iTS - Fighting through adversity



ACCOMPLISHMENTS 1st Place - G7-Series #25 1st Place - G1-Spring 2013 2nd Place - G7-Series #22 2nd Place - Showmatch Tournament "Int. vs. CIS" #1 3nd Place - G7-Series #23 5th-8th Place - G1-Winter 2013 5th-8th Place - Showmatch Tournament "Int. vs. CIS" #2

Anatoli 'Bless`N`Fire' Vinogorodskii

C A R R Y Age: 25 Nationality: Russia Avg. GPM: 624.5 Avg. XPM: 610.6 Avg. APM: 133.9 K:D : 1 : 1 K+A:D : 3.09 : 1 - Stats taken out of the G1-Spring playoff games Signature Heroes:





Statement by Bless`N`Fire: A lot of fun and positive, to see all these people together under one roof, playing your favorite game, it's worth it. Since this is my first trip to the LAN HoN tournament , I am glad that it will be DreamHack - the largest digital festival. I hope I can do my small contribution to the cause. I want to win as many games as I can. It's time to stop the series of defeated CIS teams. If we can't achieve that in the summer, we will return to DreamHack Winter and attempt it again. I really want to play against Asian teams, as it is usually impossible to play with them because of various problems. Stay Green and EX-TDM are in great shape and most likely, it is their hot confrontation we will see in the grand final. Let's see, if there is one team that can stop sG's winning streak, then it is extdM or we are in for a surprise and the other teams will be able to affect the current balance of power. We'll see =)

Artur 'Love`N`Stuff' Gubaydullin

M I D Age: 21 Nationality: Russia Avg. GPM: 357.6 Avg. XPM: 469.1 Avg. APM: 152.2 K:D : 0.87 : 1 K+A:D : 2.75 : 1 - Stats taken out of the G1-Spring playoff games Signature Heroes:



​ Statement by Love`N`Stuff: I expect a lot from this event, to meet a new people ,spend a good time with them and find out what it is the World's largest digital festival. I don't think my team will do much due to our team changes and lack of main players,but if we will cooperate with ex Fnatic's player NoVa,We can do better. Our goal is not to lose every game and get to the semifinals.Of course we would like to play against asians or sweden's team cause they will be easier to defeat instead of well-known ex-tdM, coL and sG. I'd say sG can easily win this event because they practice harder than the others,but tdM will be a good opponent for them because they have experience of winning this event before.​

Jascha 'NoVa' Markuse

C A R R Y Age: Nationality: Germany Avg. GPM: 522.3 Avg. XPM: 572.9 Avg. APM: 241.8 K:D : 4 : 1 K+A:D : 7.71 : 1 - Stats are taken from G7-Series #27 Signature Heroes:



Statement by NoVa: I believe this will be the richest event in terms of pure fun and interaction. Our team consists of two original [iTs] members and three ringers. Two of them have literally zero competitive experience of which one is mainly a Dota2 player. Also 4Ru+1Ger but the communication is quite okay to be honest since Bless and Love`N`Stuff understand English very well and translate it for Arafor and METALLman. Given our circumstances we want to win one game during the groupstage, that is our goal to safe the pride of the Garena.CIS region. Personally I am looking forward to playing the Asian teams, I want to discover new things and meet interesting personalities. In terms of predictions for the title, it's a close race between [coL] and the two [sG] teams but it would be silly to not bet on the original [sG] team.​

Evgeny 'METALLman' Andreev

S U P P O R T Age: 28 Nationality: Russia Avg. GPM: 302.9 Avg. XPM: 318.2 Avg. APM: 210.6 K:D : 0.68 : 1 K+A:D : 3.71 : 1 - Stats taken from G7-Series #27 Signature Heroes:



Statement by METALLman: From a participant perspective I really want to prove myself as a worthy member of such a big international HoN tournament. I want to show the world that I have the will and dedication to win and I really want to embrace the feeling of winning that is inside me. Other than that I expect to meet a lot of cool people from every top team across the world and maybe even get to know a couple of the S2 Games members. My personal goal is to win. I want to soak up all the experience and also let my spirit and mind feel the pleasure and thrill of competing in those circumstances. I want to play against every single team, because it is not often that you get the opportunity to play against all these amazing teams – a priority on my wish list are nonetheless ex-tdM and sG, I really want to show them what we are made off. The question of the winner in the end is hard to answer. I am going to be bluntly: WE.

Andrei 'Arafor' Efremov

S U P P O R T Age: 23 Nationality: Russia Avg. GPM: 284.1 Avg. XPM: 325 Avg. APM: 156.3 K:D : 1.2 : 1 K+A:D : 6.6 : 1 - Stats taken from the public game statistics Heroes:



Statement by Arafor: First of all I would like to express my deep gratitude to Garena CIS for the opportunity to attend this great event! Sweden, June, Dreamhack, Heroes of Newerth - it's amazing! I have never participated in a tournament of this class! For me it will be an invaluable experience. The main thing to give everything to the full, to show all what you can do! I am a realist, and I understand that a miracle has to happen so that we win. But we still focus only on one place. Otherwise, what's the point to take part in the tournament. I would like to play equally with all the teams. Each one is unique and presents its own unique playing style. I think that this tournament will not bring us surprises. Either Stay Green and ex-Trademark eSports will win.​

Team Breakdown

The past was rough and rugged for the CIS team, not only in their own region, but also in confrontations with the elite European teams in the Showmatch tournament. Still after patiently waiting behind the CIS flagship of Cats Gaming it's finally the turn of iTS to step out of the big shadow and receive the spotlight. They are not a team to be triffled with, as they have been on quite a streak as of late with a crushing performance in the G1-Spring group stage and the playoffs for that matter. Only the old rivals of Cats Gaming could challenge the squad in the Grand Final, other than that it was a cake walk for the squad around Bless`N`Fire and Love`N`Stuff.

Despite the positive results in the most recent history, the runner-up position in the first CIS vs. EU Showmatch tournament and the momentum that a win over Cats Gaming still gives CIS teams - it's not all bright and shiny for the Russian HoN players. Right from the get-go two members of their main roster had to cancel the trip, due to work and VISA issues. Adding insult to injury - the designated replacements Aruna and Felozel also had to pull out of the deal, leaving iTS once again shorthanded.

They eventually filled the spots of Dice`N`Cards and `Blacksky with Arafor and METALLman, but once that roster was set and started to get some scrims in, the news of Wladie not getting a VISA shocked the team yet again. They could score a big-time and experienced replacement with NoVa, who won DreamHack four times, but the cohesiveness of the team and the whole stage of preparing for one of the biggest HoN events of the year has been severly set back by all the roster changes and issues this team faced.

Once the team was completely assembled and all five players could get some reps in training, the team has been seen in scrims and several tournaments to make up for the lost time. Their draft style seems a bit unorthodox for the western standards and their inner coordination, gameplanning and play is not yet up to par to the old iTS roster, that originally qualified for this major event.

Can they overcome all these obstacles or is it too much to handle for the young up-and-coming CIS powerhouse?

Special thanks to the squad of iTS for their cooperation and their quick response time with the statements. Another special thanks to Artyom 'TeMa' Odintsov for his support with stats, pictures, information and translation of the statements!