CS-Nation

Covering the future of Counter-Strike
ascension
interview: ascension
Ascension: to rise to another level. Ascension, rookie team to CAL-invite, has been on fire as of late. With wins over WeekEnd Warriors and Gamers-X, they're on track to make a splash in the playoffs. I had a chance to speak with Ascension's manager DragonClaw and ask some interesting questions.

When was Ascension formed and why, by who, where, and how?
a*|DragonClaw: Team Ascension was started in September of 2001 by me. I was personally tired of being lead by confused leaders that didn't know what they were doing and was fed up with it. Therefore, me and a group of my CS colleges decided to form our own clan. The name Ascension was created because it was the goal of everyone in the original roster, which is to "Rise to Another Level" and be different than all other clans.
Was it always the goal to reach the top echelon of online gaming in CAL-invite?
DragonClaw: The goal to everything that I am involved in is to reach the top. We're not at the top quite yet, but we'll try our best to get there and stay there.
Could Ascension be this season's Team Rival?
Not yet
They have the CAL-i title in their grasp
I didn't know Rival was last season's surprise CAL-i champions.
What was it that inspired Ascension to reform and fight to get back to CAL-I?
DragonClaw: Everything went down the drain when I went inactive the first time, I tried to appoint a new leader during my inactiveness, but it wasn't the same without me. After couple matches and couple straight losses, people gave up hope and joined other clans. I didn't want to see something I've put so much work in to just simply die, so I returned to CS. I recruited/dismissed many players to get the roster that I thought would actually have a chance in CAL-I, then taught that roster everything that I knew and permanently retired after I was sure that the clan would be stable.
How is your lineup different compared to the first time Ascension was in CAL-invite? How did spending several seasons of Main before returning to Invite help you grow as a team?
DragonClaw: Our lineup now is totally different compared to the first time Ascension was in CAL-I. The only person left from my original roster that's playing for me now is Masternook, the current leader which handles all match related business for me. I've retired a couple months ago from CS competition due to my busy schedule. I remain the manager of the clan to oversee progress and to handle the business side of the clan. Being in main was time consuming, yet it helped us practice our teamwork.
You've had some sporadic wins and losses, but overall have been impressive defeating giants WEW and [GX]. Do you consider your new lineup as the cause of your recent success?
DragonClaw: The new lineup probably helped, but it hasn't been long enough to tell if it's skills or luck just yet. Why? Because winning couple matches don't mean anything, we will not be satisfied until a certain consistency level is reached and maintained. Give us more time then I can have a better answer for this question.