nem on mixing LAN: “You’re just playing for fun with a couple beers and a few mates”

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Top fragging duos have always been a cornerstone of CS, whether its Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Peter “device” Rasmussen or Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Denis “electroNic” Sharipov. UK CS is no stranger to powerful duos either with Sebastian “volt” Malos and Cai “CYPHER” Watson being the most recent example. Now that information has nothing to do with the two players in this interview, as Luke “nem” Mear and Joe “Dexie” Demmon definitely aren’t topfraggers, they aren’t well-known, and they haven’t teamed together in years, but… I have completely forgotten where I was going with this.

All jokes aside, UKCSGO’s Dafydd Gwynn sat down with experienced duo, nem and Dexie, to discuss why EPIC40 is extra special for their team and if either could ever be tempted to return to team CS.

Well just to get started obviously, this LAN is kind of special to you guys, you were telling me. Do you guys just kind of want to talk about that? 

nem: Yeah, so it’d be my last ever, EPIC.LAN or LAN probably in the UK, because I’m going off travelling. It’s been like probably my seven or eighth EPIC. But I’ve done like two or three Insomnias as well. And then yeah, it’s gonna be my last one with a bunch of mates, before I’m going off travelling to Thailand first and Bali, and living out there.

So how have you kind of found it playing on CS2? 

Dexie: I have quite bad internet home, so I struggle a lot to play online. But I have been enjoying it just again, like we kind of just mix. We’ll jump in games with a bunch of mates, we don’t really do the team CS stuff anymore. But I like the game, I like the new features like the nades in smokes, makes like a really interesting sort of turning point for the game. But yeah, outside of poor connection and lagging all the time. I think it’s good.

nem: No, I completely agree. I hate when people say that “oh it’s a rubbish game” and things like that, just grew up. It’s Counter Strike at the end of the day, like, it’s the same game. You’re just so used to playing Counter Strike: GO that over the last 10 years.

Have you been playing it much coming into this?

Dexie: So I think I’ve got like nine hours past two weeks.

nem: I’ve got 14, so like one hour a day.

Dexie: The only the only guy in our team who had a lot of games is BRQNX, and he had about 40 hours. But you know, like all the boys in our team, we’ve known for quite a while now. So it’s just kind of you, know, we will used to obviously compete so you don’t lose that aspect where you’re able to kind of you know, work off of one another comm well, and then kind of throw something together last minute. It’s just about you know, we’re here to have fun at the end of the day.

nem: A few beers at the same time.

You’ve been playing really well this LAN. Does the chemistry you built up from when you guys used to play together on Hypnotic help you now?

Dexie: Yeah, I think it was Flight Esports as well. But you Joe and BRQNX played in a team before that.

nem: Me, Joe and BRQNX played in the scene for about a year and a half together. Went through up through the ESEA Leagues.

So does that time does that help you now? Even though it’s a different game, do you think that chemistry is helping you kind of beat these these top teams? 

Dexie: Yeah, I think it’s more the point where, you know, we used to pug all the time. So we’re kind of familiar with it. We don’t have any hesitation when someone calls something and you know, having that sort of synergy as a team always will help you. Especially on LAN, like your reactions are everything. So just being able to trust someone saying, “Well, I’ve got an idea here” and we kind of just roll off of that. It’s good. And obviously, like you said earlier, CS2 is a very momentum based game. Once you get the ball rolling, you know, hype the boys up, keep kind of doing what’s working. You can pretty quickly snowball the game in your favour.

I have a question specific for dexie, back in the day, we’re talking about Endpoint Academy days, all the way back how much is the scene change from back then to now?

Dexie: I definitely don’t keep up to date with the scene now as I used to. Whenever I used to come to an EPIC.LAN kind of prior, I felt like I knew a lot more people. But the game just continues to advance you see a lot more, you know, impressive, talented players kind of coming up, well I won’t say out of nowhere, it’s just because where I don’t kind of keep in contact with, or keep up to date with it now.

But yeah, I think the scene is definitely developing you know, obviously Into the Breach in the majors huge for the UK scene. So that was fantastic to watch. You know, we’ve got a lot more teams kind of contending with the Endpoint main team now, it used to kind of be a very one sided dominant scene for them. Don’t quote me on scores but I think there was a UK team that managed to beat Endpoint the other week. It’s definitely looking probably one of the strong one of the stronger sides that we’ve seen in the scene at the minute, in terms of potential for us to kind of go above and beyond.

nem: I mean, I haven’t really kept up to the scene with the scene the but last year or so, there has been quite a few new faces that just popped up out of nowhere, but it’s the same thing as what Joe said.

For EPIC.LAN specifically, what’s your experience been like today compared to maybe when you used to come like more regularly?

dexie: I mean, I think back then when when I used to play team CS, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually come to EPIC.LAN in a team I think maybe like my last six or seven LANs have all been mixes. But when you used to come here in a team I think you were a lot more aware of who you’re competing against you kind of put that extra extra bit of work in to understand these guys are good on these maps and now coming in here in a mix. I think with the mix mentality you just have to think we can be anyone like it when you’re feeling it you just kind of kind of get that click together with everyone that you’re playing with, and you have to play with confidence and you know, kind of work work your advantages in the game. But yeah, I think that there’s really strong teams out there now. I know Arctic Raptors, especially are like a really good team.

I haven’t watched much of them play, but I know they’ve been getting good results lately. So K10, obviously a very good team as much as we did manage to scrape a victory off of them earlier. All the guys on there I know are really talented.

nem: So that’s the thing, is there’s no pressure with mixes. When you go into the team, you have the org behind you, the funding, you have all these people that expect you to win. When you’re a mix yeah you’ve got experience in the past, but then you’re just playing for fun with a couple beers and a few mates. And then beat them of course. A lot of it was also the mental game, you know, coming as a mix compared to as a team, they can really get into your heads because they have nothing to lose. You should be the ones winning. So yeah, just keep screaming at people. It’s great.

So I mean nem, this is kind of you you’ve mixed and played with so many players. But at this LAN, but also have found success, like just in the UK scene in general. When you kind of look, especially now that you’re going to be leaving, when you look at those players. Is it a sense of like pride and accomplishment or just kind of like happiness in their success? 

nem: Both. I’m proud of what I’ve done. I guess I haven’t really done a huge amount, I came third at EPIC twice. I guess that’s something third in the UK? Kind of, not really, but I’ve been watching a lot of my old teammates do very well like Gizmy for example, he was at the RMR. Then you have Vacancy too.

Yeah, just watching like, your old teammates do really well. It’s just sick. Especially when we were playing with playing with them, you kind of knew that they were gonna do well, you kind of watch what they do and there was something kind of special about them.

My last question is, you’re playing really well. Maybe you go even further. Is this tempting a return for either of you?

Dexie: Oh god.

nem: Flight’s booked!

Dexie: Yeah nems is gone, this is kind of like his last hurrah.

nem: Unless I come back in the Indonesian scene.

Dexie: I’ll come move out there with him. I think that time in my life has kind of past now. Obviously, with the academy during COVID I had a lot of free time, so I could kind of put in those hours outside of working full time. But nowadays, you know going to work every day. As much as I still have such a passion and love for CS. I just, I can’t work all day, come home prac all night and then kind of remove that aspect of any form of social life. But I’m always tempted, like CS2 is great. Maybe if I move somewhere with better internet I might consider it.

nem: What if you received an offer? What if Endpoint came to you? As a main AWPer?

Dexie: I doubt it. It’s always been for me if its something I could justify maybe justify paying my bills, then? Yeah, I’d do it. But for me, I don’t think I could ever sink as many hours into the game as I could during COVID. But who knows man if something ever did happen, I don’t think I put enough time in to justify a comeback, but I just enjoy playing the game for fun.

With the friends that you’ve made over the years, always kind of keeping tabs, you know meeting people at these events just kind of making my last appearance every time I come here and then come to the next one as well. Yeah, you know, it’s always fun.

Well, that’s all I have anything you guys want mention?

nem: I need more bullets!

boolets

Dexie: Top two LAN team maybe? Yeah, yes lad.