MaJunior: Is this your first time in Athens? Have you had the time look around, maybe do a little sightseeing?
xlo.spart1e: Yeah it's my first in Athens I came to my hotel around 2 o'clock so I had a few hours the first day to look around mainly in the center, I got lost (laughs) even if I brought a map

MaJunior: I find the venue a bit noisy, especially for the guys like you that sit closer to that case modding room. Do you think it has affected your games?
xlo.spart1e: Yeah it's noisy but it's the same for both of the players,

MaJunior: Is it better than other events, compared to Bilbao?
xlo.spart1e: Bilbao sometimes was really good and others really noisy noisy, this one is the same all the time. It's playable :)

MaJunior: You weren't invited to the other bigger tournaments this year. Did this hurt your motivation for practicing?
xlo.spart1e: About Paris I had tickets for Bruce Springsteen (major laughs), he's very good live and I had to see him. And about the final I could have gotten a spot as fooKi or ArrW didn't go but my friends went to Turkey at the same week and I went there instead (laughs)

MaJunior: I see that sometimes you prefer having a good time then playing quake even if it's for the finals.
xlo.spart1e: Yeah I mean if I knew I was going to be top3 every time of course I would have gone!

MaJunior: You are very strong on nodm9: this time you took it from mouz.Cooller, srs.Cypher and LLL*fox. Is this a map you've been practicing more than the others?
xlo.spart1e: Before Gamegune I practiced with now before this event I played a bit with strenx who has a very good shaft and i thought it would be good practice for LAN but I don't know I think I've always been good on that map from the first time I played it.

MaJunior: I consider this group to be marginally easier than the other. What do you think? Noctis hasnt been at this best.
xlo.spart1e: No he hasn't, srs.av3k placed first at Gamegune though, he's always strong. I don't know how much he practiced but he was bootcamping with SK.Rapha so he will be strong in this event if you ask me.

MaJunior: You are considered a member of the newer generation of quake players, a generation that is more often associated with amazing aim and less with superior tactics. What's your opinion on this?
xlo.spart1e: I used to play teamplay games like CTF or TDM so I've always been a good team player and form there I think I have
pretty good strategy. Everyone on the top level now has good aim so I don't think it really matters.

MaJunior: After the issue with the TFTs at San Jose, ESWC changed to CRTs this time. Did this affect the players? Do you think they changed the way the players approach their game?
xlo.spart1e: Those that use TFT at home always play better at tournaments with TFTs. I mean players like k1llsen, he placed 2nd. If you ask me with CRT he would never place that good so it's harder for him here. For Quake, I think it's a welcomed change, first time I played on my TFT it was weird I played bad and missed a final.

MaJunior: Even at this stage I find this tournament hard to predict. Would you risk naming the top3?
xlo.spart1e: I don't know about the other group, who's winning there but I would think Jibo, srs.Cypher (pauses) me or LLL*fox (laughs)