Fresh off a crucial Stage 2 victory in the VALORANT VCT EMEA, Natus Vincere’s coach Vincent "Happy" Schopenhauer sat down with us to discuss the state of the team and the road ahead. From integrating new players and refining strategies to overcoming mental hurdles against top-tier opponents, he offers candid insights into the team’s growth, the competitive gap between regions, and the lessons carried over from a storied Counter-Strike career. The conversation also touches on his personal journey into coaching, the tactical contrasts between CS and VALORANT, and the importance of discipline and decision-making in the modern competitive scene.

How are you feeling after securing your second win in Stage 2 of the VCT EMEA, especially after a run where you faced some of the region’s strongest teams?

Vincent "Happy" Schopenhauer: "To keep it short, this was an extremely important match, not necessarily for immediate rewards, but for building confidence and improving our playoff position. If we stay consistent and avoid mistakes, this win could be pivotal. From an analytical perspective, though, I don’t think we played particularly well today. The score might suggest otherwise, and we had some strong starts and good openers, but we struggled to close out rounds. That’s something that continues to haunt us. I’m thinking of our match against Fnatic recently, for example. Strategically and tactically, things are in place, but that finishing touch is still missing.

What are the biggest challenges for NAVI this season, and in what areas do you think the team still needs to grow to truly compete with top-tier teams like Fnatic or Liquid?

Happy: I’d say we’re still in the process of fully integrating alexiiik (Alex Hawlasek). He’s our new Duelist, and he only joined a couple of months before the league started, so it’s still fresh. Today he played well, but there are still some mental aspects that need strengthening, as I mentioned earlier. On a broader scale, it’s about refining our game. I saw mistakes today that we never make ones that don’t even happen in practice. But when they appear on stage, they need to be fixed immediately. If our next match is a decider, a good team will punish us for them. As for objectives, we need to take down a top-tier team. We almost managed it last week. We need that big win to truly build momentum and give ourselves a real shot at qualifying for Paris which is crucial for the team and for me.

Can you explain your daily role within the team, and what your main ambitions were when you joined NAVI?

Happy: My role is a bit of everything, honestly. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing. I make sure things are running smoothly overall guiding strategy, ensuring players are in the right roles, making sure our approach to maps is coherent. Even though I’m not a performance coach or psychologist, there’s a deeply human side to the coach-player and coach-IGL relationship that I have to manage daily. I’m not formally trained for that, but you have to develop those skills and rely on them almost every day because it’s crucial for both the players and yourself. As for my ambitions, this year has been somewhat disappointing, we hoped to qualify for a Masters at the very least. But my main goal, and I’ve said it from the start, has always been Paris. To get there, we’ll need to take down a lot of strong teams, but that’s the challenge.

You’re a CS legend, a two-time Major champion. What motivated you to transition into coaching on VALORANT, and what’s been the hardest part of switching games and roles?

Happy: To be honest, I still ask myself that question sometimes, just kidding! Honestly, I started playing VALORANT simply because the game was fun. I didn’t move directly into coaching. At the time, people would say, “Everyone’s switching to this new game for the money,” but I didn’t make a cent from VALORANT for two years. There was no VCT, no stages, no Champions back then. I just enjoyed the game and decided I wanted a change.

What are the biggest differences between CS and VALORANT? Does your CS background still help you, or have you had to completely rethink your approach?

Happy: Discipline is the biggest difference. I’m not trying to criticize VALORANT, but when you watch top-level CS matches, the discipline is just on another level, it’s a different world. VAL naturally has more variance tactically. You don’t have agents flying around in CS. That said, VALORANT players have excellent decision-making, they often have to make extremely fast calls in unpredictable situations. That’s a big strength. But in terms of overall structure and discipline, CS still has the advantage.

So does your CS background still help you today, or did you have to completely change your approach?

Happy: It absolutely helps. The broad principles especially around discipline give you a distinct advantage, especially over coaches or players without that background. Years of experience in a highly competitive environment like CS give you insights others simply don’t have. While the games are different, there are foundational, almost mathematical or geometric principles that remain the same: managing advantages, handling specific scenarios. That knowledge translates directly.

Before joining NAVI, you coached M80 in North America, where you nearly qualified for the partnered league. How would you compare the NA scene to the EMEA scene in terms of playstyle, intensity, and team structure?

Happy: There are definitely regional differences. In NA even when we were technically tier 2 with M80 there was more discipline and technical understanding, even at that level. Most of those players are now in franchise teams. Teams like G2, for example, showed exceptional structure and discipline. In EMEA, what stands out is the talent pool, especially in Turkey, where the individual skill level is incredibly high. And of course, teams like Fnatic lead the way in terms of macro play.

You were an IGL in CS, and now you’re coaching. What’s been the biggest adjustment going from live decision-making in-game to leading from the sidelines? Does the distance ever frustrate you?

Happy: The first thing I’ll say is yes, it’s very frustrating. But you have to recognize the difference: when you’re outside the game, you’re not feeling the same adrenaline, and you can make colder, more calculated decisions. That said, it’s hard not to get annoyed when you see a mistake coming from a mile away. Still, your job is to communicate, not to control. The key is making sure they understand maybe not 100%, maybe only 30%, but that’s your role as a coach. Your talent lies in how well you can get your message across."