The captain of the Russian team GR, Arkady 'SALO_MUX' Balanda, shared insights about his team and the organisation backing them in an interview with HLTV.org ahead of the Asian RMR. He discussed their training conditions, including ping challenges, and outlined GR's goals for the RMR.
Balanda described the excitement of qualifying for the RMR, mentioning that the team had prepared for about a month and recently had a bootcamp in Shenzhen. He noted the impact of their new coach, who deepened their game understanding, and admitted that luck played a role as well.
The team is composed of players from the Russian Far East, with Balanda from Khabarovsk, two players from Vladivostok, and two from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. This geographic spread is united by their region of origin and their opportunity to compete on the Asian scene.
Discussing ping conditions, he explained that the primary Asian servers are located in Tokyo (around 30 ping), Hong Kong (approximately 70 ping), and Singapore (90-100 ping). In comparison, European servers such as those in Moscow result in around 100 ping, Germany about 130, and Sweden around 110. Thus, Asia offers them the most practical environment.
Regarding their organisation, Balanda described it as young and evolving, having signed GR after noticing them while undergoing restructuring. The organisation had previously fielded a Hong Kong-based roster. He noted mutual support between the team and the organisation, which covered all costs for their Chinese bootcamps.
Their primary aim for the tournament is to secure a spot in the Major, emphasising that their trip is not for sightseeing but for competition and victory.
GR is set to compete in the Asian RMR before the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 from 11 to 13 November, with a Double Elimination format. They will face Rare Etom in the first round.