ENCE Thought I Was a Different Player but Still Wanted Me! - Reflections with Aleksib 1/3 - CSGO

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Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen, former in-game leader of ENCE and OG Esports and currently of Natus Vincere, is the star of the 386th Episode of 'Reflections'. This episode is part one of three about Aleksib's career.
Aleksib's career began in his native Finnish scene and he was a member of an early ENCE roster as a relative nobody in 2016. With that line-up being broken apart he dominated Finnish CS for the following year with HAVU before a new look ENCE line-up, featuring names he had scouted, was assembled.
An early breakout event was ESL One Cologne 2018, where ENCE defeated the likes of NiP and MOUZ and played eventual winners Na'Vi close. After grinding up the placings of the medium sized and tier 1.5 events, ENCE then qualified for IEM Katowice and mounted one of the great underdog runs all the way to the final, where the mighty Astralis downed them.
In the rest of 2019, ENCE would prove themselves a top three to four team in the world. They won BLAST Madrd, ending Astralis' almost-record-breaking nuke win-streak. They would rack up many more top placings like top four at cs_summit 4, 2nd at Dreamhack Masters Dallas and 2nd at IEM Chicago.
The Starladder Berlin major arrived with unusual circumstances as Aleksib knew, privately, he would be benched but was allowed to play with the team. They would make the play-offs, with him famously fragging out in the swiss phase, only to be defeated by Renegades in the quarter-finals. He was kicked from the team after the event.
Forming a new squad with NBK in OG Esports, there would be barely any LAN events before the team was forced to compete online like the rest of the world. Despite an underpowered roster, Aleksib was able to get OG a good ranking and some deep online finishes to establish himself as more than just an IGL of Finnish teams.
After the online era, Aleksi would receive an invitation to join G2 Esports, one of the world's biggest organisations. Despite early success, making the IEM Katowice 2022 final and almost winning it out of the gate, G2's results were too up and down. Failure to make the play-offs of the PGL Antwerp major, no deep finish at IEM Dallas and an underwhelming IEM Cologne run saw him kicked. A semi-final at a BLAST mixed in there hadn't been enough to keep his job.
Aleksib was soon picked by up NiP and would help them qualify for the IEM Rio 2022 major, though they couldn't make a deep run there. NiP was notorious for roster moves seemingly constantly, but a top four finish at BLAST Fall 2022 stood out as a positive note in an otherwise troubled period. The end in NiP came suddenly, as a top eight at IEM Rio 2023 and a near miss at making the BLAST Paris Major play-offs saw his time in the Swedish org come to an end.
Aleksi was recruited to a new international Na'Vi roster that he helped get second at ESL ProLeague S18, the last CS:GO LAN. s1mple then departed the line-up and was replaced by w0nderful. Despite some good match results and solid placings, few expected much in terms of trophies. Na'Vi shocked the world by winning PGL Copenhagen 2024, the first CS major.
In part one, Aleksib talks about his entry into the competitive scene, joining ENCE twice, early tier one runs, making the Katowice major final and later beating Astralis at BLAST.
This interview was recorded on the 18th of April, 2024.
► Time-line of topics discussed:
00:00 Starting out as a League of Legends player
05:45 Old CS pals reconnecting?
07:20 Early ENCE
10:38 suNny
13:30 Dominating Finnish CS with HAVU
17:27 Aleksib getting the future ENCE players
21:54 ESL One Cologne 2018
27:42 allu
32:24 FACEIT London EU RMR
34:31 Levelling up at medium sized LANs and qualifying for the major
41:45 Did top teams scrim ENCE pre-Katowice?
43:44 Twista as coach
45:14 Swiss and allu leaving for his child's birth
50:19 Team Liquid quarter at IEM Katowice
55:30 Na'Vi semi
59:54 Astralis final
1:02:56 BLAST Sao Paulo
1:04:49 StarSeries S7
1:06:17 BLAST Madrid vs. Astralis
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#Aleksib #ENCE #Thorin

[@RiquCS]

hello, i am the guy at 8:30 yes i am listening :D

[@RAEJDER]

HAHAHAH bless you bro!

[@benmiao8168]

you know its gonna be a banger interview when you see "1/3"

[@yunglorn]

definitely not a banger from Thooorin. U high my dude? This guy has no idea about CS and he should never do things like this.

[@_aataNi]

@@yunglorn ?

[@xtrfyzr]

​@@yunglornare you mad, or mental?

[@Greaperk11]

@@yunglorn what would be a banger to you? also why you even here?

[@paradoxofgodexisting]

@@yunglorn Unfortunate genetic lottery loser from reddit spotted.

[@zheka7691]

interview with aleksi, one hour long, and its only 1/3 part? IM FUCKING IN LETSGOOO

[@user-fc8xw4fi5v]

Holy fuck Thorin getting Aleksib shortly following NAVI's major run is absolutely goated

[@snapphanen]

Thorin is quite literally the greatest esport journalist of all time

[@LukeBolitho2011]

We eating for the next 3 days boys

[@chrlzcs]

2 GOATS MEET

[@falc0n717]

No way this is happening

[@misterkefir]

Damn.. After all these years.. You're still on the absolute top of the e-sport scene, Thorin. The best interviewer, storyteller and analyst. Even if You've decided to not work any events.. you're still extremely relevant and always able to draw the biggest names out there. Respect, man. Seriously. Cheers.

[@user-fc8xw4fi5v]

Truer words have never been spoken. Real CS fans love Thorin because he's a fellow real CS fan

[@ellyaxo]

@@user-fc8xw4fi5v fr

[@ellyaxo]

@@user-fc8xw4fi5v when u see him in watch parties it shows his passion for CS the way he reacts and talks about the game

[@knowledgemc97]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@fredericoo]

Aleksib is one of the greatests cultural impact players. RUSH B.

[@alvarobelevan]

but go A

[@DodgySmalls]

This segment had me hooked. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a great in game leader is also great at expressing himself (even in his second or third language) and has a fantastic memory. Can't wait for part 2&3

[@marcelfunke7261]

Holy shit 3 parts!? That is awesome. Thank you Thorin

[@_aataNi]

holy shit

[@misterkefir]

kino

[@Maderum]

This is really great. You can see how much both of you guys just genuinely love CS. Aleksi is a great guy, met him once in a bar called A21 in Helsinki. Big fan! Thanks for this Thorin

[@jaketsu0487]

Bro is going crazy with these interviews damn... aleksi my goat

[@TheSandeldiino]

Omg omg omg. Cant wait ALL the parts!!

[@mrbrooks256]

Thorin is motherfucking on fire these last months

[@sNiPeR95PwnZ]

You can tell after 10mins this is going to be a banger ep. He can actually remember alot of small details and articulates well

[@b1rd_cs]

Thank you so much Thooorin for that great content you making for the CS scene.

[@weakie87]

Awesome! can't wait for the other parts.

[@TheXxzdarkstarzxx]

Thorin thank you for consistently providing us with banger reflections episodes

[@foriahn]

So happy to see this

[@cpfantastic5576]

Instantly clicked, the best episode.

[@maglorcalaelen1]

thank you thooorin for being you and loving & working for the game we all love since childhood

[@turkeyman631]

One of the only players where literally every time he is kicked, I'm thinking he was really done dirty.

[@elliotseiler9196]

What an awesome interview

[@R4vel]

Holy shit, I finished that episode so quickly cause it was so good! looking forward to the second and third episode!

[@elmake4447]

Perfect thing to listen while going for a run. Thank you Throorin and AleksiB

[@televator8689]

Love this series :)

[@Deepak-gv6hd]

Christmas came early 🎅

[@pinkocean310]

LET’S GOOOOOOO MY GOATS 🐐 🐐

[@HYIDDQD]

what a great interview already and im halfway in.

[@miskamikkonen6969]

This is the episode everyone has been waiting for

[@MrKyly]

Listening to this, it's even more impressive what Serral has done in starcraft hailing from Finland, what a fucking super legend!

[@TYLERLOVESBMX1]

No one has or ever will come close to the level of coverage thorin has done. Thanks again for making cs great for everyone

[@ec6847]

thorin cooking up the goods as usual

[@zikiw0w]

Certified Banger

[@edi4677]

Great video!

[@bibhudattamohanty5041]

infinite bangers!!! only thorin can mange

[@larz4437]

Absolute banger. What else new.

[@foriahn]

2 FUCKIN LEGENDSS what a interview this is gonna be Insane

[@ronitarora2626]

This is a banger

[@BESTAD_TLOU]

that’s what a saturday night is! banger

[@HVICTOR3]

Long awaited

[@fbiindia9661]

EVEN ALEKSI!!!!!!!! Dude ur a legend!!!!!!!!!!

[@reyanshbhavya7642]

juicer upload from thoorin

[@karlbastos2800]

Man, thorin never misses

[@Entzyymi]

Goated content

[@unknownentity8256]

25:58 Important to note is the difference here in mentality, playing with no expectations Vs. playing with expectations, in terms of results. This is a very integral part of sports psychology. Also ties into the concept of progression based mindset > result based mindset.

[@sh1nenkai258]

its only natural esports himself can make banger reflections with a major winner right after he won

[@djayt]

insane

[@mrwalter1049]

MEAT IS BACK ON THE MENU, BOIS! Absolutely fantastic to get a 3 parter with Aleksib 👌

[@SuperMClone]

hell yeah

[@user-jx7jd7bl4k]

Typical W Thorin content

[@indiemoans]

Thorin doesn’t miss

[@Jomenaa]

First team realizing "you need to aim higher" in cs is when you start placing crosshair on head level. Everyone who's gone thru a course in gun handling knows when "idle" you aim the barrel down, but for god's sakes this is CS :D

[@captainfantastic3490]

Hurry up man, upload the second episode.

[@wvyosrs8298]

wow what a banger. aleksi goat

[@Ansee7]

yes, yes again and yes a third time. TY THORIN

[@samsharpe787]

As a league player its such a shame we lost out on the potential of Aleksib. Imo if he was a support or jungler and a shot caller he could have had a mind like Mickyx or Perkz in europe and could have been a true great, assuming he had the hands to play League. He has such a good mind for CS!

[@okkoanttila3990]

no way, lets go!

[@sionyde2345]

POG

[@danNi2k]

WOOOT!!!!

[@sidnvt]

The OG stratbook episode with Aleksi kzbin.info/www/bejne/j53Sm6uIjK97e5Y

[@Vlipper2009]

good shit

[@Olter_]

ITS HAPPENING I still remember watching the esl one cologne 2018 match vs navi and ence was making a huge comeback on mirage, from 6-14 to 14-15. And then on the last round they rushed B and got destroyed. gg

[@juanframetallica82]

LET'S FUCKING GOOOO

[@MusHrOOmsonaCid]

proper drop; because its KINGSDAY in the nethlands

[@paradoxofgodexisting]

Aleksi looks like a prince or something... He could also play a knight in a movie.

[@ne0n_idiot143]

THIS MAN IS COOKING YOOOOO

[@kisoaa]

Best and most handsome igl inthe world! 🤩

[@dzaijn]

I remember how utterly important Aerial was for ENCE. Huge balls.

[@vp9054]

no fucking WAYYY

[@MaciejGorski-cu7nw]

no way

[@ilovejesus42]

holy, this is the only one video or series from Thorin that make me feel I like it

[@ourboyhemingway]

AleksiBros… our time is now

[@coldsmoke666]

Thorn, you are a fucking god.

[@AK--]

We're eating good today

[@ohneilgang9469]

CINEMA

[@Zeppeliini]

Never liked a video faster

[@PartikleVT]

HOLY SHIT

[@iceboxchamberlain1]

Godleksib

[@xwingg]

28:12 who's gonna tell him lol

[@o0131]

aleksi the finnish pride

[@theramses3709]

Omg 1/3

[@xlgapelsin6173]

ALEKSIGOAT

[@ffsFonix]

Second csgo major winner to come from cod4 promod 😊

[@p0ker_m]

The NiP winstreak was 32-0 though it was from both online and LAN games. Astralis would have tied it with them.

[@Eepistoo]

aleksib & xpetu dream fin duo inc?

[@joona8201]

seksiB

[@tzikik]

i hope you asked him about sergej, since he was a young prodigy back at that time and he somehow vanished after that Ence hype

[@MusicJunkie37]

If he came back today he would only be 22 that's crazy how young he was. He turned 18 two days before the Katowice major grand final so he was only 17 for most of that run. Dude was ice cold.

[@thedvsone7672]

Refleksib

[@ults1]

blast madrid btw in the timestamps, not blast miami

[@ollimikkola7168]

28:10

[@unknownentity8256]

Medal from the royal family of Finland? 😂That's such a British thing to say, there hasn't been a monarchy in independent Finland.

[@Juhis861]

hyvä video en kyllä katsonnut viellä

[@masa-ec2dm]

blast madrid at the end not miami

[@sammyhax4451]

bänGÖR

[@TheRentrap]

For the love of god tell me all parts are just as long

[@malif1279]

SEXYB LET'S GOOOOOO

[@AnthonyShuker]

twitch chatter and redditors say thorin is irrelevant... proof otherwise