syrsoN: I’m not at the level that I was back in the day
In an interview with Pley.gg, Florian "syrsoN" Rische discusses his lacklustre return to BIG and also why he decided to leave the German organization last summer.
Florian “syrsoN” Rische is back in BIG after a mediocre stay at 00Nation that only lasted six months. Despite showing a fine individual form in the international project, syrsoN has struggled heavily to find individual impact on the server in his second endeavor on BIG.
A 0.99 Rating in 32 maps is what the German AWPer has posted so far, and the 28-year-old veteran also admits that he’s currently not at the same strength as in his heydays.
- I haven’t had the best games since I returned to BIG, for sure. I’m not at the level that I was back in the day. But I’m working on my individual level and I’m putting in a lot of hours to get back to the level that I know I can be, syrsoN stated when speaking to Pley.gg on the media day at ESL Pro League this week.
Needs to be mentally stronger
In our talk with syrsoN, he pinpoints why he has struggled on the server since he Johannes “tabseN” and company back in February, with one thing standing out - his mentality.
- I need to be mentally stronger. Because right now you’re missing a lot of shots in CS2 because people are really fast, so I just need to accept that. Or find a better angle or a better groove in the game. The mental side is the most important in CS, I would say. I’m also working with a sports psychologist, who’s helping me a lot.
- I know what I’m capable of and what I can bring to the server, and I don’t care about not being mentioned as one of the best AWPers right now. For sure, CS2 is different than CS:GO – everything is a little bit faster now so I don’t think I’m the only AWPer who has some issues. I need to feel more comfortable and confident in CS2, syrsoN says to Pley.gg.
Miss playing tier-1
It’s no secret that it has been a deep desire for syrsoN to return to the biggest stage of Counter-Strike again, he explains. Especially facing the elite within the game at LAN tournaments, which was something he couldn’t get that much at 00Nation.
syrsoN even goes the length and says that he regrets stepping down from BIG last year.
- It feels great to be back in BIG. Because I have missed playing in the tier-1 scene and going up against the best teams. I’m really happy to be back in the tier-1 scene playing all the good tournaments and trying to show a good level of CS. In the end, I will say I regret leaving BIG last year. It was not an easy time after I left because I was in 00Nation and that was not the best time for me.
Why did you decide to leave BIG last year?
- I felt a bit exhausted, to be honest. I also wanted to improve as a player and get a different view of the game. That was what I thought would make me a better player because I also wanted to see how other players and teams see Counter-Strike. Because I had been at BIG for three years and before that Sprout for two years, where I have been playing with Germans. I wanted to try playing in an international team to improve as a player and get a different view of the game. There were also other reasons for why I decided to leave BIG but I don’t want to go into detail about that.
syrsoN and BIG's campaign at ESL Pro League Season 19 in Malta has already begun with the Germans winning their first group stage match against BOSS yesterday. Today they will take on the reigning Major winners from NAVI.
