Continuing with the “Talkesport Interact” Series, today, we will be interviewing Agneya “Marzil” Koushik. Marzil is currently playing for Signify, which was formed a day before DreamHack Mumbai, after having played for OpTic India. The team made it to final but were unable to convert it to silverware. Marzil not only plays the game professionally, but also streams the game frequently and has an entertaining personality.
Malav: At what moment did you decide that you wanted to go pro is CSGO?
Marzil: It’s just something that I decided to do while playing the game a few years after I began. I didn’t have any specific moment really, I was just playing with teams that I made first; followed by teams and players that wanted to play with me, and finally teams that starting giving me a salary for playing. I think at some point I realized I actually have a knack for this game and was quite better than most players playing it. When this realization dawned upon me, I decided to go pro in CSGO.
Malav: What do you think makes an effective CS: GO, player?
Marzil: Being an effective CS: GO player is the same as being an effective player in any traditional sport. Apart from practice and having the skill to perform things in-game, the most important attribute is the mentality of a player. It’s really easy to get triggered or be affected by small things in the game, and they can stack up to affect the decisions you make. Staying calm, composed and inspiring your teammates to perform better against all odds help guarantee success and makes you a valuable asset to the team.
Malav: You played with Escudo on TempusTroupe, how was the experience of playing with him?
Marzil: Escudo is a clever young kid with a lot of potential in the game. He does, however, have a peculiar sort of tunnel vision when it comes to learning about the game and is strongly opinionated. He also lacks consistency in terms of his performance. He strongly resembles me, when I was of his age. I hope he will be able to overcome this barrier really quickly. In my opinion, he has the potential to be one of the best players in South East Asia.
Malav: What are your views on the update on the ESL India Rulebook?
Marzil: I think the recent change in the rulebook is fairly sensible and benefits all parties. I don’t believe it was the intent of the organizer to have a rule that allowed team jumping or ladder jumping but to provide flexibility to teams to allow matches to occur with no delays and cancellations. That being said, I’m glad that drama has come to a close.
Malav: Describe your teammates in one word (the ones you played with on Signify)
Marzil:
- rite2ace- bubbly
- yb- Megamind
- deathmaker- sharp
- crazyguy- stubborn
Malav: Someone you look up to regarding CS (Indian and International scene)
Marzil:
- Indian- Aequitas and akS
- International- Get_Right
Malav: Did your parents support gaming from a young age? What do they think about going professional is CSGO
Marzil: When I began gaming, they were very reluctant, as any parent would be when their child wanted to venture into unexplored waters. But slowly over the years after being a witness to all the tournaments I’ve participated in and spent time watching, they’re more supportive. They are still hesitant in letting me carry the same forward, but at least now they know there is a future.
Malav: Where do you see yourself 10 years down the line?
Marzil: In 10 years, I hope to be in a reputed organization, continuing to play if I’m still capable; or coaching a younger team.
Malav: Where do you see the Indian scene 10 years down the line?
Marzil: With eSports slowly being acknowledged by all age groups, owing to mobile games like PUBGM played by a lot of people in the country, I think the future is pretty bright. It’s not long before the same people are exposed to other games and eventually end up at counter strike – being the most competitive FPS that at least everybody has HEARD about.
Malav: If you weren’t playing CS, what would you be doing?
Marzil: I’ve always wanted to be a video game designer. I’d probably be working on my skillset to achieve that dream. I’m studying engineering right now as well, worst case I’d probably end up doing an IT job.
Malav: Your Indian CS dream team?
Marzil: Don’t really have one. If I’m being honest, talent in the scene is pretty scarce. If I had to list out some players I’d play with, they would be: Amaterasu, Deathmaker, rite2ce, Huntr but put together wouldn’t make my ideal ‘dream team’.
Malav: What advice you would you give to Indian CS: GO players who want to go pro?
Marzil: You’re going to face a lot of toxicity and trash talk from multiple players – some who may not even be as good as you. Don’t take it personally. Haters gonna hate. Try to extract from the criticism what you can work on and just focus on your game. Keep participating in tournaments and force yourself to play against better players. Getting destroyed by better players is the only thing that’ll help you grow.
I want to thank Marzil for his time and wish him the best of luck on his new endeavours with Team Signify. Don’t forget to check out his social media pages and stay tuned:
