alex on EPIC.LAN 45: “We came here with one goal: winning the event”

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Iberian Soul came into EPIC.LAN 45 as the favourites to win it all. Utilising the help of British AWPer Owen “smooya” Butterfield, the Spaniards sat 41th in the world, and 27th in Europe. Now, after they claimed the EPIC.LAN 45 trophy, they sit 35th in the world, and 24th in Europe.

It wasn’t a flawless run, however, as the young Danish side AaB upset them in the upper bracket finals and forced them to take the long path to the finals. Despite losing to them at the end of play on Saturday, Iberian Soul didn’t miss a beat on Sunday as they only lost 11 rounds across the series.

After their win against AaB, the IGL of Iberian Soul, Alejandro “alex” Masanet, sat down with UKCSGO to talk about their event, his time on NIP, and the future for the orgless squad.

Congratulations on winning EPIC.LAN 45. How does this win feel?

It is actually insane for us. Every single event is important, and this was super important for VRS points. We came here with one goal: winning the event. We achieved that, so we are super happy.

Would anything but a win have been a failure for you guys?

Yeah, we were playing with smooya as a stand-in, but he had a really good event, and I am so happy for him also. Apart from that, we were the favourites, and if we had lost the event, an important game here, it would have been hard for the team, not the best.

You lost to AaB on Saturday evening. What changed between that game and the finals, as it seemed like a completely different game?

I don’t think anything changed. Yesterday we were a little bit tired and we didn’t have the best communication. Today, we were so focused since the beginning of the game, and we didn’t want to lose to them again. That was the vision.

You mentioned playing with smooya as a stand-in. You have played with three AWPers in three weeks, but still playing at a high level. How have you kept that form?

We have been doing a really good job in terms of tactics, and it is easy for them to adapt to our style. That is the key to everything.

We have had amazing stand-ins, phzy and smooya, before playing with stadodo for six months. At first, it is hard for them to understand everything, so we try to make it as easy as possible for them.

You played on NIP for over a year; now you have returned to your regional scene. What was the reason you decided not to pursue another international roster?

Even if I had some offers internationally, I am really happy to play with my friends and my teammates. We all want to win, and we want to prove that we are ready to win and compete at the top.

I think that is the reason why. They are really good, we have great chemistry, and everything will come with time.

How have you changed as an IGL and as a player from your time at NIP?

I have learnt many things with NIP. We failed a lot, and I failed a lot. I didn’t have much experience with an international team. I have learnt that everything is possible.

I had really good players on NIP, but we couldn’t win and achieve the goals that we spoke about. Now I think we are more realistic and know what we have to do to win.

When you came back to Iberian Soul, it is fair to say they were struggling. Now you guys are a top 30 team. What has changed with these players?

It is hard to say, to be honest. Like I said before, we know each other and we know how to work. We have been at the top together, and we know what we have to do to be on top again. That is it, I think.

What does the future look like for Iberian Soul? 

For us, this year is going to be about grabbing experience, playing in tournaments, and winning points. After we get those points and are able to join Tier-1 tournaments, we need to get that experience.

I think it is basically grab experience, play, play, and next year we will try to compete against the best teams.