good that no team is totally dominating the scene right now – it’s much more open.
There are up to eight teams that can go into a tournament and win, it depends on their shape and how much they’ve prepared for the tournament.
It’s great to watch for spectators but for me as an org owner, obviously I want NiP to win. Overall, it’s good for the sport to have multiple teams capable of winning.
The top five teams we have at the moment – Virtus.pro, SK, Na’vi, NiP and Dignitas – can beat each other on any given day.
We see NiP winning StarLadder, Na’vi winning ESL One New York and now Dignitas being crowned champions of Epicenter.
In that case, are the teams outside the top five far behind?
H: Just below the top five teams, we have cloud9 and – in my opinion – Fnatic.
There are a lot of teams capable of taking maps and series against the best.
I’d even go as far to say that those teams could even win a title, they’re not totally out of it before the tournament starts.
The main difference is that the top five teams always put up a fight and are consistently getting to the semi-finals and finals.
Would another French shuffle benefit either G2 or Envyus?
H: I don’t really feel like the French scene needs another shuffle. I think the French shuffles were what put the scene back in the first place.
It seems like they lose one tournament and then they switch players back and forth – it’s a nightmare environment for players.
They need to stick at it and give it six to eight months trying with a line-up, it’ll work out much better.
If you look at the teams, G2 have had a great period, while EnvYus have been in a huge slump.
Their slump isn’t to do with skill or ability, it’s because they have different views on how to play the game.
Who has been the best pick-up in recent months?
H: For me there’s been two great pick-ups by teams this year so far.
The first is obvious, S1mple to Na’vi.
That was a huge pick-up for Na’vi, and he’s already helped them to win a tournament – something they haven’t done in a long time.
Secondly, Magiskboy to Dignitas – what a great pick-up.
In my opinion, he makes his team so much better and makes his teammates so much more confident.
He’s taken Dignitas from a top-ten team to being in the top five in one step, which is an amazing impact for one player.
So do you think s1mple the best player in the world right now?
H: s1mple – who played amazingly at Epicenter. At times, he was a one-man army and is probably the most skilled player right now.
There are a lot of stars out there, such as Niko.
He deserves a much better team – to be considered the best in the world, he needs to win tournaments.
We also have a rising star on the horizon – magiskboy from Dignitas.
In my eyes, he’s always been one of the best online players since he played back in SK.
We laughed about it in the team because his performances on LAN were never as good as online, not even close.
But now we see him performing just as well on LAN as he does online, and he has a bright future ahead of him.
