Vitality’s IGL is eager to play in front of his home crowd next month. However, he said his team is not saving strats at IEM Rio.
Vitality didn't start IEM Rio 2023 well, with a defeat for OG and that raised a question that maybe the French organization was holding something for BLAST.tv Paris, taking place on home turf. According to Dan "apEX" Madesclaire however, that is not the case.
Before guaranteeing a spot in the IEM Rio 2023 playoffs, Vitality's IGL talked with Esports.gg at the event. apEX commented on both IEM Rio 2023 and the upcoming Paris Major.
The tournament will start only a few weeks after IEM Rio ends, but the French squad is giving everything they've got, according to apEX.
"We are not hiding anything, we just have a big, big preparation for both tournaments and we are really motivated to play in front of our home crowd. The thing that is different is this, not tactics. That's gonna be one of the first time for us (play in front of the home crowd), so we really want this."
Launched in 2012, CS:GO will now receive its 19th and final Major. Since the beginning of the game, apEX took part in 17 Major tournaments. Still, the upcoming event will hold a special place in his heart.
"It's the 19th Major and I've been there for 17 of them. I'm just happy to be able to represent my country in front of our country. And I just want to qualify for the playoffs, to get a chance to play in front of the French community."
Related articles
apEX's last 5 CS:GO Majors
Major | Placement |
|---|---|
| IEM Rio Major 2022 | 12th-14th |
| PGL Antwerp 2022 | 9th-11th |
| PGL Major Stockholm 2021 | 5th-8th |
| Berlin Major 2019 | 5th-8th |
| Katowice Major 2019 | 9th-11th |
One event apEX missed out on was DreamHack Winter 2014, due the ban of his former teammate, Hovik "KQLY" Tovmassian. The only other Major without apEX was FACEIT London Major, when he was benched by G2.
apEX is not thinking that much about CS2
Counter-Strike 2 will arrive in the summer of 2023, the reason why Paris Major will be the final CS:GO event. While the community is currently quasi-obsessed with CS2, apEX has yet to direct his attention towards it.
"I'm really focused on CS:GO, for the end. It's been 11 years for me, 11 years career. So, I just want to give everything now and see after (CS2). But I just hope it helps to grow again and again, CS is a fantastic game."
At the moment, CS2 have an open limited beta test, but only Dust2 is available.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for the latest CS:GO news and updates.
