Interview With f0rest: "[With Pita] It's way more tactical and team-oriented exercises"
f0rest talks about the new year and how the introduction of Pita changed everything for the team's practice routine.
New year, same goals, and new directions! To kick off the new year, we’ve reached out to Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, one of the veterans from our CS:GO roster to know more about the first match of 2022, how are things working out so far, and how Pita changed the way the team actually practices on a day-to-day basis.
Hi Patrik, happy new year! New year, new resolutions - what’s the goal you have in mind for Dignitas?
f0rest: It's still the same goal - I want to be competing in the tier 1 scene again! That is something that I really wanted to do with this squad and something that I will keep working hard on this year.
How has the return to competition been? In your first match of the year you had a tight win against 777. How did that make you feel?
f0rest: I think it went well, I think we played the weapon rounds well against 777. We lost all the pistols and rounds after those, so, considering that, and since it's the start of the season... I mean, a 2-0 win is a 2-0 win! We're pretty satisfied with the start of the new year.
And did you identify something that needed fixing as soon as possible on this first match?
f0rest: Yeah, some small things definitely were picked up on regarding our gameplay when it comes to matches, that's something that we've been working on as soon as a match ends. We're adjusting those small things, but I won't go into detail exactly what they are because that would expose our game plan, but we know what are the things that we can improve on.
Do you see yourself as one of the favorites to go through to the next stage of the Elisa Invitational?
f0rest: Definitely, making the next stage should be attainable for us, we should be one of the teams getting there. I think we have to take it slowly, one step at a time. It's the beginning of the year and we're working a lot with Pita since he joined. We're trying to implement everything he's bringing into the team and it depends on how fast we can do it. But yes, we're definitely one of the favorites in this stage of the tournament.
How are things working out so far in practice this year?
f0rest: It's been going very well so far. It's actually a very different approach when it comes to practice compared to last year, due to how Pita likes to work. It's way more tactical and team-oriented exercises rather than just practice playing against opponents, game after game. We're doing a lot of theory-crafting, discussing different scenarios that could occur during games and how we should tackle them. It's a totally different approach compared to the way we practiced, but it's definitely a great improvement to fix more stuff faster.
I'm definitely excited and super stoked to see where all of this can take us!
I've talked with Lekr0 back in December, and he said that the team decided to take a break at the end of the year, which would do good for everyone. Do you feel that the players are refreshed for the new year?
f0rest: Lekr0 was super correct, a break was indeed needed. Playing in the tier 2 scene is definitely a long grind, many matches during the weekend, you find yourself playing six out of seven days in a week and that could be very intense without breaks. The rest was needed and you definitely can feel the energy with people coming back, hungry to compete and grind again. Everyone is ready to go!
What are your main goals for the next few months? Reach the first Major? And before that?
f0rest: We want to establish ourselves as a more stable team and the Major is always in the back of your head - that's, without a doubt, one of the main goals of the year. We are already working towards that by playing these many small tournaments at once, to get more match experience and understand faster what exactly we need to keep working and learning from.
Looking back at the previous year, what are your main takeaways from it?
f0rest: I would say that we hit a really good point in the first half of the year, but after the summer break it felt that we couldn't really come back to the level we were reaching. We stagnated a little bit probably in the way we were working in terms of the way we choose to practice or to move forward. The first half was good, then we stagnated, and eventually, at the end of the year, I felt that we were improving again and could reach that high peak we got in the beginning.
You said that Pita changed the way you practice - do you think this is the right start to get back on the level you were last year?
f0rest: I definitely feel so. It's a lot of basic stuff that we need to iron out at the moment and have that to perfection before we can even start discussing super-advanced tactics. All those small things that we talk about are something that will eventually lead to a better bigger picture. I have no doubt that we are on the right track and Pita is doing a great job with his whole approach on how practices should be.
You’ve also re-signed with Dignitas - anything you want to say about that?
f0rest: I'm super excited to be given the chance to continue competing for Dignitas, it's a project that I've committed to and I'm still happy to be committed because I want to take Dignitas to a higher level. I want to prove that it can reach that level and we'll do it! It's a love project that I'm happy to be able to still play in and yeah, I'm super excited to still be in the DIG family!
What can the fans expect from you this year?
f0rest: We want to reinvent Dignitas. Hopefully, people will feel that we are now a more complete team and a more stable one, most of all. I want people to see that we are a team that is not going out early in groups or tournaments, and actually, one that is going deep into tournaments consistently and competing for titles.
Are there any shoutouts you’d like to give to close this interview?
f0rest: Thanks to everyone who still supports us and believes in us, I know it's been a rough two years with quite a lot of ups and downs, but eventually this is where we start to shine and see the potential this team has!
Don’t forget to follow f0rest on social media!
