Before the start of Elisa Masters Espoo 2024, we had the opportunity to talk with Viktor "sdy" Orudzhev, a player for ENCE. He shared insights about the issues faced by the previous roster, ENCE's position on the war in Ukraine, his views on gla1ve, and plans for the home tournament. Besides, he shared much more, for which we thank him.
What could you find in interview:
It must have been quite the tale of you ending up in ENCE. Let's start from here.
When I left Monte, we parted ways on mutual terms, let's say. I started looking for a team. Since I am with Prodigy agency, they always help me with that. They promote me where possible, or if they already have some offers, they inform me if someone is interested, etc. Considering all possible options, the best one at that moment for me was ENCE. So that’s how I ended up here.
Right away, I can say about the organization that I like it here. Very professional. They support Ukraine, cut all sponsorship ties with Russians, and are generally rightly attuned to our war and the situation we are in.
Did you have other offers when transitioning to ENCE?
Yes, I had other offers, but they were not suitable for me for one reason or another. The most frequent issue when signing was clubs wanting to sign Russian players. I was against this and couldn't agree with organizations wanting to do that.
READ MORE: Sdy exclusively on the new ENCE roster
Were they more financially motivated for you?
Well, let’s say one option was indeed potentially more financially secure than ENCE, but they explicitly knew they would be signing Russian players in the near or more distant future, but those were the realities.
Did you consider retaining the role of IGL?
I joined ENCE as the second caller, who is not the captain. That's the role I came into ENCE for and am currently on, but in the future, I will definitely become a captain, the time will come. I can say that I am ready for it, but it hasn’t happened yet.
How do you find gla1ve as an IGL compared to your previous experiences?
He is the most experienced IGL I have played with, bringing incredible in-game and out-of-game experience, and he knows how to use it. He also knows how to teach the younger players. In the previous roster, we had issues with understanding and vision of the game overall. They simply diverged.
What were the issues with the roster under kuben?
With Jakub "kuben" Gurczyński, we had synergy problems between the coach and the captain, they couldn't find a common language or vision of the game, which is why the coach was changed first. All I can say about Kuben is that he's a good coach with lots of experience and his own vision. I have a similar vision of the game as Kuben, but sometimes the puzzle doesn’t work if only two or three people are involved in it.
What changed with the arrival of enkay J?
When Niclas "enkay J" Krumhorn came in, everything changed as he easily found common ground, especially with young players. He explains things more popularly, and now gla1ve is more responsible for the game vision, whereas it was 50/50 before.
What was your emotional state in the previous roster?
When I joined this team, I was incredibly motivated, and probably spent the most time in my life on the server and off it. Physically and intellectually, I progressed a lot and tried to be better, but it didn’t work out. No one is to blame for this, such situations happen, and you need to understand and move forward.
At one point, my motivation dropped, maybe I was upset because I put in a lot of effort, especially when we didn't qualify for RMR, but later you find the strength and desire to continue both individually and as a team. Now I'm in the optimal state, which is how it should be in this situation.
Were there discussions with management about changes after the RMR failure?
No, there weren't such conversations. We understood ourselves how it works, and there were more discussions that, for example, if we were to change players, it obviously could happen after the Major cycle. We might have considered staying in the same roster until the end of the Major. But still, that would not have been the right decision, I don't know for sure, I can't say making changes now.
Does management still believe in gla1ve's vision?
I can say that he is very fair to himself and evaluates his possibilities as a player and captain soundly. The maximum I can do in our situation is, firstly, to support and help the team captain by all possible and impossible means. And certainly, to believe, because nothing happens without belief.
As for our results, how it will go further, that will all be decided. I will just do the maximum possible and work with what we have. And we truly have huge potential. I see it. It’s obvious to me.
How is the decision-making process regarding player changes, and who initiates it?
We individually talk to the team management. They collect information, and based on that information and players’ desires, decisions are made collectively.
Your results resemble those of Monte?
Monte is definitely playing better than us right now, at a higher tier. Their ranking shows it, and overall. They have a much more played-in roster since they’ve been playing together for some time and have found their path. We are just starting this path; the rebuilding phase is just beginning. So comparing is not quite correct, and they are doing well in their trajectory.
How did you take lmbt departure?
I was surprised that lmbt left, but everything has its time, maybe it’s more logical indeed for a Polish team. Demqq is learning Polish, speaks it, and it makes more sense to have a Polish coach who knows these players and what they need.
This doesn’t take away any merit from lmbt, he’s a great person and coach, and I hope he finds his place and does what he wants to do, whether coaching or something else.
What are your ambitions for the home Elisa Masters Espoo 2024?
Logically speaking, we have two young players, one has already been on an international LAN, but it was without spectators, that’s xKacpersky at ESL Pro League Season 19, and the other has never played anything like this. A lot depends on us and them, how these players will be prepared and what will happen.
And secondly, we have just started training and don’t have much practice yet. So this combination of factors logically tells you that it might not be as smooth as it seems. But if we evaluate my vision and the team’s overall emotional state and mood, I think we should have very good chances and perform well in this tournament.
Ukraine has been fighting in the war against Russian invasion for more than 2.5 years. Somedieyoung has always been one of the most outspoken players when it came to reminding the CS community of the horrors of war.
Do thoughts of your loved ones' safety distract you when abroad?
Yes, it often happens, especially when there are air alerts or something. You can't help but worry about the safety and health of your loved ones, especially since my brother has been living and fighting in the third year of the war, and there are various situations they encounter. It’s a normal thing when someone is a casualty, and it becomes very hard, but my family is such that we always help each other with everything we can and can't.
How difficult is it for you to be abroad indefinitely?
I can say that I have all the legal documents and grounds to stay abroad for an unlimited amount of time.
I relate to all such things regarding the war in Ukraine, and the help I, as a person and a small media personality, can provide. I will always provide it and help other fellow citizens indiscriminately.
And what other people do doesn’t concern me even remotely. If I do everything within my power, I don’t feel as helpless as I would if I didn’t.
The war is such a morose topic. Tell me, do you often walk to the cinema or somewhere after 11 PM (Ukraine's curfew)?
By the way, no. In general, it feels like after going abroad you still don't go outside, as if there is still a curfew. It's like she's always in your head.
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