ESL Prem

Into the Breach are already history makers, but can they take it a step further? Thomas “Thomas” Utting and company could become the first ever British team to win a game at a Major, or win two games at a Major, or even make it on the big stage. The opportunities are endless.

UKCSGO spoke to Thomas on media day to discuss their preparation, causing an upset, and how he expected Into the Breach to perform.

How did you find the prep coming into this coming into this major?

We did a boot camp for 11 days in Stuttgart, Germany at the elite camp. We practiced and also played in Brazy [Party] where, to be honest, I think we put up a pretty decent performance. We beat Pain and we beat 00Nation quite easily apart from Overpass. But to be honest, I think that we’ve been prepping very hard for the major and making sure that everything’s going to go well, so I hope the guys can just focus and pull it off.

Speaking to CRUC1AL, he was saying a big part of it is you need to be quite unexpected against these big teams. Have you made any changes in calling?

So, I’m still learning about with the whole calling situation. I think it’s a very hard thing, but I have definitely been improving over the last couple of weeks since we qualified for sure. I don’t necessarily think that we are going to change much of our style, but like we are a very nitty gritty team.

I think no matter what team we play against, we can make the game and we’ll be playing some really scrappy ways which I expect, but I think my team and/ or my players, they’re very used to this scrappy type of style. I think that the tier one teams, they’re not used to it.

Unless they’re listening, then you are gonna not do that and they should not expect that what so ever.

Yes, a hundred percent.

You mention the scrappy plays, are you relying on any individuals to come up big?

No, I think right now we are just playing as a core essentially because instead of playing the super heavy structured style of CS, I’m giving opportunities to my players. You know, if they’re in a position, I’m able to call around that and pretty much like play off individuals in my team, which I think has started really showing like dividends recently. I hope that the duels go our way during the major. But we have no expectations, you know, if we go 0-3, we go 0-3. Everyone could be putting it on their Pick’Ems, it doesn’t really bother us. Like we are just here to do our best, play with passion and heart, this is the last CS:GO major.

Where have you put yourself in your Pick’Ems?

I’ve put us to go through, I do believe, if the Lord lets us line it up properly, we definitely have a shot at going through the Legends stage, especially with Apeks first game, I think they’re going be a very difficult game for us actually, in comparison to like potentially us playing someone like Vitality. I think Apeks is a much harder team for us.

Why is that?

Because they’re very structurally like sound, but they’re used to, also, a similar nitty gritty style of CS. But you know, last time we played them, we won on Mirage, so we’ll see what happens.

A lot of UK people have come out the woodwork and you’ve now got this massive fan base all of a sudden; we did a giveaway of a jersey recently and we got like 300 comments of people asking for the jersey. This is kind of unprecedented for the UK.

To be honest, I think that the UK’s always lacked a team. Like previously, it was Endpoint but, I think they lost all of their character, they had personality, they had a team, which you know, people liked. Right now I think that it’s sort of just stagnated, because for UKCS Endpoint were the top dogs. But my team, you know, we have a lot of personalities, we might not be playing the best CS in comparison to tier one teams, but in my opinion, you cannot play tier one CS against tier one teams. You just got to play your own style. Very similar to like Bad News Eagles who stick to their style. It’s gonna work or it’s not gonna work.

Let’s talk about the most important thing, right? ESL Premiership is just around the corner, you think you’re gonna win it?

Well, we should win it. I don’t think the other side of the groups looking too good with, I think Endpoint are 2-2 at the moment, which is a shocking thing to me actually. But you know, they’ve always relied on me to stand in. I’ve always been there for them you know, I haven’t charged them or anything. I did it out of my appreciation to Max, Kia, Pete, Adz and the team. I just feel like at the moment they’re in a rut and I don’t know what they do with that situation. They made their first mistake by maybe leaving the UK, but at the same time it paid off of with Nertz and flameZ and BOROS well, not so much BOROS, but he’s an insane player.

I think they just need to get some personality, some ‘oomph’, some grinding attitude back, and to have fun, I think that’s what they lack at the moment, maybe. I hope they do great, but not in ESL Premiership. I want to take that trophy and me and Joey (CRUC1AL) will continue our win streaks.

Wouldn’t you want to win it over them though?

Oh, of course yeah. I would love to beat them in the final, but it would be a sad day for Endpoint because they would lose the last thing they’re holding onto the UK team with, and by two Endpoint players who have won a majority of their trophies with them.