HLTV.org had a word with Begrip Gaming manager Ads about the previous qualifier, how to put together a team and also about the event of the year.
You just managed to beat 2 of the top 3 Swedish team. How!?Read the rest of the ESWC interviews here.
After attending many events these last few months, the team under Freddie’s wing, have perfected strats on inferno, d2 and nuke as well as train. This line-up is one that works as a family as well as a team.
At the beginning of the year you managed to put together a rather unknown team which was very successful at shgOpen. The team wasn’t built on veterans, but instead new blood. Somehow you manage to put a new talented team together. How is it you are capable of choosing the right players at the right time over and over?
Haha, nice question, well begrip is like a talent academy, jaegarn and vassi as well as myself, have had the ability to give youngsters a chance, a lot of known teams will never give an 'unknown' so to speak, a chance, but at begrip we like to test new things, and as u said they do work, for example, get_right, I will compare him to face in the shg line-up, coming from a semi-professional team. Straight in to the limelight, he has showed how he can perform amazing under the pressure.
Tentpole and face left you to join NiP and now you just knocked them out. What kind of thoughts does that raise in your mind?
Hehe, well tentpole and face are still friends of mine; I have never had a bad thing to say about them. NiP had beaten us twice previously, so I knew it wasn’t an easy game, but begrip managed to prove why we are the best and why we keep coming back and back. I still speak to Tentpole and face and they are both top lads.
But as a humble human being, you were a little gloating, right?
Hahahaha, of course not! That not saying I wasn’t happy we beat them!!! But speaking on a professional level, begrip played well and deserved the win.
Both Begrip Russian and Sweden have qualified to the ESWC. Let’s say you end up in the same group and you both need a draw to continue to next round. How will you handle that?
Well, it will be like the Eurocup all over again, both the Russian team and the Swedish team have qualified yes, but both will give it 100 per cent, if they end up against each other, then I’m not quite sure how I would feel, but what I do know is that I would be supporting both teams.
We all make mistakes, but only fools don’t learn from them. Have you made sure all your players are bound to contracts this time?
Our contracts last time were fine! But we have had the begrip solicitor go over them again and tighten up any loose bolts shall we say, but as far as contracts go, they are all now as strong as they can ever be
Begrip is always the dark horse at any event. But you seem to miss the final touch in order to finish on top. What is the problem is your team?
I wouldn’t call it a problem. I would call it a learning curve, every team makes mistakes but we make sure we learn from them, I can see where you are coming from though, but what you should have learnt by now is to never under-estimate begrip!
What is the biggest difference between the previous Begrip teams and this? Better individual skills, team play, perhaps social aspects? And who do you reckon can or did perform the best?
The difference between the teams is a small one actually; the main difference I suppose is the team play. This team has def mastered the art of team play. Socially the atmosphere between the team is brilliant, we all have internal jokes.
fnatic managed to beat you several times at the qualifier. How far you are away from fnatic at the moment?
Yes, they managed to beat us twice, but if you look back as far as shg we managed to beat the fnatic mix with red, and during the qualifiers we beat fnatic on inferno. In my opinion I would say we will find out who is the best team at this moment after the ESWC.
You say Begrip beat fnatic at shgOpen, but as you point out it was a mix team. Furthermore one would say that the Begrip team is completely different now from then. fnatic have performed over more than a year now. How can you say that you are the best in Sweden? Shouldn't you win a few events before you claim that title?
Well, perhaps I should, but after watching the team play and pracc, I no that we have one of the best teams in Sweden, Bjorn and Freddie have been with the team for a long while now but as you say fnatic do have the advantage of being together for over a year.
Being the self-imposed number one team in Sweden, you should be able to win this year’s ESWC. You see that happen or how do you think the event will go for Begrip?
Well of course I hope begrip wins, but there are a lot of very good teams going from all over the world so I guess we will have to wait and see, ideally I feel that begrip has the potential to finish top 3
What will your lineup be for the ESWC?
get_right, get!, niko, JAEGARN and of course the one and only ThreaT
ESWC is soon to start and in order to perform the best the entire team has to be prepared mentally and gameish. How do you intend to prepare?
Well the team will prepare by pcwing of course, as well as making sure all the strats are perfected and of course begrip will boot camp before the event to get even more pracc!
Who will you consider the strongest opponents at ESWC and what makes them this strong?
It would have to be mibr and pent, both are very strong atm, seeing mibr at shg and winning eswc Brazil proves they are still on top. Pentagram have always played a very strong game so I expect good things from them
Every event has its surprising team and some team will pay for this. What team do you consider most likely to fail?
I won’t say any team has failed; every team who has managed to get to ESWC Paris has done a good job in doing so!
So let’s say Begrip loses to teams from lesser known countries in the matter of esport you are just fine? Come on, any tournaments has favourites! What favourite will exit first and why?
Haha, Martin u should be ashamed of you, trying to make me dis another team. I seriously don’t know what to expect but in terms of experience I would prob have to say g3x will find ESWC hard as well as the Brazilian team exotic.
One final question. If the dream come true and Begrip Sweden and Russia meets in the final. Who'll win?
Haha! I knew u would ask this martin! well who knows. But I do that that both teams will be playing their very best. And of course Russia has one up on Sweden, but who knows.
I would like to thank all the fans for sticking with begrip. A big shout out to all the players both Russian and Swedish, to sennheiser, qpad and eht and of course martin and nixon who will both be buying me pints in Paris. Be sure to check out www.begrip-gaming.com