The CGS League page talk to GM Jonas Alsaker Vikan about past, present and the future of Berlin Allianz

Berlin GM is looking forward to the second European draft in esport history. Photo: Jonas Alsaker Vikan

Name:
Mike Luxion

Position:
CGS Journalist

About the author
Mike Luxion has a long track record in electronic sports. He has been a writer both at Landodger and Gameriot. He currently writes for the Championship Gaming Series

The UK and European Qualifier is just around the corner. We know the players are getting ready; what does a GM such as yourself do to prepare?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: I have analyzed last year's events and how we came out - my current players have also been scrutinized from a plethora of criteria. What I took away from that is going to be the basis for my Draft picks this year. This is really a boring answer but it's all about getting the people I need to win - firstly against Stockholm, which is the most important thing at present.


The competition lasts two days. How much (and what kind of things) can you learn about a gamer in that time frame compared to the weeks or months leading up to the event?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: That really depends on what kind of person, and GM you are. Everyone is different, thus having a different approach. Personally I consider myself, and my way of managing my team as people-oriented. That means that I focus on the people more than the actual gamer - in the end it's a person's personal capabilities that will win me the inches I need to succeed.





There is an abundance of GAMING talent at the Combine so I am definitively looking for the right PEOPLE - and there is quite a lot to learn about a gamer in that timeframe - if you know where, and how to look.


Has the perception of the CGS in Europe changed as the league enters its second year, and with the announced partnership with Eurosport?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: I can't even begin to tell you how cool that thing is. As gamers we can always say that we see the web as one of the future solutions for game broadcasting. I beg to differ - there is NOTHING that rivals just sitting down in front of a regular TV and switch on something you have a close, personal relationship with - like professional gaming and the Championship Gaming Series.


I have numerous examples of friends, relatives and people I hardly know who have come across it on Eurosport 2 - as its distribution is pretty wide - and they all share my opinion. I hope as more and more people in Europe get to watch they come out where I have been the last ten months - that this 'thing', this league is the coolest thing to hit gaming - despite the different aspects that we still need to fix in order to continue to raise the bar for ourselves and the world-wide community.





This is your second go-around with the draft. What have you learned from last year's experience?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: Not to leave my draft cards at the venue after the team is drafted to avoid the chance of people running off with them to put them up on different community sites. Except for that unfortunate inccident I had a blast last year - and I will again this year, there are already butterflies in my stomach for what is coming.



Berlin was one of the few teams to give Carolina or Chicago a scare last year and you were at the US Combine in Austin. How do you think the European teams will fare this year?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: Frankly I wish we would be given more matches. It's in that studio that you evolve as a team - practice and preparation are obviously the keys to performing, but under those lights, the booming voice of «Faruq», intense commentary from «Redeye» (and «Djwheat») and the many cameras IN YOUR FACE I think experience counts more than anything.


I guess we are somewhat at a disadvantage, but so was David in the valley of Elah. Talking or complaining about it won't help. Hard, hard, hard work always will - that's what my players will have to go through if they want to defend their spot on this team.


When fans think back to the World Finals, they probably remember Berlin for the near-miraculous comeback against Mexico City and the down-to-the-wire loss against Carolina. When you think back, what moments or aspects of the competition stand out for you?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: The Mexico match stands out because to me that's the beauty of the CGS TEAM aspect. The CSS players picked everyone up on their shoulders when things were looking dark - and carried us to victory. In team sports part of the dynamic is that a late surge from some members of a team can turn the tides - in our case it did, and even though we should have lost we did not and that's what counts.





It was apparant that the players were nervous though, and that the whole stage 'animal' scared them more than they could admit in advance. The thing I take away from the Carolina match is that in two days - that's 48 hours - we took the players that underperformed against Mexico and turned them around. Tactical dominated Offbeat in his game, Liefje got 2 and nearly 3 points on one of the best females at the World Final and the racers won their game as well.

All of this told me that I can be good at this, given time. As for the match, Carolina was 1 point better - and that means they deserved to win.





If there's a message you could send to any gamer that wants to be part of the Berlin Allianz, what would it be?


Jonas Alsaker Vikan: I thought long and hard about what I want with this team - as I am sure all the GMs around the world have done. When I finally came up with something I want to work towards every day I wrote it down. You can read it here: