blameF: "There's good stuff about VRS, but there must be VRS changes after the Major"

Jeff "Mnmzzz" Moore had the opportunity to speak with Benjamin "blameF" Bremer after his fnatic side squeaked by Bounty Hunters in a three-map series to qualify for the playoffs at Fragadelphia Blocktober 2025.

blameF commented on the win against Bounty Hunters, playing without Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson, and his thoughts on the VRS system.

Find the whole interview below on YouTube with selections transcribed underneath in text format. All questions and answers have been edited slightly for length and clarity.

There are three map series, and almost every map went the distance; two went to overtime. An unexpected result for you to struggle so much v. BountyHunters, how are you feeling coming out of that series?

Yeah, for sure, it was closer than it should have been. We are also playing with a stand-in with no practice. Of course, we want to have a bigger victory.

You brought up the fact that KRIMZ won't be able to make it, and you didn't have a chance to practice with jackasmo, who's standing in. How soon did the team know that KRIMZ wasn't going to make the event?

I don't know too many details, but I know that even if we wanted to practice, we couldn't because we just came back from another tournament. Yesterday, we arrived and talked about some stuff on the server.

A lot of teams attended this LAN on the premise that if they do well here, it might help us make the Major. I'm sure it was a consideration for fnatic as well. With the result in Birch Cup, you have around a 10% chance of qualifying for the Major.

Some teams have pulled out of this event because it wasn't worth it. Did you think about doing that? Are you trying to gain points for the season after Starladder Budapest?

I would answer you, but I have no clue. Of course, I'm assuming there's still a chance to qualify for the Major, maybe if we win the whole thing.

In your opinion, do you think the system we have, where teams have to make these choices between spending money to go to these LANs across the continent, is good for the scene?

I think there are many good points about VRS, but also some very bad ones. Before our last LAN, where we disappointed, we had made four finals in a row and won two of them. Still, that's not enough to qualify for the Major because we lost two games online, then lost 60 VRS points.

Now, when we win games, we're gaining two or three points. I think the system is a bit broken because other teams are winning 60 points per game because they haven't played many LANs. There's good stuff about VRS, but there must be some things that change after the Major.

Locking in playoffs to end the day, knowing the kinds of teams that have dropped out of this LAN, how are you feeling about your chances of taking it all?

My feeling is that when we're playing these LANs that we can win it for sure, but it's on how we play and it's harder since we're playing with a stand-in. The more we play, the more jackasmo can get more comfortable. Whenever I go to these tier-two LANs I think the expectation is to win it or be close to winning it.