“I expect a lot of trophies. nAts and Redgar are game changers.” - Interview with Team Liquid Sayf

Team Liquid came to Manchester with two stand-ins and we couldn’t see their team performance as a whole before the season. However, we sat with Saif "Sayf" Jibraeel to learn his thoughts on the new Liquid roster, his transfer from Guild, and more!

THESPIKEGG: You spent two years at Guild and now you play for Team Liquid with four new players. How is the adaptation process going for you?

Sayf: I feel like it was very easy. I feel like the transition was very smooth and I kind of slotted very well with the other players. I'm very happy to have people I feel confident in as well, like Redgar, nAts. I'm very excited to learn from them what I can do as well. So being with the guys hasn't been anything quite different. I'm more excited about the experience.

THESPIKEGG: Could you tell us about your role within the team? What changes did you make in terms of your gameplay after your transfer from Guild to Liquid?

Sayf: So I have been the type of person that I've always said from the beginning of the game that you cannot stick to one agent and call yourself a main because that's not how the game is gonna play out in the future. Obviously, the main thing we see now is Chamber is going to be off the meta because of the new patches coming. He's going to get nerfed a lot. So within the team, I've already decided that before joining Liquid, I want to be a flex player and that's what I'm going to transition back into since. I was a flex player before. I'm just going back to that role now. So it's gonna be a lot more flash initiators, and things like that. We'll figure that one out.

THESPIKEGG: Meddo and Enzo were announced at the last minute so I assume you didn’t have time to practice with them but you still grabbed two wins in Group B. What do you think were your strong sides and how did you pull it off with two stand-ins?

Sayf: The strong sides were people were willing to win together. Even if it was two stand-ins, we still wanted to play like a team and I think everyone felt that. Like, even if it was Enzo and Meddo there and not Redgar and nAts, we still felt like this was a coherent force together. Everyone listened to my calling and everyone respected my ideas. Also, Enzo filled in really, really well because he's helping me call as well, giving me ideas and adaptations of our rounds. So I feel like just the mesh and the chemistry in itself was very natural.

THESPIKEGG: Despite the result, you were the top fragger of your team on both maps. What do you think about your own performance right now and what should the fans expect from Sayf and Team Liquid in the upcoming season?

Sayf: Even though it may look like on paper that I performed very well, obviously I can't do it without my teammates. But I would like to say I don't feel like I did my best because as I mentioned earlier, we have no set rounds. So I am basically calling the macro and the micro all over the map, which makes me take away energy from my own individual skill because I'm focusing so much on what we could do together. So obviously I feel like I could have played better. I didn't and that sucks, but that's not the best form I'm in. In terms of Liquid’s performance, I expect a lot of trophies. nAts and Redgar are game changers. That's what I definitely think.

THESPIKEGG: It was very unfortunate that you couldn’t play with nAts and Redgar here in Manchester. Have you had a chance to train with them before the tournament? If so, what do you think about the current state of the team?

Sayf: We are as expected. If we're thinking about the trajectory of where the team has expected itself to be before our break, then we are exactly on the level we want to be, even better. I would say we put a lot, a lot of hard work into improving. So we have had a lot of time to practice, basically like a whole month of intensive working through everything. I feel we're really, really good together.

THESPIKEGG: yay told us that with the recent nerfs, Chamber is dead and won’t be picked except for a map or two. What do you think about the change and what kind of an impact do you think this will have both for you and the professional scene in general?

Sayf: For me, it has no impact because obviously, I play a very big agent pool. I'm not very nervous about that. I don't really care about the Chamber nerfs. I think yes, they will make the agent like if you're going to wait out in between, or do I want to play Killjoy or Cypher instead? I would rather play those than Chamber. People will opt away from him most of the time, even though there might be some value with his trap, Head Hunter, and the ability to play aggressively still in some spaces. All in all, it doesn't add the benefits of what Killjoy and Cypher would have added instead of him after the nerf.