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Image courtesy of dota2.ru

Gleb "Funn1k" Lipatnikov

Funn1k at the StarLadder #3 Finals in 2012

Image courtesy of Moscow 5

Funn1k was born and raised in, the second-largest city ofin the north-east of the country. Having graduated from high school and college, where he studied programming, he has enrolled into Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics (KNURE). Since childhood Gleb used to practice karate but has given it up in order to pursue his career in eSports. He has been part of many notable teams, such as[/color],[/color],[/color] and[/color]. Nowadays his career continues succesfully in Empire and he has no intentions of slowing down.At the moment Funn1k manages to combine university studies and his career as a player. On top of that he rents an apartment, which is praiseworthy. Ofcourse, not everything is as smooth as he might want it, but nobody is perfect:His personal life is well; for a while now he has been datingwho plays support for Darer's female Dota 2 team. Finding common ground is easy, since they have the same interests:By the way, we managed to talk to Polina as well. We have found out that Darer isn't her first team:Their team possess a fighting spirit, they've been training a lot for the last couple of months:Gleb is always there to support his girlfriend and even teaching her new things about Dota. Though, according to Polina, she shares her wisdom as well:We got to know that Polina and Gleb have been dating for half a year now and that they met the way genuine Dota players should:It is important to mention that they live in different countries: Polina in Arkhangelsk, Russia, and Gleb in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is naturally difficult to maintain a relationship when you are so far away from each other, but they haven't lost heart. Moreover, they've found a solution so that soon enough they will be able to see each other more frequently:I have asked Polina a provocative question, inquiring which Dota 2 team she considers to be the strongest as of now. The answer didn't surprise me:Gleb answered the same question in the following way:His future plans revolve around his eSports career, though they do not neglect his education. Sports, previously having been an important part of his life, have lost their relevance, but Funn1k focuses on the present and doesn't like making long-term plans:A lot of gamers have been interested in computers games since their childhood, but only a few have become successful as pro gamers. What does make one a professional eSports athlete?Many of those who have watched Funn1k's stream at least once have come to appreciate his taste in music. According to Gleb, he prefers alternative rock. He prefers crime movies, especially the works of Tarantino. He does not read books however.During one interviewVladislavSuzdal referred to Funn1k as one of the most progressive players and I cannot agree more. Truth be told, Gleb said that he doesn't think of himself that way. He believes that his successful play owes to the number of mistakes by his opponents, that allow him to shine. I think Gleb was just being modest, yet he elaborated more on the subject:I would like to add that capitalizing on your oppoents mistakes is an important trait of a pro.Lately Empire have achieved a lot and, undoubtedly, they are among the best in the CIS and Europe regions. Therefore relationships have been developing positively within the team and the organization, leaving a favourable impact on the players spirits:Empire have failed to overcome their rivals Na`Vi even once at the StarLadder finals, thus raising a questions: What is it that is lacking for them to de-throne the Ukrainian team? I have asked Gleb the same question:In one of his interviewsDanilIshutin claimed that Empire are winning due to the same perfected strategy. Gleb responded in the following way:Empire, obviously, aims at winning the fifth season of StarLadder. I couldn't refrain from asking Gleb about his predictions:The International 3 is inevitably drawing closer. Gleb is also optimistic about it:There isn't a single person in the world of Dota 2 who hasn't thought about the so called phenomenon of "Asian", or to be more specific, "Chinese Dota". Gleb's opinion on the subject matches my own:There is something amusing happening at every tournament. The International 2 wasn't an exception.It is worth mentioning that M5 lost this match - short-sightedness of players at its best.Funn1k's favourite broadcaster isVitaliiVolochai, whom Gleb, for some reason, calls Victor. While female Dota has been developing more rapidly, many are interested in the fate of this movement. Gleb is among them:I've asked him about the scandal, revolving around Polina and v1lat. Funn1k's response was brief:To sum it up, his final words:Final words from Polina: