keen on OCE return after SemperFi's EU trip: 'I put the training wheels back on'

THUNDER dOWNUNDER may have dominated the better part of the 2026 Oceanic Counter-Strike season, but no-one had forgotten perennial region bosses SemperFi were on their way back for their crown.

In their first nailbiter of a head-to-head match, it was Latvian Kristers "keen" Dārznieks who led the way for SemperFi in the 2-0 (13-11, 13-11) victory. Speaking to DFRAG after the win, keen was expecting a fight to the death — but said SemperFi really should have closed out the series a lot earlier.

“Obviously it was not easy, but honestly I think apart from T-side Inferno we were destroying them," keen said.

"The score on Ancient did not reflect how it was actually going; they won all four pistols, and then they won a round here or there, but if you look at the streaks… if there's no pistols I think we destroy them. As per usual, God keeps testing me.”

It was a game of streaks on Ancient that keen said was all planned, but the Latvian sniper ascended on the CT side of Inferno, landing 10 first kills in a dominant half. “I felt like we were in full control on Ancient, [but] Inferno got a bit out of control on the T-side. We fought back hard, I’m proud of the boys.”

Just a fortnight ago, keen was landing the entry kills onto the likes of Team Liquid at ESL Pro League, and while the pressure was certainly on in Brisbane, keen said the levels just weren't the same.

"It's like I put the training wheels back on. Not to disrespect — it was so f**king hard to play against [THUNDER dOWNUNDER] — just meaning that it was even harder to play against Liquid," keen said. "I've just been training individually a lot and feeling a lot better."

They may have exited EPL without a series win but SemperFi's time in Europe was still valuable. Keen explained the major factor that separates OCE from EU isn't purely strategy- or aim-based, but speed.

“The biggest change is the fact that we're now more used to faster CS," keen said. "Like, Europe's unreal. I get entry somewhere with the AWP; if I don't start running to the opposite side of the map… they've already reacted and I'm behind ‘nades. Europe is so much faster.

"[In] comparison to [OCE], I get to chill out a bit more. And now, and I've always known this since day one of SemperFi, but now the boys got to feel it as well."

It's all well and good to know that the speed of play is a factor, but it's another to keep that knowledge locked in after returning home. To aid this, SemperFi has employed Swede Samuel "Zyppe" Martinsson — the squad's first full-time EU head coach.

"The big one is that he's from Europe, so he’s introducing this pace into our game," keen said. "He's coming in here and he's telling the boys it needs to be even faster than I say, which I f**king love. 

"He actually demands faster than we play. And beforehand, when I was alone, I couldn't get the pace I was used to, but now he's asking for more and we're getting that pace I wanted."

The rest of the EU roadtrip featured smaller LANs, but crucial to the visit was keen's home in Latvia. "I was away for a year, which meant leaving my mother alone.

"For months she was a bit helpless, there’s no man in her life or home except me, so I had some stuff to take care of — a new washing machine, a few dates together. Normal mother-son stuff, so it was extremely important for me to take care of my mother. Oh, and also to meet my cat, I miss my cat, man.”

SemperFi is now refreshed and charged for the run to the Cologne Major. However, a year of competing in one of the most underserved regions has taken it's toll on the team. “All of us are giving everything," keen said.

"I’ve never played in a team where everyone has something on the line. We need money, and the major is going to give us that.

“Most importantly, making the major is a dream for all of us, this is the hungriest the team has ever been. We’ve spent so, so, so much time to even get to this level and it feels like it’s still not enough. We’re running on fumes, but we will keep running on fumes — we’re extremely resilient.

“We’re broke, we’re tired, but we keep f**king going.”

SemperFi await in the DFRAG Wildcard LAN grand final, live today Sunday, March 15.