MAJ3R on current roster lineup: We have tried everything
The Turkish captain of Eternal Fire touches on the upcoming ESL Pro League, roster management, and much more
Whilst currently ranked number 34 in the world, according to the official HLTV rankings, Eternal Fire is a roster that almost any CS:GO fan will know. With flamboyant superstarts like "XANTARES" and "woxic", Eternal Fire have proven their ability to take down some of the biggest names in the professional CS:GO scene. With group D of ESL Pro League Season 18, about to kick off later today (September 20th.) the Turkish roster will look to prove themselves once more on the big stages.
We spoke to the Turkish captain of Eternal Fire Engin "MAJ3R" Küpeli about the current status of the roster, as well as their chances of making it through a difficult group at the ESL Pro League Season 18.
"It is very important for us to do well at ESL Pro League. It is the biggest tournament that we have Counter-Strike, so it is very important for us to show some good CS. We are going to do our best to advance from the group."
At the age of 32, "MAJ3R" is more experienced than most CS:GO players in the current professional scene. Whilst the experience is undoubtedly a strong suit for the IGL in-game, the preparation going into the event can be just as important.
"We did a 10-days bootcamp. We refreshed our playbook, to find new things and strats to use here. We prepared for the event by playing at the bootcamp and talking about our strategies."
The ESL Pro League Season 18 is an event that any team within the CS:GO scene would be proud to win. This is perhaps even more true with season 18 having the possibility of being the last CS:GO event before CS2 takes over. "MAJ3R" had the following to say:
"I think it's the last tournament in CS:GO. I don't have any inside information, but from what i can feel, there is a lot of data on CS2, i think it's going to be the last event of CS:GO."
The Turkish roster of Eternal Fire have gone through a tumultuous year in terms of roster changes. Star AWP'er "woxic" left the roster earlier this year, after being benched for 2 months, but is once again a part of the team. Hesitant to go international, "MAJ3R" touches upon some of the difficulties of having an all-Turkish roster.
"I think the main problem is that there isn't a lot of players in Turkey. We don't have a lot of choice when we pick players. There is a really restricted amount of players in Turkey today in CS:GO. I hope in CS2 it is going to be different. We have tried to find the best combination of players in two years, and have even kicked me as leader to try a roster without me. We have tried everything."
The Turkish roster of Eternal Fire has always packed a punch when it comes to firepower and raw individual skill. Having had signs of success in the past two months, Eternal Fire might be on to a winning formula after all this time. Having just played a close match against Cloud9, although losing, Eternal Fire can look forward to, hopefully, starting their ESL Pro League Season 18 run strong.
"I don't know if this is the best combination that we have now, but we have seen good potential in the past two months. Against Cloud9, in another universe we would be able to win that match. I think this tournament will show us the real potential that this lineup has."
Eternal Fire are starting their run at ESL Pro League Season 18 by challenging the scary-looking Cloud9 once again. The battle takes place later today (September 20th.) at 19:30 (EST).
You can watch the interview with "MAJ3R" in its entirety down below:
