For Dan "apEX" Madesclaire, the team’s IGL, this tournament is the perfect testing ground for JACKZ, who is currently without a team. He spoke with HLTV in an interview after the match with MOUZ and had many positive things about JACKZ and how well he’s been assimilating into the team. With their next game against G2 Esports, the #2 team in the world, apEX looks quite confident going into the match with a stand-in like JACKZ.
When asked about how the team has been performing so well and whether or not it’s because of the pressure-relief that comes from having a stand-in, apEX said
I don't think so, to be honest. I don't think it's about that. Maybe, but I don't see it [that way]. Let's be honest, this second part of the year we could have won, like, three tournaments already. We could be with NAVI fighting. But we lose those close games all the time, and that really hurts.
We haven't found a solution to win those close games yet. I think we have probably lost 80 percent of those games this year. That's really painful. We know we're playing with a stand-in, but I told my teammates I don't really care about it. I know what we're capable of, and with the team we have, with the players we have, we can win tournaments with a stand-in as well.
When asked about his personal performance and how it has been on the lower side so far, apEX said
I think I want to do really well, and sometimes I have to explain things to JACKZ on the fly. I want to give him some freedom, but I want him to feel really well, also individually. That's why I prefer sacrificing myself for him. It's not easy, that's for sure. I have not been playing that well, except maybe that last map. I'm not satisfied with myself. Far from that.
I know I can do much better, mostly on the CT side because I have good positions and I know people criticize me a lot for my positions. But when you look at some maps, we have really good CT sides where I play the star player. I may not have the best stats but we are really good on some CT sides. So that's what matters to me, and stepping up a bit would be nice for the next games.
When asked about what it has been like playing with JACKZ, apEX said
Well, it's HLTV people or analysts, most of them don't know CS. I really know him, so it's a lot different. Of course, what he showed with TSM or whatever wasn't that good. He has a bit of the same problem as mezii. He's okay to do everything. He's okay to be a bitch in some way and let the others shine, but he doesn't understand that he needs also things for himself. mezii is a bit the same. He has never created any problems in the team but he's not thinking enough about himself sometimes and doesn't want to make moves or whatever.
So for Jacky, I know him really well, I just try to use him the way he likes to play. And he's really fearless. He has a sick aim, I swear. His aim is really sick, the way he shoots, etc. Maybe sometimes, in some roles, he doesn't have the right understanding, because he played some different roles on T side, playing on the sides, etc., and not in the pack. So I'm trying to move him more now and trying sometimes to tell him to go and take his spot, etc., for him to shine.
When asked about his expectations from G2 Esports going into the semi-finals, apEX said
Well, I'm not going to lie, we should have won this game. We were 12-9 up. There is a round I pushed underground on Mirage, I remember, we know it's A, we lose the round. Bad stuff. They deserved the win because we couldn't finish a close game. So I think it's going to be a tough one for both teams. I don't know what's going to happen. It's always the same. They have sick individuals. We have sick individuals. It's also about who shows up on the day. Last time, NiKo showed up, malbs showed up, and we didn't show up that well. Except for ZywOo, maybe, and maybe flameZ.
But yeah, we need to have more players tomorrow to be good. I need to step up as well. And even though I told you the opposite, try to play without pressure. We just enjoy it here with JACKZ. I really enjoy playing with him. He's such a good guy, and he gives… While mezii is way calmer, this guy is way crazier, he creates a really good vibe in the team, and as a stand-in he just wants to do so well. After two-and-a-half years — I think his last stage was probably BLAST Spring in Lisbon — he really wants to show he's still capable. I really want to beat them because it's his old team and because I want to show the world that he's still a great player.
