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Team Spirit came into the Faceit Major as CIS regional runner-ups, but getting into the winning mindset proved to be difficult for S0tF1k and his team.

Back in July, Team Spirit overcame some of the best teams in the CIS region, AVANGAR and pro100, just to name a couple. And even though they came short in the grand final against HellRaisers, they came close to taking the whole thing home (14-16, 16-6, 14-16).

Here in London, however, the Russian team seemed shaky at best. In their opening match, they lost to their countrymen Vega Squadron 14-16, wasting a 12-3 lead.

And we nearly got to see a repeat of that in their next game. Facing the Danish North, Spirit gained a 10-5 lead after a first half but struggled to close out the game. In the end, S0tF1k and his team managed to secure a 16-13 victory, upsetting the heavy favorites North.

Team captain Dmitry “S0tF1k” Forostyanko thinks there’s more to their problems than just the nerves, and if they can overcome it they will surprise again.

Note: The interview took place before the game against Rogue and was translated from Russian.

Vie: It’s the first Major for the majority of your team and the pressure of it can be daunting. Do you think the nerves is your biggest enemy right now?

S0tF1k: I don’t feel nervous, honestly. I think we are as prepared for it as we possibly could be. I feel confident in our ability and I believe we are yet to show everyone what we really can do.

Vie: In January young FPL star somedieyoung joined your team. How difficult was it for him to adjust to professional play?

S0tF1k: He fit right in. There were are few problems at first, mostly with the communication, but he got better at it every day and now he is an integral part of the team. He is a very strong player individually and he thinks differently, which is a great asset because it makes him very difficult to play against.

Vie: What was your preparation for the Major like?

S0tF1k: We changed a few things in our training and it should help us reach the best results. That’s about as much as I can reveal.

Vie: You have one win and one loss so far. What’s your mindset going into the match against Rogue?

S0tF1k: Last thing we want is to lose to ourselves. Way too often do we lose because of the mistakes we shouldn’t have made in the first place. You could see these mistakes happening again and again in our games. I hope we can fix that.

Vie: So your coach must be keeping busy with that?

S0tF1k: Certus is the most important part of our team, similar to that of a general manager in a football club. He has a wide range of responsibilities in the team and he dedicates himself fully to reach the goal. Every single one of us learned a lot from him already, and it’s thanks to him that we got so far.

Vie: How do you feel about the changes Valve brought to the Major system, where 0:3 teams won’t be invited to the next Major?

S0tF1k: It’s a good change, I’m all for it.

Vie: What do you think about Winstrike? Will they be able to repeat their performance from the previous Major?

S0tF1k: To answer that question I feel like you have to be inside the kitchen of the said team. Based on their results alone, I can confidently say that they don’t stand a chance this time around, but you never know when it comes to Majors. Last time no one expected anything from them but they did something magical and surprised everyone. They have good players and they will always fight till the end so I wouldn’t write them off just yet.

Vie: What about Vega Squadron? Of course, you already played against them, do you feel they will go far?

S0tF1k: I feel like most people, after seeing their new roster, thought to themselves that Vega is done. I, on the other hand, saw a lot of potential there. We played against them before and knew just how explosive they can be. They have a very experienced line-up, deep understanding of the game, and they worked relentlessly on their teamwork.

If they can keep up with the level of play they’ve been showing us, I have no doubt that they will go very far.

Like these odds? Head over to VIE.GG to compete against other esports fans!

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