“WePlay Academy League gave us the experience of how tier 1 CS works. You have the LAN, the media days, everything”: MOUZ NXT Torzsi

After winning back-to-back seasons of the WePlay Academy League, Mouz NXT is one of the strongest academy teams in CS: GO. Continuing from part 1 of our interview, MOUZ NXT star Ádám "torzsi" Torzsás discusses the results of MOUZ NXT so far and his thoughts on the WePlay Academy League.

When this lineup was formed, you guys had a very strong performance at the Pinnacle Cup to beating out teams like Entropiq, Young Ninja, Lyngby Vikings, who have all gone to become bigger names recently. Eventually, you lost to CPH Flames. What was the event like, from your perspective, was the team already functioning to its highest level this early on?

No, for sure. I think that was our first tournament and we didn't have a lot of time to practice before the tournament. It was just only one week, I think, or one and a half, but it went really well. And when we practice, we obviously were the best. I think even though it was just one week, we improved a lot. And also we weren't used to each other back then. And most likely we just went in a group and tried to search as a team in the matches. And yeah, we are playing better CS for now.

You have now gone back to back in your WePlay Academy League campaigns. This time you even made it through without losing any series. What do you think is the difference between you guys and the other Academy teams out there that allow you to be so good compared to them?

It's a hard question, but I don't really know what's the difference, we are just giving our best always. And when we are practicing, we do our best. In our practice, we have this sentence that we want to improve better than others because everyone wants to improve. Right. But we want to improve much faster and much more than the others. And that's where we put the focus. We are always analyzing ourselves, watching back teams, and we practice also a lot.

MOUZ NXT has made it into the top 30, and you're slowly climbing the ladder, getting even closer to the main lineup. How do you feel about this achievement?

Yeah, it still feels really nice. And it was awesome when we saw it. And also, I think every player's first dream is just to get into the top 30 because it's a big achievement. Also, no Hungarian player for three years or four years was in the top 30. So it's really nice to be here, and I hope we can climb more.

Talking about climbing more in the rankings in the future, since you guys cannot obviously play the biggest events due to the main roster being in there. Do you see yourself going higher in the rankings by winning some of these online cups that you have been playing?

Yes. I think we can make it to the top 20 for sure. Even without the biggest events, we can do much more. We just need to play these events and we will see what the future was for us.

You have previously mentioned that you are a very unique player, but if you had to compare yourself, you'd be closer to Zywoo than S1mple. So you try to balance out your aggression and passive play rather than just going agro all the time?

Yes. It's a really important thing in the game that you need to find the balance, and you also need to train both of them, because if you are just good at, for example, going full aggro then it won't work and then you will need to pay passive. But if you are better at passive, then it will be a better style. So yeah, you obviously need to train your weaker side. And also you need to improve as much as you can on your good side, too.

Sycrone also mentioned that you don't just rely on your immense skill but you also work harder than any player that he has worked with. Most notably, some of the French players, like KennyS, have used a skill as a crutch to not practice as hard as required at times. How do you keep your motivation so high that you put in the hours despite being so skilled?

Most of the time I'm not really satisfied with my performance. And if I'm not satisfied, I'm really tough on myself, and it's really hard to satisfy myself with my performance. And I just always want to do better and better. And that's why I'm playing so much. And I just love playing CSGO, and this is what I like to do. And I want to be a tier-one player. And I know that it takes a lot of time and takes a lot of work.

Watching demos for many people can be just as important as deathmatch. With you now integrating some demos into your schedule, what is your practice routine now?

So it's not like a fixed schedule for me. About demos, it's the rough part of CS when you have to watch demos and analyze yourself and other teams. It's the hard part of the practice when you don't have to play, right. And it's really boring and tough, but you have to do it. And usually, I do it before we have games. So I watch the other team. How do they play? So I can have an idea. How should I move around the map? Other than that deathmatch is in my routine every day. I usually play in the morning, and in the evening. Every time when I feel like I want to play deathmatch, I just go on the server and I play for half an hour.

So here's a bit more of a fun question. If you could play in any team from history that has been in CSGO in the past 9 years. What team would you pick?

I would say the Brazillian SK/LG form 2016-17. Fallen is my CS idol and my favorite player and I also loved watching the team play.

Right as the major got over, your VAC ban has expired. While you said you would need time to adjust to tier-1, with the lack of solid AWPers on the market for these tier one teams, do you see yourself being a possible name in the upcoming shuffle?

I wouldn't say that there is a lack of solid AWPers. I think there are a lot of really good AWPers. And I love Mouz NXT, and I love my teammates, and I think I would still want to play with them for at least half a year because I think there is a lot of potential in us, and I think we can make it to tier one. I just want to play with them and get the most out of it.

Talking about getting the maximum out of it. Has the Academy system that orgs have developed recently been a boon for the younger talents coming up, compared to how it was a couple of years ago?

Back then there weren't many academy teams and even when they did exist, teams like Fnatic Academy couldn't play in the same events as the main teams. It's still in the rules but we have the WePlay Academy League now and we can still play tier 2/3 events. I think a lot has changed, the biggest key was definitely the Academy League. They give us the experience of how tier 1 works. You have the LAN, you have the media days, everything. And it feels really nice.

In a recent interview with Maksym Bilonogov from WePlay, he mentioned that they focus on creating a grand event, with the best studios and top-tier talents. This is done so that the Academy League players don't feel like they are the side project but rather a part of something bigger. How is the experience, like having your games cast by people like Anders and Semmler?

Yeah. I think they are doing it really well and also meeting with these casters and being in that studio is really awesome. And also the production of WePlay is insane. Everything looks so good there. The hotel in Kiev, the stage. Everything is amazing.

Who would you say has taught you the most in your career?

I would say, two guys. First, I would say Dennis, Sycrone. In the last half a year, I learned a lot about CS from him and also about life in general. He's a really good friend to me and it's always nice to talk to him and he's a really kind guy. And if I have any problem, I can just message him and he will help me. He really taught me a lot. And the other one, I would say Flash from Hungary. He was a coach and I played with him in Salamander and in Budapest Five. He's also a really nice friend to me. And he's a really cool guy. He taught me the default of CS. We can say he taught me a lot in the Salamander era.

You're playing in the Pinnacle Fall Series 3 and the Malta Vibes Knockout Series 4. How do you feel going into the events?

There are some tough teams in the events, and there will be some close games. But I hope we will win.

MOUZ NXT is a team filled with the talent of the future. In a few years or even months in some cases, we may see these players stepping up to tier 1. After solidifying themselves as the best Academy team, they are now targeting the trophies at tier-2 events and cups. With promising names like Torzsi on the roster, the future looks bright for the NXT generation.

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