Apeks nawwk: “I don’t think we started in Cologne right this season…we were probably on our high horses from the Major still”

Ahead of the start of Group C in the ESL Pro League Season 18, Fragster caught with Tim “nawwk” Jonasson of Apeks to discuss the current state of the team, how it has changed with the arrival of Aleksandar “CacaNito” Kjulukoski and Torbjørn “mithR” Nyborg as head coach, how it has progressed from their semifinal run at the Paris Major, what are the team’s goals in this event and much more.

Preparing for Pro League Season 18

Pedro Romero, Fragster: Thanks for doing the interview, nawwk. You guys made it to Pro League after winning the Season 45 Challenger League so what’s it like to get to this stage for you and the rest of the team?

Tim “nawwk” Jonasson: It feels really good. We qualified after doing a good run at the Major so we came in with confidence in Challenger League and beat Team Spirit Academy to get this spot and it just feels really good to be here. I previously played Pro League online only and I didn’t go to the LAN so I’m just looking forward to play another big event.

Fragster: And of course, you were coming off of a pretty successful late stretch of last season by making it to the semi finals in the Paris Major. From there, the team made a few changes to the lineup with the biggest being the arrival of CacaNito after the exit of jL [Justinas Lekavicius]. What has been the change in dynamic like when it comes to catching up to speed with this new version of the roster compared to how it was last season?

nawwk: It’s been a slow start for us this season. We had a lot of role clashes in the beginning between jkaem [Joakim Myrbostad] and CacaNito. They usually played a lot of the same roles so they both had to switch up some things and that’s why it’s taking longer for us to get comfortable, I would say. And after that as well, we just come up from changing coaches which is going to help us as well by bringing something new. I feel, lately, practice have been going really good and I hope we can show some really good results in Pro League.

Fragster: Specifically talking about the coaches, what has the difference been like when it comes to practicing in the lead-up to Pro League in comparing your past and new coach?

nawwk: They’re two very different cultures. You can’t really compare them in that regard. Kuben [Jakub Gurczyński], for example, is a really smart guy when it comes to CS. He is one of the best brains when it comes to CS, for sure. I think we might be lacking a bit in that department with mithR, the new coach, but the thing that mithR gives us is he really hypes us and gives us more energy as a team and I think that is something that this team needs. We’re all quiet guys in-game so having someone behind us that is hyping us up and always giving compliments is needed for this team and that’s why practice has been good so far.

Fragster: What has been the biggest positives and negatives that you’ve seen out of this team so far in this past season?

nawwk: I don’t think we started in Cologne right this season. We came in really slow and I feel like we were not ready to play at all. We had a really weak boot camp and we were just not there mentally. I don’t know, we were probably on our high horses from the Major still and trying to believe that we were a top team without trying that hard and it definitely showed. And then we went on to Gamers8, which we had GamerLegion, which was a decent matchup for us as well, and that just fell apart as well. We were trying to find a solution but we didn’t really know what it was. And then–I don’t know, it’s hard because we’re still been looking for the solution, right? Like, if you knew this solution, then it would be easy, but now lately, we’ve been just working harder and harder and the bootcamp has really been paying off this time and I hope we can show a better side.

Fragster: Given what you said about how the team is looking to fulfill the goal that you’re trying to do to reach, have you been able to discern exactly what that goal is? What exactly does that goal mean?

nawwk: When we changed coaches and talked about the future, we sat down as a team and we had some team goals, some individual goals and what to expect from ourselves. That is something we didn’t really have before. We really sat down and we all had individual talks. We talked for a few hours and we really set some goals and what to expect from everyone and what to expect from yourself and that is something the team needed and it was done.

Fragster: Is it fair to assume the main goal for this team in competing in Pro League is to find that right synergy and get back to the same form as it was back in Paris?

nawwk: Of course, the goal for this Pro League is to get out of the groups and to get into playoffs. That is the first goal we have and also just to, slowly but surely, reach our highs at the Major. I know we can’t expect to just say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna win this event,’ but to slowly work and get better and show that the form at the Major wasn’t really a fluke and that we’re here to compete.

Fragster: Looking at the group you’re placed in (Group C), it features quite a big cast of big-name teams including yourself, NAVI, FaZe and Fnatic. How do you think your team will fare in this kind of group for this competition?

nawwk: Like I said before, our goal is to get out a group. For sure, there are some big names. There is NAVI, there is FaZe, and there’s even Fnatic so to speak but we are pretty confident, I would say. We’re coming off a really good boot camp. It’s been a long time since I had this good of a boot camp so we’re aiming high. Anything else than reaching playoffs is a disappointment, in my opinion, but I don’t know. We can beat any team, I feel like. If we just play the way we’ve been playing lately, we can do it and I want to say we will do it.

Looking back at the career of nawwk in CS:GO

Fragster: Taking the attention slightly away from Pro League and more into yourself. I’m curious on how you view your performance and career in CS:GO given that it’s in its twilight and people are looking towards CS2. How do you view your legacy from your time competing in CS:GO?

nawwk: I wouldn’t really say I have a real legacy, so to speak. It’s been a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been competing ever since 2018, I would say. That was when my first team started with x6tence Galaxy. Then I went on to GamerLegion, then I went to NIP, then I got benched and now I’m here. I’ve been on Apeks for two years. It’s definitely been up and down but it hasn’t been all bad, I’m gonna be honest. It’s easier to remember the negatives, I would say, but overall, I would say it’s been a decent performance. It could always be better. I’m a bit disappointed in myself back in the day and unhappy that I could have worked a bit harder when I was there, but other than that, it hasn’t been wild but it hasn’t been a failure either. But yeah, CS:GO is still here so there’s still a chance to do something, hopefully.

Fragster: Given what you said, one still shouldn’t downplay your contribution to Apeks’ performance in the Paris Major. That’s because many people will see that as your absolute highlight. That said, do you see it as the absolute highlight of your CS:GO career?

nawwk: I think I gotta. This Major will always be in my heart somehow. It was definitely the highest point, for sure, in my career. The thing about me performing in other high tournaments was that it was mostly online back in the day with NIP because of COVID so I never really got to play the big events on LAN. I only got to play Katowice (IEM Season XIV World Championship) and BLAST group stage on LAN (Spring 2020) with NIP. I remember we reached semis with NIP in Pro League–I don’t even remember but that was online so it’s not the same at all, in my opinion. But the Major run was definitely the highest point in my career. There’s no denying that. Let’s just be honest.

Fragster: Given that you’ve been able to participate in a few LANs recently, do you feel you’ve finally gotten used to playing in actual LANs compared to when you were competing online?

nawwk: Yeah, I’ve always felt myself more comfortable playing on LAN than online and definitely more recently as well. I feel online is so so boring compared to LAN. I feel way more comfortable performing on LAN. The only sh*t performance I had was Cologne this year but that was just off the break and I didn’t really get into it like I said before with the high horse after the Major, but I just love playing a lot and I’m just enjoying every second I’m here. We have some more tournaments coming up as well so I just want to be here, prove my worth and keep going.

Fragster: I’ve got one more final question. About CS2, if you’ve been able to play it a lot, what has been the the positives and negatives that you’ve seen from the game at this moment in time?

nawwk: The positives are surely the graphics and the way it looks. It looks really nice with the colors and everything. In my opinion, I haven’t played that much. I played a couple of games but it still feels a bit too laggy, in my opinion. It’s very clunky and laggy. That’s something that needs to be fixed, in my opinion, but other than that, I’m just looking for something new as well. With CS:GO, it’s been a long ride. I’ve been playing it since 2014 so it’s always fun when something new comes up so I’m looking forward to that as well. We have some new LANs to look forward to and–I don’t know what else to say but I’m looking forward to everything coming up.

Feature Image Credit: BLAST.TV