chopper: “I think I burned out really badly from my pro career and CS, and I’ve lost my edge as a player.”
Former Team Spirit captain Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov reflected on his decline in form and a potential return to the pro scene during a personal Twitch stream. He also assessed his current lifestyle and shared his thoughts on the motivation of Tier 1 players.
On his personal form
I might be playing poorly right now because I’m not playing CS or anything like that. But it’s not true that I’m weak. All you need to do is go to HLTV, open the tournaments, and take a look—that’s all it takes. You could say that I won everything with donk, but I was a pretty good player even without him.
On my career as a player
I won’t be playing anymore. At most, I might consider coaching in the future, but playing—no. ...> I think I got really burned out from my pro career and CS, and I’m done as a player, so this is normal. I like my current lifestyle better, and it suits me.
On motivation in the pro scene
There are people like karrigan and apEX who are ready to *** [give it their all] their whole lives, going further and further. For them, it’s like a drug. I understand them, because stepping onto the stage or, say, playing in the playoffs—that’s probably the most enjoyable thing in life there is. But I’ve had enough of playing.
Earlier, Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov discussed the development of his media career, reacted to Team Spirit’s loss in the third-place match at ESL Pro League Season 24, and assessed the form of the revamped Aurora Gaming.
Photo — PGL.
