Xoma: "Everyone [in VP] has ideas, but sometimes an agreement can't be reached"

VP's former coach shared some of his thoughts on why the team is currently unable to play to their perceived potential.

We caught up with Andrey "⁠Xoma⁠" Mironenko, who is back on a team after a brief stint in Virtus.pro from June to September. The 33-year-old, faced with not being involved with any team ahead of the Shanghai Major, has taken up an assistant role in Aurora.

He opened up about his time in Virtus.pro and what he learned about the team and coaching at a higher level, and also spoke about what it's like working alongside head coach Stepan "⁠brain⁠" Sivoronov in Aurora.

"I came into an existing team," Xoma says of his time in VP. "Usually, I try to assemble a team with synergy in mind in addition to in-game aspects. And unfortunately, Virtus.pro lack that synergy."

---

Recently Virtus.pro's CEO commented on your removal. He said that you are a great professional, but you got in the wrong place at the wrong time. In other words, you and the team didn't match. Do you agree with this evaluation?

Well, one could say that if we disregard many things that were happening in the team at the time, but the most important aspect was time. I didn't get enough time, so there's no way to see for sure if my ideas worked or not.

But I understood one thing: When you get into a tier 1 team, you're on a very tight schedule. And in that schedule, it's super hard to exist and even find time to practice. And unfortunately, when I got into the team, we had five tournaments in a row, we couldn't find a common language and mutual understanding.

You were quite successful at tier two, but then you moved to a tier one team. Do you think your approach was made for a different type of schedule, and that was the reason why it didn't work out?

I think so because it was hard to adjust at first. Every day, you fly somewhere, and every time you do something, you don't have time to practice, think through some ideas, or discuss some things. I wasn't ready for such a tight schedule. But I got some good experience, and now I understand how it works, and in the future, I will use my time better.

What do you think is Virtus.pro's main problem keeping them from the form they had when they won a Major?

I came into an existing team. Usually, I try to assemble a team with synergy in mind in addition to in-game aspects. And unfortunately, Virtus.pro lack that synergy. Because all the guys are very strong professionals, everyone has ideas, but sometimes an agreement can't be reached.

Did you have any ideas on how the roster could be changed to achieve that synergy?

I had some ideas, but the amount of time before the RMR and overall schedule wouldn't allow any changes. Such rushed moves lead to an even more unclear result, and no one can know if it's worth doing at the time or if it's better to wait for the main events to finish.

Usually, coaches are in charge of leading teams. Did you feel like you lacked significance and weight in the team in terms of being able to make the decisions?

Perhaps I lacked the experience to defend some of my ideas sometimes, and maybe sometimes I lacked the understanding of some things. Nevertheless, we've always had a constructive dialogue. We could always find some points of agreement. I wouldn't say it was very tough in that sense; it was just hard to find some common ideas. Due to that, we moved very slowly.

Overall, how would you describe the relationship within the team? Was it constructive, as you said, or was there still some tension?

I can confidently say that the guys are professionals and fully devoted to the game, and I don't have any complaints about them. But the guys have huge experience; they've got their egos, and it's hard to find an approach to unite them.

You recently joined Aurora's coaching staff. Tell me about your role within the team and your first experience working with them.

I've known the guys for a long time and knew where I was going. I've joined to help [Aurora's coach] brain, who remains in charge for now. My goal is to find some new ideas, some common ground, and help rebuild the schedule and their practice. I'm just providing support until the Major, where brain will be the head coach. My goal is to help the team reveal their strengths.

r3salt recently left the team and he cited a straining process as the main reason for leaving. Being in your role, do you see such problems in the team? Do you think your addition is an attempt to address these issues?

I don't know what was going on in the team when r3salt left since I joined after that, but I can definitely say that the guys had issues with their training process. My addition is an opportunity to share some experience and adjust their practice schedule.

This is what I learned from Virtus.pro: Every team is unique and has its unique approach, and you can't always think that you have the right opinion like I used to think when I joined Virtus.pro. You must always try to find common ground and see how you'll move forward.

The most trivial problem in Aurora before I joined was communication, and I believe we started getting it fixed after I joined. The guys very rarely spoke honestly to each other. Everything will improve if we can make the overall process clear and open.

deko has an interesting character; he even has this "dead inside" reputation in the community. What can you say about him?

Denis is a very peculiar person. When I met him I was very surprised. He has his… let’s say, cool moments that can make one think that he's dead inside, but actually, he wants to win. He really wants to win at this game and he sets the highest goals for himself.

Yes, he might underperform sometimes, or he might devote less time to practicing, but he's gifted. If he moves in the right direction and practices properly, he can become an extremely strong sniper.

From being a coach in a top 10 team, you moved down to being an assistant coach in a team that is roughly top 30. How come? Was it the best available option, or were you specifically interested in working with Aurora?

Firstly, I was indeed interested in working with Aurora. They've got a new CEO who's a good friend of mine and whom I know very well. I believe he can build the right process in the team.

After Virtus.pro, I wouldn't say I had many options, but I had multiple. And there was an easy choice: either I skip this Major cycle or participate in it in some form. So I decided that I needed to move on and I definitely shouldn't skip this Major cycle.

We're at RES Regional Champions. What would you say about the team's performance here, considering you were eliminated after losing the first two games?

Unfortunately, there's a very scary trend in Aurora — and it's not only here. In the last three games, Aurora lost to themselves. We make mistakes and, therefore, lose games in which we dominate. We lose the matches that are already won, we lose against comebacks. The main problem is probably mental.

The guys have forgotten how LANs are. They've had a prolonged period without events, so they lost this feeling of responsibility when they can't make mistakes.

How does it feel to be on the team but not in a room with them when they play?

Of course, there's this feeling of not being able to say something and help the team when you have some ideas that you want to convey, but brain is a great professional, and we prepare some great plans before the game.

I trust his opinion and his ability to help the team in a tough moment. Sure, it's hard to be in the second position, but as I said earlier, the choice was easy: either I was missing this Major cycle or I was taking part in it [in this role].

Do you expect to return to coaching after the Major?

Please wait for the announcements; you will learn about them soon.

Do you think this short stint for VP could have hurt your career? Or do you look at it more as a valuable experience?

It's always like this in life: if you don't try it, you won't know it. When I was invited to join Virtus.pro, I had doubts about them being an already existing team, having their own vibe and their own ideas, and I wasn't sure if I could change something.

But I also knew: if you don't try it, you won't know it. So, for me, it's experience. Maybe not the most positive one if you consider how it all turned out, but I've made my own conclusions. I've gained a lot of new knowledge, and now I understand how the guys think on that level.