With the Esports World Cup bringing top-level Counter-Strike back to France, Skin.Club spoke with CND about the tournament and its old-school open LAN qualifier, the teams that impressed him, and Vitality’s chances of returning to winning ways. He also discussed jL’s upcoming appearances for the team, the importance of apEX, possible future roster changes, and why France remains one of the most attractive — but also most difficult — countries for hosting tier-one Counter-Strike events.
The EWC Open Qualifier had a very old-school LAN feeling. How did you like the format, and would you like to see more qualifiers like this?
I’m so happy. It was probably 15 years ago that we last had this kind of event in France, with so many teams coming together to play. It felt very old-school, like the beginning of Counter-Strike: Source and the end of Counter-Strike 1.6. I liked it a lot. It was entertaining, we had upsets, and we had big names qualifying. It was perfect for the storytelling of the tournament.
For some people, EWC is not really a “World Cup” or one of the main events of the season. But with this kind of format and this kind of qualifier, you create something special. Everyone who wanted to participate could join the open qualifier on LAN — you basically just had to come with your mouse and keyboard. For me, this is an important part of building the story they are trying to create around EWC. It was the perfect format for that.
Who was the biggest positive surprise of the qualifier, and who disappointed you the most?
The biggest surprise was JiJieHao qualifying. We have known for years that 0SAMAS is probably one of the biggest prospects in MENA, and Bibu is one of those players who can play at a higher level and move beyond the national scene. Together with sinnopsyy, CacaNito, and the rest of the team, they have done something really great. For me, they were the biggest surprise, and I’m very excited to see them in the main event. This is exactly what this format can produce.
I’m a bit disappointed by BC.Game. Everyone in the community is waiting to see how this s1mple project and all these stars will fit together. It would have been good to see them qualify, so it’s disappointing that they won’t be at the main EWC event. At the same time, they faced another team that also had the level to qualify, so one of them was always going to miss out.
Which of the four qualified teams has the best chance to make a deep run at EWC?
100 Thieves have one of the best chances, together with BIG. They have experience with device and rain. I really liked rain’s game in these conditions. He is an older player, a veteran, and he still played at a very good level throughout the qualifier. 100 Thieves can definitely contend for a playoff spot, or at least make it out of the group stage. They also have young players like poiii, and Gizmy is a very good in-game leader. He qualified for the last Major and is a very good upgrade for this lineup.
They have probably the best mix of experience, good leadership, and young players. I would also go with BIG. They are still around the top 30 in the world, and I think the format is pretty good for them. They can potentially reach the playoffs too.
EWC features lower-ranked teams and BO1 matches. Does that hurt its status as a tier-one tournament?
No, not for me. Best-of-one is still a good format for competition. If you want to be one of the best teams in the world, if you are planning to be in the top 10, you have to be good in best-of-ones. BO1s are still part of the Major, so they are part of the game.
The chance of an upset is probably higher in a best-of-one. But if you claim to be one of the best teams in the world or a real tier-one team, you have to win BO1s at the Major. So you also have to win BO1s at the Esports World Cup if you are planning to win the tournament. For me, the BO1 format is not an issue for this event or for Counter-Strike in general.
Vitality’s results have dropped after winning five events in a row. What do you think is happening with the team?
I don’t think they have an issue. When you look back at what they achieved, they have been one of the best teams in the history of Counter-Strike. They won the Grand Slam, and I think that was a breaking point. After winning that tournament and completing the Grand Slam, the intensity wasn’t the same anymore — in the game, in preparation, or in planning. They took holidays, vacations, trips. It wasn’t the same Vitality. But I think this Esports World Cup is a particular tournament for them. It is very important for two reasons.
First, it is being played in France, and for apEX and ZywOo, that is incredibly important. They haven’t played in front of a French crowd since the Paris Major three years ago.
Secondly, it is very important for the club in the global Esports World Cup ranking. Vitality wants to win the Esports World Cup as an organization, not only in Counter-Strike. In terms of importance for the organization, this tournament is basically just behind the Majors. I would say Vitality will come prepared. I had the chance to interview them, and journalists from my team spoke with them during their practice and bootcamp. They will try to win it. We shouldn’t underestimate Vitality because of their recent results. I expect them to come back stronger than they have been over the last two or three months.
Could Vitality become stronger with jL replacing mezii at BLAST Open Porto, or is mezii too important to the balance of the team?
It’s a difficult question because we are not inside the team and we don’t know exactly how everything works. But if we look at examples from recent Counter-Strike history, we have seen teams win tournaments without their full roster and with stand-ins several times. It becomes a question of firepower. jL is still one of the best players in the world. He is on the bench now and probably has a different mentality at the moment, but he will fit into the Vitality roster.
He will first come in instead of mezii, and I don’t think that will significantly reduce Vitality’s chances of winning. It can feel like a fresh start. It’s a different tournament and a different approach. You can play without as much pressure because it isn’t your full roster. We have seen throughout Counter-Strike history that when some of the best players in the world are playing without pressure, those guys can become machines and be almost impossible to play against. I don’t see it as such a big issue for Vitality.
How dependent are Vitality on apEX, and who should take over the calling when he misses Bucharest?
It will be mezii, 100%. mezii was previously a leader for fnatic, and he is probably the best player in the team to take over from apEX. But I think Vitality have a better chance of performing in Porto than in Bucharest because apEX is the heart of this team. He brings the spirit and is at the core of the team. These are players he picked to play with. He brings the energy for every game. He is the true leader and the spirit of this team.
Without that, I’m not expecting the same level of performance in Bucharest as in Porto. But I also think mezii will have good reads and good calls. He was very good as an IGL for fnatic and was able to keep that team around the top 20. He will be the leader without apEX.
jL could potentially receive a Major sticker instead of apEX if he plays enough matches. Would you see that as a flaw in the current system?
That’s a tricky question. I’m not sure I have a good answer. For the stickers, I’m not even sure Valve will keep exactly the same model. The last Major was a disaster for everyone in terms of revenue — for both teams and players. So I’m not sure they will continue with the same system, and I wouldn’t bet on an answer here. I also don’t think Vitality are currently thinking about changing players. Even if they get good results with jL, I don’t think they will immediately start considering changes.
That’s a question for management. It’s really a question for Neo, who is building the roster together with apEX, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have jL in mind right now. But if this Vitality era or this particular roster is coming to an end — if they don’t get results over the next two or three events, maybe all the way until the Major — then changes will happen.
And if changes happen, you have to look at who the weakest player in the roster is right now. That would probably be mezii, and then you have to ask who can fit into mezii’s roles. If you look at the market, frozen will be out of contract with FaZe at the end of the year. If Vitality are not performing until November, frozen will probably be their main target.
Do you think jL was the best possible stand-in Vitality could find?
You have a Major MVP. This is probably the best stand-in you can find on the market. It’s very difficult to find something better. They wanted to bring in a top player who could fit into the team because they are still thinking about getting good results at these tournaments. That’s why they picked jL.
What surprised me more is that they have been building an academy for months, and they probably had the opportunity to promote one or two academy players depending on the tournament and the roles they needed. jL replacing mezii is okay. But when you are replacing apEX, it’s different. They have an academy and they aren’t using it to complete the roster for these two events. That is the surprising part for me. You have a unique opportunity to give young players top-level experience. For me, Vitality are not using their academy enough as an opportunity to manage situations around the main roster.
Could jL be considered one of the best stand-ins in Counter-Strike history?
No idea, honestly. Probably the best stand-in in Counter-Strike history was s1mple when he played for Team Liquid in CS. For me, that is the best stand-in we have ever seen in Counter-Strike.
Could playing the EWC final at the Accor Arena create more pressure for Vitality?
It will make things easier for them. But it is only the final day. The biggest difficulty for Vitality will be qualifying for that last day of the tournament. From what we have seen over the last few weeks and months, Spirit, MOUZ, Falcons, and some other teams are probably in better shape than Vitality right now. So the biggest challenge for Vitality will simply be getting there. I don’t think the crowd will increase the pressure.
This is what everyone in France has been waiting for since the Paris Major. Three years ago, we had one of the best atmospheres in Counter-Strike history. It was an amazing memory for everyone. We are all waiting to experience something like that again and bring back the atmosphere we had three years ago. It is also a good opportunity for the French fans to give something back to Vitality after all the joy the team has given them with its victories over the last two years.
Can hosting an event like EWC boost interest in Counter-Strike in France, or is it already at a very high level?
French fans are the best in the world. Since Vitality started winning, we have seen a few changes in the French scene — not only professionally, but also in the wider ecosystem, with new media and organizations like Gentle Mates entering the scene. Counter-Strike is at its peak in France right now. At every Major, we are breaking viewership records. In Austin, for example, the French market went above 100,000 peak viewers for the first time.
Counter-Strike is very strong here at the moment. The main thing missing from the overall ecosystem is probably smaller organizations like we had in the past, such as aAa or LDLC. We have lost that level of competition that helped bring new players into professional Counter-Strike. But apart from that, Counter-Strike is at its peak.
I would also say that we are missing tier-one events in France. You saw the Paris Major. You can see what is happening around EWC. You can see what happens with the crowd when there is a Rocket League tournament here, and it’s the same with League of Legends. What we are currently missing in France is tier-one events and tier-one tournaments. Hopefully, this EWC will remind ESL, EFG, PGL, BLAST, and everyone else that we still have the best Counter-Strike crowd in the world.
Could Paris or other French cities regularly host tier-one Counter-Strike events?
Yes, I truly think that if tomorrow you hosted a tier-one event in France — in Paris, Lyon, Montpellier, Lille, Marseille, or Nice — you would sell all the tickets. It would be sold out. No question about it. The biggest issue with France is the cost of hosting an event. France is probably one of the most expensive countries in which to host an event, not only in esports but also in traditional sports and music. It is very, very expensive.
The second part is connected to the business model. In France, betting in esports is not allowed, and the regulations are very strict. The same applies to a number of other brands and products that you might normally have on a broadcast but cannot use in the French market. The problem isn’t France’s ability to fill an arena. The problem is on the business side: the cost of hosting an event and how you make the business work with betting, the skin economy, and other revenue sources that aren’t available in the same way on the French market.
Hosting events in France is expensive, but EWC tickets cost only €45 for four days. Why is the price so low?
Because it’s EWC. They need to find a format that allows them to establish themselves in a very crowded ecosystem. You already have PGL, EFG, BLAST, and plenty of other events. The calendar is crowded, and it is difficult to establish a regular, successful tournament in that environment. That’s why.
