neaLaN: "My year in EG was one of the best for me"

The Kazakhstani IGL tried his hand at an analyst role at PARI Please.

Sanzhar "⁠neaLaN⁠" Iskhakov spent his early career in regional teams and got his breakout moment with K23, reaching No. 14 in the world rankings at the start of 2022. That earned the IGL a move to Evil Geniuses, where things didn't go according to plan, leading to his removal after less than a year on the roster.

He quickly landed on GamerLegion, but the roster failed to repeat the success of their Paris Major campaign and swapped in-game leaders after just four months. Since then, neaLaN has taken some time off to assess his options, and appeared at PARI Please as an analyst.

The Kazakh joined HLTV at the Belgrade event to discuss his tenures in Evil Geniuses and GamerLegion, his plans for the future, and the Kazakh scene.

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Did you enjoy the broadcast role?

It was funny. Something new for me because when you come [to an event] as a player, you always need to focus. You don't have a day when you can go outside and just look around. So being an analyst is something new for me.

In September, GamerLegion decided to part ways with you after only a couple of months together. Why was your tenure so short?

We had a different view of the game and probably a different view of the future.

Do you think you could have clicked with GamerLegion if you had more time? Do you think there was a chance to succeed together?

I don't know. I don't like to talk about something [that never came to be]. It might have been good, but it might not have been good.

Before joining GamerLegion, you spent almost a year with EG. When you were playing in NA, what surprised you the most?

I think the mentality. I come from CIS, where there's a different mentality about how they view the game and the schedule they have. That was different for me, but I liked it.

To put it mildly, EG didn’t have a great run. How did it feel to endure so many losses?

It seems like we didn't have success, but if you're going to just look at the start of EG, when we got the new roster with me HexT, automatic, CeRq, and Brehze... They got an IGL who had come from tier-two to tier-one tournaments. And, of course, we needed time to do something.

But the first six months, I think, were not bad. We won two games in EPL, we qualified for the Major. I don't think it’s bad, it's fine. But after the new year, something happened, and we were losing every game.

What do you think were the main mistakes of EG that led to such dire results in the end?

Some decisions were not that great. We didn't bootcamp before the Rio Major, which was the first mistake. Kicking CeRq was probably also a mistake.

There’s controversy about EG treating players poorly. How were they as an org to you?

It's one of the best that I've been in, I don't know why people are hating them as an org. The people who were in CS, like valens, [were good]. valens was the main guy for me, he talked to me on behalf of the org. He was great. He was always asking me, 'Is everything good? Do you need something?' I liked it at EG.

Did you maybe hear some other players complaining or sharing their concerns?

No. I can’t speak for the other players, but I think they also liked EG as an org.

If you knew how your tenure in EG would go, would you still have joined the team?

Yeah, for sure, I had an insane experience and met a lot of great people. I'm always saying that my year in EG was one of the best years for me because I played with one of the best players in the world. I really liked how autimatic viewed the game and his lifestyle. I gained a lot of experience from him.

What do you mean by lifestyle?

He's not spending money on stupid things, he's always on time, and he's always going to work more. And he's playing golf (laughs).

Some say that American players lack dedication when it comes to CS, hence the struggles of NA teams. Is there any truth to that?

I don't think it's true because the people that I played with were trying hard; we were all trying our best to succeed.

You have been without a team for two months now. Have you received any offers?

Yes, I have had a couple of offers. But at the start, I thought that I needed some rest because I started playing CS professionally at 16 and had to move to other countries so I could play CS with good ping. So for me, it was a seven-year run playing CS 24/7. And [now] there's a little time that I can use to rest a bit, fix my health, and just rethink everything.

But you're looking to come back, right?

That's for sure. I'll come back next year.

As someone who can play in both Russian- and English-speaking teams, which one would you prefer?

I don't care, I’m speaking English right now, and there’s Russian also. I'm just looking for a team that is going to believe in my philosophy of the game.

Recently, you played a LAN in Astana with buster. Is there a chance for us to see you play on a Kazakhstani-majority team in the near future?

I don't know, this LAN was just for fun, we were just playing with friends. My dream is that one day there's going to be a Kazakhstani team playing at a top level. We have a lot of fans in Kazakhstan, and they want to see a Kazakh team at the Major.

Do you want to repeat Gambit’s success and win the Major as a Kazakhstani team?

We need it! Maybe I'm not going to be on that team. But I hope one day a Kazakhstani team is going to be at a Major.

… again.

Again!