SK Gaming Falls Short at ESL One Belo Horizonte Tournament
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament at ESL One Belo Horizonte did not go well for SK Gaming.
Despite losing their first series to Space Soldiers, SK Gaming managed to survive the group stage. They made a comeback, defeating Ghost and getting revenge on Space Soldiers in a rematch in the decider match of Group A at the Mineirinho Arena on Friday.
However, SK Gaming was ultimately eliminated with a 2-0 scoreline in the semifinals against mousesports, in front of their home crowd on Saturday afternoon. The arena fell silent.
After their elimination, SK Gaming’s Ricardo “Boltz” Prass shared his thoughts on the tournament and the team’s performance. He expressed that he felt like he could have done more.
SK Gaming’s Performance and Challenges
Question: How much of SK Gaming’s underperformance comes from your team’s drop in performance and how much from the improvement of other teams?
Boltz: Nowadays, there are no teams that you can’t lose against. Every team has the potential to be a champion. All teams are constantly improving and working hard. We try to fix mistakes in every tournament, but new challenges always arise. This is common for all teams. We are evolving and will reach our desired level soon.
Identity Crisis and Team Adaptation
Question: Some analysts believe SK Gaming is going through an identity crisis after recent roster changes. What are your thoughts?
We are still a relatively new team since Stewie joined. It hasn’t even been three months yet. We are still adapting to each other’s playstyles and finding the best way to form our team. We are constantly learning and improving. Our focus remains on progressing and working together.
Evaluating Performance and Individual Contribution
Question: How do you feel about the team’s overall performance and your individual performance?
We have not been performing as well as we would like as a team. Personally, I am not satisfied with my in-game performance. I know I can do better and that I am far from reaching my full potential. My confidence is not as high as it was last year when we were doing well. However, we remain focused and committed to improving. We must not be discouraged.
Contributions to SK Gaming
Question: Despite these difficulties, what do you believe you still bring to SK Gaming?
I am a calm person who doesn’t get easily stressed during games. I try to maintain a positive attitude and keep everyone’s spirits up. We always give our best, regardless of the difficulty of the game. This is something valuable that I bring to the team.
Preparing for ESL One Cologne
Question: What do you want to work on as a team before ESL One Cologne to be at your best?
Every tournament reveals new mistakes that we need to address. As a new team, we face communication problems and the adjustment of making English calls. We strive to improve individually, as a team, and tactically to achieve our best performance at ESL One Cologne. We aim to bring another title to Brazil and our team.
Improvements in Communication
Question: Have the issues with communication in English been resolved during games?
I would say that about 90 percent of the communication issues have been solved. In the beginning, it was challenging, especially under pressure in big championships. Today, it is a minor problem. There are occasional hiccups, but it is not as significant. It’s not like speaking Portuguese, our native language, but I believe it will soon be 100 percent resolved.
This interview has been edited for clarity. Jamie Villanueva contributed to this article.
SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, ESL One Belo Horizonte, tournament, performance, team, adaptation, underperforming, identity crisis, individual contribution, ESL One Cologne, communication, improvement.