ben1337: "It was very impressive to see stanislaw be so willing to jump back into the grind"

Jeffrey "Mnmzzz" Moore spoke with BOSS coach Ben "ben1337" Smith at fl0m's Mythical LAN Las Vegas after defeating Marsborne. ben1337 discussed his first win as a coach, the new roster, and Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz's impact on the team.

You can find the video interview below, with a transcription underneath. Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

What can you tell me about that win?

That was my first match as a coach, so it was different. I don't get to hear in-game sounds. I just get to hear our comms, but I could tell by the way we were comming that we were in control and we were calm. We were focused. We knew what we were doing in the rounds, and we were playing together for the most part. The practice we've been putting in is paying off, and I was happy to watch them on the stage. It was really fun to see.

How much time did you have to prep for fl0m LAN with stanislaw?

I think it's been around three weeks or close to a month. We've been working hard trying to get all our maps up to speed and making sure we're building chem on those maps together as a team.

After eight or nine years, what prompted you to finally hang up the mouse?

It wasn't something that I was expecting, to be honest. In NA especially, opportunities don't come that often, so if you do get an opportunity, you have to take it. I'm at the point in my career where I feel like I have that experience. I know how a team should operate, so it was just natural to go into the coaching role. When I did get this offer, I thought it was a no-brainer. If you look at the roster, it might be a new role for me, but with Peter coming in to IGL and FaNg coming in as well, it's just ultimate firepower. I'm happy to be a part of the group.

When did this communication first happen between you, Justin FaNg, and stanislaw to reinvent this BOSS lineup?

It wasn't actually through me, but it was around the same point, like three weeks or a month ago. It happened quickly, but we were all on board pretty much instantly once we all talked. We're all happy to play with each other. We saw the vision, and we believe in it.

So who put this roster together then?

It was definitely Stan. He had players that he wanted to work with, and he saw Fruitcupx. He likes to play with Fang. He's played with Keller before, and then Bwills was just part of the roster. He's been performing well. That's how it came together, and when he joined the squad, it was very impressive to see him be so willing to jump back into the grind.

Do you think that stanislaw is very committed to Counter-Strike?

100%. He's a competitor, and he wants to be on a team that wants to win together. The culture that he's built so far has been amazing to be a part of. I've learned a lot from him, and I'm excited for the future.

What prompted you to bring FaNg back into the fold?

It was just our roles in our team. When we first started BOSS, we tried to have Fruitcupx be the main entry guy or space taker, and then we ended up figuring out that wasn't working. I ended up going into those roles and IGL; I'm not the best fragger. It's just the best scenario for him. That's what we needed. We needed an entry. We needed that guy who's just going to frag out and kill three people at the start of the round and take over the game.

How are you feeling about the upcoming series against M80?

I'm really excited. It'll be a good test for us. Yesterday was a test, too, and we passed it. With all of our practice and hard work, this is just another test that we get to see in the server.

Do you think that getting results with stanislaw could find you the organizational support you've been seeking?

For sure. I mean, it's VRS at the end of the day. Teams that are winning are going to get picked up, so that's what we got to do. That's what we're in the mindset of: if we put in the work, the wins and everything will come along the way.

BOSS lost their next match 0-2 against M80, who went on to become the champions of fl0m's Mythical LAN.