Kiritych: “I have a dream and a promise to myself that I want to become the best carry among the best”
BetBoom Team carry Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov spoke to OFFSTAGE about the period following his departure from Virtus.pro and his smooth transition to the new team.
On the period of his career after leaving Virtus.pro and before joining BetBoom Team
I think it’s just super random and super lucky that I was given the opportunity to prove myself at BB. Because initially, when I left VP, I still had two months left on my contract. I sat on the bench because I didn’t want to play in the main roster anymore and realized there was no future there. I thought I’d play in mix matches; maybe I’d put together a team, maybe someone would invite me somewhere. No one invited me because all the rosters were already set.
In mix matches, I played with different people—it was awful. It wasn’t even that it was unstable; it was just random people: some were slacking off, others were in a bad mood—it’s really hard to even improve in that kind of environment. I basically just spent six months playing public matches. I tried out some mix teams, but nothing worked out. And then, by chance, it turned out that a stand-in was needed for DreamLeague. Because I stood in for BB and performed well, after Int, the guys were already considering me as a candidate for carry. In reality, it’s just super random, and I’m super glad and really happy that I was given this opportunity. I’m trying to make the most of it.
Mentally, it was probably really tough. I’d try to grind my MMR—it wouldn’t work, I’d get really frustrated, and I’d get upset over little things. I’d try playing in some mixed lineups—same thing. It
was probably a really tough period, but I started going to the gym two or three months ago. I went at least twice a day for
strength training with a trainer. And I think that really helped me stay afloat and not
give up. I was always focused and collected, so I didn’t give up and believed that even if it didn’t work out now, I’d definitely land on a decent roster after Inta, where I could grow and prove myself.
On what helped me stay motivated during the inactivity period
I think it was my principles. I have a dream and a promise to myself that I want to become the best carry among the best. There are good moments, there are bad ones—I don’t know, I just can’t give up. I always believe in myself, that I’ll succeed, so I always fight—even when things aren’t going my way. Plus, discipline—I’m a pretty disciplined person. I do my warm-up every day, and every day I try to stay fully focused, play every game without getting tilted, without negative emotions—it doesn’t always work out, but lately it’s been going pretty well.
On what helped me fit into the team quickly
I think it’s just that all the guys are super open and were always ready to offer support, say something if they didn’t like something in the gameplay, or point out mistakes. I think the most important thing is that everyone was open to a new teammate. That’s why it was very, very easy. Plus, we’re all around the same age, which helps too. It’s just really easy to get along with the guys.
- Read also: Kiritych on the invitation to The International 2026: “We’ll give it our all and try to win it”
Kiritych moved to Virtus.pro’s inactive roster in early 2025. After that, the player temporarily played for teams such as 9Pandas, Unluck, Capy Baras, Team Secret, One Move, and GermanIvan+4. In September, Ilya signed with BB Team.
