At IEM Sydney we got to talk to sterling from the Chiefs ESC, sadly the video died…but we will make do! sterling and I chatted about the Australian scene, professional players with VAC bans and the new LetsPlay.Live arena inside the SkyTower.

Grady: First off, Chiefs, New Zealand player in an Auzzie squad. How’s that?

sterling: It’s alright, they take me in as one of their own.

So you’re not treated differently?

Not treated differently, no nothing like that.

Recently in New Zealand Counter-Strike, the LetsPlay.Live Alpha Invitational. Is that a big step for New Zealand as a Counter-Strike nation?

Yeah, I think it is a really good step. You’ve got Grat (Listen to our Gratisfaction interview here) playing there and ofnu and zewsy were playing there as well. It’s a pretty big event, they had some technical issues but it’s the first time running the event, and it’s at SkyCity which is a good place for a venue for an event. It’s really good and hopefully in the future they can do more damage.

I was actually surprised, I’m from New Zealand as well, the SkyTower…who would have thought 6 month ago that the SkyTower would be an esports arena?

Yeah, it’s really good. They’ve got the pracc rooms and everything in there and you get a good view out of it.

The local scene in New Zealand, is there much of a scene?

Not really. We used to have the PingZero LAN, I’ve only ever attended one, but I don’t think they have done that in over a year – last one was a year ago, so it is pretty rough at the moment.

Nowadays if you see a professional New Zealand Counter-Strike player, they are on an Auzzie squad.

Yeah for sure.

Can you talk us through your story of how you came up from New Zealand and ended up here?

About a year and a half ago I started playing, just with some mates, in a CGA team and we slowly grinded up together all the way up to CGP. Then as soon as the season finished I got an offer to replace aliStair who left Chiefs for ORDER. So I replaced him and I’ve been in the squad for around 3 or 4 months now. I’ve had some good times, this is my first international event, so thats been pretty good fun.

Coming to IEM Sydney, you get that opportunity to go up against the international teams – unfortunately the game against Fnatic didn’t last too long. Is there still something you guys are going to take away from that?

I think that I personally had a good event, getting to play the international players theres not that much of a difference there wasn’t that much of a difference like you would perceive form the outside having not played them. So that was enjoyable to get the experience and practice against the teams. I think we definitely could have had a better showing against MVP if we’d had more time to prepare for the event, because we were forced to make a roster change with Grayhound poaching liam (IGN: malta), so we didn’t get that much practice time…maybe 2 weeks.

The VAC banned members of your team. Recently a member of the higher ups in the organization tweeting about it as well. How do you feel about it? Do you feel that they should be able to repeal them?

I feel they definitely should be able to have an opportunity to appeal it. When Matt (IGN: Texta) got his VAC ban I think he was 12 or 13 years old, it’s just too young to know the difference between right and wrong for such a permanent thing. So it sucks that we wont be able to play in Valve majors for the foreseeable future, which I definitely think Oceanian teams can definitely qualify for with the changes to 22 teams. Yeah, it’s a bit unlucky.

Other than yourselves and Renegades, who do you see as the top Australian team?

I think definitely Grayhounds at the moment, they’ve got really good fundamentals. Coming into this event I knew they would do well, because out of all the teams like us, ORDER, TM, everyone – they’ve got by far the best fundamentals, they work together as a team, they’ve got the best roles; Grat is a great AWPer, dexter is a great IGL and you’ve got erkaSt fragging it’s just great.

I’ve also asked the other New Zealand players, would you happy to play in an all Kiwi lineup?

For sure, it would be great fun. We’d get the triple AWP setup with me, sico and Grat…

…That is pretty much what all the comments were, ‘It would be a little tough, we’d all be AWPing at all times”

(laughs) We’d just be like TyLoo when they were running the triple AWP yesterday.

It’d be good fun, but I don’t know how well you’d do.

(laughs) Yeah, I don’t know how well we’d do.

ESL Pro League now expanding into Asia-Pacific, do you see that as another opportunity for these Australian teams?

Yeah I feel like this year specifically ESL have done a lot for Oceanian teams. We’ve got Pro League, qualifiers for every IEM event, 3 slots at Sydney this year and we have Legacy as well you replaced Space Soldiers due to visa issues – so there’s 5 teams at this event from Oceania. So it’s a really great experience for the scene and hopefully we can bring that back for other teams to learn off.

Thanks a lot man.

No problems.