
Team Yandex offlaner Dmitry “DM” Dorokhin spoke in the team’s vlog about the match against LGD Gaming to advance to the playoffs of The International 2026 and shared his thoughts on when it’s time to end a competitive career.
Well, when we messed up in the “triple lane,” things got a little uncomfortable. Then we played okay. Basically, I think the opponents played—let’s just say—pretty disjointedly. That is, they grouped up a lot and didn’t really, let’s say, chase us around the map. In that sense, it was easy to play, but we made a mistake in the enemy’s “triple lane.” Then we had to stage a comeback.
Infantrymen—you could call them pawns. Staff members, yes.
[Question: “Do you like being that kind of player?”]
I don’t mind.
[Question: “Would you like to try your hand at being a coach?”]
I’ve already been a coach.
[Question: “So, does that mean you like being a player better?”]
Yes. For now.
I think it depends on how tired you feel from playing, how much you feel like you can’t keep up—all that stuff, playing 24/7. Well, “24/7” is just a figure of speech—obviously, I just mean “a lot.” When you start feeling that way, that’s when you can call it quits. As long as you feel good and still enjoy playing, you should keep playing.
[Question: “How far or close are you to that point?”]
I think I’m still far from that. I still feel young—in terms of how many games I can afford to play in a day, and so on. It’s not like I’ll play a couple of games and think, “Man, that’s it—I can’t play anymore.”
Team Yandex defeated LGD Gaming 2–1 and advanced to the playoffs of The International 2026. In the bracket, the team fell just one step short of the grand final, losing first to PARIVISION (TEAM VISION) and then to Team Spirit.
Photo: Valve.