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BanKs’ favourite Counter-Strike players to interview

Articles
Oct 30 2024
448 views 15 mins read

I am incredibly lucky to get to talk Counter-Strike with the best players in the world, get to know them, and find out how they tick… while also having the opportunity to ask them anything I want about the game!

Over the years, I have done many interviews with players at different points in their careers—from rookies just starting out on MOUZ NXT or NAVI Junior back in the WePlay Academy League to champions lifting their first major trophy, or the very sad and emotional exit interviews when they have to bow out of the tournament, perhaps with their dreams crushed.

A question I am often asked is who my favorite player to interview is, and I can NEVER say just one name… so I wanted to talk about some of my favorite players to interview and why.

What I will be looking at with each player on this list is how they handle different situations and interviews, how much insight they give, how open they are, and what I think makes them a great player to interview.

Before I start my list of favorite players to interview, I want to say this was the most difficult list to put together—way more difficult than I expected, even compared to a tier list. I believe it’s because I have been blessed to interview so many players across multiple years. With that being said, just because I didn’t include a player on this list does not mean I don’t enjoy interviewing them; there are simply too many to name. So here are some of my favorites in the game right now!

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač

Nikola "NiKo" Kovač

The best rifler in the game, the legend without his Major, and a man who always wears his heart on his sleeve, showing his passion in full. Interviewing NiKo rarely disappoints; I might choose to interview him at the start of an event or during a particularly tough or emotional matchup because he isn’t afraid to share his thoughts and feelings and often goes into further detail with me.

NiKo has never been scared to speak his mind, whether it’s on the team’s performance, new changes coming to the team, or whether his performance is good enough at the moment. There isn’t a topic that NiKo won’t discuss, and I genuinely feel like I’m getting honest answers from him. Even if I may not agree with him, he is always going to share his perspective and what he thinks, which is fantastic for me.

This is a player who faces a high level of pressure from all sides—fans, the organization, and his own goals. Yet even in an exit interview, he steps up and does it for his team. These interviews are very difficult for players; they need to remain composed, even when emotions are running high. NiKo always handles them well and is often willing to take on the harder exit interview questions that I might throw at him. The recent interview with NiKo and the table incident was hilarious as well; he took everything in stride in that moment.

Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen

Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen

The current NAVI captain has always been one of the players I could rely on for a very in-depth, fully explained interview, no matter what team he’s been on. From his ENCE days until now, Aleksib has been able to articulate himself and provide details in his interviews with me.

One of the things that impresses me most is the amount of details that he can remember from a game. People often say to me, ask more specific questions, ask more about a particular round or thing that happened in the game…you have to remember most players can’t remember exactly what happened in round 10 after playing a whole series but Aleksib is one of the players who seemingly remembers almost everything.

If I were to ask Aleksib why they were struggling at the start, what wasn’t working, and what changed in round 6, he could provide a fantastic breakdown of what happened, offering incredible insight.

Aleksib also has that very Finnish manner of speaking directly and confidently, presenting the truth. What’s really smart about him is that he knows how to do this tactfully, without speaking ill of his opponents or teammates. He explains the problems, tells the truth, but doesn’t throw anyone under the bus—such a valuable quality in interviews.

Aleksib also never declines interviews; even after a tough loss, he steps up like a real captain and does it regardless. Personally, I think all IGLs should be the ones to take the exit interview. It should be their responsibility, even when it’s painful. Great leaders don’t shy away from it. The only time I didn’t get to interview Aleksib was recently when NAVI won IEM Rio. At the time, I didn’t know why he declined, but I will always respect a player’s choice. Later, we learned he was grieving the loss of a close person, and that’s something we can all understand for sure.

Dan “apEX” Madesclaire

Dan "apEX" Madesclaire

We all know and love apEX for his emotions, the different faces he shows, and how he reacts to things in the game. Just as you guys enjoy that, I enjoy the interviews with apEX… especially since I never know what I am going to get.

For me, interviewing apEX is always a coin flip, but in a good way. I never know what I’m going to get. The mood of apEX before a game can tell me a lot—sometimes just as much as he tells me in an interview.

The thing I love most about an apEX interview is how reflective he is, not just about his team but also himself. apEX has no problem admitting when he didn’t play well or didn’t lead well tactically. He understands when he’s at fault and takes all the fire away from his team because sometimes what we see isn’t the full picture.

There are times after a really good game or a crazy fast game where you can feel the energy from him, and then he just talks and talks. In defeat, we often get the reflective apEX I mentioned earlier. One memorable time was when Vitality still had their full French roster; it was the BLAST Premier World Finals 2021 and their final event before Vitality went international. They lost again to NAVI, and he started crying when talking about his teammates, expressing how much he would miss them and the respect he has for them all. I love that about apEX—for showing that, for expressing himself, and never hiding what this game means to him.

Another little thing to add, even outside of interviews with him, is that he’ll sometimes randomly jump in on my interviews with his teammates, make faces in the background, or start dancing around. He can bring fun and passion to an interview even when I’m not talking directly to him.

Casper “cadiaN” Møller

Casper "cadiaN" Møller

Love him or hate him, this is a man who understands how to entertain; he knows how to play the bad guy, and yet many of those haters have turned into his fans. As we witness the times change around him, with Astralis’s decline and Heroic’s rise under cadiaN, and now his move to Astralis, it’s a wild time.

I love cadiaN. All the fire and energy you see on your screens are just the same in interviews. Every time I see him, he smiles, fist bumps—even with the staff—and he never declines an interview. Whether it’s after a loss or early in the morning before a match, cadiaN will always step up for the interview.

cadiaN is the type of player who gives you a lot but also has a plan for what he wants to convey in the interview. He’ll provide great information and detail, but he’ll tell you directly if he won’t say anything more on a particular topic or if he can’t discuss it, which I always respect.

Currently, in arenas, he has mastered the crowd, even making them fans of his. When Heroic first appeared in arenas, they were disliked by the crowd, especially in Denmark, largely due to the scandals around the coaching bug. But cadiaN smiled through it all, spoke to these detractors through interviews and on stage, and won them over with his charisma and style. Even in defeat, he would give huge respect to his opponents, always praising and thanking the crowd for their presence.

cadiaN shows his emotions in and out of the game. I’ve been there and had to hug him after the Rio Major loss, with tears in his eyes. He still stood strong and did the exit interview despite losing the Major that everyone expected to be in their hands. I don’t think, after that particular loss, any other player on his team could have done that, and he didn’t even ask for time to think or reset—he just did it.

What’s most impressive about cadiaN in interviews is his growth as a player. As he has rebuilt his career, you can see how he’s changed in interviews and how he tells his story. Sometimes, during interviews or on stage, he’ll even take the microphone and speak directly to the crowd. This is a smart move and a key reason he’s won over so many fans. He doesn’t just speak to me or the camera; multiple times, he has ended interviews by talking directly to the fans, delivering his message from his heart to theirs.

Andrij “B1ad3” Ghorodensjkyj

Andrij "B1ad3" Ghorodensjkyj

The mastermind, the genius. B1ad3 has been doing this for many years and is a real straight shooter, always honest and saying what he thinks and what he sees as true.

B1ad3 is a man who loves to learn, and he is highly intelligent—not only about Counter-Strike but about the world. His English has been at a good level for a long time, and interviews with him are some of my favorites of all time, as long as you ask him the right questions.

I used to ask him more open questions than specific ones and realized I wasn’t getting much out of him. But when I started being more specific and direct, he responded with huge detail and insight about exactly what he thought on almost any topic (within reason).

A long time ago, I remember one producer always saying to me, “Do not interview B1ad3. It is good but too long for us to show on broadcast.” I hated that personally, but I understood they had their timings. I remember adjusting from 4-5 questions to 2-3 for B1ad3, depending on how long he would take to answer. The value he can add with the right questions is huge, which is why it’s all about the right timing and right questions with B1ad3.

At the beginning of the new international NAVI team, he was incredible due to his understanding and the expectations he had for the team and what he wanted to share. Analysts and others were quick to say it wouldn’t work or that they needed quick success because it’s NAVI. But B1ad3 said he needed six months and then he would understand. He knew the exact timeline and what he expected from his team. After event performances, he even admitted that the Major was an overperformance compared to his expectations and that they still have a lot of work to do.

He didn’t try to fake it and say it was what he expected; he gave the details and understanding of what the team did and went through, and he still does that now as the team progresses. Even if they win every event, B1ad3 will find things they did wrong and what they need to work on—that is his way. His very honest and open way, which is never meant badly.

There was an interview I didn’t conduct, but B1ad3 was asked about s1mple returning to Counter-Strike. B1ad3 had already made it clear that for the current season, s1mple wouldn’t come back to NAVI. He suggested s1mple “start playing online tournaments with tier 3 teams to get back into the swing of things.” Many people overreacted to this, but it was just his honest answer and opinion—not that s1mple should join a tier 3 team, but that he needs to feel the game and get into that mindset again. At least, that’s how I understood it.

One thing to add about B1ad3 is that during in-depth interviews, longer-form content, or round tables, I often find him at his best. When he has the freedom to talk more and debate with others on a topic, you can really see how smart and insightful he is. On top of that, during skits filmed at ESL, I was told he really enjoyed it, taking the art of acting seriously—LOVE IT!

Finn “karrigan” Andersen

Finn "karrigan" Andersen

Honestly, karrigan does it all. He is the leader and captain, the showman, and the most charismatic one. He can answer any question you put to him with great detail, reply with a smile and laugh, or even meme his way through an interview. This is a player who understands the value of interviews, knows how to answer questions, and how to get his point across. There’s no one better than karrigan when it comes to interviews, and this applies to ALL types of interviews; he’s the example other players should look at when they start their careers.

In pre-match interviews, karrigan knows when to be respectful and when to flex a little. He’s often playful at the start of a tournament, on opening day, providing insight while confidently setting expectations for his team. If it’s a higher-level tournament or a serious match, you’ll see his answers and style shift naturally.

Before a game, especially if we conduct an interview in the crowd before he plays, he’s always aiming to get the crowd on his side, talking to them, making faces, and getting them loud. For his team, it’s fuel; maybe for his opponent, it’s something intimidating. Either way, he knows what he’s doing and does it masterfully.

During these interviews, even with his fun elements, he can switch focus and deliver detailed responses. I always find that karrigan gives enough information about the game and insights into his team’s performances—good or bad—without giving away too much, yet we always learn something valuable. This is incredibly hard to achieve; some players talk too much and risk harming the team, while others say too little, leaving the interview without value. karrigan has perfected the middle ground, and I always leave a karrigan interview satisfied.

I already mentioned some players who handle exit interviews well, but karrigan is the master, even when emotions are at their peak. There have been times when I couldn’t get karrigan for an exit interview, but it’s very rare—maybe only once or twice. I’ve conducted interviews with him when he’s been heartbroken from an early tournament exit or after taking 2nd at Cologne with tears in his eyes. This man still gives everything he has to the fans and the interview. The fact that he can speak honestly to me, even with tears in his eyes, keep composed while showing his emotions, and still provide great answers is just so special.

After tough losses, he can even reflect on his feelings and thoughts, which requires careful handling because he’s discussing the team, and some things don’t need to be public. But he always finds the balance, knowing what he can and can’t say. This is why he’s a master, even beyond the game, including in content he participates in.

I think karrigan is great at setting the story himself, giving answers that naturally lead into questions, which not every player can do. I always find myself looking at my notes and ignoring them with karrigan because it becomes such a natural conversation. I start with my opening questions, but end up asking follow-up questions based on his responses more than anything else I had prepared, simply because he answers so well that I want to probe him further on the topic.

So there you have it, some of my favorite players to interview and what I think makes them so good at it. This is based purely on how they conduct themselves in interviews and what they give to me, the broadcast, and the fans with their words, as we all love to hear from the best players in the world. These are some of my absolute favorites!

Who is your favorite player to hear an interview from? Let me know on social media!

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