"You cannot replace him completely": BIG KUNDIKUNDI talks about gob b at VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers

BIG returned to top-flight VCT action in the Stage 2 EMEA Challengers after fighting their way through the VCT EMEA Promotion tournament. Upon entering the tournament, BIG were immediately put to the test against Team Liquid in their opening matchup.

Earlier in the Stage 1 EMEA Challengers, BIG crashed out of the Group Stage after 5 consecutive defeats. Since then, BIG has made several changes to their roster and returned to the tournament in hopes of competing against the EMEA region's tier-1 contenders.

However, the opening-week matchup against Team Liquid ended in a 0-2 defeat for BIG as Liquid claimed the initial two maps with a scoreline of 13-5 (Icebox) and 13-7 (Split). Currently, BIG sits in fifth place in Group B with 0 wins to their name.

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KUNDIKUNDI discusses BIG's performance at VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers

In a conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Adarsh J Kumar, BIG's head coach, Jiri "KUNDIKUNDI" Honkala, spoke about the team's promotion to the VCT 2022 Stage 2 EMEA Challengers, and reflected on their performance in the tournament's previous stage.

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Q: Team Liquid are one of the top contenders in VCT EMEA Challengers. How do you think BIG performed in your opening day matchup against them?

KUNDIKUNDI: Well, 2-0 means we lost. Being the first official with the team, I think it went rough. There are a lot of mistakes we can learn from. I'm sad about the loss, but we weren't ready to face the kind of tier Team Liquid played today. They punished us for so many mistakes that we made. Lot to learn, but not too sad.

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Q: You recently signed 2 new players from the VRL, LuckeRRR and musashi. How have they been adjusting to the team so far? What individual quality do they bring to the team?

KUNDIKUNDI: The guys have been adapting to our things very well. They fit the team really well. When we changed our leader, it also changed a lot of our culture.

Musashi brings a lot of energy and a lot of ideas. He always has an idea; that's a very good trait he has. He's also a second voice for the team. LuckeRRR, as a leader, brings a new vision to how we want to play. He's calming the guys down and keeping the fundamentals up. That's a big trait.

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Q: After seeing your Group B neighbors perform so far in the VCT Stage 2 EMEA Challengers, which team do you think will give BIG the toughest fight?

KUNDIKUNDI: I think the toughest fight will be M3C for sure. They have good fundamentals and everything, and let's see what they bring to the table. I think they are very innovative with the stuff they do.

I'm kind of looking forward to facing every team in the group. In this starting phase of our new team, we need every official experience to learn from our mistakes. So, we can't wait to face the other teams as well.

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Q: Gob b, who was BIG's in-game leader (IGL) and one of the most influential figures in the team, bid farewell to the roster earlier this month. How much of a loss was his departure?

KUNDIKUNDI: Personally, I think it was a big loss for everyone in the team. He was the leader of our team. He had the vision, the work ethic, he had everything; everyone just loved him. But, of course, you cannot replace him completely. Now, with the new guys and a new leader, there is a lot of new stuff.

Change is sometimes good, but the past is the past. We can't get gob b back for us, so we handled that well, but we're still missing him. However, there are now new things on the team, so we are focusing on those.

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Q: BIG completed Stage 1 of VCT EMEA Challengers with a 5th place finish in the Group Stage. What can we expect differently from BIG this time around?

KUNDIKUNDI: We need to at least get our first win on the board. We have a 0-6 overall record now, so we're looking for our first win. Personally, I would like to see us in the playoffs, but it will be tough, of course. Every opponent is very good here. Let's start by getting the first win, and maybe the second and third ones, and let's see if we can make the playoffs.