publications-bg

Headtrick: «I feel most comfortable in the second sniper position»

CS2 / News / 16 April 2020 — 16:16

Enjoy your read

Meet the new NAVI Junior player, Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov. Daniel spoke about the start of his journey in Counter-Strike, the role inside the game, and also shared how he spends his free time.

Hi! Many of NAVI fans would like to know more about you. Can you tell us how you started to play Counter-Strike: where did your story begin?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

Hi everybody! A long time ago, when I was six years old, I went with friends to a computer club. We played there Counter-Strike 1.6, but I wasn't interested in that game then. After about four years, I watched a video about CS:GO, which got me very impressed, and I got carried away with this game. Later I watched tournaments, matches with professional players and realized that it was something that suits me.

Have you tried any other esport games other than Counter-Strike?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

No, I haven't. I used to play different games, but then it was just for fun.

How did your career in professional CS started? Who did you play with before and what success have you achieved? What was the most memorable victory?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

It all started when a friend called me to a LAN tournament in Kiyv. There was an amazing atmosphere, these emotions were memorable for a long time. Then I was called to a pretty strong local team, I did pretty well there. Later there was a trial for the third Spirit team among the whole CIS, where, I think, I showed myself well, and in the end, they took me in. We trained for two months and although we had no real results, I got good experience and knowledge from such a strong captain as S0tF1k. Out of all my few victories so far, the most memorable one took place on LAN: we were losing almost without a chance, but in the end, it happened that I won a 1x5 clutch, this moment turned the game around and we made a comeback. That was cool!

Tell me about the NAVI invitation — how did you get noticed? Were you just playing in leagues and showing good results?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I met with the players, played on LANs, constantly tried to show my maximum in leagues. As a result, they noticed me and believed in me!

Do you think you are a team player? What positive qualities can you highlight in yourself?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I believe that I can play in a team environment and do some individual plays, if necessary. I think I can cheer up the team during the game and lighten the mood if necessary. As for character traits, I think the most important thing is to be human.

What in-game role did you have in your previous teams? In what positions do you feel most comfortable?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

There were different roles, but in the end, I realized that I like to play with AWP and it works out pretty well for me. I feel most comfortable in the position of the second sniper.

Can you tell us about the history of your nickname?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

That's kind of funny story. At that time I was about 10-11 years old, I heard a Russian commentator say "hat-trick" during the match, I remembered the word because it seemed unusual. That's how my nickname was born.

Tell us about your approach to training. How does your warm-up look like? What does the process of your preparation for the matches include?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

First, I go to the bunny hop server for 10-15 minutes to feel out the mouse. Then I go to the maps with bots — most often it is Aim Botz and Yprac Bot Arena, but here everyone has their own choice — it goes for about 15-20 minutes. After that I go to the DM, I train aim with different weapons, it takes about 20 minutes.

I also watch replays. In my opinion, this is an important part of the training, because it allows you to see interesting moves and tricks, and also shows an example of how the team plays and what interesting rounds they have.

Which map of the current map pool do you like most? What maps do you prefer to avoid? And why is that?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I like many maps, most of all — Mirage and Train. There is no such map that I would avoid playing, but the least experience I have is on Vertigo, as we haven’t played it on teams I've been before.

Surely you are viewing demos of other teams, players. Whose example do you learn from mostly? What are you interested in this player's or the team's game?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I watch different demos, most often these are demos of teams that perform well on a particular map, and I need to find out and highlight for myself how they play in specific positions. If I need to name a particular player, I like s1mple's style, his confidence, he constantly makes his opponent nervous and afraid of him, and I think it should be an example for everyone. I also like the way Xyp9xand KRIMZ play.

Are there any players or a team that you support?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

Yes, that is NAVI!

Can you think of an instance when you took something from other players and it came in handy during a match?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

Yeah, we watched the demo with the team and we saw a boost on short to kill "monster" on Overpass. It was very often beneficial later on.

How do you like the current state of Counter-Strike? Is there anything you'd like to change?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

In my opinion, Counter-Strike is now close to ideal, but I would like some very large-scale tournament like International in Dota 2, I think it would be super cool!

Which of the latest changes by Valve, did you like? And why is that?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

It’s hard to say because everything happened gradually, but I liked the change on the Mirage when they added a shop under the window, it was something new.

And how do you like to spend your free time?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I watch vids, chat with friends, I like to go to the movies.

What are some movies or series that everyone should see?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I don’t particularly watch TV shows, but from the movies, I liked “The Gentlemen” and "Anna", as well as “Bohemian Rhapsody” — good movies, I'd recommend it to everyone.

What do you listen to in terms of music?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I love music in English, in different genres, most often hip-hop.

Favorite skins in CS:GO?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

I like Karambit Doppler and AWP Gungnir.

Thank you for the interview! Can we expect streams from you in the near future?

Daniil "headtr1ck" Valitov

| | |

Thank you! Yes, I plan to stream in the near future, the announcements will be in my VK page and other social medias, so follow me there!