B1ad3 on FaZe’s decline: Maybe we took their energy when we defeated them in the Major final
Can NAVI finish the job at BLAST Premier Fall Copenhagen? We spoke with their head coach before the title-decider this Sunday.
📍Pley.gg at BLAST Premier Fall Final in Forum Arena, Copenhagen.
FaZe Clan once held the Counter-Strike throne, dominating the scene and securing eight Grand Final appearances in a row from October 2023 to April 2024.
However, times have changed, and the current ruler of Counter-Strike is undoubtedly NAVI, who recently clinched their fifth consecutive Grand Final spot after a 2-1 victory over FaZe at BLAST Premier Fall Final 2024.
We caught up with NAVI’s head coach, Andrij "B1ad3" Ghorodensjkyj after their semifinal win to discuss FaZe’s decline, NAVI's consistency, and the upcoming final against G2.
Question: You’ve just added another grand final to the tally - You must be a happy man right now?
- Yes, yes. I'm very happy about our consistency. We have ups and downs, where we can lose some maps not playing quality Counter-Strike, but then we bounce back. I like it.
-I think on Anubis we showed really good Counter-Strike - completely different from Inferno, where on T side we lost some really embarrassing and stupid rounds. Because we couldn't find a connection with each other, like where we want to go, A or B. But it's a good experience to go through this, to analyze why it happened, so I like it.
You mentioned that you had some struggles on Inferno and you were also down 10-4 on Ancient, already a map down. What did you and the team talk about and change to make that comeback?
- On Ancient, it wasn't hard for us. I really believe that now on MR12 we already have a mentality not to focus on the score. Because we literally have seen a lot of times how fast you can get back in the game – sometimes you don’t even realize it. So, for us, the score is never a big pressure.
- There is also a kind of illusion. For example, 8-4 on CT side can be very bad if you lose a pistol round on T side. Because you still need most likely to win around three buy rounds versus a team that’s most likely prepared and has an understanding of how you play, that can be hard. And for Inferno, I think like, what is the difference with T side when we couldn't finish the map on Ancient, for CT side for us it's of course much better, with more protocols. T side is more creative.
What does this victory and also securing a fifth consecutive grand final say about this team?
- I think it says that we are, at this moment, the most consistent team in the world.
Can you put some words on that wonderful clutch on Ancient and the importance of that round win?
- Oh, last round, yes. I think with this clutch he is going to another level now. Because I personally never expected him to do it so easily, with so much confidence in such an important moment. Yeah, it was unbelievable. And he for sure used that momentum going into the last map. He was fully confident.
Rain from FaZe mentioned before the match that there was some bad blood for them towards NAVI, with you guys beating them at the Major, Spring Finals and Esports World Cup. How pleasing is it to add to that list with this win?
- It's good, it's good. At the moment we haven't played versus Liquid or Vitality, only two teams. I think it's good because you study some teams more and you get in the pocket of confidence because you get used to them, their habits, their style, it's good
For a long period, FaZe was in nearly every single Grand Final, and that core has won so much together. What do you see as the biggest difference between that FaZe and the one we see now?
- Imagine, they were in eight finals in a row before, now we have five finals in a row. Maybe we took their energy when we defeated them in the finals at the Copenhagen Major?
- But we are trying to repeat what they have done already because for sure it's a great team. We must realize that even our team is not infinite. At some point in the lineup, you have maybe a down streak or maybe a roster change. This is how it works, basically.
G2 awaits in the Grand Finals. How does that sound to you?
- For me, I always respect G2, even though we have beaten them the last nine times. I think it's very important not to think about this streak at all. We just need to focus on the game, they have great individuals, and it's best-of-five. For sure, we still need to use it in the game, that we have this streak against them because we must be more confident. But it's not an automatic win.
The BLAST Premier Fall Final is set to kick-off at 16:00 (CET).
