rigoN: "I think we can beat everyone right now"

Bad News Eagles reached the Legends Stage for the second Major in a row, and yesterday they faced reigning Major champions FaZe in an elimination match. Just after eliminating FaZe from the IEM Rio Major, after a close 2-1 series, Rigon "rigoN" Gashi spoke to Dust2.us' Ryan Friend about the game, the doubters, and the lack of an organization to support the team.

You just beat FaZe and you are going crazy. Please tell me exactly, how are you feeling.

It's an amazing feeling. It's sad for karrigan stuff like this because we beat them. It's CS, you can not do anything. We are really happy and we got the confidence boost right now. I think we can beat everyone right now.

You are now in the Legends Stage and it's not going the way you planned. You are probably going to have to play NAVI in this next round. Mentally are you guys thinking you can take down everyone?

After this match, everyone. Everyone who wants to play us in a BO3, I think we can do it.

There were a lot of predictions out there that had you guys going 0-3, I had you at 0-3. How good does it feel to tell everyone to fuck off with their Pick' Ems?

We did it already in the Challengers Stage so I don't know why people would choose us 0-3. We are a pretty good team, yesterday we had two BO1 we had to start T-side, Legends have the CT-side, and when they got some rounds and stuff like this it's kind of hard. But we were pretty confident, and it doesn't matter if NAVI comes or FaZe, they are players like us.

At a stage like this, you were here in the same kind of stage at Antwerp but not up to this level. Do you feel the team's progression just continues to go upwards?

Definitely. It's crazy how we are just five players and one coach and we still progress to go to Legends Stage and beat FaZe now. I'm really super proud and happy with the team and I don't have any words.

Doing this without an organization, you guys have said multiple times you are in search of one, do you feel that these victories and putting your name out there is helping you guys get more attention for more serious organizations that are not in CS yet?

Definitely. Organizations need to pick us up now because we showed good results, we are just six friends who are playing CS on not high level, tier two maybe tier one. We just want to continue our dream with a good organization with good background and stuff like this.

You say it's tier two, maybe tier one. I don't know how many tier two organizations are beating FaZe Clan and continuously making it in the Major. How has not being part of a partnered organization, like a partner of a league, how do you continue to stay so well in form?

We play some online leagues and stuff like this but it's not the same when you go on LAN. We really want to get an organization that gives us those spots so we can prove ourselves and improve ourselves but we don't do anything special, to be honest. We just practice, we play those online games, and yeah.

Do you feel that the individual players you guys have are less than the sum of their parts?

I don't think so. Individually we are extremely good and if you pop off, if you get four or five kills in a round we have extreme energy to use. Going up against FaZe one by one, we can beat them as well.

You have two North Americans on your team, KayJay, and Valkenn. Can you tell me a little bit about what they have done for you guys?

To be honest, we don't work much with them. It's more our coach stikle- but they are analyzing really well and giving us stuff to work with. For example, before the game, stikle- told us "they do this and this", so I think they are doing a great job as well.

Bad News Eagles will face NAVI today at 09:00AM.