zont1x: "I don't think Vertigo is a bad map for us"

Spirit's ice-cold third star revealed the team have practiced their Vertigo more than any other map recently as they begin their Major journey.

Spirit's youthful roster came into 2024 like a wrecking ball, storming to victory at IEM Katowice in convincing fashion to claim the first significant trophy of the year. Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets may have stolen the headlines, but Myroslav "⁠zont1x⁠" Plakhotia's poise in tough roles earned him plenty of accolades as well.

The Russian squad have showed signs of mortality since, losing to MOUZ at the RMR and dropping a map to Metizport during BLAST Spring Showdown, but they have begun their campaign as one of the favorites for the Major title with a convincing victory over Cloud9.

With a win under his belt and a match against Imperial on the horizon, zont1x stopped for a quick interview with HLTV to discuss his team's opening victory, their chances for the Major, and their map pool.

If you can't see the embed above, listen to the audio interview here.

---

You won your first game against Cloud9, tell me your initial thoughts.

It was a bit stressful at the beginning, the first five or six rounds. First game, BO1, we could play better but still we won. When you play a Major, a best of one, that's all you need. You just need to win those games no matter how many problems you have.

Your next game is against Imperial, what do you make of them?

I don't know, to be honest, how they play. They're playing good because they're here, but I don't remember us playing pracs against them in the last month or two so I can't really tell anything about them.

More generally, coming into the Major: You got the Katowice win, set very high standards for yourselves, what's the mood within the camp? Do you feel like favorites?

Yeah. I don't know about my teammates, but I think we can win the whole thing. For me and for donk, it's our first Major so anything can happen, best of ones here. We're one of the favorites, we can win the whole thing, but I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about how we play.

In terms of map pool, people are questioning your Vertigo, even though your record is okay on it. Have you been working on it?

Of course. I've said before, when you have six maps, you have problems on one map, then you fix them, then you have problems on another map. It's an endless cycle. I don't think Vertigo is a bad map for us, it's same as every other, because we have more practice on Veritgo than other maps in the last two weeks. I don't think Vertigo is bad for us, it's same map as Overpass, Mirage, whatever.

On yourself, you're established as the third star of the team in those kind of tricky roles, but overperforming. What do you think enables you to do that, this Magisk regen sort of?

In my memory, I was always chill and rarely nervous. So it's a genetic thing, I would say, it gives me something over other young players. And some skill as well, I played a lot of CS. I have a coach, I have an experienced IGL, I have everything to play well. But still, every player says it but I think I can play much better. It's not like my maximum level is what I showed at Katowice, I know that I can play way better. But any player can say that.

More specifically, on your roles. Were you always this third star? It's easy to give space to your AWPer and your first rifler, but as the second rifler it's a bit harder.

From the beginning in Spirit, I was already the third player. magixx is a full anchor, and I'm not, so I had more things I could do on the map, and it already felt like I could be a third star. But I can't say always, because I'm not playing for five years, I just started. From the beginning in Spirit's roster, yes I'm the third player.

It's your first Major. Does it feel like a Major to you? Or are you chill, ice cold, like you said.

I can't say that I feel something different from here to the Katowice play-in. It's the same, it's not a stage, you just play in a room, so you can't really feel anything. You can't see the trophy — although in Katowice you could see it — but here you just kind of play LAN. No viewers, no nothing. You don't feel any different at this point, but I think I will feel different in the semi-final, final. Obviously the Major is more interesting than other championships, like Katowice and Cologne. I think I will feel different when I play on the stage.

And it's a when, not an if?

Yeah [laughs]. I should talk with 'if', probably.