m0NESY: “Even two years ago, I said the AWP should be nerfed a little bit, maybe in ammo.”

m0NESY was the first signing in G2's 2022 revamp. The young sniper was brought in from NaVi Academy on a massive transfer and despite the lack of trophies, the move has absolutely paid off. Event after event we've seen the 17-year-old perform at a very high level. Before the final event of the year, we sat down with m0NESY to discuss the recent AWP nerf and G2's preparation for the BLAST Premier World Finals.

Arnav "xL" Shukla: Obviously not making the Major was a disappointment for G2, but after that, the Fall Finals should have been a better showing. How are you feeling about the performance you showed at that event? Was there something you need to improve further?

m0NESY: Individually, I think I need to keep on playing the same. Maybe I can do much more like talking about mistakes that I am doing during the match. It can be fixed. I need to keep doing the same and play more CS. 

xL: Overall for a rookie, this has been a great showing. But are you satisfied with your performance going into 2023? 

m0NESY: I am satisfied because this was my first Tier 1 team. And of course, I could show up better, I just needed to learn. But at the end of this year, I am pretty sure 2023 will start better. We will see. I cannot predict all of the things. I just need to play the game and enjoy it. 

xL: What's your best memory of the year so far?

m0NESY: Hmm... I think my best memory was Katowice 2022. It's just because it was the first big event, my first clutches at a big event. A lot of things. It was my first final of a big event, first 0-3 (laughs), first tier 1 team. That was my big memory how I remember it. Just coming into the stage at Katowice and everyone shouting my name.

xL: We've seen a lot of academy players transition smoothly to the tier 1 CS scene. What are your thoughts on the Academy system? Is it developing talents well for the future?

m0NESY: Yea, you can see a lot of academy players are going into the Tier 1 scene. I can give an example of headtrick, I think he played with me on the same team and he will join a good team soon.

Also, a lot of organizations and Tier 1 teams are opening academy terms because a lot of times it's better to help grow young talent within your organization. Maybe this guy (the upcoming talent) will play in a future Tier 1 team or he will play in the main roster of their organization. But yeah, when I joined G2 I didn't have a lot of experience at big events. I just knew how to basically shoot (laughs). I knew basic stuff like maps in CS: GO and team play. But we just need the experience when we join a Tier 1 team and that takes time. 

xL: We saw some of your growth in the Tier 1 scene itself. Going from the AleksiB team to the HooXi team we saw you really step up your performance, especially around EPL. So what has been the main thing that you have changed to allow for better performances?

m0NESY: I mean I can say that with AleksiB, I enjoyed a lot as it was my first Tier 1 team. But with Hooxi, I feel like I have more freedom to do things. Hooxi wants everyone to communicate on their position and people have more freedom than before. And with this freedom, I know what I can do with the AWP. I can do so many things now with the AWP and I really like it. 

xL: Coming into World Finals, this is an event where G2 has to prove that they are still a top team after a couple of disappointing results. Are you confident coming into this event?

m0NESY: We're always confident when coming into tournaments. It's always something happening when we don't play our own game. We can lose stupid rounds especially when we lose 4v2. Sometimes it's crazy and we can't understand why. Maybe it's pressure or maybe it's something else. But yeah, we are confident now in ourselves.

xL: Recently there was this CS: GO update with the AWP changes. You have a playstyle where you go for a lot of flick shots that may or may not hit quite regularly. Has the reduced magazine size affected how you play your game so far?

m0NESY: It hasn't affected me. Even two years ago, I said the AWP should be nerfed a little bit, maybe in ammo. But it didn't affect me but sometimes when I play Faceit matches or pugs with the AWP I expect I have five bullets and I go for the fifth shot and I'm shooting, I'm re-peeking and I'm reloading. It's happened to me 2-3 times. It was funny but yeah it didn't affect me that much. I just have to hit my shots.

xL: The first match you have is against FaZe. What are your thoughts going up against them?

m0NESY: I don't know. I don't remember when we last played against them. Maybe it was at ESL Pro League. I think we won that match as well. I don't have any thoughts. I just want to come into the game with a fresh mind and play and enjoy. A lot of players overthink before the game starts. I don't want to do it. I just want to come, see them play, and enjoy the game. We will see in the server who will play better. Maybe we will play Anubis, let's see. (laughs)

xL: Yeah NiKo was talking about how you guys feel comfortable on the map as a team. What are your thoughts on the map as the AWPer?

m0NESY: As the AWper? I think on CT side, as an AWPer, this is the map where you have to rotate a lot with the AWP. Like, a lot. Maybe it's kind of like Nuke. I don't know but on this map, you cannot just stay and hold. I think AWPer should be on the run, he will rotate a lot between bomb sites. When I play this map, I feel like you just need to communicate a lot more.

xL: Overall, this year has seen you perform at a very high level. You might also feature on the HLTV Top 20 list. Is that something that you put forth as a goal for yourself or was that not even in the picture?

m0NESY: Start of the year, I didn't even think about putting myself in the Top 20 players. It's fine, it's a good bonus when you play. Like you deserve to be there or you don't. My goal was just to lift the trophy and be No.1 on the team. But the Top 20 players or getting an MVP award is just a good bonus. So sometimes I don't think about it. If I will be, I'll be really glad. 

xL: For 2023 do you have any goals for yourself or for the team?

m0NESY: Individually, I know what I want to fix. I don't want to say it here. But I know what mistakes I want to fix. I just want to play better on the team. If the team feels ok, I'll feel ok then.

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