Trixi after Fnatic qualifying for The Summit: “Team spirit was phenomenal”

Fnatic has been criticized about their recent performance but when it mattered the most, they showed their best. To qualify for every elite LAN event such as DreamHack Summer, ESL, The Summit, is not an easy task and there were only a few teams that did it.

With so many commitments, Fnatic will be challenged and pushed to their limits. Fans would say that June is just crazy when it comes to big Dota 2 events. The Summit, DreamHack Summer and finally ESL One will all be played next month. The biggest test comes right after, in mid-July, when 16 teams will battle for their share of the prize of unbelievable $6,000,000 at The International.

We reached out to Kalle "Trixi" Saarinen right after Fnatic won The Summit EU qualifier against Mouz and he shared his thoughts with us about the upcoming period and the pressure that Fnatic is under, their plans to boot camp and more.

You have just qualified for The Summit after beating Mouz 3:2. How do you feel about this win and team's recent performance?

"We feel very hyped. The atmosphere during the last game was phenomenal and I feel like that is the way we have to play to do well in the upcoming tournaments."

You are also attending DHS and ESL prior to TI4. How do you think playing in so many events will reflect on your performance as a team at TI4?

"It's hard to say, it could end up either being really good or really bad. If we do well in the tournaments prior to TI4, it's going to be a huge motivation and confidence boost for the whole team and we can steamroll into TI4 with that energy. On the other hand, there's the possibility of losing tournaments and doing bad in them which could have negative effects."

Hanni is in Fnatic's London HQ for some time now. Do you have plans to bootcamp there and will the rest of the team join him?

"Yeah, we're planning on bootcamping from the 20th of May until TI4. It's gonna be good."

You will compete on Frankfurt's stadium at ESL One. What are your thoughts on playing Dota 2 on the football pitch?

"It's still hard to imagine. I remember when playing at Dreamhack finals on the DH stage was a huge thing, but now we're somehow playing on football pitches. It's quite funny how much e-sports has developed in a very short time and there's no end in sight."

What do you think about NAR and Arrow Gaming who have qualified for TI4? Did they come up as a surprise to you or do you think they definitely deserved to be there?

"I don't really know much about the SEA scene, so it's hard for me to comment. About the NA qualifier, I felt like NAR, Nyx and Liquid all had a shot at winning the qualifiers and those three did end up being the top 3 teams."