“I really look towards perfection,” G2 mimi on being such a respected player

Michaela "mimi" Lintrup and G2 Gozen are at the top of the Game Changers scene. A world champion in 2022, she and her squad have been itching to lift a second trophy. They'll have to win a hard Lower Final to even have that chance, however, having lost to Shopify Rebellion in the Upper Final.

Both maps went to overtime in an exciting contest. And following the series, esports.gg spoke with mimi. We discussed the match that took place, her taking on the weight off the loss for her teammates, and how she views herself when it comes to being so many players' role model.

"I’m always interested in the differing opinions of pro players when it comes to momentum. First, do you believe momentum exists?"

mimi: "Yeah, absolutely <laughs>."

"Well, both of the maps were extremely close in the end. Do you feel like there was a moment where either team gained any momentum throughout?"

mimi: "I feel like we kind of gained back slight momentum on Abyss when Vania clutched the 1v2 eco we had. And, you know, just getting that first round on the board, we kind of felt like, 'Oh, okay, we can do it. We're back.'"

"On Abyss, you forced OT. On Haven, Shopify was the one to bring it to OT. Do you find it more difficult as the team that had the lead before it went to overtime, or as the team that fought back into it?"

mimi: "I actually think that, if you're hitting, let's say it's 12:10 and you're the team that had 12. Then I think it is honestly better being the one that comes back to the 12:12. Yeah, the comebacker."

"After the match, you immediately tweeted that you were sorry to your teammates for your performance. Looking back, what would you say went wrong for you personally during the series?"

mimi: "I mean, sometimes I'm a bit hard on myself. I think having the role I do in game, it's hard to accept. Okay, I wouldn't say it's hard to accept that you're not the hard fragger, but you will automatically always be kind of in the bottom playing the KAY/O and the Breach.

"Because you're the one hard supporting the team. And sometimes, you will not be on the side where things are happening and you're going into a retake scenario, and then it will show on the stats. I should care less about stats and I'm also thinking about the fact that I was the one calling the last round on Abyss, making us lose ultimately.

"And, you know, these kind of gambles sometimes were not in my favor. And then obviously I just feel that I'm the guilty one, but I prefer that I am the one having this on me, rather than anyone else thinking that's the case. Because I know I will bounce back and I will have a full reset for the game tomorrow."

"And that perfectly leads right into my next question. Do you carry that weight a bit more as the leader and a veteran of this team? Or is that just you as a person, and you’d feel this way regardless of your position or role?"

mimi: "I prefer that I'm the one carrying the weight. Mainly because I know what I'm capable of mentally. You're not always sure how anyone else would be able to deal with it. So, I prefer it to be more than anyone."

"So, after doing this for as long as you have, does a loss like this still sting as much as it did before you became a world champion?"

mimi: "I mean, losses always suck, but as long as you're not out of the tournament, I don't think you should be thinking too hard about it. It's just about finding what actually went wrong today and making sure it's not happening tomorrow.

"Learning from the mistakes rather than repeating them. It's the ultimate thing as a competitor and I think that is what really also makes a difference from an average player and a good player."

"Looking back so quickly after the series has ended then, is there anything you can think of that would have given you the win if it went differently?"

mimi: "Our start on Abyss, we would've definitely been able to hit a 1:1 to make the decider on Sunset. We're a good Sunset team. And for Haven, the same. It was really small things like being in 5v3 situations and then getting fully traded, going into a 2v2 retake or having some whoopsie. Whiffs or something like that. It was really what lost us Haven today. And if we just played 2% better, it would've been our game."

"And is there anything in particular that just felt different about SR this year, having faced them before, and having faced meL and alexis even prior to that?"

mimi: "I don't think anything felt particularly different at all. I think they're great team as always. They have always been the favorites of every tournament they have gone into, so, whatever team plays them, they're always so excited.

"Because they know that it's going to be a good game for the team to play against them. But I mean, I don't think that they're changing anything specifically to be any kind of different this year. I'm sure that whatever they worked on is just to be a better team rather than anything else."

"Well, you’re not out yet. You have another match with a chance to still make the Grand Final. Are there any thoughts of getting revenge against Shopify lingering, or are you able to fully focus on the opponent to come?"

mimi: "First of all, what we are going to focus on is tomorrow's game and that's not going to be Shopify, no matter what. So they're out of our thoughts for now. And then we have to figure out if its Xipto or MIBR. We need to make sure that we beat them first. And yeah, that's just the main focus."

"Lastly, you have so many players that look up to you here. You’ve beaten some, you’ve been beaten by some. We’ve heard about their respect for you and why. I’d like to ask you what you think about yourself. What about mimi has earned that respect and shaped you into that role model for so many in the Game Changers scene?"

mimi: "That is not a simple question. I think I'm the kind of player who never gives up. I'm a very picky player, meaning that if I see something I don't like, I will fix it. I will not accept failure. I will not accept losses.

"I mean, I will accept them, but I will learn from them. And, you know, I really look towards perfection sometimes, and that can be a good and a bad thing. But I think having this kind of way of thinking in VALORANT has been a very good thing for me."

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