GeT_RiGhT on Major favorites: “I see a lot of resemblance from my own time as a professional in FaZe Clan”

Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund knows a thing or two about winning a Major. He was victorious with Ninjas in Pyjamas at ESL One: Cologne 2014, establishing himself as one of Counter-Strike’s great riflers in the process. Thanks to Monster Energy, we had the opportunity to catch up with GeT_RiGhT at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, chatting to him about his experience at the Major, and the team he expects to emerge victorious in the Playoffs.

Daniel Morris: How has Budapest been treating you so far?

Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund: It’s amazing. I’m also very pleased to come back here because last time I was here was six years ago and then I was still playing professionally. So this time I’m also here with Monster, even better. I got a chance to meet up with a lot of new and old friends of mine. So it’s always a pleasure to go to events like this. And yesterday we had a blast and also seeing potentially really, really good games, you know, and you get really dragged into the games, which is really, really nice.

Daniel: We’ve been spoiled. 

GeT_RiGhT: Yeah, very very spoiled. It’s also been a while for me to go to events like this, so I’m just very, very happy to get a chance this year specifically.

Daniel: You’ve obviously been retired for a few years now. Does being in and around the vibes of the Major bring back those sort of feelings and memories from years gone by? 

GeT_RiGhT: Well, first and foremost, I never officially retired!

Daniel: You’re a Hall of Famer!

GeT_RiGhT: Yeah, but I have actually, I’ve never used that word. I’ve never said those words. So people just assume that because I’m Hall of Famer, which makes the whole concept of becoming a Hall of Famer, because you should be getting it when you retire, right? But yeah, I should say that I am, but I refuse to use the word. I guess, but to the question itself, I never had really an issue after I stopped playing to really feel like “Oh, I want to get back in,” and like feeling the whole team thing and playing on big stages. Like anyone it’s like when I see like a good game, of course I want to be there but it disappears after like 30 seconds, one minute. It’s not something that really drags me back in because I’ve always been, even when I was a professional, always done something on the side and always focused on… Always do something either, if it’s something business-related, or just a fun hobby or whatever you want to do. And I think that’s helped me also in the transition of stopping playing for so long. Like [not] having some sort of a crisis in life because I’m so used to doing one thing. So for me it was like the transition stopping was kind of nice for me and more like lifting heavy rocks from my back and felt like a little bit of a relief, to be honest.

Daniel: You don’t really get that competitive itch?

GeT_RiGhT: Not really, no. Mostly because some of my former teammates, we do time to time play some tournaments, qualifiers.

Daniel: You played on LAN this year, didn’t you?

GeT_RiGhT: Oh yeah, that one. Hilarious.

Daniel: Played s1mple on LAN.

GeT_RiGhT: Yeah. I mean, according to the Swedish caster, I’m the world’s best AWPer because I aced against them. So at least I have those bragging rights. But that one is what’s a little bit more hilarious. Mostly because they also know with me, I’m always up to play those kinds of things, like serious things. But I’m always telling them, if you have someone better, it’s better to use that person. Mostly because I don’t really have that competitiveness in with it because I think it was shown specifically there for them, otherwise it would be online. But there I’m literally like not even bothered with losing a game. I’m like okay, let’s go to the next one. Just having fun anyway.

Daniel: Let’s pull it back to the Major itself. We’re a couple of days into the Playoffs now. What would you say has been your favourite game so far? Because we’ve been, like I say, really spoiled.

GeT_RiGhT: I mean, if I’m going to be completely honest, like the games have been a little bit one-sided. It’s been 2:0 until the last game. Which could be positive and negative because when you’re in a venue and you’re also watching the game and even streaming the games, you want it to go all three maps, a pretty tight scoreline, potentially overtimes. You know all the shebang about it because it’s the Major, it’s the biggest one. It’s also the last one of the year for Tier 1 CS. Everything is on the line and you know, some of the teams have been here for almost a month. It’s a very hard situation for the players and the organisations and there’s a lot of things on the line. So I know already the pressure of it, and then you come here, it’s the final stage. A lot of fans are here, they want to expect their team to do well. And some teams have not lived up to the expectations in the Playoffs. Some teams have been surprising. But if I’ve got to hand-pick one, it’s the last game of yesterday, FURIA vs NAVI. But not the overall game. Mostly just the second map of seeing how FURIA came back and seeing my dear friend Gabriel (FalleN) winning that 1v3 clutch, which I don’t think anyone was expecting.

Daniel: I thought the momentum from that… I just didn’t see a way back for NAVI on map three. It really really surprised me that they just pulled it together straight away and dominated.

GeT_RiGhT: There are some rumors about NAVI, they’re gonna do roster changes after this season, which I’m surprised with. I’ve never really seen anyone but people time to time come and remind me of it and I’m like, “I don’t know what you guys are talking about.” So I think they prepared so much [more] than they have done in the past. Even though they are a team that does a lot of hard preparation, anti-stratting, going through the playbook, and getting the players up to form and up to speed on what’s going on. But I think they have taken up another level of the preparation and you can see how focused and how they’re determined to actually potentially win the tournament. But more also break people’s hopes and dreams of becoming a Major champion. They feel like they’re the team that is there to screw people over and make themselves happier because they have been having a rough, rough year, NAVI specifically. They have not lived up to the standard of the organisation, themselves. It’s kind of cool to see how much difference it is, because you can see on the players, how they behave, how they act, how they talk, and how they’re playing the game. It’s kind of fascinating to see how much it can change for that long time they actually prepare for the tournament.

Daniel: Of the four teams, some really interesting storylines. You’ve got Vitality maybe going back-to-back. donk, maybe a second Major. Obviously the FaZe and NAVI surprises. Who do you think, rather than want, is going to go on to win the Major?

GeT_RiGhT: Well, I did answer this funny enough question yesterday on a podcast, but it was also like almost 1:30 in the morning. So everyone was asking, “Which one are you looking forward to?” I’m like, straight up – FaZe Clan. Because why the F not? I see a lot of resemblance from my own time as a professional in FaZe Clan, towards the end of my career where there was a word called NIP magic. All of a sudden, we were always there, we did our part, but we never really went the whole way. Then, all of a sudden, we became even better than we were like four tournaments before and then we go to win the whole thing. And that’s what I can see from them because of the way they started from Stage 1, they went 3:2. They looked really bad. I think they also know that. Getting to Stage 2, went 3:0, and you’re like, “Wait a minute, are they actually kind of back?” Go to Stage 3, 3:2 again. Some of the players’ individual level has been questionable the whole year, and the team has not been functioning to the level what we have expected maybe one year ago. And then seeing how much better they have become from each stage, each game and how long they’ve been here and how much they’re pushing themselves for the last tournament of the year. It’s fun for me as an old timer, if you can say that, to see that kind of thing. But in the other matches, like Vitality, Spirit, and NAVI, especially those other three teams, not the matchups, but like those three teams, they’re here for a goal basically. But FaZe is literally the team who’s just here to break people’s heart. And I think they’re riding on that little feeling of doing that. That is a way scarier team than, like, Vitality going back-to-back, or Spirit with donk, or NAVI trying to get back to their level. I think that’s why it makes it so interesting to see FaZe. And that’s why I want, or feel, FaZe somehow is actually going to win it. Maybe I’m delusional, maybe I am. It would be a wonderful storyline, if you ask me.