On media day at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024, we caught up with the Main team's head coach, Casper "ruggah" Due, to chat about the Danes' prep during their first boot camp after the player break before diving into the first official LAN tournament of the season.
Since returning from the break, a significant change was made to Dust 2 (the Catwalk self-boost), and ruggah shared that both this tweak and the recent updates to Vertigo have been key focuses in their pracc.
The Danish head coach also expressed his thoughts on securing success at the Fall Groups.
What are your ambitions for BLAST Premier Fall Groups 2024?
"Success at Fall Groups is always a combination of shaking off the rust quickly after the player break and gaining a tactical and individual edge over our competitors. We had plenty of time to practice and fine-tune our play philosophy in the spring, and we felt we were a step ahead of the other top teams. I feel like we have that advantage again, and I hope it shows. One of our strengths is that we can play dynamically and proactively, executing things quickly because we're on the same page and speaking the same language. This is something we need to capitalize on against our rivals," says ruggah.
"The spring season was split into two parts: before and after the map changes and the adjustments to Vertigo. These are now key areas we've focused on in pracc. We want to get a better footing on the two maps (Vertigo and Dust 2, ed.) so we feel competitive and in control. There was little time to dive deep into Vertigo and Dust 2 before the player break, so we've made a strong effort to make these two maps solid parts of our map pool. We were missing Overpass a bit toward the end of spring, so we need to fill that gap with Dust 2 and Vertigo. We've put a lot of thought into these two maps, analyzing both their strengths and weaknesses," our head coach states.
What do you think about the new change to Dust 2?
"It will definitely impact the timing of the first contact, as it's no longer about only fighting long from both sides. This recent change speeds things up since CTs can push short and take quick duels. We've noticed how many teams use this opportunity in practice, and if it becomes a trend in official matches, we'll adapt our play accordingly."
"It makes a huge difference that the third player doesn't always have to fight on long, as he can now boost himself up to the catwalk. Many teams will likely experiment with this in the coming weeks and months to find the right balance. Ultimately, it's all about how much you want to compromise your playstyle. Dust 2 has been played quite similarly by all teams until now. The new possibilities allow for a change in playstyle, and I'm excited to see how our game will adapt to this change," ruggah notes.
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