Ukrainian CS:GO player Vladyslav bondik Nechyporchuk told Cybersport.Metaratings.ru about Flipsid3, his work outside cybersports and plans.
— Hi, you started your career in 1.6. Tell us how you performed in 2009-2012. What teams did you play for and against whom? Did you have a salary back then?
– As far as I remember, I got acquainted with Counter-Strike back in 2008 and started going to local LAN tournaments in Kyiv. I played within different mixes and quickly progressed. I developed from club level to the city level and then to the country level. In 1.6, there was no salary, only winnings and pocket money, which we often spent on trips across Ukraine to participate in tournaments. Everything was based on "pure" enthusiasm. At that time, I met Andrii B1ad3. We started playing in KerchNET together with him.
— You played with B1ad3 in different teams for a very long time. Describe him as a captain and as a person.
– Andrii is a strategy person. He always has a plan for everything. We can't get inside his head, but I'm sure that analysis happens there 99% of the time, even while he is asleep, in all games and life matters. He's a very competent person who knows how to think. Andrii has always been decent, sincere, honest, and fair. We played in the same team for probably eight years. All these years, I had and still have great respect for him.
— In 2015, you signed a contract with Flipsid3 for the first time. You played in the lineup for about two years and left to join HellRaisers. What happened then?
– Our contract with Flipsid3 was expiring, we were offered to re-sign on better terms. At that time, I got two more offers from HellRaisers and Gambit. It was insanely pleasing. At that point, I saw that the team was weakening individually. Everyone needed to devote more time to individual play to get to the next level. I raised this issue within the team several times. I warned them that I would be forced to leave if this continued. So it happened, I chose HellRaisers, probably more because of just the English language. I saw the future behind it.
By the way, Flipsid3 was a great team and organization. We had a good team. Even today, I still remember what kind of a strong team we were. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to overcome themselves to accomplish anything more. But today, I am still sure that we had all the chances and resources at that moment. All we had to do was believe and want to do it.
— Flipsid3 had s1mple in his first lineup. He was extremely toxic back then. Can you tell us what was going on in the team during that time?
– I had a perfectly normal relationship with s1mple. He didn't bother me much. What I didn't like the most was that the overall team atmosphere suffered. I am a team player who can put the team above myself. That's why it was strange to me. I guess now we would have found some way to make Sasha understand that. Back then, we were going through it for the first time.
— About a year and a half ago, I saw your Instagram stories where you played Dota 2 with Markelov. Are you in touch with him, and do you know what he is doing now?
– Egor is the nicest teammate I've ever had the pleasure of playing with. He's a very kind man, a soulmate! I'm very sorry that he didn't say goodbye to all the fans in a proper way, and it's not clear why. I think he could have easily become one of the most popular streamers. I can't say that we're in touch now. Our life paths have separated. A couple of years ago, we invited each other to our country house. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet. But, that's okay, let's wait.
— Name the most frustrating defeats in your career.
– It is difficult to remember, honestly, but a couple of them come to my mind: in 1.6 at WCG. While playing for KerchNET, we beat NaVi, knocking them out of the tournament, then played the final against DTC and lost. It was very disappointing to win against the favorites and lose in the final on the third map in a hard fight.
It was also a shame to lose to Flipsid3 after they joined HellRaisers, but analyzing it later, I realized that it couldn't have been different at that moment. As a team, they were much better. The players we had individually were more promising, though.
— In HellRaisers and TyLoo, you played in an international squad. Did you easily switch from Russian into English in the game?
– I cannot say that it's easy. I've been learning English since childhood. My parents sent me to a school with profound study of foreign languages, fed me with all kinds of courses, gradings, etc. My English was all right. But it is one thing to learn it, and another thing to use it in everyday life. The first month after switching to English, all the information in the TeamSpike was completely incomprehensible. I adapted in something like a month. It is important to note that at that time, there were no FPL and similar leagues where you could go through this "acclimatization" at a faster pace.
— Have you ever worked outside of cybersports?
– Yes. I didn't go from CS 1.6 to CS:GO right away. As a student, I got a job in an office. I think I was an analyst assistant. I twisted and turned all the numbers in Excel and then sent all the data to the analyst. He checked and confirmed that. This wasn't looking like a great opportunity. Working for someone is not the most rewarding thing to do.
— What did you buy with the money you earned in CS?
– I've never been greedy with the money I earned. We only live one time. But I managed to buy an apartment.
— Tell me, what are you doing now? Do you have any options for continuing your career?
– It was the New Year's holidays, the goal was to restart yourself. It wasn't the best year in my career. But there is a very big desire to come back and show me. I will wait for my chance. Ready to do a lot: just like in the good old days, to sit in front of a screen 24x7!
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