“keep working hard and fighting hard”

HLTV talks to Tarik “tarik” Celik after Cloud9’s 2-0 win over BIG in the DreamHack Open Denver final to discuss the entire tournament and the new roster.

Jake “Stewie2K” Yip was the highest rated player at DreamHack Open Denver, but it was the team’s credit when it came to the win over BIG – all members had positive stats. Tarik contributed to the match thanks to his ‘call’ ability that helped Cloud9 secure the championship.

This is Cloud9’s first LAN win since the last America’s Minor, how does it feel to take home the DreamHack Open Denver trophy?

It feels great, it’s an important tournament that we have to win. Since the team has prepared well, Cloud9 has a high chance to win, this tournament will be a stepping stone for us to look forward to the next tournaments.

BIG gave Cloud9 a bit of a hard time on their map pick Cache, but couldn’t stand it on Train – what do you think of the opposing team?

BIG is a strong team, I want to celebrate this. Cache was pretty tight, we made a few mistakes. I don’t remember how many eco rounds I lost, but at least 1. Personally, I was pretty bad at Cache, but the rest of the team did well. Kudos to my teammates, I’m proud of them because everyone did a great job. Things could have ended differently, especially the Cache, and after that no one can tell. I’m just glad I was able to win that map.

Speaking of ESL One New York, his team looked good, but hit the FaZe barrier. What do you think about their current form?

FaZe is very scary right now, they are a team that everyone has to ‘sweat’ when they meet. FaZe shoots extremely well, and moreover they play very well as a team, which is the most terrifying thing. You’d think a team of five superstars wouldn’t get along, but Finn “karrigan” Anderson seems to be doing a good job of bringing everyone together, and making sure the members are all up to the task. I really admire him, because I feel that karrigan does a great job in creating a good system for his team, which is what I want to do with Cloud9.

Can you talk about your transition to an in-game leading (IGL) role?

IGL can be quite tiring sometimes. This role has many strengths and weaknesses, sometimes it can be overwhelming. There is a lot of criticism and a heavy burden on the shoulders. I gradually got used to this job – it was a process, and will continue to be. I think I can do anything as long as my teammates believe in me. Ultimately, what I want is to fulfill my responsibility to the team. So if I need to do IGL, I do IGL. But if I need to do something else, I’ll do it. I just want to win.

Jake “Stewie2K” Yip is in great shape at the event, he talked about the difficulties when this new roster arrived. Did you put him in a position, or did Stewie2K become more relaxed?

I think he’s become more comfortable, Stewie2K is trying to understand the system we have. At first, it was just me trying to make this system work and also using [hệ thống trước đó của Cloud9] same time. So people started to understand the plan we were going to use in the matches. But once he becomes comfortable, he’s like ‘on mode’, no one can stop him. Stewie2K is very important to the team, because once Stewie2K “turns into beast”, the opponent will have to struggle a lot.

Team coach Soham “valens” Chowhury was unable to attend the event for personal reasons. Do you feel any difference when valens is here or not?

Yeah, it’s too bad Valens wasn’t here to see our first LAN win. He tried his best to help us from afar, but I wish valens were here, I feel this will help us a lot. I’m sure he was disappointed that he couldn’t come here.

Looking ahead, Cloud9 has the iBUYPOWER Masters, IEM Oakdland, and Major Qualifer. How will he keep his form before these tournaments?

Like I said, this is an important win for the members, it gives us confidence. I feel that when everyone enters the iBUYPOWER tournament, the members will be very happy because of this championship. I think we will make a lot of impact in the upcoming tournaments, and I’m looking forward to seeing the next opponents. We just have to keep working hard and fighting hard.

Source: hltv