electroNic on IGLing again: "The situation made it clear that I needed to do this"

VP are looking to go far in Katowice after taking their first big scalp with electroNic at the helm.

After a lackluster 0-2 loss in their LAN debut against paiN, Virtus.pro rebounded with wins over SAW and MIBR to book a place in the second stage of IEM Katowice.

VP, who entered the 2025 season with new additions Kaisar "⁠ICY⁠" Faiznurov and Timur "⁠FL4MUS⁠" Marev while also adjusting to Denis "⁠electroNic⁠" Sharipov's transition to the in-game leader role, defied expectations in their first match of the main stage with a 2-0 win over G2.

Date	Matches
IEM Katowice 2025
01/02/2025	G2 Finished 0:2 Virtus.pro	Match

Shortly after his team's victory over G2, electroNic spoke to HLTV to discuss Virtus.pro's Katowice run so far, the performances of ICY and FL4MUS, and the Russian rifler's decision to return to IGLing.

electroNic answered this interview in Russian, and it was then translated by Russian-speaking HLTV staff.

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You started off Katowice badly against paiN, but since then you have looked convincing, now beating G2 in the second stage. Tell me about how you recovered from that opening match.

I think the first game was more about nerves, we were probably very nervous. There was some pressure because the first game with a new lineup at a LAN event is always tough. So, I think that was the only problem. We made a lot of individual mistakes and team mistakes. That's why now we just sat down, looked at what we did wrong, and kept working throughout the tournament without stopping.

FL4MUS talked about some adjustments being made after the first game and the second match being a sign of doing things right. Was it then just about keeping with that thinking going into the next two games?

Yes, we changed some things compared to the first game. It's starting to work. We're really putting in a lot of work every day. And so now, from game to game, I think we won't change much. Honestly, even after the first game, we didn't change much. We just discussed that we can't afford to make such mistakes. If we keep making these kinds of mistakes, it's going to be really hard to play, and the result will be similar every time.

ICY had an amazing game on Mirage. Are you proud of one of your new additions?

Of course, I'm very proud. We actually were really lucky to have these two young players. They are very ambitious and promising, and they really want it badly. I'm very happy they are here with us. Of course, I'm incredibly proud that they're already showing such great play at this stage.

FL4MUS spoke about how his positions changed from the beginning after he, in his words, was doing everything wrong. You previously said you gave up some positions for him to make him more comfortable. Can you tell me about that process?

My initial goal was to make sure that all the players were comfortable and happy with their roles. That's why I took on the most... well, let's say, the anchor roles. But we've come to the conclusion that it doesn't work well on every map, and on some maps, it would be better if we switched roles.

Are you comfortable with being more supportive?

Yes, of course. I'm not upset at all. This is a team game. The only thing that our team and every player in it wants is to win, and we're ready to do anything for that. So it's quite easy for us to come to an agreement, I think.

After you gave up in-game leadership last time, you told me that you maybe didn't have the right temperament for it. What led you to take up the role again after a bit of space from your last experience?

I think the situation just made it clear that I needed to do this. I wasn't really against it, I do a lot of work. And I don't want to go into any more details.

Tell me about how this rebuild happened in the winter break. What did you see in ICY and FL4MUS?

ICY is very calm. I really like that about him. He plays really well. He has great micro-movements and is individually very strong. FL4MUS is also very strong individually, he's emotional. And I think what really helps us is that there's someone who constantly cheers us up and also plays his role really well and is very ambitious. I think that's why they're here.

Tomorrow or the day after you are playing against Eternal Fire for playoffs. What do you think about the matchup?

It will definitely be an interesting match. We'll prepare the same way we always do for every game. But I'll say this: We're probably not afraid of anyone at this tournament. We just want to show our best game and play to the maximum. That's our goal for this tournament.

Ranking-wise you've fallen quite low, how important would a playoffs finish here be?

I think for many teams that are ranked quite low... Well, if you can't get a direct invite to tournaments, it means you're not high enough in the rankings. I think every team wants to show their best result, and we're no exception.