SAW have locked up a spot in the playoff stage of the Esports World Cup Qualifier after finishing second in Group 3, sandwiching a loss to DENDELE between two wins over EAC.
It's the first LAN event for SAW since the team came together last month. The roster, featuring the core of the lineup that reached the semi-finals of IEM Cologne 2024, is still showing signs of rustiness, which Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes thinks will take some time to shake off.
"I think it’ll take about three or four months to really get to a good level," he told HLTV after Saturday's match. "We’ve had to focus on six maps, and it’s really hard. I know that story, jerkz, and I have played together for a long time, but the experiences we’ve had have given us different mindsets and different habits.
"I think that sometimes we're actually getting to know each other. But anyway, I think that in four to six months we’ll be at a level where, I think, we’ll be much better."
MUTiRiS returned to SAW after a frustrating and short-lived stint with BC.Game. It was a necessary step back for the 33-year-old captain, who is confident he will be able to achieve big things with the team again.
"I think I have the right people by my side," he said. "For example, playing alongside story, someone who is constantly helping me tactically, and we're always talking about what we can do or different approaches we can take.
"Having someone like that on the team helps me a lot, because it feels like I’m always communicating and always improving. So, I think that, with time, we’ll get there."
You're through to the playoffs after finishing second in your group. Give me your thoughts on the matches you've played here.
I think, of course, we wanted to win all the games, and I think that series against DENDELE was really close. But I also know that our team, right now, is going to make a lot of mistakes, and that’s what we’ll have to focus on: improving day by day.
Advancing to the next stage is important for us, and we’ll see how it goes.
What have these first few weeks with the team been like? What do you think you need to work on? How long do you think it will take the team to reach a level good enough for a tournament like this?
I think it’ll take about three or four months to really get to a good level. We’ve had to focus on six maps, and it’s really hard. I know that story, jerkz, and I have played together for a long time in the past, but the experiences we’ve had have given us different mindsets and different habits.
I think that sometimes we're actually getting to know each other. But anyway, I think that in four to six months we’ll be at a level where, I think, we’ll be much better.
And ewjerkz also comes from a long break, right?
Yes, exactly. He went a long time without playing. I also took a break for two or three months myself. So this is a tricky situation, because, for me, a CS player has to be playing constantly. In a matter of one or two months, the game is changing, whether it's the meta or the way the game is approached, and I think we really need to play.
That’s why I think this tournament is very important for us, because there’s that little bit of pressure. With a tournament comes new challenges and new mistakes. And I think that’s good for us.
Has it been harder than you expected to make this team competitive?
No, I already expected it to be difficult. I think the moment I got a bit ahead of myself was when I went to BC.Game. I thought I’d be able to get the team to play really well, and I think that since things didn’t go as I expected, the confidence factor also plays a bit of a role…
But I think I have the right people by my side. For example, playing alongside story, someone who is constantly helping me tactically, and we're always talking about what we can do or different approaches we can take. Having someone like that on the team helps me a lot, because it feels like I’m always communicating and always improving. So, I think that, with time, we’ll get there.
And now it's the playoffs. Thirty-two teams, a single-elimination bracket with no seeding. What are your expectations?
I cannot deny that our expectations were high when we came into this tournament because we came here to compete. Of course, it’s going to be one game at a time; it comes down to details. For example, against DENDELE, I can say they deserved to win, but at the same time, looking back at the games, I think there were certain rounds that completely changed the game. Of course, credit to them, but at the end of the game, I was thinking, 'I shouldn’t have made that call,' or, 'I shouldn’t have done that.'
And that’s basically what I want: to learn from every game. And I think we can get back to a high level.
You're still at a very early stage, but do you think this team can reach the same level as the previous SAW rosters?
I think that when we made the changes about a year ago with aragornN and krazy, it went much better than I expected. I didn’t have very high expectations. I think that ewjerkz is now a seasoned player, and so is story. I think krazy's experience with BCG really helped him mature, and I also think he ended up learning a lot there in certain situations.
And the only one who’s still settling in a bit is NOPEEj. It's completely normal. I think Portuguese teams are in a different reality. I think there’s quality, but, collectively, the lower-ranked teams sometimes fall short in certain areas. I think he’s learning new things every day, but there’s the issue of pressure. It's a completely different level. When you play against teams like these, you make a tiny mistake, and you lose a game. He’ll have to get used to that.
EAC
Frederik 'Fessor' Sørensen
Mikkel 'n1Xen' Borlund
Andreas 'anber' Brandt
Simon 'sSen' Solnæs Iversen
Tobias 'bekker' Bekker
Kenni 'wezx' Holmberg
DENDELE
Victor 'gafolo' Andrade
João 'koala' Pfeffer
Máximo 'maxxkor' Cortina
Daniel 'rdnzao' Monteiro
Danilo 'doc' Barros
Hélder 'coachi' Sancho
BC.Game
Oleksandr 's1mple' Kostyliev
Denis 'electroNic' Sharipov
Emil 'Magisk' Reif
Azbayar 'Senzu' Munkhbold
Ayush 'mzinho' Batbold
Wiktor 'TaZ' Wojtas
Christopher 'MUTiRiS' Fernandes
SAW
Christopher 'MUTiRiS' Fernandes
Filipe 'NOPEEj' Dias
João 'story' Vieira
Michel 'ewjerkz' Pinto
Adones 'krazy' Nobre
Tiago 'mowzassa' Rodrigues