NRG beat MOUZ 2-1 in the opening match of StarLadder StarSeries Fall, HLTV reported. The upset earned NRG 129 VRS points, which HLTV noted improves its ranking as the race for Major qualification picks up.
Speaking to HLTV after the series, Michael "Grim" Wince called the result "a great win for us, and much needed for everyone's confidence." He described the VRS points as a significant help to NRG's Major chances and said he believed MOUZ sat in the top two of the rankings at the time.
Obviously, we can't just assume we're on the top of the world now. We need to keep grinding and keep beating teams.
Inferno and Dust2
Grim said Inferno had been the one map NRG went undefeated on in scrims during its recent month of practice in North America, but that the team had not really been tested on it there, and that it needs to review what it could do differently against top European teams on the map.
On Dust2, Grim said NRG's first half should have been 11-1, pointing to three clutch rounds his team lost and saying only one round late in the half was lost outright. He said the team kept telling itself it was the better side and that MOUZ were only winning rounds through clutches.
Reunited with hallzerk
The series was also an early result for Grim's reunion with hallzerk, his former Complexity teammate. Grim said the situation at Complexity "sucks," and told HLTV that he pitched hallzerk to NRG as a player who could elevate the team, calling him a great teammate who brings energy and positivity. He said the team had limited practice at first and was eliminated at the EWC Open Qualifier, but that the extra practice since then had paid off with the win over MOUZ.
Asked about his goals for the rest of StarSeries Fall, Grim said NRG was taking the event game by game. He called the MOUZ result probably the best win the team could have gotten at the tournament, reasoning that if NRG could beat MOUZ, it could beat any team in the field.
