After a tough loss to Fnatic and a strong bounce-back victory over FlyQuest, Filip “Graviti” Branković from 3DMAX sat down with us for an exclusive interview at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. He broke down what went wrong on CT side, explained the team’s struggles and quick recovery, discussed map choices on Inferno, and opened up about leadership style, burnout, and preparation ahead of the Major.
What went wrong in the match against Fnatic?
We made too many individual mistakes, and the game just went fast. We weren’t killing them when we needed to kill them. And they weren’t bad, to be honest.
They played really well against us, so they were just better, I think.
Your T side looked good, but the CT setups didn’t work. What exactly went wrong on defense?
I don’t know. We still have to talk about it. Maybe we played too aggressively when we should’ve played default, and maybe too passive when we should’ve been aggressive.
We don’t fully understand it yet. We’ll work on it — it’s the second time we’ve had this issue. We need to talk it through as a team.
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Earlier you lost to Fnatic, but then you destroyed FlyQuest. hat changed in such a short time?
To be honest, nothing. We were just better. We killed them when we needed to kill them, and they weren’t as good — unlike Fnatic.
Were you surprised that both teams were willing to play Inferno, your newest strong map?
No, I wasn’t surprised because Inferno is also a good map for FlyQuest and Fnatic. We played against them in practice — they even beat us — so maybe that’s why they chose it. But honestly, I wasn’t surprised. We were ready for it.
Over the past three months, all your players had very similar ratings — around 1.01–1.02. Who stepped up the most in your opinion?
I think the one who stepped up the most is exercise.
But I think he can be even better than he is right now. Give him a bit more time and he’ll improve even more.
How do you mentally reset so quickly after losing the first match of the day?
We just try to stay normal. If you’re messed up after one loss — it’s a Major. You can’t tilt because of one match. You need to focus on yourself. Of course we were mad, but not fully tilted. We knew we had another game to play today.
How would you describe your IGL style?
I don’t know. I’m young, so maybe a bit aggressive. I play a lot of FACEIT, so yeah — maybe a bit aggressive. I don’t respect the opponents.
There are rumors that BO1s might be removed from the next Major. Good idea or bad idea?
I don’t know. BO1s are part of the Major. Of course it’s risky, but it’s also fun because you can surprise opponents — like we did in 2024 during the RMR in Shanghai. We couldn’t have done that without BO1s. So there’s a good side to it.
Before the Major, you had lost your last five matches. What did you fix before coming to Budapest?
First of all, we took some rest because we were really tired. We worked a lot from home and prepared a lot for this Major. We improved our maps, added new strategies, new tricks, new smokes we never showed before That’s it.
How did you deal with burnout after the past two events?
It was difficult. I think we were in burnout, to be honest. What we did — three trips to China, then Europe — it was impossible to keep up. We didn’t manage it. We messed up in Bucharest and Chengdu because it was just too much. So we took good rest, worked from home, saw family — and that helped.
Skin.Club Pick’em — Win a Dragon Lore During the Budapest Major
Alongside the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Skin.Club is running a special Pick’em Challenge where fans can predict match outcomes, earn points, level up, and unlock exclusive rewards.
The top-tier prizes include rare skins, gloves — and the highlight of the event: a chance to win an AWP | Dragon Lore.
