INS: “I’m a friend rather than a leader, so I’m working to change that”

INS: “I’m a friend rather than a leader, so I’m working to change that”

At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 Stage 1, FlyQuest have made a sharp start, going 2-0 on day one and posting two convincing wins — 13:10 over Legacy and 13:6 over Imperial. The positive start is especially significant given that their in-game leader Joshua “INS” Potter has been unable to break his best-of-three duck at Valve-sponsored events — he has lost 11 in a row. 

INS says the difference this time is confidence and expectation:

“We have a lot more confidence in ourselves this time. We kind of expected to win.” 

A new era with AZR

Much of the reshaping of the team is credited to the appointment of Aaron “AZR” Ward as head coach. The Australian veteran, previously of Renegades and 100 Thieves, arrived to impose discipline, structure, and a fresh mindset. 

According to INS:

“He kind of has a lot of discipline … whereas my personality doesn’t really have that towards the other players. I’m a friend, rather than a leader, so I’m trying to improve on that.” Additionally, INS added that AZR “brings a lot of structure… People weren’t happy to support, and stuff like that. He’s bringing more structure, and making people know that this is a team and not a one-man show.”

AZR himself described his role with FlyQuest: he said he’s been working with the team for about a month and a half, that he altered positional responsibilities within the lineup, and that he sees his own coaching role as “the kind of coach I would have wanted when I played”. 

Role changes and evolving team dynamics

One major shift has been the role adjustment for players such as Corey “nettik” Browne and Declan “Vexite” Portelli. AZR indicated:

“There’s been a bit of a switch-up with nettik and Vexite. nettik obviously has star potential output, but a lot of the positions that he had required him to be more communicative, more reading the round for the team.” 
Vexite in particular has taken to the role of a secondary caller and aggressive spacemaker, with early signs showing improvement under the new structure. 

INS emphasised that sacrifice is required from all members of FlyQuest:

“For nettik in particular … he is a very relaxed person, he doesn’t really care, he just wants to win. That’s the mentality we should all have … and whether that’s sacrificing your role, anything, for me, being captain, everyone has to sacrifice. That’s part of Counter-Strike. You can’t win without sacrificing.” 

INS’s leadership evolution

INS admits the shift in his role has been challenging:

“Yeah, I find it a lot harder, being the guy to tell people to shut up when they have to shut up, and that’s a struggle for me. I’ve been good at it sometimes in the past, but not consistently. I’m trying to be better at it. I haven’t done it as much as I should, but I’m working on it.” 
He acknowledges that previously he might have seen himself more as a friend to his teammates than as the command figure, and now under AZR’s coaching, he’s consciously trying to adopt the “leader” hat more often.

Goals and outlook

With their 2-0 start, FlyQuest are in good shape, but INS stresses they remain grounded:

“We all have the goal of making it to Stage 3, but obviously we have to take it one game at a time. We’ve been 2-0 multiple times before. It’s just about not getting ahead of ourselves … The goal is to make Stage 3 and do more damage.” 
He also added that the improved map pool has been a real boost:
“Our map pool definitely feels better than ever… We’re comfortable on a lot of maps right now, and that’s given us a lot of confidence …” 

Why this feels different

Beyond the results, reviewers and analysts have noted this team feels distinct from previous incarnations of FlyQuest. For instance, in the broader event preview, it's pointed out that FlyQuest are actively reshaping their map-strategy and roles under AZR:

• They’ve shifted away from Inferno (pick rate dropped from ~54% to ~13%) and boosted Dust 2 to ~44% of their pool.

• The positional changes for nettik and Vexite, as mentioned above, are part of a broader structural rework rather than just cosmetic tweaks.

• INS himself seems to recognise the difference: the team feels more confident, more structured, and more oriented towards one another.
  Such glimpses suggest FlyQuest may genuinely be entering a new phase rather than a mere refresh.

---

Closing thoughts:
FlyQuest’s path at the Budapest Major may hinge less on raw firepower and more on the maturation of the team — the leadership transformation of INS, the coaching input of AZR, the role optimisation for nettik and Vexite, and the collective mindset shift. If they can maintain discipline, harness the improved map pool, and treat this as more than just a good start, they might break their best-of-three barrier and truly make waves.