electroNic on s1mple: “He’s just a beast. There’s not much else to say.”

At the very beginning—the first two or three months—it was much harder than it is now, because you have to get used to it. But now, as far as I can tell, I don’t have any problems at all. I understand everything, and I think I can explain whatever I want pretty well, too. So I don’t think there are any problems. Even at the beginning, there probably weren’t any major issues, because I had absolutely no experience communicating in English before. And with experience, everything gets better and better.

We’ve spent countless hours playing together, so I still think he’s the best player. I think everyone will see that for themselves in time. Personally, even when I left Natus Vincere, I knew that one day I’d want to play with Sasha again. I’m really glad we’re on the same team again. He’s just a beast. There’s not much else to say. He’s already proven himself time and again and continues to do so. And I think there’s no doubt that he can be the best player.

First and foremost, they’re hungry for victory—they’re young. That’s probably the most important thing for our team right now. They’re fresh blood; they’ll give us a little push with the motivation they show every day. That’s how it always works. Even when I was young myself and joined a team with older players, you had to motivate them, give them a little nudge to make them work harder and harder. It’s a reality: over time, that hunger gradually fades. And you have to find new motivation. I think everyone on our team has that drive right now, and we want to get back to the top.

The thing was, two different schools of Counter-Strike clashed. We weren’t cohesive enough as a team. There were two different approaches to the game, and that was probably the main reason. Although the results weren’t all that bad. But when you’re seeded lowest in tournaments, you have to play against the world’s best teams. And beating them isn’t that easy. We did everything we could, but it just didn’t work out. That’s all.

We were actually just discussing this with some friends recently. Personally, I think it would be much better if the developers created new maps and added them to the map pool. Cache is fresh—it’s a good map—but it’s still the same map with the same timings. Maybe a few grenade placements have changed, but otherwise everything’s stayed the same. I don’t think there’s much room left for new playstyles on it anymore. So it’s better to make maps where you can just shoot well, play more openly, and stuff like that.

One hundred percent—my family. They always support and motivate me. And, of course, I just love competing. I’ve been competing since I was a kid—it’s in my blood. I’m not interested in individual sports or personal achievements. For me, it’s all about the team: being part of a group, socializing, and working together. That’s what matters to me.