Sh1ro Shares His Experience of Facing NAVI on LAN in His First CS:GO Major
An overwhelming first time experience!
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Gambit Esports' very own star player Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov, recently shared his experience of having attended his first CS:GO Major in Stockholm, Sweden. His team made it through the Legends Stage as expected, to play in front of a live audience at Avicii Arena.
Sharing his experience of playing in front of a crowd, sh1ro revealed the difference in atmosphere and pressure felt by him when they went up against FURIA Esports in the quarterfinals to facing NAVI in the semifinals.
The nerves, the chant of the crowd, all of it combined made sh1ro feel the same way as he had felt when first starting out as a professional player on the top level of CS:GO.
Sh1ro shares his experience of competing in front of a live audience against NAVI at a Major
This has been a year of CIS domination in CS:GO and Gambit Esports is one of the teams that has contributed to it. They have faced NAVI in the finals of multiple tournaments throughout 2021, always managing to give them a tough fight.
However, when the two teams faced off against each other in a CIS derby on the biggest possible stage, the semifinals of the PGL Major Stockholm 2021, NAVI overpowered Gambit. They failed to put up a decent fight as NAVI wiped them out '2-0' to make its way into the grand finals.
Talking about this experience in Gambit Esports' team vlog, sh1ro revealed how the presence of a crowd affected his performance on a personal level. How the fans acted as a boost of morale when facing FURIA and how the tables turned once they were fighting NAVI.
When we played against FURIA there was more support for Gambit from the fans. So as (a) person who is playing, I would listen to the chants of the crowd after dying in the round. I would hear the chants of "Gambit!" and it felt reassuring. But when 95% of the crowd is shouting "NAVI!" and you are down with a score of 1-8, while your teammates remain in a 2v5 situation, it's hard (to win).Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov - Gambit Esports' Vlog
He further shared what he was going through in that exact moment, as it was his first-ever Major tournament. He was in agreement with the fact that it is definitely something he will adapt to over time as he keeps experiencing playing in such intense scenarios.
I remember when I used to play against good teams, it was really hard for me. But over time I got used to it. Yesterday on stage (during the semifinals), I felt the same way when I had first entered the professional scene. I think in the future, after I play three to four LAN tournaments, I will be able to overcome this and everything will be fine.Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov - Gambit Esports' Vlog
All said and done, sh1ro along with Gambit Esports enjoyed a great performance at the Stockholm Major 2021, walking away with a 3rd-4th place finish and an experience of a lifetime.
