This Wednesday marks the opening in Paris of the second
Rocket League Major of the season. Reigning champion following
Gentle Mates’ victory in Boston — where he was also named MVP of the event —
Nassim "nass" Bali arrives in the French capital intending to achieve a consecutive title.
The M8 player discussed, in an exclusive interview with
Sheep Esports, his preparation for the competition, whose playoffs
will take place from 22 to 24 May in front of a live audience of nearly 20,000 spectators at La Défense Arena. Nass also revealed that the player, born in Belgium but who had until now represented Morocco, will compete in the upcoming November edition of the
Esports Nations Cup… for the Netherlands.
You're defending your Major title and MVP award from Boston. How are you feeling ahead of the tournament?
Nassim "nass" Bali: “I'm feeling confident. We can definitely go back-to-back here at the Paris Major. Since it's never been done, we're more motivated than ever.
You’ve already played in front of a French crowd with NiP, although it was as a “foreign team”. Does representing Gentle Mates on home soil add any extra pressure?
nass: I don't think I'll feel any pressure, but I can see why others may—especially if fans aren’t rooting for you. Regardless, I don’t see myself playing better or worse with the crowd on our side.
How would you assess your personal, and the team’s current form compared to Boston?
nass: We could definitely get a bit better still, but the tournament starts tomorrow. In Boston, as a team, when we played the first day, we were a bit worse than how we played on the second day. We keep getting better and better with each passing day, and that's a good sign. We're ready to play.
Back in March, you said that KC were the most dangerous opponents and that you expected more from Vitality. Now, Vitality are the first seed after winning two Opens. Do you see them as a bigger threat than they were earlier in the season?
nass: Vitality played really well in finals during the last open, but I think we also played a bit worse than usual as well. We were playing really stressed and not to our usual level. I still believe they are a good team, but I don’t see them winning the Paris Major.
So KC are still the better team?
nass: KC are still the better team to me, yes.
You’ll begin your tournament against FURIA in a match where you’ll be considered the favorites. What would you define as a successful performance in the Group Sage?
nass: A successful start would simply be going 3-0. We want to top the group and make the upper bracket. There are a lot of advantages going through it. All the teams in our group are pretty decent, so beating them would be a good sign for the rest of the Major.
How do you evaluate your group overall? Do you see Spacestation Gaming as the main contender?
nass: Overall, our group is probably the hardest one of the Paris Major. All four teams are very decent. R8 Esports just had a really good split in MENA, SSG won a regional, and FURIA, well, I don’t really know what to expect from them, but I think they can still be strong. Still, we are the clear favorites to win this group, and we have to beat every one of them. Nevertheless, they could always surprise.
At the end of the year there will be the Esports Nations Cup. Rocket League is already familiar with this kind of competition, but does this one feel different considering it will be a global event and that you’ll represent Morocco?
nass: Yeah, I think it's gonna feel different. There's gonna be more teams and more competition. I also think that the rule limiting rosters to a maximum of two players from a single organization is a really good one as well. So there's gonna be more variations of the nations.
Maybe you already explained it before, but can you tell me why you chose Morocco over Belgium?
nass: For this Esports Nations Cup, I'm actually going to play for the Netherlands because I have a Dutch passport. But for the FIFAe Nations League, I chose Morocco. At the time, dralii (Samy Hajji), Itachi (Amine Benayachi), and me, we had a really good team. We could definitely win it. As for me not choosing Belgium, well, Morocco represents my roots, so it feels better to represent them. Everyone from there supports me as well, so it's really nice. We had a really strong team as well going into the FIFAe, but I think now it's kind of going downhill.
If you win this Major, you’ll have won as much as Itachi. Could you then be considered the greatest Moroccan player of all time?
nass: If I win this Major, I don't think I'll be the best one since dralii has achieved a lot as well. Still, I hope it'll make me better than Itachi.”
