Maka: “We had a 1% chance, but I believed in it”

Envy exited the RLG Tesla Cup group stage in Serbia with one win and two losses, ending its chance of qualifying for the Major. In-game leader Bryan “Maka” Canda continued to believe in a possible run despite the team’s limited path to qualification.

Envy opened the tournament with a 2-1 loss to GamerLegion on Oct. 27. The team beat Luminosity 2-1 on Oct. 28 before losing 2-0 to GamerLegion later that day.

Maka identified Envy’s Terrorist-side play as one of the team’s problems. He explained that the team had relied heavily on its playbook and prepared strategies, which made its approach easier for opponents to read.

“We clearly lacked something on our T side lately,” Maka said. “We’ve been able to solve it through the playbook and by adding strategies and tactics. But in the end, if you keep repeating things, you can get read by the opponent.”

Envy entered the tournament after finishing 13th-16th at Stake Pulse Beat III and 9th-12th at Digital Crusade DraculaN Season 7. The team had missed qualification opportunities at its previous three events.

Maka described Envy’s Major hopes as remote but continued to believe in them after the team’s elimination from DraculaN Season 7.

“We had like 1% hope, and I truly believed it, to be honest, as an individual, but it was something very hard to reach,” he said. “Trying to keep gaining confidence through the games and having this mindset to beat anyone on any map was the key for me.”

Maka listed communication, consistency and mental control among Envy’s areas for improvement. He noted that some players had become too focused on results and too critical of their own performances.

“Mentally, we are having too many ups and downs because some players are getting too emotional with themselves,” he said. “When you play and you’re just focusing on either winning or losing, it’s never good because you get affected by the outcome.”

He also called for stronger communication throughout each round, including after Envy had lost an advantage. The team reviews communication from Falcons, Vitality and FURIA to study how players maintain intensity during matches.

Maka added that the roster remains grateful to represent Envy, whose previous Counter-Strike teams included Major winners. The organization recently signed the current roster after the players developed together for an extended period.

“I’m very happy because a lot of CS French legends played under Envy,” Maka said. “We don’t show that we can be a good team and respect the Envy tag, and I truly believe that it means a lot to everybody on the team. We really play for the jersey.”

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