Iceberg on Silent: “I consider Airat to be the best coach.”

I consider Airat to be the best coach. And you can see that in the results. I remember the early days when Team Spirit first formed. I’m talking about that legendary roster that won two The Internationals. I remember their first games when they were just starting out; I saw the progress they were making. I mean, they were improving at an absolutely incredible rate. I remember that very qualifier final when they clawed out a 3-2 victory against Team Empire with kiyotaka. And I was sitting in the analyst booth back then, predicting that this team could go very, very far—and then they went on to win The International. Well, I definitely didn’t expect that. But, again, everything was leading up to it, so to speak. And I could see that Airat’s mindset was definitely present in the game, since I played with him a lot on the team. And again, I went to The International with Airat. I noticed moments like these in their gameplay where it was clear that Airat, in particular, had put in a lot of effort.

I realized when Team Spirit could win The International—to be honest—it was when they started winning 2-0. It was after that that I finally believed they could take The International. I remember sitting on PubStomp back then. The rest of the time, I was streaming while they were battling it out against Puppey. They were supposed to lose that match, but somehow they pulled off a miracle win. And even that miracle didn’t make me think they could actually win The International. But they won it anyway. And I believed right after they went up 2-0. And as soon as I believed, they were tied 2-2. I still remember those feelings, those emotions, as if I were a target. You know, the moment you start believing in someone—they immediately start losing. It’s paradoxical.

I felt joy. Pride for Nikita, who had been working toward this for a very long time. Most of our conversations took place in the car, when he was picking me up or we were driving somewhere, because he always gave me a ride. But back then, we talked a lot about how much he wanted Korb3n. And I put two and two together. They signed Korb3n, and Korb3n brought in Silent. Well, I don’t know the inside story, of course. And yet, in just six months, they built a roster that won The International. At that point, it seemed like LGD was an unbeatable force that was impossible to compete with, simply because they were sweeping through everyone like a whirlwind. But then the underdogs came along, a dark horse that just... Well, I don’t even know what emotions to describe. I got really drunk back then, I remember, and I think I even wrote something to Nikita. Personally, I wasn’t even thinking about the players’ merits; I was more of a Nikita fan and saw him as the winner at The International. That’s the kind of mindset I had. I was incredibly happy. And seeing Rusia on stage—I remember all those moments too. I saw the tremendous work they put in and the result they ultimately achieved.