Despite consecutive last-place finishes at BLAST Bounty Season 2 and Esports World Cup, M80 rifler Mason "Lake" Sanderson remains optimistic about his team's trajectory. Speaking after their elimination in Paris, he emphasized that improvements aren't always reflected in scorelines.
"We're playing better, even if it doesn't show in the scores," Lake explained. He highlighted enhanced communication and macro-level gameplay, praising in-game leader s1n's recent calling. The team's struggles stem primarily from individual micro mistakes rather than strategic issues, though Lake noted they're working to address these problems.
M80's Fall season started promisingly with qualification to BLAST Open Porto through North American qualifiers, but subsequent tournament results have been disappointing. Their loss to Aurora marked another early exit, with Lake acknowledging the team "blanked in key moments" and struggled in post-plant situations.
The addition of assistant coach Luca "Munstur" Ioanițiu has proven valuable. Lake credited Munstur with alleviating pressure from head coach dephh and helping resolve communication issues, particularly the team's tendency to over-comm and talk over each other. The assistant coach is compiling individual performance reviews to help players identify and correct mistakes.
Looking ahead to BLAST Open Porto in late August, M80 must return to North America for preparation rather than staying in Europe. Lake acknowledged the challenges of practicing from NA but remained focused on continuous improvement. With the team currently ranked ninth in Americas—just inside the Major qualification cutoff—they plan to compete in additional LAN events to secure ranking points and build confidence before October.
