sdy: "ENCE was the best opportunity for me"

sdy prepares for his ENCE LAN debut at YaLLa Compass.

ENCE will make their LAN debut with new signings Viktor "⁠sdy⁠" Orudzhev and Paavo "⁠podi⁠" Heiskanen at YaLLa Compass 2024, where they have been placed in Group A alongside the likes of Astralis, HEROIC, and The MongolZ.

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ENCE swap dycha and hades for sdy and podi

Despite a lack of preparation time, sdy says the team aims to play to their best and win the title in Abu Dhabi, no matter the circumstances they are in.

Date	Matches
YaLLa Compass 2024
05/06/2024	Ninjas in Pyjamas 14:05 ENCE	Match

Ahead of their opening match against Ninjas in Pyjamas, the Ukrainian rifler sat down with HLTV to discuss his Monte departure, why he chose ENCE, and gave his thoughts about the first few days on the team.

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You left Monte after an unsuccessful Major run. What went into your decision to depart the team?

It was a combination of factors. A lot of things were happening in Monte through the last year that we played together, and we just realized that it is better for both sides to not continue our work together, and that's it.

After leaving Monte, how many offers did you receive? Was it hard to make a choice about which team to join?

I received some offers, maybe four or five, but none of them were really [right] for me. I didn't want to join some teams because of my roles or some of the team decisions that we wanted to make in the future. But I had a lot of talks, very long talks, and in the end, ENCE contacted me, and I decided to join them because it was the best opportunity for me.

ENCE is an organization with a fan base and popularity that is a bit higher than some other teams. Did that influence your decision to join the team, considering it is a relatively large brand?

The only thing that was important to me is that the team wants to work hard, wants to progress, and wants to do it as a unit. They want to do it in the right way, and the same way I like to do it.

What are your first impressions of being led by gla1ve? Do you feel the difference in his leadership style, considering he is regarded as one of the greatest IGLs ever?

For sure. We didn't have a lot of time to practice yet, but I can see that he has a different vision of things, and I like to learn from him.

When you joined Monte, it was a step down after not living up to expectations in NAVI. Now you're joining ENCE, which is a move upwards for you. How does it make you feel? Are you more excited?

Yeah, I can say that I feel very good to be here on this team, and I feel confident in myself.

You joined the team alongside podi, who was previously a part of ENCE Academy. How would you describe him in-game and out of the game?

podi is a funny guy. He likes to be with people who have the same vibe, I can say. For his age, he is really confident as a human being, so it's nice to have him around.

Your move to ENCE was announced less than a week ago. You said you didn't have a lot of time to practice before this tournament, but what were you able to do with the team to prepare for this event?

Yeah, I think we had two practice days, maybe three. We also played some online qualifiers that we lost, so that's it, nothing more.

Considering the team has undergone significant changes very recently and had little practice time, do you have any expectations from this event?

Obviously, you should have expectations for every event you come to. We came here to play and win like any other team, and we will do our best no matter the circumstances we are in.

And lastly, looking back a little bit. NAVI won the Major with their international lineup. Before it happened, when you were putting up incredible numbers for some time in Monte, did you have any slight hope that you might eventually get another chance in NAVI?

No, I never thought about it, to be honest.