Sal “Volcano” Garozzo is not an unfamiliar name to the compLexity community. Being a part of Team3D during the big North American rivalry days, Sal has come to become a part of the team he once squared off against. Sal has known to be a bit more on the shy side, but he shines in game being one of our key riflers. Read on for a little chat with Volcano!
How big of an impact was having former teammates Method and sunman to you being a part of this lineup?
Having former teammates method and sunman was a huge factor in me joining up with thie lineup and continuing to play CS competitively. Sunman and I made a name for ourselves in CS together and I’ve wanted to play on a team with him again throughout my CS career, and I’ve always enjoyed my time playing alongside method.
How would you describe the progress of the new roster so far?
The new roster is coming along well. We began practicing some time in mid to late January after the CEVO-PT ended and since then have been noticing improvement almost every day. We are still working on creating strats for each map along with setups but we are making good progress so far. In addition to that, we are all trying to get our individual skill level up to the point we would like it at. We aren’t there just yet, but we’re working on it.
What, if anything, have you noticed about your new teammates other than Method, since you’ve clearly had a most recent experience with him as former members of Team3D, that you find promising?
I’ve known of all of the guys on this team for years, and I’ve also played with sunman in the past so I had a pretty good sense of what everybody on the team is capable of. I’ve been able to see firsthand how strong zid is with the AWP, and other guns as well. I’ve also seen da bears pull of some really nice rounds with rifles and he can help win big rounds with the AWP as well. Sunman is a very strong clutch player, relying on good communication, teamwork and game smarts. He is a great person to have on your side late round when the odds are stacked against your team.
The team got off to a noticeably slow start but seems to be coming together in your recent matches. What happened at the beginning and what have you guys changed?
The slow start was mainly because we had not started practicing as a team yet. Many of us were still taking time off for the holidays and we didn’t have a set practice schedule yet. We entered the CEVO-PT without having any practice as a team, and limited time playing CS 1.6 since our return from CS:Source. We began practice after the CEVO-PT ended and shortly after we began playing in CEVO-M. As a team, we have just been focusing on getting prepared for all the maps we have to play.
I would like for all of us to be at the level of play we were at individually two years ago, and even better.As someone that has played this game for a very long time, you are obviously aware of the fact that it isn’t always possible to occupy the same exact role as you may have had on a previous team. What, based on your time with the new col roster so far, are you finding to be the most productive role for yourself?
I am taking on a similar role with this team as I have in my past teams in CS 1.6. I am one of the primary riflers on the team and I am in a fragging/support role. In addition to this, I help create many of the strats that we run as a team, with zid being the strat caller.
Where would you like to see this team be 6 or even 10 months from now?
In 6-10 months from now I’d like to see this team being one of the top teams in North America as well as a major competitor in the world scene. I would like for all of us to be at the level of play we were at individually two years ago, and even better. Right now though, we’re just focused on practicing and winning our matches.
Image from GotFrag.com.