The best-of-three grand final was quite intense as UNPAID started off strong, winning on their map pick Mirage, only for Nemiga to bounce back on the subsequent two maps, Ancient and Anubis, closing out the tournament. With Nemiga ranked 31 in the world, their chances of winning the upcoming RMR are realistic, something that Xant3r also discussed in a post-match interview with HLTV.
When asked about what winning both Nemiga’s first CS LAN and qualifying for EPL on the same day felt like, Xant3r said
I feel great but really exhausted, because there was a long day. We couldn’t even really rejoice because we were very tired. I’m very happy about the win, and also that we made it to EPL. It’s a great day for all of our careers. We were winning despite the long day because we’ve run out of energy. We were just trying to take the game as responsibly as we could because we knew that this was the last one. I also want to thank the admins who allowed us to finish the EPL game because it was a very important game.
When asked about what the team did differently this time around to best so many strong teams including UNPAID, Xant3r said
We were going to this LAN with the understanding that there’s no team that is way better than us, all teams are about the same level, so one way or another we can win against them. But the strongest opponent was Sangal, not sure why. Maybe they adjust well. We couldn’t win against them twice, both at this event and at EPL. But it didn’t prevent us from reaching the final and winning the event.
We knew they [UNPAID] had two changes. And we especially felt it on Mirage, because it’s a very puggy map, everyone plays it on FACEIT and in matchmaking. So we knew it would be tough on Mirage, and so we didn’t get upset over losing it there. We just told each other: it’s a mix, it’s a Mirage, it’s okay. Now we’re going to beat them.
When asked about zweih, the team newest addition, and how he performed across the tournament, Xant3r said
I call him "maloy" [kid] within the team. He’s very young but very promising as well. He shoots and understands the game very well. He just needs a little more experience which he will get with time. I think he has a great career ahead of him.
When asked about the upcoming RMR and the fact that he went up against fellow Russian players to get there, Xant3r said
This LAN, as well as EPL qualification, give us a lot of confidence, both individually and as a team. So I think it will be great at the RMR and we have all the chances to make it to the Major. I’ve played for Insilio for two years. And when I saw the matchup against Insilio, I knew that we would win against them, but I would be very upset that they wouldn’t make it. So after the game, I messaged every one of them to whom I still talk and wished them luck. I’m quite good with the guys, but I’ve had no choice: I had to win and go to the RMR.
