EliGE interview: I’ve been telling my teammates to go bald all five, but they refused.

Despite missing out on the BLAST Spring Final, Complexity is still grinding hard. They are currently participating in ESL Challenger Jönköping 2024, their final event before the player break. After their first match, we had the opportunity to sit down with Complexity’s star player, EliGE, to talk about the team’s performance, hallzerk’s contract extension, share opinions on the new RMR system, Twistzz's potential transfer to IGL, and their future plans.

Esports.gg: First of all, congratulations! Complexity did very well today. Previously in Dallas, the team struggled a bit and was eliminated in the first round. How have you prepared for this event and what changes are you expecting?

EliGE: Honestly, just the usual preparation. We knew we were going to play best-of-one matches, similar to what we did coming from YaLLa Compass. The main issue we've had before is making mistakes we've already talked about and losing rounds we shouldn't be losing. So it's mainly about improving our individual level and ensuring good team play. We had a few days of practice beforehand since we came straight from YaLLa to here. We’re hoping to keep the ball rolling and play as good as we can.

Complexity recently announced the contract extension with hallzerk. Before, he mentioned he was fighting for his contract. What went into this decision, and what are your expectations moving forward?

EliGE: Hallzerk just re-signed, as everyone has seen. He’s been improving since the start of the year and playing much better. It's up to him to continue improving and performing at a high level. We need him to perform at the level expected of all of us. That’s what we're aiming for, and I think he’s done a good job, so the team decided to extend the contract with him.

As for us moving forward, it’s about the same as I said before - Keep improving our individual level. Because from a macro perspective, we’re not far behind other teams. We're not doing strategies that nobody else is doing. We understand what’s happening; we're just falling flat on the teamwork aspect and a lot of rounds.

Hallzerk did show up today. You know there are some baldbuff discussions among the community. Will hallzerk go bald?

EliGE: Yeah, he's played really well so far in this first game. I don't think he will go bald. I've been telling the team, "Let’s all go bald," but they don't want to.

Talking about NA CS today, there are teams like Complexity, Liquid, and M80. What do you think about the trend in NA CS now? We have many teams participating in big international events, but there are only a few teams. And Europe seems to be dominating.

EliGE: Overall, I think the NA scene needs more tournaments for people to play in. They need to win, they need to lose. We need people to go through that learning process, show their skills or lack thereof, and then we move on. There’s been pretty much nothing in NA for teams to play all year, which makes everything slower. Because the more high stakes and pressure people have, the more people have to develop and evolve their level.

We also have less players than the EU. If you look at how many people play on FACEIT in the EU compared to NA, it's clear there are more players in the EU. So statistically, the EU will have more high-level players. We need more tournaments, more opportunities for players to develop, and of course, serious practice.

More tournaments are also related to the ranking system. A few days ago, Valve announced that the Shanghai Major ranking cut-off will be in August, before IEM Cologne. So new players or new teams won't have a chance to get invited to the closed qualifiers in EU and NA. What do you think about this decision? That the RMR is so far ahead of the actual events.

EliGE: My opinion is that they’re doing it too early. If they announced it at the beginning of the year, it might be okay. But now, people are scrambling to secure their rosters and keep the points they have and figure out how to get enough points to get invited to the closed qualifier.

I honestly don't like it. Most people enjoy the open circuit in CS, that anyone can qualify for the major. Anyone can form a team and qualify. I think this might be a reaction to the number of cheaters in the last qualifier, and Valve might not know how to handle it yet.

This could be a temporary solution. We don’t really know why Valve does things the way they do; we just kinda have to interpret it. I'm not a fan of it. I think it's nice that anyone can qualify, but now it’s more closed, and you have to be on a team that already has the points. It will also affect roster changes.

We’ve seen some news that your former teammate Twistzz is now a secondary caller in Team Liquid, and communities are discussing the possibility of him becoming the IGL. What do you think about a star player moving into the IGL role?

EliGE: I think anyone can be an IGL if they really want to. It's just something you have to dedicate yourself to. As dev1ce said in an interview, you’ll have less individual time. Twistzz has been a strong performer for them on Liquid.

Moving into the IGL role might hurt his performance, which teams always need to consider. Being an IGL means focusing on the macro game, coming up with new strategies, and working with the coach. It could hurt him individually, but I think anyone can be an IGL if they want to.

I just think it’s a negative thing if you are flip-flopping between IGL and non-IGL. I’ve experienced that on Liquid with past rosters. You are the IGL, and now this guy is the IGL. I think If Twistzz is ready to do it long-term, he could definitely do it since he’s a smart player.

There will be a long player break after this event. What will you do during the break, and how long will you spend preparing for the next event?

EliGE: Normally, there are four weeks of player breaks. But there's always a tournament starting at the beginning of the 1st week or the end of the 4th week, so it’s not really a four-week break. It means we actually have to start practicing around two weeks beforehand. In reality, it’s like a two and a half week break.

I’m just going to be chilling during those two weeks. Some of my family is going to visit me. I'll be playing Counter-Strike no matter what because I enjoy the game. We’re aiming to start practicing after the player break to ensure we’re well-prepared for upcoming tournaments.

The main thing is managing a hectic travel schedule. Once the circuit starts, we’ll be gone for four, five, or six weeks in a row, so we have to be mindful of how much time we spend away to avoid burnout.

How do you usually balance the crazy competition schedule with normal life? A few weeks ago, you were in Dallas, then you went to Abu Dhabi, and now you’re in Europe. You might have to fly to Asia sometimes.

EliGE: For the travel schedule, the main thing is to get enough sleep. That's really important, especially as I’m getting older. Getting enough sleep is important; otherwise, you feel horrible and won’t perform well. Playing competitive, we need to get as much sleep as possible.

We try to sleep as much as we can while traveling and adjust to the time zones. Trying to be healthy is going to help and save you during these travels. [Interviewer: What about the normal life? Just sleep?] Yeah of course. It helps with everything.

Complexity has just won the grand final against Team Falcons on June 16, becoming the champions of ESL Challenger Jönköping 2024. This is the first LAN tournament victory for this NA organization in nearly fourteen years. We also wish them success in the upcoming Esports World Cup 2024 and Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2024!

Make sure to stay tuned to esports.gg for more CS2 news in the future!