donk: "We were able to fix our problems; I think we've improved as a team"

"We will see in official games if it worked or not," the Russian prodigy added.

Spirit are set to make their first tournament appearance since a disappointing 5th-6th place finish at the Fall Final, where Myroslav "⁠zont1x⁠" Plakhotia opened up about the confidence issues and form struggles hitting the team.

A month has passed since then, and, according to Danil "⁠donk⁠" Kryshkovets, the team was able to work through these issues during this short break from action. "I think that as a team we've become better," he told HLTV during media, noting, however, that official games will be the litmus test.

donk is upbeat about the progress Spirit have made over the last month, but he said that the team isn't setting specific targets for what's left of the season. "I think that's a dangerous thing because it can put pressure on you."

Looking ahead to 2025, donk said that he is determined to be "more consistent" than he has been this year, taking his share of the blame for some of the team's losses. "In general, it has been a good year for me," he said. "I'm okay with this. I know I can be better and I can perform better. It's kind of annoying for me that sometimes I perform badly."

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It has been one month since your last tournament. Did you take some time off or was it just practice?

We had a break, like ten days, and then we started practicing. We were trying to get into our best shape and develop the way we communicate inside and outside the game. Solving the problems that we saw in the tournaments where we played poorly.

Do you think you were able to fix during the break some of the problems that you had?

Yeah, yeah. We were able to fix them. I'm pretty sure that we fixed them. I think that as a team we've become better than we were. We will see in official games if it worked or not.

Considering that, what kind of expectations have you set for this tournament, the RMRs and the Major?

We haven't set any expectations. I think that's a dangerous thing because it can put pressure on you. We don't have any expectations. We just want to show our game, how we can play, and enjoy our time together. We want to show our best game.

What can you say about this new Spirit, now that you've managed to fix these problems? At the Fall Final, zont1x said in an interview that the players weren't feeling confident, communication wasn't good, and the mental state of the team wasn't the best.

I think we have become more confident as players, it's a good sign for us. About communication, it's hard to say because you need to play some important games, some tough and intense games, to know if your communication is good or bad. In the easy games, if you can call them that, when you're just playing your game and the opponent is waiting for you to do everything that you want, communication is always at the top level. It's the hardest games that show whether you have good communication or not.

You had an amazing start to the year, winning Katowice in dominant fashion. Everyone thought that you were going to dominate the whole year, that you were going to be the best team of the year. But you have only won two tournaments since Katowice. When you look back, are you a bit disappointed with the way that the year has gone for you? And what do you think that the team still needs to achieve to call 2024 a successful year?

I cannot speak for the whole team, only for myself. I believed that we would dominate in the second half of the year, but we had some problems and couldn't do it. But it has still been a good year, a good run. We have been in the top five all year with a young team. We started practicing with sh1ro in January. So we have been together for nine months. We are still getting good results even if we are in bad shape. We can get through the group stage and into playoffs. And it's a good result, I would say.

For me, this season is already successful. But we can make it more so by winning this tournament and the Major. We will see how it goes.

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier World Final 2024
30/10/2024	Vitality 14:40 Spirit	Match

You're going to play Vitality in the first round. Do you think this is a good matchup for you guys, considering they are playing with a stand-in and may not be in the best shape? Or do you think it can make them unpredictable?

We don't think about it. Vitality is Vitality. They have a stand-in but they have four other players who can make a difference. We will not underestimate them because they have a stand-in. We will look at them as if they had their default lineup. We are just playing against Vitality. We don't care that they have a stand-in. We just want to show our game and that's it.

This is your first full year of playing Counter-Strike at the highest level. How do you look back at everything that has happened? The MVPs, the titles, everything. Are you happy with the way that you've been playing this year? And where do you see yourself in 2025?

Basically, I see myself in 2025 being more consistent than I have been this year. I could have played better than I have been playing in the second half of the year. We faced problems. But I feel that I could have performed better, and maybe in some matches that we lost I could have changed the result. But in general, it has been a good year for me. I'm okay with this. I know I can be better and I can perform better. It's kind of annoying for me that sometimes I perform badly. I want to become more consistent. Just better.