nin9 downplays shot-calling role as MongolZ reach IEM Beijing final

The MongolZ have secured a place in the IEM Beijing grand final with a 2-0 win over Natus Vincere, but rifler Yesuntumur "nin9" Gantulga insists the lineup is still settling in rather than hitting its ceiling, HLTV reports.

Teammate Sodbayar "Techno" Munkhbold had earlier in the week described playing alongside nin9 as feeling like having two in-game leaders on the roster. Asked about the comment, nin9 waved it off.

"That's just Techno being generous with the compliments," nin9 told HLTV. "Personally, I don't think I'm doing that much."

He gave a fuller picture of what his role actually looks like in practice, saying that when he spots obvious setups or reads he passes that information on, but the final calls still sit with Garidmagnai "bLitz" Byambasuren.

"I still do my part," nin9 said. "If there are some obvious setups or things, I call them out, and then bLitz makes the decisions from there. I think in a sense just calling what I see and then what I feel to bLitz is making things easier. But I'm not sure."

On the map that took the Mongolian side through to the final, nin9 was candid about a wobble on Cache, where The MongolZ had built an 8-4 lead before Natus Vincere reeled off five rounds in a row after the side switch. He was unable to pin down exactly what went wrong in the moment, pointing instead to small errors and slow rotations that let Natus Vincere back into the map.

The broader theme of nin9's answers to HLTV was one of a roster still finding its shape. Asked how he would assess his own form since joining, he said the team is not yet fully comfortable with one another but is improving incrementally.

"Right now we're still getting used to each other," nin9 said. "We still haven't fully become comfortable with each other yet. But game after game, we're getting better, and fixing most of our small mistakes and doing good work, I'd say."

The MongolZ now wait to discover whether they will face MOUZ or BETBOOM in the grand final, with the matchup yet to be decided when nin9 spoke to HLTV. He said both opponents have been in strong recent form, but expressed a preference for facing MOUZ given the history between the two sides.

"We previously lost against MOUZ, so I think that would be the better match," nin9 said.