All About CS #8 with GamerLegion Ash: MRQs are bad? IEM Melbourne preview & more!

Join James Banks and Jonatan 'Devilwalk' Lundberg for Episode 8 of the All About Counter-Strike Podcast! This episode features an in-depth interview with GamerLegion's coach, Ashley 'ash' Battye. Ash shares his thoughts on the team's recent performance at PGL Bucharest, his thoughts about m0NESY move going to Falcons, the challenges of the current CS competitive landscape, and GamerLegion's preparation for the upcoming IEM Melbourne event. He discusses the team's mentality, the difficulties of navigating the Buchholz system, and the importance of confidence in high-stakes matches. Then we dive into a discussion covering other recent MRQs.Concerns on the current online format versus the previous LAN RMRs, debating issues like competitive integrity, the impact of best-of-one matches in MR12, and the pressure on teams. We also touch on a new Aurora roster and will preview the IEM Melbourne tournament with our predictions! Check us out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts – https://allaboutcs.gg Our Discord – https://allaboutcs.gg/discord 00:00 Intro 02:00 This is All About Counter-Strike! 04:00 Welcome Ash to the Podcast 06:00 PGL Bucharest Recap: Upsets, format discussion (Buchholz system), and GamerLegion's run 12:00 PGL Bucharest Group Stage: Disappointments (Mongols, Astralis, Liquid) and Surprises (Complexity) 25:00 Aurora's performance and consistency discussion 29:00 GamerLegion vs. Falcons playoff match analysis & "gimmicks" discussion 36:00 PGL Bucharest Grand Final: G2 vs. Falcons & Dexter's MVP performance and departure 45:00 Discussion on the future of Falcons 52:00 Major Regional Qualifiers (MRQ) Discussion: Criticism of online format vs. LAN RMRs 57:00 European MRQ Results 1:20:00 Discussion on Oxygen/500's performance amidst cheating allegations 1:28:00 Ash discusses IEM Melbourne Prep 1:37:00 IEM Melbourne Preview and Predictions 1:43:00 Ash answers viewer questions from Discord 2:00:00 Thank you Ash! 2:09:00 Level Up Lund 2025 Recap: NiP's performance 2:14:00 Eternal Fire becoming Aurora 2:21:00 IEM Melbourne, Our Predictions