The manager of 1w Team spoke about the challenges of finding ranked matches in China at The International 2026
1w Team manager Aldar “Jamba” Jambinov spoke in the team’s vlog at The International 2026 about the difficulties of finding ranked matches in China, while the team’s offlaner, Neta “33,” Shapira, the team’s offlaner, shared his thoughts on media days.
On the challenges of finding ranked matches
Jamba: [By the way, what kind of problems are players having with pubs right now?] Problems with pubs arise because it takes so long to find a game. We’re in China, which is a separate region, and here, the average time a pro player spends searching for a game ranges from 10 to 30 minutes, which is generally very critical because the daily schedule is planned down to the minute, and it’s desirable to play as many games as possible, but the search takes 30 minutes. I think this problem can be fixed; we just need to come up with a solution.
On my attitude toward media days
33: [How do you feel about media days?] I’m fine with them. I used to hate them, but I’ve gotten used to them over time. It’s not so bad now. [You’re a very experienced player—do you have any tips on how to avoid certain activities?] Not really. You just have to get through it. It’s fine; it’s no big deal. [Just go ahead and do it?] Yes.
The group stage of The International 2026 is taking place August 13–16 in Shanghai, China. Only eight of the 16 teams will advance to the playoffs to compete for a prize pool that has already surpassed last year’s tournament. 1w Team, competing under the Iron Wings banner, finished the first day of the tournament’s group stage with a 1-1 record.
Photo by Aldar “Jamba” Jambinov.
