We interviewed Astralis’s Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander after their impressive semifinal win over Fnatic
Pick-ban strategy and expectations
Interviewer: In the pick-ban phase, you mentioned that you expected Fnatic to ban Overpass or Nuke. Were you surprised when they chose to ban Overpass and leave Nuke, even though they rarely play it?
gla1ve: We were not surprised that they banned Overpass because they struggled on it in their previous match. Although we discussed not picking it, I still thought it would be a good opportunity for us to showcase our wide map pool.
Benefit of playing new maps in finals
Interviewer: Playing maps like Cache and Nuke in the finals that you didn’t get to play during the group stage, do you think it gives you an advantage? Does it help you gain valuable experience on these maps?
gla1ve: Yes, we believe it does. We were happy to have the chance to play Train extensively during the group stage, as it prevented our opponents from seeing our other maps. However, in the end, it doesn’t matter much because we are just happy to be in the finals.
Challenges in transitioning from structured to loose playstyle
Interviewer: As an in-game leader, was it challenging to switch from playing against a structured team like Na’Vi to facing Dennis, who has a more loose and unpredictable playstyle?
gla1ve: Yes, playing against Fnatic’s loose style was difficult for me. I personally prefer playing against structured teams because it allows me to call better and perform better individually. Against a team like Fnatic, you have to be extremely focused and precise. It was definitely a tough matchup for us.
Strategic decision and missteps in the 30th round on Cache
Interviewer: During the 30th round on Cache, when you decided to run the bomb B while dev1ce hid quad, what was the communication like within the team?
gla1ve: The communication was surprisingly calm. My idea was to trick Fnatic into thinking we would stay together, which is a common strategy in a 2v2 or 2v1 scenario. I called for a B play and told dev1ce to make noise. I asked everyone else to mute their mics so I could hear. It was a good plan, but I made a mistake and olofmeister fortunately found a smoke.
Interviewer: Why did you stop shooting at the smoke?
gla1ve: I thought I heard a footstep after the initial defuse sound, so I decided to hide. Xyp9x yelled, “he’s defusing,” but by that time, it was too late.
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