NAVI CS 2 AWPer Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov shared what he took from Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s playstyle and reflected on his approach to the game as well as the lessons learned during his time in the team.
According to w0nderful, s1mple was his main inspiration to pursue a career in CS:
“S1mple — the one and only. I watched a lot of demos with him, but I also tried to take something from every player I followed. I think it’s hard to fully adopt someone else’s style. Even if you watch all of s1mple’s demos, you’ll still end up playing your own way.”
When asked about how he handled the pressure of replacing s1mple in NAVI, Zhdanov said:
“I tried not to think about who I was replacing in the roster. I just wanted to play at a high level and be part of the team I had always dreamed about.”
Ihor also revealed one of the most important lessons he learned while playing for NAVI:
“It doesn’t matter how poorly you’re performing in a match. If you still try your best in every round and maintain good communication, your team will win. Focus on giving it your all each round, and don’t dwell on the score. Every round is a new chance to showcase your best CS.”
W0nderful’s Journey with NAVI
Ihor Zhdanov joined NAVI in the fall of 2023, replacing s1mple, who went inactive for an indefinite period. Since joining the roster, w0nderful has helped the team secure victories at several major tournaments, including PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, Esports World Cup 2024, ESL Pro League Season 20, and IEM Rio 2024.
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