AMANEK Fit the Roles G2 Needed; Mistake to Force JACKZ - Reflections with Aleksib 2/3 - CSGO
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Published 2024-04-28
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Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen, former in-game leader of ENCE and OG Esports and currently of Natus Vincere, is the star of the 387th Episode of 'Reflections'. This episode is part two of three about Aleksib's career.
Aleksib's career began in his native Finnish scene and he was a member of an early ENCE roster as a relative nobody in 2016. With that line-up being broken apart he dominated Finnish CS for the following year with HAVU before a new look ENCE line-up, featuring names he had scouted, was assembled.
An early breakout event was ESL One Cologne 2018, where ENCE defeated the likes of NiP and MOUZ and played eventual winners Na'Vi close. After grinding up the placings of the medium sized and tier 1.5 events, ENCE then qualified for IEM Katowice and mounted one of the great underdog runs all the way to the final, where the mighty Astralis downed them.
In the rest of 2019, ENCE would prove themselves a top three to four team in the world. They won BLAST Miami, ending Astralis' almost-record-breaking nuke win-streak. They would rack up many more top placings like top four at cs_summit 4, 2nd at Dreamhack Masters Dallas and 2nd at IEM Chicago.
The Starladder Berlin major arrived with unusual circumstances as Aleksib knew, privately, he would be benched but was allowed to play with the team. They would make the play-offs, with him famously fragging out in the swiss phase, only to be defeated by Renegades in the quarter-finals. He was kicked from the team after the event.
Forming a new squad with NBK in OG Esports, there would be barely any LAN events before the team was forced to compete online like the rest of the world. Despite an underpowered roster, Aleksib was able to get OG a good ranking and some deep online finishes to establish himself as more than just an IGL of Finnish teams.
After the online era, Aleksi would receive an invitation to join G2 Esports, one of the world's biggest organisations. Despite early success, making the IEM Katowice 2022 final and almost winning it out of the gate, G2's results were too up and down. Failure to make the play-offs of the PGL Antwerp major, no deep finish at IEM Dallas and an underwhelming IEM Cologne run saw him kicked. A semi-final at a BLAST mixed in there hadn't been enough to keep his job.
Aleksib was soon picked by up NiP and would help them qualify for the IEM Rio 2022 major, though they couldn't make a deep run there. NiP was notorious for roster moves seemingly constantly, but a top four finish at BLAST Fall 2022 stood out as a positive note in an otherwise troubled period. The end in NiP came suddenly, as a top eight at IEM Rio 2023 and a near miss at making the BLAST Paris Major play-offs saw his time in the Swedish org come to an end.
Aleksi was recruited to a new international Na'Vi roster that he helped get second at ESL ProLeague S18, the last CS:GO LAN. s1mple then departed the line-up and was replaced by w0nderful. Despite some good match results and solid placings, few expected much in terms of trophies. Na'Vi shocked the world by winning PGL Copenhagen 2024, the first CS major.
In part two, Aleksib discusses ENCE's frustrations at not winning more trophies, how his time there came to an end, the forming of OG Esports, the star names of OG, joining G2, what NiKo is capable of, playing with baby m0NESY and the end of his time in G2.
This interview was recorded on the 18th of April, 2024.
► Time-line of topics discussed:
00:00 Close to winning LANs over the rest of the year
04:45 Claims behind why Aleksib got benched
09:01 Starladder Berlin major
12:54 ENCE messing up removing him?
19:39 Forming OG Esports
22:29 What if Jamppi could have played?
24:45 mantuu
30:00 How OG operated
36:49 NBK
43:02 valde
45:49 flameZ
48:51 Joining G2
58:22 IEM Katowice 2022
1:00:45 NiKo expectations
1:05:40 What is NiKo like in scrims?
1:07:13 Baby m0NESY
1:09:44 End of run in G2
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#Aleksib #JACKZ #Thorin
All Comments (21)
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Aleksi talking about bad communication in ENCE and the solution being to lock them in a sauna is the most Finnish thing I've heard
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Aleksi "The Thing Is" Virolainen is legendary IGL from finland. He is most famously known for calling mad strats like "Go A but go B". Absolute legend.
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I can listen to Aleksib forever
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I love how he mentions our egos want to force outcomes by overthinking under pressure, and end up ruining it. It's such a common recurring problem.
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Thorin " If people don't know " Shields
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Great interview until now. Letting Aleksi speak a lot and asking the important questions. I love how much tought Aleksi puts into the game/CS lifestyle. Fan forever :)
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Invite Jks it would be good episode , i think everyone wants to hear his point of view on geting benched at g2!!
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24:45 I remember when Mantuu during the OG times was asked what his favourite map was and his answer was: "Mirage". When asked why, he said: "Because it's Aleksib's favourite map". This interview brings a tear into my eye because it showed how genuinely loyal and selfless of a teammate Mantuu was to Aleksib and the original OG lineup. Don't either forget how much he struggled with his wrist injury but still managed to play at a high level. He got way too much slack for the lack of OG's success.
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I see aleksib i watched
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Left all the Ninja shit for the finale. I swear it's going to be an absolute banger.
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Aleksib feels and thinks a lot, that's why he's the goat
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First we give them the siima, then we pull the matto alta.
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hope he asks him why Aleksi is so good against his former teams
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His thoughts on losing his mind in G2 resonates with my soul in multiple ways. Amazing interview!
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Thorin's interviews are on another level. Great watch! Thanks
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Part two and I already feel like this is one of the best reflections in a while.
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Banger time!
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Part 3 Aleksi exposing NIP and talking about winning the major? AleksiBros… I am shaking… talk to me here
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Damn he looks good :D
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Loved his comments on G2, it looked as uncomfortable as described. What a shame/missed opportunity by the management.
