Just after FaZe Clan were the first to earn their place in the grand finals at the PGL Copenhagen Major, we got the chance to speak with Connor “Scrawny” Girvan about his experiences casting the first ever CS2 Major.
Credit: @ScrawnyCG on X
Bruno Sobieraj: So this is the first ever CS2 Major.
How are you finding the Major so far and how would you compare it to other Majors?
Scrawny: Yeah, I’d say this Major is incredibly well put together by PGL. I think that they’ve given it the glamor that a Major should have, whether that’s from staying at the hotel to the event itself, the scale of the stage, the size of the crowd.
I’d say PGL has really outdone themselves this time. There was no hiccups, technically speaking, from the start. It’s the closest to perfection that I think PGL has ever gotten. So very proud of them, very happy to be part of it. I think there’s always something special about each and every Major, but I’d say the playoffs and the bracket we got for this one is what makes it different.
Bruno Sobieraj: Obviously, the BLAST Premier Fall Finals are also in the Royal Arena, and you have casted both.
Is it different casting the Major or is it similar?
Scrawny: Yeah, I’d say it’s different because the crowd is definitely more international. The beauty of majors is that we’re celebrating international Counter-Strike, that you meet so many more people who are traveling from outside of Denmark. And while the Royal Arena and Blast always have this special place next to my heart, I would say that PGL have definitely outdone themselves in the scale. But I think that was necessary.
If you’re going to come to the city that Blast has put forward multiple years in a row, if you’re going to use the same venue, if you’re going to use the same hotel, then they had to go bigger. It was demanded of them, and they did a really good job of meeting that expectation.
Bruno Sobieraj: When casting yesterday, there was a funny mishap with Launders when you didn’t realize that Brollan didn’t clutch it.
How do you react in that moment?
Scrawny: Well, you have to remember that at the end of 2023, I did say the wrong team name during a trophy lift. I would say that as a caster, there’s no worse feeling than that.
Listen, man, mistakes are part of the game. That’s what I got to tell myself. You got to block out the bullshit online. Remind yourself nobody’s perfect. I would rather take a swing at something and miss. But I think to make excuses, if I had to, it’s just I’m a very animated person. People say like, “how can you not realize when replays are rolling?” But what you need to remember is that in your moment, in your mind, you’ve cast it how it’s supposed to have happened.
Why would I be watching replays of a 1v4 when the 1v4 just happened? One thing when Launders and I duo is we really try to put forward chemistry and fast handoffs. The key to that is eye contact. There’s a lot of things behind the camera that is going on that… Yeah, should we pay closer attention to those moments? Yes. Did it happen again? Yeah. But whatever, man. I’m not going to let one mistake define my career.
Bruno Sobieraj: Yeah, of course. So the last two games are going to be fun.
What are your predictions?
Scrawny: I’m going to say Aleksib keeps his track record of defeating his ex-teammates. I’m going to say FaZe NaVi in the grand finals, and Karrigan lifts another Major trophy and his first on Danish soil. FaZe take it.
Maybe we’ll see Broky MVP?
Scrawny: Broky MVP? You know what? I would love to see frozen. I think that’s somebody I’ve been cheering for as a fan of MOUZ because of siuhy now and frozen prior. So I got to give it to frozen. I think that he’s got huge shoes to fill and Twistzz’ departure, but just watch him do it.
Bruno Sobieraj: The bracket turned out great, but obviously not great for most fantasy teams and the Major pick’ems.
How did you feel about being in the top three talent of the year last year?
Scrawny: First of all, shout out HLTV for giving a platform and a recognition to broadcast. Obviously, in that space, players get trophies and medals, and they are always the stars of this show. But there’s so much work that goes into bringing a broadcast to life, whether that’s from us as on-air talent, whether that’s the photographers, which were also recognized by HLTV production.
There are thousands of people involved in putting on Counter-Strike all year long. For me personally, in our category, I’d say it’s an honor. It’s always an honor to be recognized by the community at large, and more importantly than ever, the fellow talent.
I think that specific award, Talent of the Year, that ignores a lot of defined roles. How can you compare play-by-play to hosts, to analysts, to interviewers? But at the same time, what it did was it put forward one talent to speak on behalf of the rest of us, and that’s what’s most important. For me, being top three is great. To be represented by Sponge as the winner of that award is just as good.
As long as we are all proud of the person that steps forward to represent all of us, I’m content.
What would be your dream Major location?
Scrawny: Dream major location? I mean, total bias, Montreal. Let’s be real, though, I don’t think the scene is big enough, nor is the city. Anywhere in Canada would be a dream come true just because, like players at majors, bringing family and friends is always that something special.
In terms of dream location, I think Lisbon deserves one. If I’m not being as biased, I think that they would fill that arena just like Brazil could, and they would cheer an international European crowd. On top of that, anywhere in Canada, and if I can’t get Canada, let’s just take it back to North America because I know that that’s a region that’s really hungry for a major.
This article was originally published here
