Article by Ben "Hoodini" Hodder


Stockholm’s Counter-Strike: Source squad, formerly known as Eyeballers, ascended to Birmingham’s Omega Sektor with one goal in mind: to be drafted on to one of CGS’ European teams.

Hailing from Sweden, Eyeballers had a bit of fair weather working in their favor as Emil "Heaton" Christensen, General Manager for the Stockholm franchise, is also a Swedish national. Although Christensen was open minded coming into the draft, his illustrious career as one of the best Counter-Strike players in the world put pressure on him to select a team that was not only competent, but could also be molded by him into perhaps the best team in the world.

“I went into the draft open minded as I didn’t know what to expect from the competition. I didn’t plan on drafting a team just because they were Swedish, but ultimately it was a bonus because communicating with them is a lot easier, meaning I can work with the team to make developments faster than if I had a team that spoke another language,” said Christensen.

With dominant performances in the European live qualifier, including a pair of victories over pre-tournament favorites Fnatic, any reassurances Christensen might have needed were more than met by Eyeballers.

Eyeballers dreams eventually came true as they were selected by Christensen as the first pick in the European draft, earning them the right to be called the Stockholm Magnetik. The team would go on to compete in the European final and despite getting off to a good start, ended up losing their game to archrival Berlin 8-10, and the overall match 28-30.

Recently, I sat down with Magnetik Counter-Strike: Source player Eric "HaZ" Holm, and learned more about the team’s story from game to fame.

Interview with Eric "HaZ" Holm

You were so dominant throughout the whole of the qualifier beating NoA (now Berlin Allianz) comfortably. What happened in the franchise match, why didn’t Stockholm come out on top?

We had only practiced for two weeks which led to us not having that many strats. Allianz won the coin toss and got to choose the map. They read our moves on offense and we didn't adapt. I'm sure we will prevent this from happening again though if we play them in L.A., which I hope we do!

Going into the franchise match versus Berlin did you believe Stockholm would win?

We have really good players and a great team spirit so yeah, I was quite confident that we would win, especially when it was all tied up before the CS;S match. It was a really close and exciting match so I'm really looking forward to LA and I expect many tight matches just like the one against Berlin.

How are you preparing for the CGS World Championship?

We're currently practicing hard and trying out new strategies. So far it's going really good but I know we can get even better! We have all bought TFT's so the only thing left to do now is practice, practice, practice!

How many hours a day are you practicing?

Right now we're practicing as much as we can, probably around seven hours a day. When we're not playing we try to work out things going wrong in the game and giving each other feedback on ideas, which is really important. We also play a lot individually so we're always on top.

Now you’re a professional gamer has your daily routine changed? Are you waking up and playing Counter-Strike: Source all day or do you have other commitments/education?

I'm focusing 100% on CS:S now. I finished my program in school earlier this year so I don't really have any commitments right now other than my job and I intend to keep it that way.

Which Counter-Strike: Source team would you say is your biggest threat for the Grand final in Los Angeles?

I can’t say for sure since I haven't seen some teams play, but I've played a mix vs. Core and I was quite impressed. All of the games will be really interesting as the teams come from all around the world so the playing styles are probably going to be a bit different.

What is your relationship like with Heaton?

We talk almost every day; he's more like a teammate than a "boss." He's very professional and he always does what he can to satisfy our demands.

Why is Heaton more like a teammate than a boss?

He's more like "one of us" outside the competition, but when we enter it it's all about business. His experience from gaming really makes a difference because he always knows what we need to hear to get motivated and he can relate to all the things we go through as he's been in our seat for a very long time.

Who calls the strategies for Stockholm Magnetik's Counter-Strike: Source team?

Red does the strat-calling, but we all give him ideas of how to adapt in game. Red has vast experience from CS:1.6 so he always gives us constructive criticism to improve our game.

Have you practiced against many other professional teams such as London Mint or Birmingham Salvo?

Actually we haven't played any of them due to problems with internet connections etc, but I hope we will play them soon.

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By the sounds of things HaZ is having an excellent time being a professional gamer; his focus and commitment to Counter-Strike: Source is second to none. HaZ mentioned his team only had two weeks practice for the live qualifier; this was partly due to the fact he was originally in 4kings and joined up with Eyeballers in order to play for national team at the EU qualifier.

HaZ also mentioned the coin toss win by Berlin. This is a very important factor within Counter-Strike and can determine the potential outcome of any game. Berlin was aggressive on the defensive side and employed strategies that totally bewildered HaZ and his team, which ultimately resulted in a “W” for Berlin.

With the World Championship one month away, preparation time is running out for Stockholm, but considering their dominance at the live qualifier and positive work ethics, they’re sure to have improved since their finals loss to Berlin.

The CGS would like to wish Stockholm and Berlin and all teams best of luck at the World Championship in December.



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