We spoke with HEROIC in-game leader Ludvig "LNZ" Wahlberg after his team secured a flawless 3-0 run in Stage 1 of the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025. In this exclusive interview with Bo3.gg, LNZ broke down their tough Anubis clash against FlyQuest, explained how HEROIC handles in-game leadership, and shared his reaction to FaZe recent banter — including who he’d love to face next in Stage 2.

Congratulations, you went 3-0 — but that was a pretty expected result. How do you feel about your performances here so far?

I'm very happy with the performance. It wasn’t flawless, but I think we showed the energy we wanted.

Don’t you feel like Stage 1 is more of a LAN qualifier than an actual Major? Many fans believe the overall level of play is underwhelming and doesn’t quite live up to the Major label.

I do kinda agree with that, but in some ways I also don’t. It’s a great way for lower-tier teams to show what they’re capable of, and I’m all for it.

Yesterday against FlyQuest, you played Anubis — a map where you have a 63% win rate over the past six months — but still ran into serious problems. What went wrong?

We just didn’t manage to win enough rounds on the CT side, which gave us less room for error on the T side. Even though we almost pulled off the comeback, we lost two anti-eco rounds that we really shouldn’t have.

What was said to the team during the break before the decider? What helped you regain confidence?

We just told the team that it’s fine — halves like the CT side happen on this map, and it’s normal. Go next.

Talking about yourself as the IGL — you’re only 22 but already leading a team at a Major. What is that like for you?

For me, it feels very natural right now. I’ve been working my way up the scene over the last two years as an IGL, and everything I’ve learned has led up to this. I can really feel that this is what I’m supposed to do.

Are you the sole caller in the team, or does someone else help coordinate in-game? How does it work within HEROIC?

In this team, I call most of the stuff on the T side, but obviously, like in all teams, people pitch in if they have something they want to do. During mid-rounds, players help with reactions and ideas. But on the CT side, it’s actually more the other players leading, because of the positions I play.

Stage 2 is up next. Who would you like to face? Maybe FaZe Clan, after their joke that “HEROIC = bots”? Where do you think HEROIC can go at this Major?

It would be super hyped to play FaZe in the first game now, especially with all the jokes going around. But in general, it doesn’t really matter — we know we can go far in this Major, and we’ve been playing well to prove it.