M8 Proxh: "I'm a way better player right now than I was last year"

Gentle Mates fought valiantly but were ultimately eliminated on home soil by NRG in the quarterfinals of the Esports World Cup. Despite the defeat, the French side had the opportunity to perform in front of their fans while showcasing the latest addition to their roster, Yusuf Emre "Proxh" Tunc, who returned to the team ahead of the tournament.

Having previously represented Gentle Mates last year in what proved to be a disappointing stint, the German-Turkish player is back with the organization, this time aiming to achieve greater success alongside a roster that has shown considerable promise since the start of the season. Before returning to VCT EMEA Stage 2 competition, Proxh spoke with Sheep Esports about his comeback to the team.

Yusuf Emre "Proxh" Tunc: “It was kind of rough. Overall, I felt sad, a bit disappointed because I felt like, as a team, we didn't have as much energy as the crowd. The fans gave us so much energy, we couldn't take anything from it. And you felt it on the server; it was a bit low, and I felt a bit disappointed. And after, I just wanted to give back something to the fans, so we just went to the Gentle Mates booth and just gave something back.

Proxh: There was a lot more potential than just this. We lost to NRG, a tough team to beat, but overall I think it was still a good showing. As the energy came, it could have gone both ways, but sadly, it didn't. But I think with three weeks of practice, with me especially, we did a good job by being unbeaten in the group stage, losing a close game to NRG.

Proxh: To be honest, it felt like I was playing Champions League. I don't know how to explain it. You go into a clutch, everyone is quiet and you just hear the crowd chanting your name and this just gives you so much confidence during clutches. I am so confident because I know from last year that no matter how you do, Gentle Mates fans will always support you. And yeah, it's insane. I wish we could have this crowd all the time, but sadly we cannot.

Proxh: It feels good. I always love Gentle Mates and I will always love them. Last year was a bit rough. We lost all five games in the league in Stage 2 which meant we couldn't play more because we got relegated to tier 2. So coming back and trying to make Champions again is a story I want to finish. Last year we couldn't do it, this year I want to do it, and we will do it. And we are going to work hard for it.

Proxh: We're all more connected. They're more like friends instead of just colleagues or teammates. We are just friends on the server. We're playing well for each other. There is no ego. I think this is like the big difference because last year I felt like we were not really that connected. We were not hanging out that much after practice games, but now we're all the time together. It's the big difference that you can also see on the server.

Proxh: I think I'm just a way better player right now than I was last year. I improved so much during my time with EP and also, I feel like I'm surrounded with really good individuals who will tell me they trust me every time. And they really help me to step into this big stage again.

Proxh: Yeah, for sure. What we showed in EWC in three weeks is insane. And you can just imagine if we had more time, what we would have done. If we had a bit more strats and weren’t just trying to freestyle stuff because of the lack of time, we would have been even better.

Proxh: I feel like there's no real favorite in EMEA anymore for the first time. The competition is getting closer and closer, and I also feel like Fnatic lost their track a bit. They’re not as dominant as they used to be. Maybe they will be for Stage 2. But yeah, I feel like it's going to be way more competitive and we're going to be up there.

Proxh: Friendship. Hard work. Aggressivity.”