Yatoro: “Replacing the coach was harder for us than replacing the offlaner”

Team Spirit carry Illya Yatoro Mulyarchuk, in an interview at BLAST Slam VIII, compared the substitutions of Yaroslav Miposhka Naidenov for Ilya Illidan Pivtsaev and Magomed Collapse Khalilov for Bohdan Batyuk Batyuk.

According to Mulyarchuk, replacing a coach has a greater impact on the team than rotating one of the players.

[Was it harder for you to deal with the replacement of an offlaner or a coach?] I’d say definitely the replacement of a coach. It affects us more, both outside the game and during the game itself. We rely heavily on Illidan’s strategies, his heroes, and his ideas, and we try to incorporate them into our own gameplay. But when a single player is replaced, it doesn’t feel the same.

As a reminder, Collapse also noted Miposhka’s significant contribution to the team. Naidenov was involved in more than just draft preparation. He devoted a lot of attention to the team’s supports: he analyzed replays, explained actions during specific game moments, and helped with heroes.

Illidan’s influence on Team Spirit’s drafts was already evident at BLAST SLAM VIII, where the revamped roster made its debut. Yatoro played Anti-Mage for the first time in a long while, and Aleksey not me Kosmynin played Nyx Assassin.

At the same time, Batyuk’s hero pool is similar to Collapse’s. Furthermore, like the former offlaner, he is known for his high level of individual play. Therefore, the replacement of the third position did not lead to drastic changes in the roster or a redistribution of roles.

The team went undefeated in the group stage of BLAST SLAM VIII and will continue their run in the playoffs on October 9, where they will face the winner of the Aurora Gaming vs. 1WIN Team match. You can follow the competition in detail in the coverage.

As CyberScore previously reported, Blitz confirmed upcoming changes at Team Liquid.