C4LLM3SU3: "We qualified to the Major after 3 months of practice. I thought it would be a lot harder"

Qihao "C4LLM3SU3" Su is back in North America, attending IEM Dallas 2025 with Lynn Vision and then the BLAST.tv Austin Major next month.

Dust2.us' Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore interviewed the former NA prodigy after Lynn Vision lost to G2 in the opening round of IEM Dallas, and discussed how he ended up signing with Lynn Vision instead of pursuing an internship, the differences between playing in NA and China, and how quick he went from playing at ESEA Intermediate level to qualifying for the Major.

The full interview can be found below on YouTube, with key snippets underneath. All questions and answers below have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

We remember you from the days of being in North America, playing for teams like G3 with the Mongolians who are now on Akimbo. Then you went on to play for Wildcard and then returned to China. What have you been up to since we last heard from you? Was it your intention always to go back to playing pro CS?

I didn't really have a plan to keep playing CS as a pro. When I returned to China last year, I was actually looking for an internship for my major. And, I was thinking at the same time that I love CS, I love playing CS, and that I should probably look for some opportunities, and then Lynn Vision just sent me an offer. We talked about it, and then they signed me.

How did Lynn Vision come to find you? Did what you accomplished in North America play any role in that? Tell me about the process.

I think it's from my followers because my teammates stream sometimes as well, and they have like huge amounts of followers. When I went back to China, I started streaming again, and my followers probably talked to their fans. And then, the CEO of Lynn Vision sent me a direct message.

It's been a series of pretty big steps for you as a player. For example, won ESEA Intermediate NA in 2023, and then you played your first LAN at Fragadelphia, and now you're at an S-tier LAN, and next month you're going to the Major. How's that transition in your life been?

I'm kind of surprised that the path is easier than I thought. Our goal was to qualify for the Major, and we accomplished it after two to three months of practice. I thought it would be a lot harder.

How does the Chinese scene compare to the NA scene? Is it more difficult for you there, or is it easier? What are your overall observations about the differences between the two scenes?

I think we have better teams in Asia compared to North America, so the [Asian] environment is like a little bit harder than NA. We have three really good teams in China in the form of Rare Atom, TYLOO, and Lynn Vision. And in Mongolia, you have The Huns and The MongolZ. I think they have more teams to play in Asia.

There's something of a rivalry between Lynn Vision and TYLOO. TYLOO struggled for a long time to catch up with Lynn Vision and Rare Atom, but now you're trading some blows. What's the rivalry like between Lynn Vision and TYLOO? Is it intense?

I don't really know how their system works, like between the clubs. We like their players, we're friends, but we don't talk about how they practice or how the clubs are.

I heard of TYLOO being kind of strict about players, I think they pay 100% attention to their jobs and are super serious about it. But, in our team, we play games not because it's a job, but because we love the game. We're not co-workers [in Lynn Vision], we're actually friends.

Stay tuned to Dust2.us in the coming days, as we'll have plenty of interviews coming out during IEM Dallas 2025!