Pimp"They (The MongolZ) have a good shot at making it to the Legends stage"

Former pro player turned analyst, Pimp, has been following The MongolZ closely for many years now. Ahead of the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, and in the wake of the team securing the biggest milestone in the history of Asian CS by cementing a top 5 spot in Valve's rankings, we sat down with Pimp to hear his thoughts on their incredible journey, the challenges they’ve overcome, and what lies ahead for this rising team on the global stage.

How long have you been following The MongolZ, and what initially drew your attention to them?

I’ve been familiar with The MongolZ game for many years now. When first emerging it felt like any other story coming out of Asia. Strong aimers, strong individuals but lack of basic understanding of higher level CS. That perception quickly died as it was obvious from watching their game that they were way more than just that!

In your view, which player is the key piece in their roster?

Senzu and blitz are two of the players you can always look towards when things are rough. Perhaps not the most consistent “star players” round to round, but it does feel like they always throughout an entire game will have a sick round or two up their sleeve, something extraordinary! 910 could be put in that category as well, mzinho is getting there too.

With such a young lineup, mzinho being only 17, and the team’s average age being around that 20 mark. And even 910 revealing having just 3,800 hours in the game. What would you say is the key to their impressive surge despite their age and experience?

They seem unimpressed in their way of approaching the game. Surely they could get better in many aspects, but overall they seem confident on/off the sever. The potential for development is immense, especially with their age in mind.

How would you characterize their playstyle, or perhaps Asian CS as a whole?

Asian CS is known to be hard hitting, with a lot of individual skill. That’s still very much the case nowadays I'd say, and still part of the reason why some Asian teams struggle. The lack of focus on going through the motions and team play wise elevate yourself can’t hurt a bit. However with The MongolZ I feel it’s a bit of a mixture. They got the skill clearly, and they’re also adopting a part of the European mindset of teamplay. Partly why I like them so much!

How significant is their impact on the Mongolian and broader, on the Asian CS scene?

Having a team like The MongolZ paving the way for Mongolian and Asian CS is super super cool. I hope people get inspired by their approach, and hopefully we get to see more teams of the region coming out hitting hard soon!

What are your expectations for their performance at the Shanghai Major?

I think they will qualify first and foremost, and I also think they have a good shot at making it to the Legends stage. However the Playoffs (Champions Stage) seem a bit to much to hope for, for now.