Less than six months ago, Monte embarked on a journey from being just another ambitious mix to reaching the playoffs of the latest CS:GO Major in history. The players gained fame not only within Ukraine but also in the international community, having gone through one of the most intense seasons that brought them numerous tournament victories and a lot of practice.
Before the players fully go on vacation, we had a conversation with one of the original Monte players, Sergiy "DemQQ" Demchenko, who became the main source of fighting spirit for the Ukrainian club. We discussed not only the team's results at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 but also the recent scandal with the Ministry of Sports and much more.
Impressions from the Major results
After the Major, it seemed like you would want to take a break, but you continued playing. Was it to solidify your impression after the World Championship?
In fact, the tournament is not crucial for us because we already have a slot, but we still need to win because it earns us points, and there won't be many tournaments when all teams will take a break.
The problem is that when you go on vacation, there are no tournaments, and the ranking can drop. Currently, we are in the top 10, but in two months, we could be in the top 20, and then the team might not be invited to some tournament, which would be unfortunate. That's why we keep playing and try to win as much as possible to have a better ranking that will last longer.
Question about this top 10. When you saw the news, what emotions, impressions did you have?
Well, none, I don't know. It was like there were no emotions when we made it to the Major. The appetite comes with eating. If earlier I was like, "Wow, cool, damn, we did it," now there's none of that at all.
Is it just a transitional stage?
Yes, it's already not enough, I want to be in the top 5. Not because I've never been there, but because the goals are completely different now compared to a year ago. A year ago, even the top 30 was a great achievement, but now I don't care about being in Top 10, I want to be the first now.
Speaking of the Major, some time has passed, and the emotions have subsided a bit. It's undoubtedly the peak of your career at this stage. How do you look at this Major? Are you completely satisfied with your performance?
I played all the matches, except against Vitality, at an 8 out of 10. I would deduct two points for the game against Vitality. Well, maybe a 7 if I deduct another point for the playoff match against GamerLegion. I don't know, somehow things didn't go well for all of us then... We couldn't do anything, and it was not great after the game when we lost because we knew we could have easily closed them out.
Were you surprised by GamerLegion's performance in the tournament? After all, you started from similar positions.
I wouldn't say I was really surprised. I can only say that those Tier-2 teams that have played a million games, a million tournaments – they all deserve credit for making it. And I can't say I'm surprised that Apeks made it to the semifinals either – they played numerous competitions while we were playing alongside them. They gained experience, they constantly played and stayed in form. The same goes for all the other teams that made it to the playoffs of this Major.
They all deserve credit; I'm not the least bit surprised because they showed tremendous work.
In the playoffs, half of the teams are online teams (Apeks, GamerLegion, Monte, Into The Breach). Don't you think that the line between online teams and LAN teams has been somewhat exaggerated? It seems to me that the prestige of tournaments blinds people. Speaking loosely, at IEM Cologne, the top teams play, and the rest are so-so. Because if we look at the facts, while typical teams from the top 5 travel the world (NAVI and others) and participate in tournaments, you simply play every day.
Everything you said is absolutely right. Of course, if you put 10 Tier-2 players on Tier-1 LAN events, 6 or 7 of them will perform well, while the other 3 or 4 will perform poorly. Why? Not because they are bad players, but because they have never played LAN events of this caliber, especially prestigious ones with a large audience during the playoffs, and you can get a bit disoriented in such situations. But all these 10 players, a priori, in my opinion, cannot play at that level because they are Tier-2, and it's very difficult to break into Tier-1. It's like a competition where you want to get on a train, but you're being pushed out because G2 and NAVI are already there, and they're doing well, and it's very, very difficult to get into that carriage with them to have a good time.
Roughly speaking, if we take, again, 10 players, let's say 2 players in the best-case scenario or 3 who managed to get into that carriage, there's more competition there. It's true that all of this is exaggerated, and a typical Tier-2 player can perform just as well on Tier-1 LAN events. They simply lack experience – if they had played LAN events before, then yes. But they can't play at the Tier-1 level because of certain circumstances, mainly because the competition is fierce, and they inherently can't compete at that level.
Teams on LAN seem to unlock something within themselves, like an X-factor... You know, that sense of cohesion and understanding among teammates? Do you feel something similar after returning?
We also found that X-factor on LAN. It was a bit different online. But when we arrived at LAN, we felt the urge to communicate more. Something clicked, and you start shouting, saying more, offering more. It exists online as well, but it's less prominent. Why? I don't know.
Currently, does that X-factor persist online, or do you revert more to the state it was before the Major and RMR?
That X-factor remains. I don't know how to explain it. It stays, but to activate it, you need to play a match to qualify for IEM Cologne with a 1-1 series score and 8-7 on the third map. That's when the X-factor activates. It exists and hasn't disappeared. To activate it, you have to make your body understand that it's now or never. It's either here or waiting another six months. It's difficult to explain, but yes, it's there. We're slightly returning to the online mode, but it activates when necessary.
Recalling the match against GamerLegion, there was a sense during the game that someone was missing behind you, someone who could call a timeout and tell you that you were slightly off track.
It's hard to say. It's a bit of yes and no, but you'll never know for sure. Maybe it would have made a difference, and we could have turned the game around, made a round that only the game coach could see. He listens to the communication, he directly sees what's happening, what the opponent is doing, and with his knowledge, he can suggest a round for victory. But when you're in the game, it's very difficult to analyze because you have only 17 seconds of freeze time and a 30-second break. So maybe it would have played a role.
Haters and matches against Russians
Speaking of the Major and your performance in it, I can't help but mention all the constant bursts of activity on social media. How did that affect you during the tournament?
It's very simple. I consider myself an intelligent person, and I can imagine what other people are like. If I understand that someone's content is just about throwing in some provocations, criticizing or praising someone, then that's their job, and they get something out of it. Well, let them do it – I don't care. But if someone points out a mistake to me and says something like, "Dude, you can't do it that way because something is wrong," then I pay attention to that criticism or advice.
If someone like OverDrive says something, I don't care because why did I come to the Major in the first place? To win, to reach the playoffs, to go as far as possible in the tournament. So, should I really care about what OverDrive said on stream and worry about it? No, of course not. It doesn't make any sense to come to the Major then. I just need to win it on the server, and that's your only task.
After the tournament, do you feel a sense of revenge, that you proved to the haters what you're capable of?
From one perspective, yes, but from another, I just want to play Tier-1 tournaments, that's all because I feel comfortable there. I don't have any fear of NAVI or Vitality, for example. No, I don't have that. I just want to keep playing.
But somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought, "Here you go, haters, please."
In general, our community is great. When we won our first games, I responded to everyone who wrote kind words. They also wrote negative words, but that's usually how it goes. The worst things were written by the Russians, saying things like a rocket will soon fly into our house or let's go to Bahmut soon and other such nonsense. That's the default stuff Russians write, and that's it. Or they say we're cheaters. Yeah, on LAN. That's what I find most amusing.
I can't help but ask about the victories against Russians in tournaments. Do they feel somehow different?
You feel good knowing that they're going home. It's like a feeling twice as good as when you just defeat any other team.
You sent FORZE and NAVI with Russians home, essentially.
As I said, you feel good about it. But when you see FORZE specifically, it's like three or four times stronger because the organization is Russian, and all the players are Russian. With NAVI, it wasn't as intense because you understand that it's a Ukrainian organization, and there are three players from Ukraine. It's not the same as playing against FORZE or some other team.
Your position in the tournament was both sporting and political. From the slogan to the statements during broadcasts, it was all great, but do you feel that your active public political stance influenced other participants?
Certainly, because it's done in order for as many people as possible to hear, see, and understand what is happening in Ukraine. I hope it has a positive impact on someone, that people gradually understand.
Our goal was to direct as many people as possible to this right message, including those who had doubts. What we said about the war in interviews - every Ukrainian should say that so that everyone sees and hears it because someone forgets, someone doesn't care. And when someone who didn't care later donates money - that's another small victory.
Issues with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine
On May 26, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine published a list of athletes who violated their obligations while traveling abroad. The list included three esports players from the Monte team: Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev, Volodymyr "Woro2k" Veletniuk, and Sergiy "DemQQ" Demchenko. This event raises doubts about their future participation in the upcoming season of ESL Pro League, which will take place in Malta at the end of summer.
Tell me, how did you and your team react to the recent news regarding the Ministry of Sports decree? What will be the consequences for you, de facto?
I can't tell you directly. We went to the tournament in Denmark through the Ukrainian Esports Federation. They informed us that we needed to return by a certain date, and we agreed, of course. After we advanced to the Challenger Stage, we wrote letters to the Federation explaining the circumstances and that we would return as soon as we finished this tournament. We took photos of those documents and sent them, but they replied that we needed to return now because there are Russians there.
Of course, no team would skip the Major because it's the Major, and you've been playing your whole life to make it to this tournament - it's every CS player's dream. And it's not just a dream, it's their goal in this game, so we couldn't skip the tournament by default. I'm not worried because we all returned, and you can see that on social media if someone doesn't believe it. The news came out recently, and many people think we're shouting slogans while sitting in boot camp in Poland. But no, we're all at home, I'm in Kyiv, for example.
Speaking of potential consequences, aren't you worried that you simply won't be allowed to participate in ESL Pro League Season 18?
I won't answer that question because I can't.
How were you welcomed at home after the Major?
Nothing special, really. I was with my girlfriend, we came to Kyiv, went home, went to sleep, woke up, and then I visited my parents. They said I did a great job and that's it.
The future of the roster and goals for the future
The shuffle season has already begun, and it feels like these shuffles won't end until CS2 comes out. I think after reaching the top 8 at the Major, you want to keep the roster. Is that the case? And secondly, will Monte survive this shuffle season without any changes?
Look, I can't give you a hundred percent guarantee. It may happen, or it may not - it's 50/50.
Are many people interested in BOROS?
Maybe, I don't know. The organization knows more about that. I don't know how it will turn out. If they pick him up, then yes, there will be some chances, but if they don't, we'll continue playing with our current roster.
Are you not worried that without BOROS, the team will no longer be the same?
It's hard to say. I can't really say that I'm worried.
READ MORE: BOROS denies rumors of his transfer to OG
I mean within the team dynamics, to preserve that atmosphere, to prevent the team from falling apart. Do you not bother yourself with such questions?
My position is that no one is irreplaceable. We see that on the Tier-1 scene, there are some reshuffles happening. Vitality, for example, made some grandiose changes, they swapped out a lot of people, two players, a coach, and voila - they won EPL S17 and the Major. Of course, it would be nice to play with the same roster, but we don't talk about it because it won't affect anything. If they buy BOROS, then they buy him, and if they don't, then they don't.
If someone told you in 10 years that reaching the top 8 at the Major was the peak of your career, would you be disappointed?
Probably, yes. Of course, I want to win the Major and be the top-ranked team. Winning the Major is definitely a dream.
There is a difference between a dream and a goal. Do you now, after competing at the Major, have an understanding of the amount of work that needs to be done to become the top-ranked Major team?
Absolutely. To reach the top 5 as well, it's also 100%. I already have a picture in my mind. It requires a lot of work on countless aspects and moments of the game - you don't just end up in the top 5 without putting in the effort. But the most important thing to understand is that you need players who also understand this. There are many little moments, but if you don't have a player who can reach that level or doesn't understand how to do it, it will be very difficult. Almost impossible.
For example, if Vitya [sdy] tells us to do something a certain way, and you use that move because you see and understand how it all unfolds - you see the potential in it. But if you don't even understand why all of this is being done? Well, then it will be very challenging.
One of the most important changes that happened to you at the Major is that you started shouting. Literally. From our interview with LMBT, it is known that you discussed this with him. How did you come to the realization that your team lacked a "shouter"?
When we were playing the Major and RMR, I noticed Keoz because he was the only one shouting. I realized that nobody in our team was shouting at all. Well, it makes sense because each person needs to focus on their own game, nothing should distract them from concentrating on the round, the waypoint, or any specific move. So, I thought, okay, let me try shouting. Not to belittle anyone, just to energize the guys. Because I saw the same thing in GamerLegion: all the guys were silent, and only Keoz was shouting.
I was concerned if it could make someone uncomfortable. Maybe it really bothers someone? I discussed it with the coach. I tried it once when we were playing against PaiN. We were tied 2-2 in the stage, and the guys started getting charged up, they began gaining energy. I told them that I'm shouting to charge them up, and every time you hear me, just take that energy and confidence. That's how it worked out.
Is this one of those aspects you mentioned that you feel is lacking to reach the top 5 and win tournaments and Majors?
Yes, let's bring apEX from Vitality - he also shouts all the time.
Do you feel like you're getting tired?
Honestly, I can't say that I'm tired and need a break. I would play another 260 matches in addition to the ones we've already played, and then I would take a vacation. I still have motivation, I love this game, I live, so to speak, for it, to play tournaments, to progress as a player, so no, I don't feel burned out. Maybe it was the case before, but I don't have that feeling now.
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