The former Na'Vi man returns to the black and gold fold, bringing coach Kane with him from Gambit, leaving no doubt as to who he blames for the breakup of the major winning team.
In a move that will shock literally nobody in the world of professional Counter-Strike, Daniil ‘Zeus’ Teslenko announced his departure from Gambit following their major win in Poland, with the former Na’Vi player set to rejoin his old organisation as in game leader. Coach Andrey ‘andi’ Prohorov is set to be replaced by the Ukrainian org too, with Mykhailo ‘Kane’ Blagin set to follow Zeus from Gambit and join his fellow countrymen in black and gold.
While the move itself is no real shock, having been widely speculated about since Na’vi announced they would be making changes post-Krakow, but the incendiary nature of a twitlonger post released by Zeus may have come as a shock to his former team. Pulling no punches, Zeus described a culture of broken trust, brought on by the sacking of Kane but also built on months of what he called “disagreements and issues”.
The entire post can be found here, but the crucial part appears below, where Zeus talks openly about the team choosing to remove Kane in the wake of the major win. According to the former Gambit IGL, he had an agreement with the organisation that he and Kane came as a package, and this betrayal was the driving force behind his decision to depart.
The guys decided to kick our coach Kane, even with the condition that I will leave with him. Misha Kane is a man who I've worked and been friends with a long time, a man who taught me and helped me get through last years kick from Na'Vi, and a man who helped us win the major. But the team thinks otherwise, overlooking my experience in this situation and my attempts at saving the roster….When this atmosphere and authority is disrupted, working with the team becomes very challenging.
Na’vi, for their part, will just be pleased to get a strong leader back in the saddle, although it remains to be seen how he beds back into the team that (partially) voted to remove him at the end of his last spell there. The fans will be hoping his strong leadership and Kane’s innovative styles will be the final piece in the jigsaw for the team that has long had the talent to succeed at the top level, and Na’Vi CEO Yehven Zolotarov was in jubilant mood judging by his statement on the website, welcoming his new men and paying tribute to his departing coach.
I am proud that the legend is back to the club. I am also happy that Kane, the man who had brought Gambit to victory at the last Major, joined us. We believe that his outstanding cooperation with Dania, vast experience and in-game thinking outside the box will strengthen our team. It is truly heartbreaking to bid farewell to Andi. Andrey was a part of our organization since 2014, and went from website author to team analyst; think about it, he became a coach of Natus Vincere. I am thankful for all the work you've done for us, and wholeheartedly wish you good luck!
Only time will tell how the move pans out for both parties, but Zeus is unlikely to have taken a pay cut to make this move, and there is no doubt Na’Vi need leadership and experience with the departure of Ladislav ‘Guardian’ Kovács.
Image credit: Na'vi website
