MoDo reflects on his difficult stint with OG: "I fucked up myself, because I'm a really emotional guy in a way"
Mădălin-Andrei "MoDo" Mirea provided some of the most interesting storylines of Fragadelphia Blocktober. The Romanian AWPer found himself standing in for 9INE after Wildcard recalled Love "phzy" Smidebrant, and nearly made the StarLadder Budapest Major, after spending over six months on OG's bench.
When Dust2.us talked to him at FRAG, he had just helped 9INE reach the grand finals over ECSTATIC. The Romanian talked about the issues he faced on OG, how he thinks God "helped" 9INE stay alive in the tournament, and what he's thinking about his first time in the U.S.
You can watch the full interview on YouTube, with key snippets underneath. All questions and answers have been slightly edited for clarity.
How are you feeling after beating ECSTATIC 2-1 to reach the grand finals of FRAG?
It was a really important game. We're better than them, kind of, because when you...like, we have something. When we came back from 10-4 in that game vs. 9z, we really thought that was something from God [laughs], and we can make it. I think we're the favorites here.
So, you joined 9INE a month ago, coming from OG. And, you're on the road to winning your second trophy with them. What would it mean for you to come from OG, where you struggled, into this 9INE team, who are immediately finding results?
Yeah, it feels really good. I'm really proud of myself. I had like five months of thinking about what I should do in my next team because I struggled a lot. I will say that I have the skill and everything, but I fucked up myself, because I'm a really emotional guy in a way.
Let's say my teammate is whining, and I can think in the back of my mind that maybe he's whining at me and stuff. I conquered this feeling that I'm not feeling that [way] anymore, and I've also become more selfish as a player, in a good way. Because [when] you have the best gun in the game, you don't need to pull Flashes when they ask. You just need to focus on the crosshair and that's it.
Overall, how are you enjoying Fragadelphia Blocktober? It's your first NA LAN, and it's obviously very different from the other events you've attended this year.
I'm really happy because I kind of wasn't supposed to be here, because of some visa problems. I had the interview on September 30th, and I had to travel on October 1st. So, I needed to kind of get my visa on the same day, and they just gave it to me. It was kind of a gamble. But I'm really happy that I'm here, it's my first time in the USA, and I'm enjoying it very much.
