Illidan: “My strengths have always been item builds and hero selection.”
Team Spirit’s new coach, Ilya “Illidan” Pivtsaev, spoke in an interview at BLAST SLAM VIII about his esports ambitions, the pressure following the “Dragons’” victory at The International 2026, and highlighted his strengths.
On his career and path as a coach
After I finished playing, my ultimate goal has always been to become a coach. I want to remain a part of esports—I think that’s my main motivation for continuing to do this.
And joining Team Spirit is the greatest honor I could have received at this point. So yes, I’m happy and I feel at ease.
On the Pressure After Winning The International 2026
I think you can’t do more than what you’re capable of anyway. So there’s really nothing to worry about.
If you’re good enough, everything will be fine. If not, then maybe it’s just not your time or your place right now. You just do everything you can. I hope that will be enough, but you never know for sure.
On his strengths
My strengths have always been item builds and hero selection. For example, I’m definitely not as good at ward placement or explaining in detail the small in-game nuances we need to execute.
But when it comes to a general understanding of the game, I’ve simply been on the scene for a very long time and have accumulated a lot of knowledge about Dota as a whole. I started back with the very first Dota.
Read also: Illidan on BLAST SLAM VIII: “We’re training with MiLAN, playing KV, and watching replays.”
Spirit, with its revamped roster, defeated Team Nemesis in the first match of the group stage at BLAST SLAM VIII. The “Dragons” will face 1w Team next in a match to advance to the playoffs. The match will begin on September 30 at 4:00 p.m. Moscow time.
Photo by Patrick Strack, ESL.
