Earlier today, Australian fan favorite Vox Eminor conducted an Ask Me Anything on the CS:GO subreddit. The players gave the community some interesting responses, including insight into the competitive barriers faced by so many Australian eSports teams.
In one of the top rated questions featured in the AMA, Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill stated that he and his teammates were not surprised they were able to compete at a high level and advance to the ESL One Katowice main event. However, he did say they were surprised they were able to do so in such convincing fashion, taking down 3DMax and Dignitas back-to-back. SPUNJ also went on to say that Vox Eminor did not scout the other teams much prior to the offline qualifier, but claimed they would put in a lot more preparation for the major itself.
Unlike most of the top Western teams, who dedicate themselves full-time to Counter-Strike, Vox Eminor's players commented on the difficulty of juggling full-time jobs while playing competitive CS:GO. With the team living in different time zones within Australia, a typical day of practice is usually no more than three or four hours per night. They seemed optimistic to get in more practice time leading up to Katowice.
The most significant content within the AMA addresses the lack of LAN events in the Oceania region. Luke "Havoc" Paton explained that Australia's internet infrastructure is severely limited, which inhibits teams' ability to compete online against other higher tier teams. Furthermore, Australia is so isolated from big tournaments that it is impossible for AU teams to attend without reliable sponsors and help from Valve community stickers. While the expansion of ESEA and FACEIT to Australia have been a huge boon to the scene, the lack of LAN competition against the world's best teams is the greatest hurdle for Aussie CS:GO squads. Despite their terrific individual skill, the absence of experience is their ultimate undoing. Havoc and his teammates hope that their experience and exposure at major tournaments will contribute to a growth in reputation and competitive standing for Australian teams.
Some other interesting tidbits within the AMA:
There are many mentions of Havoc's glorious facial hair. In fact, there are indications that his beard is indeed a good luck charm for the whole team.
On the formation of Vox Eminor -
The team was officially created at the start of CS:GO back in 2012. The lineup has been extremely stable, with only one roster move since its inception. All of the players on the team are actually Counter-Strike veterans that have been around since the early days of 1.6 and Source. Clearly, they have spent the better part of their lives perfecting their craft, and are the culmination of years of hard work.
On the state of Australian eSports compared to other scenes -
SPUNJ reiterates that LAN events in Australia are rare, simply because the country is so large, and the travel costs too expensive. He says that Australia houses some high quality players, just as many as most other nations. Nevertheless, Australian teams lack the depth to compete on as high of a level as the European teams. Team manager Gomez thinks that the Oceanic scene needs at least one major LAN tournament in order to have a chance at taking the next step.
To read the rest of the questions and answers, head on over to the Vox Eminor AMA on the CS:GO subreddit.
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