Esports Edition interviewed Splyce’s CS:GO team at Northern Arena. Here’s what they had to say.
Esports Edition: “First question for you guys –we all know that there are lots of stereotypes about North American Counter-Strike, but are there any stereotypes about Canadian Counter-Strike specifically?”
David “DAVEY” Stafford: “We’re loud. We get that stereotype a lot, actually. We’re louder than other people, especially when it comes to LAN events–the Canadian scene is known for being a really loud, trash-talking kind of scene. [Teammates chuckle.] It’s true, man, we are!”
Esports Edition: “So what about the maple syrup harvesting?”
DAVEY: “We don’t like to talk about that. That’s a secret.”
Esports Edition: “Who’s the best Canadian Counter-Strike player out there right now?”
DAVEY: “No pressure, guys.” [Laughter from Splyce.]
Asger “AcilioN” Larsen: “Probably that guy…oh, what’s he called? DAVEY? I think? He’s pretty decent. [Laughter from Splyce.] Yeah, he’s pretty good.”
Esports Edition: “This might be a sensitive question, Arya, but Splyce didn’t have the best run at MLG Columbus. Obviously, it didn’t help that you were put in a group with Fnatic and only found out you’d be attending a month beforehand. If Splyce qualifies for the next Major, how do you plan to prepare?”
Arya “arya” Hekmat: “Hmmm. [Pause.] Just a lot of hard work, really. There’s not really anything else we can do to prepare other than just putting in the time. That’s what it’ll take to make it.”
Esports Edition: “So, DAVEY, you and arya have been the core of Splyce in 2016. What kind of a role have you had in making decisions about roster changes or things of that nature?”
DAVEY: “Usually any roster change is a team decision. Obviously with this recent one, it’s hard to involve the team because three players were removed. It wasn’t as much of a team decision as it was a process that involved talking with the manager of Splyce, talking with us, and those players deciding they wanted to revamp the roster and us agreeing that it was what needed to be done in order to make progress. We had plateaued with our previous roster. The entire organization was involved in the decision to make the changes that we did.”
Esports Edition: “So, Cruc1al and AcilioN, both of you are coming to North America after playing in Europe for your entire careers. Lots of people like talk about the differences between NA and EU, and you’ve experienced both environments. What similarities or differences have you personally noticed while you’re playing?”
AcilioN: “I think the biggest difference is the team aspect of the game. There are a lot of really good individual players in NA, and I think that the individual skill is at the same level as EU, but the team aspect is a bit different. The communication and the way that people work together as a team is the biggest difference here.”
Esports Edition: “Alright, last question: in one word, describe Splyce’s playstyle.”
DAVEY: “Zing!” [Laughter from Splyce]
Esports Edition: “Thanks! Have fun, guys.”
We’d like to thank the incredibly friendly folks on Splyce, as well as the staff at Northern Arena. Interviews were conducted by Patrick Valoppi, Herbert Lemus, and J.P. Corner. More interviews coming this week!