Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen is a fan favorite in Katowice, but he isn’t so fond of the game’s newest map.
G2 Esports is on a tear at IEM Katowice, reaching the semi-finals of the event without dropping a single map. G2 captain and famous gigachad HooXi has helped make that possible with both excellent shot-calling and explosive individual play. The international squad is clearly gunning for a championship, and only two matches stand in its way. WIN.gg was lucky to sit down and speak with HooXi on the unique atmosphere of Katowice, the new CT rifle meta, and what games he enjoys outside of Counter-Strike.
HooXi interview before IEM Katowice 2023 playoffs
WIN.gg: Is there a sense of excitement about playing in the capital of CSGO, Katowice?
HooXi: It feels exciting to play in Katowice. This is a legendary event in a legendary arena, so it’s a great feeling and a dream to get to play here.
How do you feel about Anubis now that you’ve had some time to explore the map?
I think we, as a team, feel good on it. I don’t like the mid design, I think its a problem because you can execute on both sites without even taking mid control. I think the only place where you can take map control is basically in middle, and that’s not well-designed either. So I would like to see a lot of changes, but we’re doing well on the map, that’s all I care about.
Any thoughts on the current split between M4A4 and M4A1-S?
I like the A4 way more and I hope that will keep being the meta because the silencer meta kind of reminded me of the AUG meta. It’s just boring, and I hate when everything is so CT sided and the economy is a bit out of hand. I definitely prefer the A4.
G2 has now won its last four matches against Na’Vi. Are they still a rival? Or just any other team?
I think we just have a similar map pool and right now we’re in better form. They are going through a lot of changes, so I think that’s mostly why. We’ll see where they are in a few months, I think it will be tighter games.
Gigachad HooXi, your fragging has drastically improved since you first joined G2 last year. Is there a secret to your rapid improvement?
There’s a bunch of things that happen over six months of trying to improve. Obviously, it’s just a lot of hard work and me trying to focus a bit more on my individual than the team. I’ve always been sacrificing a bit too much for the benefit of the team and it ends up failing the team because my individual was so bad. It’s hard work and getting used to speaking English and getting used to playing with the guys. They get used to me as well and everything goes a bit smoother.
Are there any other games that you enjoy playing outside of CSGO?
Right now, I don’t really play anything. I played a bunch of Teamfight Tactics at one point, so I’ll go with that one.
What do you think about Valorant esports compared to Counter-Strike?
I haven’t personally tried the game and I don’t like the look of the game, but I think it’s healthy for Counter-Strike to have some competition.
Was there an exact point when you were playing CSGO and realized you could make a living as a pro?
I don’t really know. I’ve always believed in it, but the moment I realized I was there was when I joined Copenhagen Flames.
