sdy: “I'm thinking about it like, if I do a great job I will stay, if I don't it was a good experience”

Natus Vincere have come out on top of a stacked Group A in Cologne, beating the surprise of the tournament, Movistar Riders, in the final match to secure a direct berth to the semi-finals in the LANXESS Arena.

The season finale is the team’s second event trialing sdy following the BLAST Premier Spring Final, where the Ukrainian-Russian team clinched the title in their debut with the new lineup, and we interviewed the newest addition ahead of the playoffs.

The 25-year-old shared his thoughts on why Movistar Riders‘ playstyle was difficult to prepare for and how ready Natus Vincere were for what the Spaniards had in their arsenal, before expanding on where he currently stands with the CIS giants.

Talking about his trial with the team, sdy played down pressure to perform and shared how much he has evolved in these past two events playing alongside Natus Vincere.

We saw Movistar Riders go on this huge run, surprising pretty much everyone here. Did you have a good idea of what to do against them based on what you’ve seen?

No, we didn’t have a clear idea, but we made a game plan for this game. Overall, they do a lot of combinations in the beginning of the rounds that are really hard to counter. So even though we knew about this, we still fucked up, but I think it’s more our mistake. They did well, of course, but I think it was still more our mistake.

What did you struggle with, for example?

For example, on Mirage the one-way [smoke] in underground, we were thinking they were playing from underground, but it was a one-way and they killed b1t one time and one time me, I think. In B apps they always do grenade damage… They’re not doing default execution, but something new, that’s why it’s interesting.

You also struggled on the T side on Inferno, not getting a single round there. What was the problem there?

I think we were too shaky in the first map. We didn’t feel our game. In the important round where we needed to push in B site for example, we struggled to do it and everyone was strafing and checking and things like that. It didn’t help when we needed to execute sites. We couldn’t communicate in a proper way, so we basically weren’t ready for the first map. That’s why.

We started talking a lot more and it helped us on the second map and the third map. Map by map we were talking more and more, and when we talk a lot everything is under control. Basically, even small things, everyone is talking through it and you can focus on the game completely.

With this being your second event with NAVI, how has your evolution gone? Do you feel more comfortable now?

I feel more comfortable in a lot of positions, but I still have a position where I struggle a lot and I couldn’t find a way how to play it. Overall, I think I’m progressing through the things that I’m doing with B1ad3 and that I’m doing on my own.

NAVI have made it quite clear that your future depends on how you perform and how these events go. Does that put a lot of pressure on you? How do you approach this situation?

The way I’m thinking about it is like, okay, if I do a great job I will stay in NAVI, everything is perfect, nice. If I don’t I played with NAVI, it was a good experience, I can go to another different team and share it, maybe, I don’t know (chuckles). I just love playing Counter-Strike, it doesn’t matter. I will be happy anyways.

Things have gone well so far, you won in Lisbon and you’re doing great here as you’re through to the semis. Have you gotten any indication on whether you will be able to stay longer?

There is always a small indication, but still, you know, it’s Counter-Strike. One day you can destroy everyone and on the second day you drop five bombs and you get removed or something (laughs). Who knows?

How do you see your chances of going all the way here again?

I think we’ll be more comfortable in the arena than in the studio, so it will probably help. I think we have good chances if we do everything correctly, if we stick to our game plan, we don’t forget rounds that we do and things like that, basic things. If everything goes well, I think we can get it, pretty much.