JDC: "I'm trying to become a new JDC that people have not seen"

BIG has been through some ups and downs since February 2023 but the German squad has been finding better form recently, with Florian "syrsoN" Rische and the coach Alexander "kakafu" Szymanczyk coming back and Jon "JDC" de Castro being added to the squad. BIG managed to reach the ESL Pro League Season 19 playoffs, losing there to G2. Starting IEM Dallas, the Germans couldn't overcome NAVI and will have to face FlyQuest.

JDC is the second-best performer on the squad just behind Karim "Krimbo" Moussa, but yesterday it was the German-Portuguese rifler that kept BIG in the game with a 1.79 rating and loads of incredible rounds. Dust2.us' Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore talked with JDC about his newfound form, being the secondary caller and more.

Please note that the full interview can be found below on YouTube, while the transcript has some key snippets from their conversation.

What do you think went wrong in that opener against Aleksib and company?

Well, for me personally, in the finding phase of the team right now, especially now with gob b being gone and people having to take more responsibility and becoming the best versions of themselves, I would say, as well as I'm in a position of redefining my style and game. I'm trying to become a new JDC that people have not seen. What went wrong were just very close rounds, I made an important call on T-side that didn't go well and we lost the round because of it, for example. Overall, I think we are in a finding phase that, if we get there, we win those games and we are not just there yet, but we will get there through tournaments and especially now.

You mentioned making an integral call. Does that mean you are taking on a secondary calling responsibility behind tabseN or what is the leadership mix on the squad right now?

Well, of course, tabseN is calling the most. In the positions I'm playing right now, it's important that I give my feedback, give him information that is needed and as well, maybe, make a call based on my position. If it's necessary for me to adjust on the map and give him the information so we can paint the picture of the round, then I'll be making a call as well. When I get to play out the round, I'm in advanced positions most of the time so I'm coordinating a bit of the pieces if I need to and he's always doing it as well. I would say us two.

Do you think that level of coordination allows you to have more impact on the server? Even though the team lost to NAVI in this match, I think you had a pretty strong performance. Is that something you see that you are having a stronger performance through coordination with tabseN on the server?

This is a thing that I'm still finding out for me. I noticed I perform better when I'm more in control when I actually can have things going the way I want them to, in the roles I play, as well as it's important to be on the same page and I have a voice now. In this team I get a lot of trust, people here believe that I'm capable of winning games for them and with them, so this helps me perform. Ultimately, the trust of my team and the support they give me [helps me perform].