Elmisho on PlayTime: “We’re capable of competing on equal footing with absolutely any opponent”
Timur Kadyrov
PlayTime player Yelstyn Brian “Elmisho” Verde Urtado spoke in an interview at the Esports World Cup 2026 Dota 2 tournament about the team’s mindset heading into the event, his emotions after qualifying, and his assessment of the roster’s competitiveness.
On the team’s mindset heading into the Esports World Cup 2026
We’re 100 percent confident right now. We had a great boot camp in Paris and trained a lot, so we’re fully pumped up.
On Qualifying for the EWC
To be honest, we really breathed a sigh of relief. We played right after the qualifiers, and the last couple of months were really grueling—we were constantly competing in international tournaments across Europe. We trained consistently and prepared a bunch of strategies we could pull out of our sleeves if necessary. So when we finally made it through the qualifiers, it was a huge relief.
On the team’s competitiveness
[Do you feel like a “dark horse”? And if so, does that put pressure on you, or, on the contrary, does it help you relax because expectations aren’t as high?]
In fact, we’re capable of competing on equal footing with absolutely any opponent.
Earlier, PlayTime carry Héctor “Wits” Orozco Alsá spoke in an interview after the victory over Nigma Galaxy at DreamLeague Season 29 about winning the first map, as well as whether the team prefers fast or slow games.
Photo by Sebastian Pandelache, PGL.
Timur Kadyrov
