tN1R on hally’s absence from the IEM Cologne Major 2026: “When it comes to tough matches, we definitely missed him.”

It turned out that before the tournament, Seryoga had some medical tests done, and some of the results were bad. I don’t know the exact details, but due to his health, he was hospitalized, and it turns out he was working with us remotely from the hospital via his laptop.

When it came to tough matches, we definitely missed him, because when you’re playing tough matches, you run out of ideas sooner or later. ...> At moments like that, the coach, from behind the bench, can actually see five monitors showing how the players are interacting with each other. If he realizes that something didn’t work, or that something did work, or that for some reason it didn’t work but will work, he simply says, “Let’s do this,” or [suggests] some other idea altogether. If you win [after a pause], the momentum of a tough match starts shifting in your favor again. In matches like that, [the coach’s presence] is very important.

I honestly don’t know what half of these analysts are getting paid for. They don’t make any sense at all—I mean, seriously. They keep interrupting each other… Maybe it’s just a show for them, too—they’re trying to win over the audience with certain comments. ...> Objectively speaking, I disagree with most of what they say, because I don’t think people understand how things really work behind the scenes with the teams. Overall, every team has its own inner workings. It’s hard to judge from the outside who contributes what to a team. It’s impossible unless you’re actually part of the team.

Actually, Donk is very loyal to Team Spirit. Where else would he go? Well, unless you want to compete at the international level—but how comfortable is that? I’ve been on an international team. Yeah, it’s a whole different ballgame—different people, different structure. It’s cool, but your native language is still your native language. Counter-Strike is a sport that relies heavily on communication between teammates. ...> Your primary language is Russian; you always think in Russian anyway, and then you translate it into English, no matter what your level of English is.