Falcons are Major champions. If someone had told you six months ago that you’d be smiling after a Falcons victory, would you have believed them?

Not for a second. And actually I wasn’t smiling at all.

So first of… Falcons represented everything I don’t want Underdogs to become. Money. Power.

Buying talent instead of developing it.

Every tournament they lost felt like another reminder that chemistry cannot simply be purchased. Don’t get me wrong I never was a Falcons hater. I rather was a Falcons laugher. Watching millions being invested while they kept falling short almost became entertaining.

Yet in Cologne something changed.

Not really, and not because I suddenly became a Falcons fan. But the feeling is irreplaceable when you watch Falcons beating out Vitality. Like when you have to choose between the worst 2 meals that you are unable to push down your throat. Mmmm which one to eat today. Right?

But still One dish of the 2 has something on it. I don’t know like a cherry. You don’t like cherry either, but for some reason today you would eat one.

You mean the “best player never to win a Major” story?

Lets make it Niko story, as I would never call him the best player though.

Ever since I seriously started following Counter-Strike, that story was everywhere.

Every Major came with the same sentence.

“Maybe this is finally NiKo’s Major.”

Then came his last Major with G2 before joining Falcons. Everyone wanted the perfect ending.

It didn’t happen. Because G2 is G2. You know you can take the players out of G2 but you can never take G2 out of G2.

So there was I, watching someone carrying twelve years of unfinished history. I said if Falcons wins the Major now. I will be ok with it. I will watch history now as he brings the Major home. And I will watch history in November, when YEKINDAR lifts his first then.

Yet before the final you were cheering for FURIA.

Yeah, I mean not exactly cheering but FURIA represents something I admire much more.

FalleN is exactly the kind of veteran I respect. Someone willing to give away the AWP if it helps the team. Someone who thinks about tomorrow instead of protecting yesterday. A team that builds on New Players, New Talents, or giving a second chance to Old ones. Like YEKINDAR.

That story almost deserves its own article.

He went from one of the most feared entry players in the world to people questioning whether he’d ever belong in Tier 1 again. Giving someone a genuine second chance…

That says a lot about an organization.

So your heart was with FURIA, but your respect was with NiKo.

Niko suffered enough, he deserved it. I think the best word is he deserved it. And if something is deserved I’m ok with that. Not like YEKINDAR would not deserve it. But he has time for it. He will get there. Also not to mention how well timed Karrigan can sign a contract. Just as a sidenote.

Let’s talk about Vitality. A lot of people were shocked they went out so early. You weren’t.

If you are asking me, Let’s not talk about Vitality. Just kidding. For me it could have been earlier. You know… Meals…

You’re not really a Vitality fan. Are you?

I was not a fan earlier, when they did not win everything. Winning everything does not change my feelings for them.

You often criticize trashtalk. Many fans would say that’s simply part of competition.

It is part of competition. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m a mental coach.

I see something different from most spectators. I don’t just see entertainment. However I’m not sure I’m entertained by someone who is intimidating others. I see psychological influence. I think handling trashtalk is the hardest part of my job. To make Players deal with it.

But psychological pressure has always been part of elite sport.

It was. And its like the Defense Against the Dark Arts class in Harry Potter. I always say it is the weapon of the weak.

Actually this is right the reason why I don’t understand why Apex has to carry this out, because he is strong. Or is he?

And offcourse there is a slight percentage of players, who can use enemy trashtalk as a boost. A fuel that ignites them and make them punch back in the game. Which actually is the most elegant answer for it. A quite nice Ace for example. And remaining quiet after that round. That could silence the others.

But different personalities react differently. One player gets angry. Another gets nervous. A third becomes unable to focus. Your task as a mental coach is to Teach them to control it. It is very hard.

Yet you’ve also said trashtalk isn’t aura. That’s a controversial opinion today.

Because I think people misunderstand aura completely. Aura isn’t screaming. Aura isn’t disrespect. Aura isn’t telling everyone you’re the best and their shit. Aura is much simpler.

Aura is when you know who you are, and you act according to that.

Then let me challenge you. Does apEX have aura?

Yes. Absolutely. And people are usually surprised when I say that. I don’t particularly enjoy his style. But I believe him. He’s authentic. He genuinely doesn’t give a fuck what people think.

But actually apex was always only a little mouse for me. Like you know the little mouse walking next to three Elephants Then suddenly the little mouse turns around and says: Guys you hear us Thundering?

But anyway He is who he is. Copying him will not make you have more Aura.

You’re talking about torzsi now.

Exactly. When torzsi started a fight with the crowd in Cluj-Napoca 2026, I was like: Man, it is so not you! Don’t do that!

It felt like someone trying to become apEX. Maybe because people kept saying MOUZ had “no aura.”

So… Let’s get some aura. Throw a few “Fuck you”s around.

That’s not how it works.

Because authenticity cannot be copied.

The moment you start acting like someone else under pressure, part of your mind is busy maintaining that performance instead of playing Counter-Strike.

Isn’t it possible we’re reading too much into one moment? Players try different things all the time.

Of course. I’m not saying one sentence lost them the tournament. But yes I am saying that.

After that incident, the next game against Parivision did not go too well, as the crowd was Booing constantly for Torzsi. And it backfired, and obviously got into his head. Also I’m saying it reflected something. Pressure has a strange way of convincing people that success lives somewhere outside themselves. Sometimes the biggest mistake isn’t making a bad play.

It’s abandoning your own identity. We love Torzsi as he is. He does not need to be more or someone else.

And who are the Elephants?

Well We could say Ropz is just another Player joined Vitality. And how best he fits his role, and How everything went so well incorporating his style to Vitality, but its not only that. Thatshow you know how big of an Elephant Ropz is, if you check what happened to Faze since he left. Just look at what happened to the team he left and what happened to the team he joined. I think the best way to measure how a player contributes to a team is to check the performance of the 2 teams involved for a longer period of time from the change. Now do that for Faze and Vitality.

And well Zywoo is Zywoo

That’s probably the harshest thing you’ve said so far. And honestly, I don’t buy it. You’re making it sound as if anyone could IGL a team with ZywOo and ropz. History suggests otherwise. We’ve seen plenty of superteams fail. So what exactly is it that you’re saying?

So first of all I don’t think I have to excuse myself. I am human I have an opinion. You share it or you don’t. And honestly, I give about as much of a fuck about people disagreeing with me as apEX probably gives about my opinion of him. Apex is an IGL of a team that is full of Individuals with own ideas, own talent and own understanding of the game. Ropz gathers a lot of information during the rounds. So does Zywoo. If just those four players are communicating properly during a round, they can put together enough information to solve most situations on the server.

And that’s before we even start talking about their firepower.

Apex plays with Zywoo since 2019. That is seven years. For seven years we haven’t really seen what apEX looks like without ZywOo beside him. What we do know is that ZywOo has been the best player in the world for years. Take 2025 as an example. Apex is not in the Top 20 players of 2025, but all the four players around him are. No1, No3, No7 and No12. Non of them Trahstalk. Only 1. I am saying his voice is louder than his performance. And it is even true if I say he has a good performance. Though Im not saying that.

Speaking of mouse… You once described Underdogs as “the reverse MOUZ.” What does that mean?

I admire MOUZ enormously. And just to run back to the previous topic for one slight moment. Oh how I wished to see Spinx beat Vitality just for one time or two.

Anyway In many ways MOUZ exactly what I’d like Underdogs to become. They develop talent.

They trust young players. They build instead of buying. But there is one thing I’d like to invert.

People often felt MOUZ became comfortable being second against certain teams. Whether that’s objectively true isn’t even the important part. The perception existed.

Underdogs should never carry that burden.

But your team is literally called Underdogs. Isn’t that accepting defeat before the game even begins?

Not at all.

Being an underdog isn’t accepting defeat. It’s accepting expectations. Everybody else expects us to lose. So we can focus on playing, enjoying the game. There’s an incredible freedom in that.

Freedom doesn’t win trophies.

Pressure doesn’t either. People think those are opposites. They’re not. A favorite often plays not to lose. An underdog plays to discover what’s possible. That’s a huge psychological difference.

So your players never have to win?

They should always want to win, but they should enjoy the game more than enjoy winning. They should never feel that winning defines who they are. But these things are not either or. You can enjoy the game more than enjoy winning and still you can win.

That’s different.

If our identity depends on the scoreboard, we’ll eventually become prisoners of it.

That’s easy to say. But professional sport is measured by results.

Of course. Results matter. They’re just not the only thing that matters. When I played football, someone could have offered me two matches. A comfortable, boring 5–0 victory. Or a 2–3 defeat where every single player reached their maximum, fought for every ball, communicated perfectly and left everything on the field.

I’d choose the 2–3 every single day.

Really? Even though you lost?

Without hesitation. Because twenty years later I wouldn’t remember the easy victory.

I’d remember what it felt like to become the best version of ourselves for ninety minutes.

That’s unforgettable.

That almost sounds like you’re saying losing can be more satisfying than winning.

Sometimes it can. Not because losing is good. Because growth is addictive. A trophy tells you what happened.

A match like that tells you who you are.

So what is success for Underdogs? Winning Majors? Producing world-class players? Building a global brand?

Success is having Underdogs as an Association Founded. Success is having a 45 pages player contract written that sets our expectations and covers the Team and the Player as well. Success is having Players actually signing it. Success is having these Players start to play together. Success is making our first Jersey and having it on our first Player. Success is entering the first Tournament. Success is entering the second. Success is winning our first Round against an opponent. Success is winning the first game. Success is losing the first game by giving our best. Success is having one fan, who knows who we are. What we are doing, and why. Success is each little step that we take alone and together in order to get what you just mentioned above. If we take all these steps, we will get there no matter whether we define that as a success or not.

One final question. Imagine it’s ten years from now. Underdogs walk onto a Major stage against the number one team in the world. What’s the last thing you tell your players before they unplug their phones and put on their headsets?

Go Fuck Them!

We’ve talked about NiKo. We’ve talked about apEX. We’ve talked about MOUZ. We’ve talked about YEKINDAR. We’ve talked about identity. We’ve talked about pressure. There’s one thing we haven’t talked about: You. You keep saying, “Underdogs never have to win.” I don’t think that’s true. I think you want to win.

Badly.

Maybe more than anyone in the organization. So here’s my question. When Underdogs finally lose a match they should have won… Will your philosophy survive your own disappointment?

Hahaha Come work for us! Work hard! Get to know us! Get to know me! Might be one day youll find out…

Besides that was one more question after the final question. But that’s ok, People are always like that with me…