After two events you can certify that the new NoA team surely is a successful one. What makes NoA work so well?



Well of course it's alot about the people in the team, Red and I handpicked this team and each player has been picked because of their abilities both in the game and as persons. It's a team that can work well not only when we're playing matches and practising, but also on a social level so we can function as a unit during both ups and downs. It's a mature team where all players are old enough to take responsibility themselves and not quit at the first sign of trouble, and lastly it was a team we felt comfortable with going into an event such as WEG, where you have to stay and live together for a long period of time. But the team is still very young, and Korea hasn't even started yet, and it has mostly been a test so far, so I can't say that we're a success yet, I'll wait with that till after WEG, if everything goes as planned.





You can however also see that you haven't really got your game together in end, seeing that you lost your last games in both CPL UK and the WEG qualifier. Why do you think this happend?



Lack of practise and experience as a team, at CPL UK we only had 4-5 days of practise beforehand, so we knew alot wasn't 100%. Still very happy about how it developed and it was a perfect opportunity to find out what was needed to be worked on before the real test for the team, the WEG qualifier, and there we qualified, and both the x6 and WINGS match was affected by the fact that we were already qualified I think. Nobody wanted to admit it, but i think it played a part subconsciously for all of us. And the MOST important factor, and that's speedi haven't won a single major event yet, loosing every important final!:D so he's got this jinx we gotta work on!

I'm going to let you make a comparison between the old NoA team and the new one. Give us some strengths and weaknesses from both teams!



Skillwise, both teams are pretty equal, it's very hard to seperate players by skill nowadays, it's just a matter of who puts in the most time playing that have an "edge" if you can call it that even, before a tournament. Playstyles, though, are a bit different. What the old NoA had that we're missing now is a dedicated AWPer like shag, alot of my tactics with old NoA were based on shag's ability to pick players as CT, or as T. This team however is easier to work with when coming down to pushing the practise hours, when we're bootcamping, and I think in the long run any lack of AWP skill or well known names in the lineup compared to the old NoA, will be compensated and surpassed with just that ability we have shown to be able to play more as a team then we ever did in the old NoA.





You were the in game leader in both NoA teams and you can therefore assume that your tactics have pervaded both teams. Despite this, what do you think is the greatest differences between the teams?



As mentioned above, I've had to made some changes to fit the new players. But I run both teams the same way when it comes to how I want the team to react to certain ingame situation and with high discipline when it comes to who calls the shots ingame.





Linguistic problems should be rather small between Norwegians and Swedes, but this kinds of problems could always occur from time to time. How is this going in NoA – do you occasionally have communication problems?



DarK and I talk a language we like to call "SVORSK" and most of the times they understand us well enough, ingame it's almost never a problem. It's mostly in other situations, "awkward" incidents may occur:D





Tell us about your team mates! What roles do they have, how are they like as persons and what do they mean to the team?



DarK: This is the guy I've known the longest in the team, ever since playing with him at CPL Cologne as a standin for Nordic I've found him as a player I want to play with in my team. His relaxed demenor and openess has always been a "counter" for myself and I really enjoy having him in my team. If I'm always punctual I can always count on Ruben to be late, and that's just how things works between me and him about most things:D And of course a real gamingtalent, so I always know he'll be up to par when a tournament starts.



Red: This guy I got to know in the first season of WEG, and I've always liked his personality and way of thinking when it comes to CS. He was my first pick for the new NoA, and he was also the person I trusted when it came down to picking up both speedi and kixer, that I personally didn't know so well before he recommended them. He does things his own way, and is very persistant about it, but when it comes to team decisions he always respect them and that's what I want the most from a player – a person with his own style, but can also be fit into a team and adjust accordingly. A very consistent player who always does his job.



speedi: My first encounter with this guy was at our bootcamp in Stockholm, and to be honest I had my doubts about him, not because of the skills in the CS or his personality, but just the fact that he can be the most random player ever, and well, my gameplan crash alot with that. But as time went on, this randomass style grew on me, and has now been integrated as a part of our gameplan in NoA. And I think it has added a new depth in both my way of running things and the teams ability to tackle all sorts of opponents. As person and player I wouldn't have any other player in the team now, and he has proven himself to be worthy of the task given and I just hope he'll get over the mental block that has been keeping him from winning any major trophies:D Extremely clutch and wins most 1vx situations.



kixer: Like speedi, I didn't know much about him before he was mentioned by Red. But this crazy ass Malmökid, or the halfdane-halfsomethingwehaventreallyputanametoyet, hasn't been hard to get to know or to like. Both as a person and in the game he's very energetic, and brings alot of pace into our somewhat melo state that most of us like to be in, and that has made us all alot more energetic and i really like that about him. Always does his job, and I think he's the guy I've had the least problem with following walk-throughs and do tactics right on the first try! Thanks dude you keep me from going crazy:D





What is common with all players in the team is their ability to think for themselves, most of them have had some part in previous teams when it comes to tactics and ingame leadership, so it's been a working process in adapting them to follow just my command ingame, but also a vital part in developing NoA with new tactics, all of them have ideas on how we're gonna play as a team.





Something that no clan really wants to think about, but that still too often happens is that a player leaves. Apart from you, as the team leader, who do you consider to be most unique in the team and who you would have the hardest time replacing?



I consider every member of the team to be equally important for the success of the team. I'd rather focus on trying to keep all members happy then worrying about losing one or more members. What I find important to do so, is that the team is mature and able enough to communicate with each other if they find something is wrong or having problems with something in the team. I've experinced how easy it is to jump ship at the first sign of trouble, and I also know that that's almost always the wrong thing to do. With that said, I don't believe any player is irreplaceable, If I were to leave or be kicked from the team, they would always find a new ingame leader, there is no player in the world that is irreplaceable.





Back in the old days I recall seeing you holding the AWP sometimes. Have this changed now? Couldn't you be the one who fill shaGuar's old role?



Well, I can handle the AWP, but I don't like playing with it and be ingame leader at the same time, because a weapon like AWP really put a pressure on a player to hit every shot and so it's hard to be cost effective with it. And right now my right mouse button isn't working so I can't use +attack2 to fastzoom etc, can barely put on a silencer or go to burst mode:D

With such a great experience that you have, you must have taking part of a whole bunch of successful and also some less successful projects. Tell us, are there any decisions that you've taken that you regret today?



Well, of course when I think back there are moments were I wonder how it would've gone if I had taken a different path, but I'm not a person who dwells on the past. I try to learn from the mistakes I've made and make the best of any situation I am in right now.





You're one of the most experienced players in the whole CS community. In what way, concretely, do you think this helps your own playing in game?



I get alot of kills in the back!:D But seriously, it just helps me to be in a position where I have the advantage, and make use of other things then just my aim and reflexes.

If we instead talk about other things than in game – do you think your experience gives you an advantage in taking smart clan related decisions?



I hope that with my experience in many different top teams. And have had the privilige to have known alot of the top players that have been in the game from the beginning, and share alot of experience with these players, have made me a better player and person. Thus being able making more correct decision, based on my own personal experiences. Such as how easy it is to come to the top, but how hard it is to stay there. I think that has been the most important lesson I've learned throughout the years.



So with that in mind I'm always trying to look for people who can handle both the pressure of getting to the top, but most importantly can maintain the mentality when you have reached the top. I've seen so many players being overwhelmed, and thrown off their persistance to strive to be the best when they have reached that goal. I've done it many times and it's hard when I'm relying on four others to stay as motivated as me when they haven't experienced how it is to actually win something and then do it consistantly over a period of time. So I hope I can be a good influence for the team, if we make it to the top, so we can stay there for a while:)





After your short visit in Nordic Division during CPL Cologne, Swift called you an "one man army" and many people considered your performance to be very important for Nordic's win at the event. How much can one single player help a team, really? To what level is it still possible for one player to dominate a match?



Back then it was much easier to dominate matches because the skill gap was so great from the novice to the mediocre to the good and to the elite. Nowadays it's almost nothing that seperates a good player from a elite player, you can see that by how many teams can beat each other on any given day, depending on map, the form of that specific day and how much the teams have prepared before the match. Any player in any team can now do something amazing one round and that'll save the team and change the momentum his teams favour. I don't think one player can make such an impact to a team by pure skill, because in the end you have to rely on your four other teammates to do their jobs aswell, because even if you have aimbot you cant kill two people if they have a good setup.





When your playing a match, some things are better to talk about than other things. What do you think one should talk about during a game? Should you, for example, talk about problems in the team's playing or congratulate earlier successes in the match?



I only focus on the round that is about to begin, and never discuss what happened the previous round, except if it concerns what we want to do the round after to counter their style of play. And that's something I'm very determined about, if people start talking about the previous round, I let them know that I'm not interested in hearing any of that, except if it's something that may help me decide what to call for the round that is about to start. During a round I personally just talk all the time, some because I'm ingame leader so my responsibility is to make sure that everyone get what they are doing, but also because it keeps my focused on the game and nothing else.





You get the impression that you have a rather tight grip of your clan, talking about tactical decisions in game. Is this correct? In that case, why is that way the best?



That's just how I must have it if I'm gonna be a ingame leader. I can't be worried about people not doing what they are supposed to do and play at the same time in a real match. When we practise I'm never really performing my best because I have to control that everything is going as we have talked about, and if that doesnt happen, I kinda take notes in the back of my head so I can take it up after the practise is over. It's not like I get all mad if somebody does the strat wrong, actually that's something I don't care much about, because I know if the person does the tactic wrong 10 times, he'll get it right the 11th time, and that's what matters, and that's why you practise.



What I treasure the most is that we can respect each others roles in the team. For instance if we are praticing I can't have a person calling strats after me, and then ignoring what I've said and then does whatever he wants to do. Because then we have four in the team doing what I just said and one that does something different. And then that person doesn't respect me as the ingameleader of the team, and that's what I strike down on HARD if that happens. And the team knows this and so it's never a problem. Because one must respect each other to be a successful team. This works both ways, when we do strats for a map, they all know that they can give their inputs, and I'll respect their thoughts and views, because they know thats what I expect in return. And in the end after reviewing all the different inputs I make a final decision, and especially ingame it's very important that you have these roles defined from the start.

What is the best ingredients in order to become a good in game leader? Do you see any usual wrongs other in game leaders make?



I don't think anybody can be an ingameleader. It's alot about what kind of personality one has, and I think a person with the ability to gain both respect and trust from his teammates by his action and charisma is an important part of being a leader. You always need to think about the others and remember that there is no I in a team. It's always about what's best for the team, every decision a teamleader makes goes for his whole team so he carries more responsibility then maybe just a player who's role is to follow orders and execute them in the best possible way he can. A mind that can think fast and think ahead is very important, and at the same time focus on your own aim and skill I guess is the most important factor tho.



A big misconseption in CS is that a ingameleader is allowed to play worse than his teammates because he is doing the strats. I believe that if I play worse then my teammates, then it's irrelevant if I call all the best strats in the world, because in the end it will be my fault that the team loses because I can't do my part of the job. And I believe that's what also the most common mistakes a teamleader can do to himself, accepting a lower perfomance just because he has to call strats at the same time. Then I think it's time to step down and see if anyone else in the team is up for the challenge, so this person could focus on his game again and do his share.





Which in game leaders do you think are the best?



I don't know, alot of good ingame leaders out there, and I don't want to rank them. It's not my place to judge who's the best.

You have, as we all know, participated in both earlier WEG seasons. What do you think about WEG as a competition compared to its rival competitions, i.e. CPL, ESWC and WCG?



I think WEG is a step in the right direction to make e-sport more exposed to the masses outside of the gaming community. I really cherish the opportunity WEG has created for teams to play in a league where you can practise with each other for a long period of time at LAN and have televised matches to practise for every week, I'm really looking forward to this and future WEG events.

Together with the earlier edition of NoA you have both won and ended up last. How do you think it will go this time? Somewhere in the between, perhaps? :)



I'm never happy with anything less then 1st place. With that said, I'm astouned by the players/teams that come home and speak of satisfaction of getting a top5/top8 placement, I dont really care if I end last or 5th, it's just as bad for me. I expect us to do really well, if we can prepare in the same way we have when we get together at LAN in Korea. Because right now we haven't practised since the WEG qualifier so that's made me a bit more worried, but I still aim for 1st place.





What do you think about your opponents? Are there any opponents that you see as better than others? What do you think about this line of participators compared to the two other seasons'?



Every team that has qualified for WEG, I see as a threat, and we won't underestimate anybody. I go into every match with the greatest of respect of the opposing team, but I never fear any team.





In your group you will meet Serious Gaming, Check Six and Abit Strike. What do you know about the teams? How great chance do you have of winning the group, you think?



It's a tough group, all of the groups are tough. I've seen Abit Strike in two WEG seasons and I'm very impressed with their will to win and practise hard. Serious Gaming beat us recently at the WEG qualifier in the final, and we know they are a very good team, funny enough we are gonna play them in the opening match on the same map they beat us on at the qualifier... I hope the outcome will be better for us this time:) Check six I don't know so much about, but they qualified for this event so they have as big of a chance of advancing as the rest of us, it's pretty open, if we practise as I want and expect we're gonna advance to the next group stage.

What is the best and worst thing about living with your clan for such a long time as a WEG season actually is?



I just like how everything is setup in WEG, it's like a two month long bootcamp and nice hotelrooms to sleep in right next to your computers. It's in downtown Seoul so you are free to do whatever really, go out partying or just chill in front of the computer and of course the practise opportunities are great. It's also a great time for the team to just hang out and be with each other and not just online stuff. I'm never been a big IRC or MSN chatter so it's an opportunity for me to get to know my teammates alot better too. Worst part must be that I have to be away from my girlfriend for such a long period of time, that can be really tough.





Lastly before we end this interview, is there anything you'd like to add? Any shoutouts?



First I wanna thank all of our fans that have stuck by our side through this transition period, and I hope that we'll not disappoint your expectations and our own at this upcoming event and any future events. BIG thanks to our clothing sponsor KAPPA, for providing us with the coolest CS uniforms out there, and making us the hottest team in the world!:D Thanks to our managment BrandTheGame, for working so hard for the team, and last but not the least I wanna thank Ownage Gamingcenter in Stockholm for letting us bootcamp there before the two events we have attended, and for letting me play there when I'm here in Stockholm, thx! laters-_-