RINO: "my team is ready to compete"

One of the hottest teams in ESEA-Invite team right now, Cyber Revolution, has shown us that new teams can hang with the best. With a solid record of 8-3 (.727) and wins over such teams like Evil Geniuses and Check-Six Gaming, this team is on the road to the post-season AKA the ESEA LAN Finals. cRev for short, Cyber Revolution, has taken their second place finish in ESEA-Main in season 9 and transformed it into being one of the better teams in invite. For this interview we were able to grab Rinor ‘RINO’ Marku from cRev to answer some questions about their so-far successful season.

Thanks for taking time to sit and answer some questions about you, your teammates, and Cyber Revolution. How about you introduce yourself first for those who might not be familiar with you?
My name is Rinor "RINO" Marku, I currently live in Staten Island, NY and I have been playing Counter-Strike for about 7 years now.

Now could you please introduce the Cyber Revolution starting five and the specific roles they play on the team?
First, we have Johnny 'JLS2 (GOSUWON)' Lee who is our Leader and Strat caller. Then we have Mario 'KSPOT' C and Andy 'Xu1337 (VSA') Xu who are our fraggers who usually enter the bombsite first. Last but not least we have James 'DruzBAP' Connolly and myself as the support players.

The Incursion Gaming that played in the uneventful Season 8 of Intermediate had some of the players on this roster; however, this is the same starting five that played in the previous season in Main and went all the way to finish second place. How did this finalized roster come about?
After the Intermediate season, I decided to quit playing Counter-Strike and never planned on coming back. I remained on the Incursion Gaming roster but was never active. Then, I got a text from our current leader JLS2 (GOSUWON) saying that they made it into Invite and needed a 5th due to Trela, their fifth last season in Main, not being able to stay active anymore due to work. I accepted the offer and got active again and realized that 3 new players were added on the team during the Main season from when I went inactive (KSPOT/DruzBAP/Xu1337).

There is usually a stigma for new teams in invite and how bad and unsuccessful they are once they reach invite. What goals did cRev come into invite with? Do you think your team has met those goals, failed to meet them yet, or have already gone above and beyond those goals?
Our goal, which I am sure is every other invite team's goal too, is just to win every match and hopefully win it all. Even though we are playing more experienced teams like Check-Six, Evil Geniuses, Back2Back Gaming, and Ultimax Gaming, we still go into every match with confidence and no fear at all.


Of the teams that were moved up alongside cRev, (DESiRE, mSpaz, Black & Yellow) you guys are performing the best as of now. What do you think cRev is doing correctly that other new move-up invite teams are not doing?
I can't say my team is more prepared than those other teams because I don't know how much they practice or go over the map during the week. However, I can say my team has very good chemistry and get along really well and we are always confident in matches.

Other top-contending teams such as Evil Geniuses, Ultimax Gaming, Check-Six Gaming, and Back2Back Gaming all have good amounts of LAN experience individually and team wise. How much LAN experience do the players on cRev have (individually and collectively)?
Collectively, our team hasn't been to a LAN together however, I have been to one LAN which was a WCG Quiver Shootout in New York. Druz, KSPOT, and vSa all have been to smaller LANs but nothing too big. GOSUWON has not been to a LAN event yet.

Do you think the amount of LAN experience you guys have compared to other top teams in Invite will hinder your final placing if you guys make it to the ESEA LAN Finals?
Those teams with more LAN experience will, most likely, feel more comfortable to play against us and are probably used to playing in that environment. However, my team is ready to compete.

You guys comfortably sit with a 8-3 record in invite. With only five matches remaining and matches against Evil Geniuses and Black and Yellow, what record do you guys see yourself finishing the season with?
Every team has been hard to beat in Invite so far, but I believe the Evil Geniuses and Black & Yellow matches will be our toughest ones, therefore, I predict an 11-5 record at the end of the season.


Not including cRev, what other five teams do you see making it to the post season?
Evil Geniuses, Back2Back Gaming, Ultimax Gaming, CheckSix, MouseSpaz.

Which team, for you guys, is the toughest to beat in Invite? Why?
Like I said earlier, I think every team is tough to beat in Invite, but if I had to choose one, I believe that Check Six gaming is the toughest team to beat. The reason being is that they are a new but very experienced team who look prepared for every match.

You guys are currently sponsored by Cyber Revolution Gaming. What do you guys receive from the organization? Are you guys looking for more sponsors or is the team content with its current situation?
First off, I would like to say Cyber Revolution has been a great sponsor and we appreciate what they have done for us so far. They will be paying our league fees, sending us to LANS, and paying our flights. We are content with our situation and fine with what we got under the Cyber Revolution sponsorship.

Ironically, in a previous interview with Incursion Gaming, Johnny Gosuwon Lee said, “We have had this discussion as friends/teammates and we all want to achieve climbing up the ladder to Invite.” Now that you guys have made it to invite where do you see cRev two seasons from now?
Hopefully attending this ESEA LAN coming up and future ESEA LANs. Also, we would like to put our team's name and individual names out there in the community.

Are there any future plans for the cRev teams in terms of other LANs besides ESEA?
We haven't been talking about LANS other than the ESEA LAN coming up, but if there is any chance my team is able to attend one, then I am sure my teammates would want to go and play.

Have you had a chance the BETA for Global Offensive yet? What do you and/or your teammates think about the game? Do you see yourself possibly switching over to CS:GO?
For how much I have played so far, I feel like it's a great game for a BETA. My computer can't really handle the game smoothly so I haven't put too much time into it.

Why do some of the players on cRev have the 'S2' tag at the end of their names?
It's no big secret. It's just a tag for those of us who have had close friendships for a while =].

Are there any last shout-outs you would like to make or any final comments?
First, I would like to thank Cyber Revolution for being an amazing sponsor. I would also like to thank everyone who has supported my team during this ESEA Invite season.

Thank you for answering some questions about Cyber Revolution and hope to talk to you guys again soon.
Anytime, and I am sure you will! ;P