Hi bsl. You've been in England last weekend to draft some new players for your CGS team. Was it easy for you to 'kick' some players out of the team or did Berlin Allianz become a small family within the last year?

It does not work like that - a Championship Gaming Series Draft is a very competitive job interview, and for those players that already had a season in them their efforts last year was measured against the input new players could give. When the draft rolls around we pick those we feel are the strongest, it's never an issue of "kicking" players. They are either picked up or not.

Now, after clearing that up - Yes, it WAS very hard. Specially with Nordqvist - he knew he was in a though position but still chose to attend the Combine to give it a shot and I admire that very much - as well as him as a person, and player. He handled himself fantasticly throughout last season and is a player I would certainly want to have back again in the future should he continue to play and improve over the course of this season where I unfortunatly could not include him in the line-up.

Berlin Allianz after CGS Draft 2008 in Birmingham (© readmore.de)

Easy or not: you made some changes in the CS:S lineup and nordQvist and haunted had to leave the team. Berlin Allianz CS:S was a very skilled team - why did you change the lineup?

The old one performed better than I hoped when I drafted them. And it was because of the extreme amount of hours they put in. I think that team practiced more than anyone in the world from September to December - however , that naturally caused some burnout after the World Final was over and not everyone was able to find the same burning desire to improve over the course of the long off season we had.

You 'kicked' two Swedish players and replaced them with Blaze and xertion. Many people were wondering why you did not draft proph. What are the reasons for that?

Proph is already a very strong individual player. And a very modest and polite young man. I have high hopes for his future in electronic sports should he continue to pursue it. At this instance though, with the way I structured the team it would not have been the optimal choice - and it would also have been an unfair task to give to him at this point in time. I hope to see him successfull in other teams over the course of 2008 - and then back at our 2009 Combine.

Besides the strong Dutch players there were some talented Norwegian 'stars' in England. Some people expected to see some Norwegian players in the new team. Why did you leave them out?

Speaking frankly Norwegian players have an attitude problem. It might be like that since they have all the opportunities to do whatever they want in life as they have access to free education and high paid jobs - even without that much education.

These are my own thoughts on the subject though - but it has been a trend the last 2-3 years that Norwegian players talk a lot online and perform very, very little when push comes to shove. They do not take their sport seriously enough to warrant a draft to a professional team in a professional leauge - it's as simple as that at the moment. Sadly enough for me as a Norwegian citizen, and fan of Norwegian esport. Lets hope it gets better in the imminent future.

THE_TACTICAL and Liefje will be a part of Berlin Allianz in 2008 (© readmore.de)

Last year Berlin Allianz placed 3rd/4th in the Global Final and the CS:S team was very successful. What do you think about the new CS:S-team: Are they strong enough to beat teams like L.A. Complexity or could the language barrier be a stumbling block for them?

Right now, two days after the draft they are not strong enough to beat anyone :)

With the time we have though it is really all in our hands. I'll help them to the best of my abilities - for those that are familiar with my career I do have some positive experience with teams and language barriers - as one of a very select few on the world-wide scene I'm proud to say.

Is there a player in teams like London Mint, Stockholm Magnetik or Birmingham Salvo you would like to have in your lineup?

I'd like to have the 2001 version of Heaton on my Source team - does that count ;)?

I'm afraid not. You only changed your CS:S team. Are you satisfied with your player's performances or aren't there any alternatives in Europe?

No I am not satisfied. We did not win what we set out to do last year. However - six months after the 2007 World Final these are the players I trust with the 2008 ambitions of this team and its fans.

Well, which is the most important part of Berlin Allianz? Who is the key player?

There is no "I" in team.

Which is the "star" in the EU flag? They all play their part for us to succeed.

Most of your players won their matches in the last years World Finals but Liefje didn't win any match. Is she the weak point?

Statistically she brought the least amount of points. At the same time she took 2 points off one of the top 2 DoA Females at the World Final (Mystik) after having played DoA for four months - that shows promise, not to mention a lot of guts.

Livia as a person and player is someone I'd have on my team any day of the week and twice on Sunday. I am supremely confident that she WILL become successful in the CGS in her own right.

bsl in his active time at Catch-Gamer

OK let's talk about Counter-Strike. Which version do you prefer: 1.6 or Source?

When I played professionally I preferred 1.6 and had no problems slaying Source as a competitive game. That was 2005 and early 2006 though and the game was far from polished. At present time Source is a game that I personally think is very exciting both to play - and to watch.

I respect people that disagree - but in many cases that is grounded in not having played it enough. For people coming from 1.6 - like I do - you need to delete 1.6 to play Source exclusively over the course of some weeks to be able to know what you are talking about. I know, because that's what I did - and I came out liking Source giving me the opportunity to enjoy these two fantastic games - and as an added bonus I can make big, competitive decisions with confidence in Source as well as analyze big games in 1.6 without missing a beat.

In an interview with readmore REAL said that Source is easier to play and that CS 1.6 needs more tactical cleverness. What's your opinion about that?

Hehe, REAL played Source for less than a week before coming into the Combine so how would he know that?

If a gamer switches from a game like COD / Quake or whatever FPS to 1.6 - does he or she know enough about it in a week to be able to say something about the game's tactical characteristics at the highest level of competition? I would think no.

Again, the level of 1.6 competition is extremely high and that "REAL" can speak of. With the CGS MR 9, roundlimit 1:20 and strong flashes it really forces players to do everything much faster. That includes aiming, calling, communicating, faking strategies and commit to attacks / defense - I'm sure he'll discover that in due time and be able to speak more intelligently about IF he likes that compared to his 1.6 gaming as he has more time to familiarize himself with Source.

Many people complain about the games played in CGS. Is it necessary to have some new games like WarCraft 3 which would make the CGS more interesting for Europeans and Asians?

The CGS cater to the competitive gaming community. The League is always keeping a close eye on which games are popular in the different regions of the world. The way you phrase your question though implies that Europeans do not find the CGS interesting and I'd like to object to that. Those that I have talked with that have ACTUALLY SEEN THE TOURNAMENTS on TV or on thecgs.com have been positive.

I do understand sceptics as we have a lot of strong esport brands in Europe - but with everything I have no understanding for people that want to slay something without taking the time to find out what they talk about by seeing it. As CGS now goes out to 40 million households in 24 European countries on Eurosport 2 more people have that chance.

I expected the ratings from the first airings in April to reflect the sentiment you imply with your question but a couple of days ago I was told by the League that Eurosport got higher ratings that they hoped for. I think that shows that the capacity for enjoying the competition and team aspect of the CGS is as universal and globalized as the gaming community - and not just "an American" thing as many critics would have it.

Some hours ago a new Counter-Strike 1.6 and Team Fortress 2 league, hosted by CGS, was announced. What do you think about this league?

It's a great chance for gamers world-wide to enjoy the benefits of CGS competition in their games of choice - and I hope as many as possible jump at the opportunity to compete.

Last but not least: Have you ever thought of starting a comeback as an active player?

Comebacks, my friends, are usually a bad idea. There are reasons for that ;)

Thank you for your time and good luck with your team.