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S1mple: «My aim is for my team to be number one»

CS2 / News / 27 January 2020 — 14:09

Pleasant reading!

In the first section of a two-part interview conducted by ru Alexey"OverDrive"Biryukov for HLTV.org, the interviewer explores general topics about uas1mple's life, including his educational background, which country pleasantly surprised him out of the long list that he has visited and what his largest expense to this day was.

—How did you come up with your nickname and did you have others before?

— I can't remember how I came up with s1mple, I just remember that I added a "1" to the nickname so it looked a bit more interesting. Other than that I used "Awesome", which came from wrestling.

How did you get banned for cheating?

— I had my friend over and for fun, I showed him how to play with cheats. I didn't really even get to play with them and, at the time, didn't think I'd become a professional player.

Did you regret your ban during the CS 1.6 days?

— Yes, of course. I was banned from ESL events for two to three years in the days when they were the most relevant [tournament organiser]. Most importantly, I regret the wasted time, as had I not been banned then I'd have spent that time more productively.

What is the age limit on playing at a professional level?

— Age isn't a barrier, you just need the will. Even in traditional sports, people remain until their 40s and it's not an issue for them. Besides, in esports we don't have the same physical load as athletes in traditional sports.

What age would you play to?

— I'd definitely play until I hit 30. After that, I would have to go off my performance; maybe I'd become a coach, maybe something else.

Have you ever let stardom get to you?

— From the outside it may seem to be the case, but that's not true. If a person does something stupid in-game or out, then I always point it out to them - that has always been the case. People might interpret this as letting stardom get to me, but, in reality, if someone comes up to me and asks something, I'll always answer, take a photo and respectfully treat them. Having said that, I recently denied an autograph. I was playing basketball with my friends and a group of guys started recording videos of us. Later, one of them came up and started making weird jokes, flaunting in front of his mates, so that was a bit unpleasant and I refused to take a photo with him.

Are you demanding towards your teammates?

— Yes, I'm a perfectionist and I want every player in the team to put in an equal amount of time and effort. If I see someone slacking, lying or missing out on commitments then I won't be happy with that. If a mistake is repeated two or three times, I won't sit quietly. If we face a team that doesn't repeat their mistakes, then we will likely lose, which I don't want to happen.

What kind of music do you listen to?

— I currently listen to American rap/hip-hop.

Have you ever worked outside of esports?

— The most I have done was handing out fliers. I would receive 10 hryvnias per hour, and it was important, specifically, to stand around a lot, as opposed to handing them out. At the time, 10 hryvnias was about one or two hours at the internet cafe.

You've visited a long list of countries, which one really left a mark on you?

— I think it's Portugal. Lisbon was very beautiful, the nature was cool, the weather was great, the people were nice, the ocean, the mountains - everything you need for a happy life. At the time I hired a car to drive around Portugal, it was amazing. I wouldn't say it's my favourite country, but it pleasantly surprised me.

When were you in peak form?

— Results-wise, I'd say when it was when we won three consecutive tournaments in 2018: Cologne, Shanghai, and Starladder, back with Vanya (uaEdward) and Danya (uaZeus). Having said that, I don't think I'm currently out of shape, it's just that when you play few tournaments and when you have roster and role adjustments, you need to find your game anew.

How do you maintain motivation after victories at events?

— I've forgotten the feeling as we haven't won in a while. I always have the motivation to win, become No.1, and become better than dkAstralis. It's very difficult, but if they were capable of achieving it, then so can another team.

Do you ever have moments when you start to play for the highlight, as opposed to playing for the team?

— It depends on the situation. It's possible that I do during normal matches, but when you play at large events you don't even have the time to think about that, other than maybe when you have a heavy lead you can play with a little bit of flare.

How did you switch from the AWP to rifles?

— I was asked which weapon I would prefer to play with, I said that it would depend on the fifth player that we sign. If he's not a great sniper then I can't pass the AWP to him, as it's the strongest weapon in the game and has to be in the hands of a capable player. We invitedskGuardiaN because he plays well with it, so I wasn't against giving up the role to him, but something just stood in the way of him shining. He trained a lot, and as I said previously, the problem was psychological. From a different perspective, maybe it didn't work out because of the team, as we were, and still are, in the process of finding our game. Maybe if we had found it right away, everything would've fallen into place and Ladislav (skGuardiaN) would have played like we were used to.

What is your main goal in esports? What tournaments would you like to win?

— I don't have a set goal of winning something specific, I want my team to be ranked first within a year. I want people to say, 'This team besteddkAstralis, and now they are the best in the world'.