The former Counter-Strike 1.6 and CS:GO player Sergey "Fox" Stolyarov told Cybersport.Metaratings.ru about his transition to CS:GO, Astana Dragons, and the victory over the legendary NiP roster.
— Hi! Can you tell us when you played CS for the first time?
– I can't tell it even approximately. I don't remember these times very well. The new items arrived in Ufa a bit late. But as soon as the first version appeared, we played it in the club.
— Do you remember your first team, your first tournament?
— I remember a couple of players from my team. The tournament was rather weak. We played a map like mansion, and lost everything clean. I remember guarding the back entrance with a shotgun (laughs).
— Do you communicate with some pro-players/teammates from M5/VP? Do you know what they do?
— No, we don't communicate and gather together. I communicate only with my brother. The others couldn't even come to the wedding.
— Can you tell us about when you were invited to the Galileo show when you were at Moscow Five?
— There is nothing to tell. The people from the program contacted our management and agreed on the participation of our team. The process was interesting: going to an abandoned airfield to film the meeting, paintball again. Only CS filming was a routine.
— In 2012, you switched from CS 1.6 to CS:GO. Did you like the new game right away?
— Of course, no. The game was very raw, I wouldn't say I liked it, but everyone understood it would replace Counter-Strike 1.6.
— Virtus.pro and you interrupted the legendary win streak of NiP at LAN. Do you remember this match? What emotions did you experience?
— Satisfaction, the joy of victory. We finally beat this legendary team and their legendary win streak.
— At one stage in 2013, you were in the top-3 of the best teams of the world, but then you left Virtus.pro. Can you tell us what happened?
— We didn't leave. The organization just terminated the relationship with our roster. The reason was the conflict between some players and the organization and a better offer from Astana Dragons. We didn't agree on a salary.
— The key players left for Astana Dragons, and you became inactive several months later. What were your thoughts during this time?
— At that time, I could earn much more money on a usual job. I discussed leaving the team before the conflict and setting a deadline until the end of the year: I will leave if there are no tournaments with good prize money. The guys didn't wait and agreed with Astana Dragons. It was a little disappointing that tournaments showed up before the end of the year, and our team split up.
— What did you do after your career as a player ended?
— I worked, first as an administrator in the "Rive Gauche" shop, then I got a temporary job at Tinkoff, and have been working temporarily since the end of 2017.
— In 2021, you suddenly began to stream CS:GO. How and why now?
– I missed the game and was bored with the home-work-home format. I wanted to dive back into Counter-Strike. Watch what came out of this on my channel.
— Do you think your knowledge of CS would be enough to be the coach of a tier-2/3 team today? Do you watch matches now?
— It would be enough and was enough. The understanding of the game is always relevant. I watch the finals of the big tournament and the games of the Gambit team. I rarely watch Natus Vincere games.