A big Interview by Na`Vi ingame leader POKAMOLODOY

We present you the interview by the Natus Vincere ingame leader Vadim "POKAMOLODOY" Ulshin

Now that the dust has settled after PGI Global Invitational 2018, we sat down with  Vadim "POKAMOLODOY" Ulshin to sum up NAVI.GG.BET's performance in Berlin. Also, he spoke about the close friendship with AVANGAR players and daily team and individual training routine.

— With the Nations Cup, several online qualifiers, regional and global PGI finals and several DUO tournaments, this past month has been a busy one for you guys. Do you ever get tired of playing?

— I love PUBG and prefer to play as many games as possible. I'm now focused on improving my individual mechanics and developing captain skills.

— Do you like this rhythm, in general? Is there any time left for non-game activities?

— I'm now fully immersed in the game. This rhythm suits me well, I've been playing almost non-stop since December 2017.

— How much time do you dedicate to PUBG? How often do you have team practices?

— We get most of our team practice from scrims and spend the remaining time working on our individual skill. I now put in twice as much time compared to before PGI 2018.

— How does your training process look like?

— We don't have any particular schedule: we sleep and play. Scrims are usually held in the evening.

— These past few months, NAVI was actually represented by two lineups, with  Shade1 and with iLame_ru. How did you find the balance preparing for different tournaments with different players?

— Honestly, it's not something new to us, we played in our primary roster only once before this and often used stand-ins.

— As a captain, do you see a big difference when playing with Shade1 and iLame_ru?

— There is a difference, naturally, and we have to adjust our plays to it.  Shade1 is one of the best and most aggressive aimers, while iLame_ru acts more precisely and cautiously in some situations.

— What traits do you value most in your teammates?

— I value good individual skill, a sense of responsibility, ability and desire to do their best until the very end and make wise decisions in difficult situations.

— Are there any traits which you do not accept? What kind of people are hard to work with?

— I can hardly work with someone who always tries to push responsibility onto someone else, tilts or just doesn't care.

— Let's speak about one of the main events of this summer, PGI CIS Finals. Do you think intermediary tournaments like this one are needed or you'd better play exclusively online qualifiers?

— I don't think PUBG is ready for online qualifiers. Ping issues, bugs, lags and players with questionable performances affect fair play, which can be avoided on LAN.

— AVANGAR and you were swift to get a considerable lead in the standings. Did you expect it to pan out this way?

— AVANGAR are one of the strongest teams at the moment, and I'm very glad that we secured these two slots. Team Unique also had a chance; they did a great job online but something went wrong on LAN.

— In your opinion, what are the main strengths and weaknesses of AVANGAR?

— They have a capable captain,  MuMiNo, with the largest coordinating experience in CIS and, possibly, in the world. Keen also plays an important role, as he boosts the morale of the team and motivates them to win. 0nuqtive and  DieZzz are excellent, talented players.

— Despite being competitors, you seem to have a friendly relationship with them. How did this friendship start?

— I've been playing competitively since last summer and met Jean in the gamescom qualifier. We played together in some online leagues, too. In fall, seeing that I could potentially be good as an in-game leader, he suggested I formed my own team and has helped me further, which I really appreciate.

— How confident were you coming to Germany, knowing you'd have to play two different modes?

— We were 100 % confident in FPP, because it's the main mode we play. TPP games turned out to be more difficult than we expected. We will dedicate even more time to practicing.

— How would you evaluate your performance in each of the tournaments?

— I'm quite satisfied with each of them, except PGI TPP.

— What, in your opinion, is the reason that you did not manage to rise higher in the final table?

— I'll say this: all the team members made many mistakes.

— Was the PGI LAN Finals schedule optimal for the team? Was the result affected by the fact you started the performance with the less familiar TPP tournament?

— It's difficult to judge whether the result was influenced by the fact that we started our run from the TPP: the distance was too short.

— At the end of the tournament, some analysts noted that NAVI had difficulties because the spot on Erangel was not the most convenient. Did you think about switching up strategies for the map, like picking a different spot?

— There is dependence on the zone, but the path of the aircraft also plays a big role: on PGI, seven of eight were extremely unsuccessful for us, we lost about two minutes. Knowing the peculiarities of rotations from a spot is a very important factor. Just jumping into the Pochinki won’t solve much, because this action needs to be trained throughout a lot of matches. If possible, of course, you need to be able to play all the circles from any spot. The maximum that can be prepared in a short space between PGI and GLL is some kind of backup plan for such a case.

— Did the success of the Chinese team in the FPP mode surprise you? Why was OMG the strongest?

— OMG played competently on the first day, everything went well for them on the maps. During a short run, it plays a decisive role.

— What lessons have you personally learned from this tournament experience?

— For TPP, you need to train the positioning separately; since there were no third-person training sessions, we sagged in this aspect. We didn’t play TPP at all for a while: since the fall of 2017, there have not been any leagues or tournaments in this mode. If PUBG Corp. in the future will use this format, I think, there will be those wishing to train. So far there is not much point in talking about this.

— More recently, it became known that the age limit of 16 + is no longer valid in Germany, but Shade1 still did not participate in PGI. What was his role at PGI?

— Shade1 went with us as an analyst of the team, he helped us sort out the games, look for the vulnerable spots of the opponents and supported us morally.

— Apart from PGI, the second season of GLL is a hot topic on the agenda. The sixth week of the competition didn’t go too well for you. What is the reason?

— At that moment we had just returned from qualifiers: maybe fatigue affected the plays.

— In the long run, you never left the top division, which can’t be said about some other experienced teams. Is the separation into Alpha and Bravo within the same league a good solution?

— The split was done with good reasons in mind, but the calculation of points for Alpha/Bravo in the previous season was better. Perhaps one unsuccessful tournament should leave you an opportunity to play the LAN - but 2, like in this season, is a bit too much.

— For the team of NAVI level, is the drop to the lower division the opportunity to earn points in easier conditions?

— Personally, I regard this as a mistake, and not as a way of farming points.

— In the gap between GLL and PGI 2018, there was another event - The Nations Cup - a very unusual and therefore interesting championship. How do you like playing on the Russian team?

— It was quite difficult to play at this tournament: teams were well-prepared, new people, with whom you have never fought side by side in official matches ... But by the time the finals came, we felt more comfortable. In general, I am satisfied with the second place.

— Shade1 and you manage to play in duos as well. Is this a kind of training for you?

— In my opinion, we mostly do it for fun, for the sake of pleasure, but at the same time, we train.

— Do you see the competitive potential in the duo mode?

— Honestly, no. I do not think it will ever be as good as squads mode.

— As part of Wingman IV, you tested a new map, Sanhok. Is it ready for a larger tournament?

— Now I do not have an understanding of how it should look ...

— Do you train with the team on this map or are you focusing on Erangel and Miramar?

— If this map appears in the tournament pool, then there will be training sessions. It’s too early to discuss this now.

— Do you have anything to say to the fans before GLL?

— Throughout the past tournaments, fans’ support was incredible. Thank you for believing in us, thanks for everything! When GLL Season 2 comes, we will try to show our best game.