nafany: I’ve experienced the same emotions playing online

The Russian-squad climbed to the number one spot of the world rankings following a memorable run that saw the talented lineup claim the IEM Katowice title, and finish in second place at ESL Pro League S13.

Expectations are big for the young team, who only a few months ago were still trying to break into the top tier of CS:GO. Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov who is Gambit’s IGL, spoke about the ongoing online era in an interview with HLTV.org, as many argue that teams wouldn’t be able to achieve the same success and results when the scene switches to LAN again.

The 19-year-old captain expressed his belief that Gambit will remain an elite side when LAN tournaments return.

“I think that it is indeed a factor that can have an impact, but you can adapt and get used to anything. I am sure that after one or two events we would get used to it. Before the pandemic, we played the MSI tournament hosted in an arena in New York. Honestly, I was more emotionally impacted by the fact that I saw Astralis in person than the stress and nervousness I experienced during the matches. Sure, it was cool, and of course it was nice to hear people chant ‘Gambit!”, but it’s not something extraordinary. I’ve experienced the same emotions playing online, because when you’re playing the final of a large event you go through the same intense emotions, and you have just as much drive to win. I think it wouldn’t have had much of an impact.”