M80 suffered a defeat against Imperial on the second day of the American RMR.
M80 entered the American RMR with high hopes for the future. Clearly, with coach dephh stepping in as in-game leader, M80 struggled to find their footing. Nevertheless, their individual skill shone through on the first day, securing a narrow 13-10 victory over ODDIK.
On the second day, however, luck was not on M80’s side. The Brazilian Imperial team dominated them. Despite winning the pistol round, M80 managed only three rounds. With a 1-1 record, the team needed to win both remaining best-of-three series to qualify for Copenhagen.
After the match, dephh spoke to the media about the loss, the game plan, and finding an in-game leader.
Q: What went wrong in the match against Imperial, where you lost 13-3?
I have to take a lot of responsibility for that game. We won the pistol round, but I played pretty badly in the second round. After that, they just went on a roll. Anubis is one of the maps we didn’t have enough time to prepare for. It was a tough loss, and I need to perform better.
Q: Since it was a BO1, you had more freedom in map selection. Was choosing Anubis a mistake?
I don’t think the map pick was terrible. There are many maps where they might be better than us. Considering our limited preparation time, they were caught off guard, but we weren’t. We knew it could be Anubis, and the chances of Anubis or Inferno were 50/50. So we picked the right map; we just didn’t execute well today.
Q: Despite your command issues, you ended up as the top scorer on the team. Obviously, that’s not why you’re here, but do you think your performance has improved in recent weeks?
Being the top scorer on the team doesn’t mean much. If the team is performing well, I shouldn’t be the top scorer. I’ve been playing some deathmatch and practicing more frequently, and I think that’s why I wasn’t at the bottom of the scoreboard this game. Nonetheless, I shouldn’t be topping the stats.
Q: Yesterday, we talked to Swisher, who mentioned you’re looking for a new in-game leader so you can return to the coaching role, hopefully before IEM Chengdu. Have there been any developments?
It’s obviously very difficult to find an in-game leader during RMR and Major events. We don’t want someone worse than maNkz; we’ve expressed interest to several people. Recruiting from Europe to the US is quite challenging.
Q: When this roster was initially formed, we knew that you and SykkoNT (M80’s VP) were keen on bringing in a Danish or Danish-style in-game leader. Is that still the kind of in-game leader you’re looking for?
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Dane. We don’t need someone with a high rating. We just need someone with their own system, structure, and knowledge of how to run the entire team. Our players are already within the European system, and the reason we want a European in-game leader is that their playstyle is generally stronger.
Q: You’re now 1-1, meaning you need to win both of your upcoming best-of-three matches to advance to the Major. Do you see M80 having a chance to qualify?
The beauty of the best-of-three format is that it gives us more room for error. I believe being in a best-of-three scenario now means: one, we get to play more maps we’re familiar with; and two, as I said, we have more room to recover from mistakes instead of losing both pistol rounds and making errors in the rifle rounds, leading to a quick GG.