xertioN: "To be on the list with gla1ve [as a rifle IGL MVP] is an honor. He's such a role model"

MOUZ romped to a trophy lift at IEM Beijing without dropping a map, marking the 17th time a team has done so at a Big Event to earn their first piece of IEM silverware and second title of the Fall season.

Dorian "⁠xertioN⁠" Berman, who came alive in the playoffs to clinch the Most Valuable Player medal over teammate Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás, waxed lyrical about his teammates and coaching staff to HLTV after posing with the award, putting focus on his team's overall showing and calling the medal "the cherry on top."

"I would say that when I was not an IGL, I would probably feel even more happy [than] now, but it's not my main goal," he said when asked about securing the medal for the first time. "Of course, I want to lead the team by example, and I want to play better as a team, so it's just the cherry on top, as you said in the beginning.

"I'm proud of myself. It's also what I set out to do. I don't want to be this IGL that just calls and jumps for players; I want to be an IGL that can actually help in other ways as well."

Listen to the interview here

Congratulations. What a run through this event, and what a way to top it off as well: the MVP and a flawless finish. Tell me your thoughts after that whole run.

I'm super proud of the guys. We went the whole tournament without dropping a map, and I've already seen people before the final trying to talk it down already, the tournament, that maybe it's the easiest IEM ever. I don't think so. I think it's very tough to beat anyone, and overall we just beat who we had in front of us, and I'm really proud of how we played.

You said you're not used to holding the MVP medal when we were just taking the photo. You've been so close a couple of times, but you've finally got it. How does that feel?

I would say that when I was not an IGL, I would probably feel even more happy [than] now, but it's not my main goal. Of course, I want to lead the team by example, and I want to play better as a team, so it's just the cherry on top, as you said in the beginning.

I'm proud of myself. It's also what I set out to do. I don't want to be this IGL that just calls and jumps for players; I want to be an IGL that can actually help in other ways as well. Overall, it's going really well so far, our project with me as an IGL and bringing in two young guys. So I'm super happy and proud of everyone.

I asked about you being a fragging IGL at the start of the tournament, and you said you didn't have the best start, but it ended up going pretty well. It was the fastest BO5 grand final in terms of rounds played, and this was also only the 17th time a team won a Big Event without dropping a map. Just talk to me about that.

About my individual form, in the group stage, I think I was struggling a bit. My aim is not the sharpest at the moment, which is funny to say, but in playoffs, I don't know, just something clicked for me, and I just had really good games individually. I could understand the macro of the game super well, and without the preparation of my coaches, I wouldn't be able to frag the way I do.

So overall, just a really good team game from us. Not dropping a map in a whole tournament is something that not many teams can say they have achieved, especially not at an IEM. So overall, just super happy and looking forward to playing in Hong Kong soon.

It's the first IGL MVP since Jame won the MVP at Rio, and then the first for a rifling IGL since gla1ve at Beijing 2019. Tell me about that feeling.

I mean, maybe Beijing is special (smiles). I think the crowd is so amazing that I understand gla1ve. But yeah, just to be on the list with him is an honor. He's such a role model in terms of that; he was basically the first real fragging IGL who actually went that far to individually also have great output. It's really nice to be on the list with him.

I'm happy to have made it, but it's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that we lifted the trophy, and that's what I'm most happy about.

Dominant from start to finish. It seemed like you were even having a little bit of fun on Dust2, even ending it with a P90 rush, so talk to me about how the game went a little bit.

We were super comfortable against their style. We knew what they wanted to bring. I think sometimes we were a little bit too eager to close the rounds or the map, and then we threw away some anti-eco rounds, which we will review soon (laughs). No, I'm just kidding.

We kept composed and we played a mature game. They are a team that wants to force the game, and we had a good approach: we wanted to keep it slow and control it on our own terms. Overall, just a good approach from the coaches for this game, and happy that we closed it out.

You also mentioned in your last interview with me that you wanted to win one of these last two trophies, either this one or Hong Kong, before the Major. How does it feel to have that under your belt already, and how much confidence does that give you heading into the end of this season?

It feels great. It definitely drops a little bit of pressure from us as a team. We agreed that before the Major, we want to win one of the three tournaments. In Bucharest, we went out in the semis, and here we won it, so now we have Hong Kong to try and push again. It will be a long journey for us now, but it is what it is.

We are ready to fight, and we are going into the Major very confidently. We are far ahead No. 1 VRS, which is really good for next season already. So overall, just looking forward to keep playing in Hong Kong and then getting home a bit for some rest.

You mentioned at the start of the interview that people were already trying to downplay your result a little bit. Can you tell me about trying to push back against that? Because it seems like no matter what you do sometimes, there are always people who are trying to put you down in that sense.

People can have whatever opinion they want of us. Our goal is to just show that we are here as a different MOUZ. We have never won an IEM before, and now we have done it. I'm super proud of the way that we are showing ourselves to the crowd, to the outside, and I try to also lead by example in this way.

I think that we're definitely shaping a different MOUZ than what people used to know. And some people might get on the train early, some people might come late, but at the end of the day, we are going to keep fighting.

Everyone's going to be a rider eventually, is that what you're saying?

Maybe, maybe not. But at the end of the day, we will just keep working hard and hopefully gathering up the trophies.

MOUZ

Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás

Lotan 'Spinx' Giladi

Dorian 'xertioN' Berman

Oldřich 'PR' Nový

Adrian 'xelex' Vincze

Dennis 'sycrone' Nielsen

Ádám 'torzsi' TorzsásPast 3 months

Dorian 'xertioN' BermanPast 3 months