With our first CS:GO match coming up in ECS Season 3, we took some time to sit down and talk with one of the new members of the CS:GO roster Ricardo "Fox" Pacheco. Fox is the first Portuguese CS:GO player for Team Dignitas and is one of the oldest active pro players in the scene.

We talked about the signing for the team, his reunion with Jkaem and Maikelele, the differences in the CS scene between countries, Valve's approach to CS:GO, and on him soon becoming a father!

Welcome to the team! How are you feeling about the opportunity to represent Team Dignitas and subsequently the 76ers? Are you excited to play with Jkaem and Maikelele again?

Fox: I'm very excited to play for such a long-standing organization like Team Dignitas. When you represent a team that has so much history you need to respect that and make sure you're always up to the challenge. The fact that we are also representing the 76ers in the process just makes it all that much sweeter, because it shows that eSports has a place in the professional sport category. It validates everything that people in this industry have been fighting for for so long. To top it all off I get to play with two guys that I've known for a while and am good friends with, it's just perfect.

As we have seen in the past years there is a gap between European CS and North American CS. What do you think most of the NA teams are doing wrong and why European teams are stronger?

Fox: That is a tough question. Because supposedly NA teams have an immense talent pool to choose from and excellent financial backing from strong organizations, but they seem to fail in critical moments. It seems to me that it's more of a psychological "block" than anything else. Europeans just seem to have an easier time with such issues.

How about the Portuguese scene, what do you think of it? What do you think should be done to elevate it to the levels of middle and Northern Europe?

Fox: I think the Portuguese scene lacks support, honestly. We have some talent here that could accomplish great things in CS, especially on a financial level it's hard to compete with teams from Central and Northern Europe. The level of economic development they experience in their own countries just makes the CS scene over there thrive and grow. We don't see it all that much over here. This is for sure something that would need to change in order for it to grow.

The team is playing their first official match versus Mouz in the ECS Season 3. Besides the obvious, going for the victory, what are you looking to take away from the match?

Fox: Like you said, the win is our number one priority but it's always difficult to know how your first official match with a team is going to go. We're working hard so it goes well and I hope we can show here on an official level what we've been showing on a private practice level.

You mentioned in a previous interview that your personal goal and team goal is to qualify for the majors. Is the way the majors are set up satisfactory or would you change the approach taken currently?

Fox: I like the current structure. The Major LAN qualifier being a global event is better than having separate regional LAN qualifiers. It makes them more exciting and competitive. Of course, it also makes them much more exigent but if you want to be at that level you have to face everyone and beat everyone.

The CS scene has a lot of tournaments that tend to overlap, causing teams to miss one or the other. What do you think needs to change here?

Fox: I think it's obvious that the current tournament calendar is very congested. Teams have months with 2/3 LAN tournaments. I think the different tournament organizers need to collaborate and coordinate a bit better. Basically just better communication between people. Make it a little bit easier on the teams. Get a middle ground between everyone and make sure CS keeps growing at a sustainable level.

What do you think of the updates that have rolled out recently? Do you think that there should be a regular schedule of updates, like once per month, or should they be made when needed?

Fox: First off, I have to say I like the way Valve uses community input to produce better updates. Secondly, I think there should be a schedule for bigger updates, depends on necessity I guess. Could be everything between once a month or once every 2/3 months for massive updates. But I also think Valve shouldn't refrain from making a few smaller updates once in a while when it's really needed to improve gameplay.

As we all know, Dust 2 has been removed from the active map pool to be redesigned. What do you like about the current version and what would you change? Why did the most iconic CS map need a redesign?

Fox: I'm kind of biased when speaking about dust2 because it has always been a favorite of mine. That being said, I think it's recent removal to be redesigned is just part of Valve's strategy to keep the game evolving. If the game "stops", it starts becoming obsolete and the community loses interest. I think they should make some structural modifications, basically give the map a whole new dynamic.

Besides Dust 2, which map would you like to see redesigned or perhaps even added to the map pool, and why?

Fox: Can't really remember any map I would like to see again on a competitive level actually.

Do you believe adding two new maps would make the system better or should we stay with the seven-map pool?

Fox: I think the current seven-map pool is good enough. If they add more maps it just makes it so that teams have more things to go over and practice. This clashes with what we were talking about earlier. The amount of tournaments that professional teams have. If you have a ton of tournaments to prepare for and more maps to create strategies for teams would start showing signs of burning out and that would hinder the game's development, I feel.

You announced a while back that you are going to become a father. First and foremost, congratulations from everybody at Team Dignitas. Do you think it will be tough to balance fatherhood with your gaming career?

Fox: Thanks! Well of course it will be a little difficult in the beginning. I'll have to adapt a little bit to this new reality. But I don't think it will hurt my gaming career in the long term. It's basically just something new that I'll have to learn to deal with it and I'm very exciting that he gets here. Luckily, I have an amazing family and amazing friends. They always help me and support me.

Thank you for the interview Fox. From the staff of Team Dignitas, we wish you and the team the best of luck in the upcoming games in ECS Season 3. The team and the fans are looking forward to see the team perform well in ECS and other tournaments throughout the year!

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