Liquid kicked off their PGL Masters Bucharest Swiss run with a win over Legacy, and Guy “NertZ” Iluz used the postgame to underline a straightforward point: he and Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski are on the same page when it comes to the game. The contrast between tournaments has been striking for NertZ. In Shanghai at the CS Asia Championships he posted a 0.65 rating, the lowest on the team that day. In Bucharest he finished the series with a 1.30 rating, the match-high number that helped Liquid into the 1-0 pool.
In an interview with HLTV, NertZ walked through the team dynamic since EliGE joined, and why his individual reads bounced back.
“The way EliGE sees the game, I see it the same way. Everything that he says, I completely agree with about the theory, and it’s the same the other way around,” NertZ said.
Translation: two alpha brains with similar chessboards. That matters more than theatrics. NertZ admitted that EliGE has taken a lot of voice and, in some team sequences, taken on a role NertZ used to fill. Instead of grumbling, he calls the swap a net positive. “He took my role, and I feel like he’s doing a better job than me, for sure,” NertZ said, then quickly pivoted to the point teams care about most – consistency over flashes of brilliance.
NertZ flagged consistency as the priority. Winning is obvious, he said, but being steady through tournaments is the real step forward ahead of the Major. The Liquid staff and players give him backing, and that support seems to be paying off in his confidence and output.
He also gave Legacy their props. The Brazilians treated Legacy as a dangerous opponent, praising their recent Asia win and stressing that the gameplan against them was precise and executed well.
If you want the full audio, the interview is available to listen to on Spotify below:
Whether that alignment between two of Liquid’s loudest tactical voices can carry them through a stacked calendar remains to be seen, but for now the team gets to tuck a solid opening match under its belt and keep practicing the kind of discipline NertZ says they value.
Share thoughts and hot takes with us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.
