Ahead of the Major, we spoke with Alexander `zorte` Zagodyrenko from the BetBoom Team CS2 roster. In this interview for Cybersport.ru, the esports athlete discussed the team`s preparation for the season`s main tournament, reflected on the challenges the squad faced, and shared his thoughts on working with Kirill `Boombl4` Mikhailov. The interview was conducted before the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 began, but due to various reasons, we can only publish it now – after the team has already been eliminated. While we always strive for the most current content, we felt that Zagodyrenko`s answers might be just as interesting given their elimination.
— First of all, I`d like to wish you a happy belated birthday. It`s quite a coincidence that we`re recording this interview the day after.
— Thank you, thank you.
— How did you celebrate?
— I didn`t really celebrate. It was just a birthday, that`s all. Well, I got sick right on my birthday, so we just sat with the family, nothing special.
— Alright, the first match at the Major is coming up soon. How would you rate the team`s preparation level overall?
— Since we played the entire season online, it`s hard to know how we`ll perform on LAN, but I have high hopes, at least I do. I believe we have experienced players and we`ll be able to play normally, communicate, and be more stress-resistant.
Regarding preparation, I`d say it`s about 7 out of 10 for now, but we can accumulate points throughout the tournament because there are three stages, and we`ll have to play for a long time. I think from game to game we`ll find new things, see what`s not working and what is. So, I think that should be enough to at least get through the first stage.
— Look, you mentioned experienced players and clearly meant Boombl4 and Ax1Le. It`s been four months since they joined you. What can you say about your new teammates? How have they integrated into the team, and how would you rate Boombl4 as a captain?
— The guys integrated normally, just like anyone else. It`s rare in esports for players at a good level to be somehow difficult to fit into a team. They just joined, and everything was fine. Later in the season, there were some moments, but that happens in all teams, nothing unusual.
Based on his experience and generally how he reasons and thinks, I believe Kirill is the best captain I`ve played with.
— It seems like quite often people clash in personalities or just don`t feel each other, right? The human factor always plays a role, and sometimes players just don`t click.
— Well, that can happen, but generally, no matter what people are like, you know, they will still… All their negativity will still be within reasonable limits. If someone is toxic or something else, it can still be resolved. If the question is specifically whether everything is perfect in our team, well, it`s not perfect, but we can work with it.
It`s rare for anyone to have everything perfectly. It has to align very strongly, because there are always one or two people who are on a different vibe and so on.
— And what do you lack for perfection?
— When the roster first assembled, it was hard to tell. Well, we qualified for LAN right away, didn`t we? Some negative moments – we just glossed over them because there was only positivity.
It`s just ordinary human stuff… In all the teams I`ve played in, and based on my experience and communication with others in the CIS region, it`s like that even in top-tier teams. Just some human factors. You can`t say these are major problems. I think it`s the default. No matter what illusions people build, it always happens in teams, and nothing will be perfect. There will be conflicts, there will be points of disagreement with other people, that`s just basic. As an individual, you shouldn`t let yourself be pushed around, but at the same time, you should adapt.
Sometimes, though, a person doesn`t want to adapt at all, doesn`t want to do anything about it, just sticks to their own line – that`s when problems can arise. Even then, there`s nothing inherently wrong; it`s more like when there`s a bad period or something else, these problems can just intensify. But it`s all leveled out by, say, some optimism.
We have a strange situation – we played online all the time, and at first, there was strong optimism, we quickly qualified for LAN, but then we couldn`t go because of visas, got stuck online, couldn`t win anything – some… well, problems, I guess, started appearing. Maybe the team and the people just got a bit bugged. There was just a feeling that BetBoom Team should take a step forward, two steps, but in the end, we didn`t attend any LANs for half a season. That`s a bit of a problem for people. But now we`ve qualified for the Major, everyone understands that we need to play well, establish ourselves somehow, show what we`re capable of – it`s a chance. So now there`s a little optimism; we`ve shifted from negativity to optimism.
— Do you communicate or keep in touch outside of games and practice?
— Maybe someone does. Well, for example, the guys live in Moscow. I`m in Serbia. If people text me or ask me for something, okay, helping out or something – no problem. But specifically to communicate – I don`t have that habit at all. There`s no one I particularly want to text. It`s probably the same for others.
— You said you`re heading to the Major with a positive attitude. Do you think this attitude can improve throughout the tournament? Will the feeling of LAN and the arena help stimulate it?
— Yes, I think it stimulates a lot. When there`s some stagnation in the team, you lose the feeling that you`ll be playing on stage soon. I think as the tournament progresses, like during a meal, hunger comes. Right now, maybe the team doesn`t fully understand it, but it`s enough to get from one stage to another, and I think the team will feel that we`re playing well, all that, here are the victories, and it will be easier, 100%.
— Do you consider anyone a threat to your team? Who, for example, could prevent you from advancing to the next stage?
— *[Laughs]* Well, actually, the game is such now that everyone can be a threat, there are many teams. But I don`t know. I think only if we really screw up can we fail to reach the next stage. I don`t want to jinx it, but that`s objective. If we don`t make it into the top eight in the next stage, then… well, I don`t even know, something is clearly not working right in the team. For me, the minimum goal is to get to the second stage. My personal goal is to play on stage. I think we are definitely capable of that. The main thing is to catch this flow during the tournament, feel it, and try to have the first matches go smoothly, normally, calmly. I think no matter how the first stage starts for us, even if we are 0-2, in a bo3 we can easily close out any team without a chance.
— You mentioned the minimum goal; the maximum goal is obviously victory, but what would be a satisfactory result, a golden mean? In what case could you say, “Well, we`re awesome, we did well”?
— If we reach the next stage and beat some good teams, show that we are playing well, and ultimately lose 2-3, I think that would be acceptable.
We had such a year online that it`s clear we need to step up very significantly. Ideally, of course, I`d like to keep in mind that reaching the third stage is the minimum. I think that would be satisfactory. Anything less than that is not great.
— I can`t help but ask you about s1mple and FaZe. After his debut at IEM Dallas 2025, what do you think about his return? How much better is it than with Falcons?
— I think it`s definitely better than last time, but Sasha still needs to play more. It`s clear that in some moments, maybe his experience hasn`t fully returned yet, he needs to remember some things. But overall, I think he showed himself quite decently. If he keeps improving, then he`s playing really well. In some games, it was even clear that he was giving good information, you could see it in the team comms and generally in his clutch decisions. Only against Heroic it wasn`t great, but there, as a team, FaZe still has a lot to figure out, I think. They didn`t have much time, that`s the problem.
— Looking from the outside, how do you think he has integrated into the new team?
— *[Laughs]* I think he, you know, adds some zest to the team. Perhaps with a loud voice that can say something harsh, or in a tough clutch situation, he can help with his experience. I think he fits well because there`s karrigan, rain – who is quiet, EliGE – you often see him looking disappointed on webcams. But s1mple is kind of like that – no matter what happens, I think he`ll always say something good. He fits well in FaZe, he definitely won`t fall out.
— So, he energizes the team?
— Yes, yes, the energy from him… I think no matter what team he joins, the energy from him will be fierce.
— What do you think about the Vitality era?
— Well, it`s strong. They have a streak of 30 matches now. What can I say? First: their average age is 26.2. I think this is further proof that synergy matters. For example, they have ZywOo, an incredible diamond, incredible in all aspects – as a person for his teammates, and as a player. And four other players… For example, mezii, flameZ always seemed somewhat inconsistent, apEX too… Ropz joined and significantly strengthened them, that`s clear, but still, you know, it`s hard to believe that the streak is already 30 matches. They are so much stronger as a team in many aspects that you don`t even understand how it`s happening – based on what?
They do ordinary things, but they always surprise, they invent something. You can see there`s some, I don`t know… Well, people understand the game, they really understand it. I don`t know, maybe it`s because of the age – people are more or less mature, it`s easier with conflicts and so on. For example, with Spirit, you often see dissatisfaction on webcams. With Vitality, it`s simpler, they are somehow all kinder. ApEX might yell, but everyone is used to him, they somehow, on the contrary, get energy from it. It`s interesting to watch them. A 30-match streak is tough, of course. I don`t know, I watched all their matches, all the important games, and you can clearly see, no matter how opponents play against them, that these guys can always turn the tide. And when they turn it and feel the game, it`s completely one-sided afterward.
You know, I haven`t seen any big secret with Vitality. They are just incredibly strong and stable. It`s tough. Now, with such competition, a 30-match LAN streak is something unreal.
— That`s true, they show incredible dominance. Even if you remember the Astralis era and their record streak, you have to understand that they won many matches in bo1s. And Vitality is winning every bo3 and bo5.
— Yes, well, CS is mature now. There`s really nothing to say. You just watch them and… I don`t know, they`re just pros. All the important matches, top teams play, but no matter how well they start, Vitality can always turn it around.
— And is BetBoom Team ready to stop them? To interrupt the Vitality era, so to speak?
— Everything ends eventually. No one expects who will end this era. At the Major, you know, something like that always happens. We`ll see.
— Yes, the Major knows how to surprise.
— Majors always have an aura of unpredictability. There`s always some unexpected pick that reaches the final.
— What can you say about the new format?
— I think from a season perspective, the format seems more correct, perhaps. Everyone was complaining that there are no open qualifiers now and so on, but I think it`s right. You have three stages, you play the season and just qualify for your stage depending on how you performed during the season. I think that`s normal. And the chance to play more, from the third stage, is cool.
There are downsides, yes. For example, you get a lot of points for a LAN event, a lot. And if you win one or two games at a LAN, you get so many points that you just snowball, play these LANs, and that`s it. And, say, to get out of online play, you need… For example, one game at IEM Dallas – you need to win five CCTs to get that many points. It`s just incomparable in terms of time and effort.
I think the point system needs to be reviewed somehow. But overall, I like this system; it forces you to stay focused throughout the season because you understand that you can relax at any moment, and someone will immediately overtake you, and you won`t get an invite. And it`s also cool that you can actually see your points in real-time after any tournament – it`s always changing. The season has become intense, and I think it`s better because of it. From the perspective of CS development, I think it`s definitely a plus.
— Look, you guys only had one game on LAN this season at BLAST Bounty. You had just updated your roster and actually performed quite well, beating MOUZ…
— But that was online.
— But then you reached the main stage.
— Well, Kirill and I didn`t go, so we had to play with stand-ins. But we think that was a key moment. If we had played that season on LAN from the start, gotten points, everything could have gone completely differently for us, but you see how it turned out.
— If you and Boombl4 had gone, would the story have been different?
— Of course.
— And what was lacking in the qualifiers for PGL Astana 2025?
— I don`t even remember *[laughs]*. Just an ordinary online game, I don`t know. We can`t play. We just get destroyed online, nothing to do about it *[still laughing]*. It`s like it`s hard to find a way to play consistently online.
Also back then, you know, some… well, not disagreements, but attempts to fix problems, so to speak, started. We talked a lot, a lot had accumulated. And it works like a snowball. One time something didn`t work out – people are silent. Second time it didn`t work out – they start thinking to themselves. Then the third time – they speak up. Then you start dissecting it, and it begins… This one got tilted here, didn`t like something there, didn`t like something else – it`s just hard to fix. And then the next matches come, and everyone has already thought things through: it`s like we changed the roster, but nothing is changing, we`re playing the same way as with the previous roster, some doubts started to appear. Someone argued with someone, someone lacks confidence, and all this accumulates from qualifier to qualifier.
I think we more or less got our act together before the RMR, that is, before the MRQ. When we talked and just decided to communicate minimally with each other, absolutely minimally, and focus less on negative things, just let them go. And when we actually started doing that, it felt easier. Not so stifling, some freedom appeared. In short, it was like being reborn, and some kind of energy appeared in the roster. Now we`ve understood how to communicate better with each other, what to expect from whom, what kind of person each is, more or less.
— Okay, how do you feel about everything yourself?
— The same – the whole season was some kind of half-disappointment, a wave of half-despair, I don`t know. I couldn`t get out of it for a long time. One method helped, but we won`t talk about it yet, so to speak. But now everything is fine, as they say, we finished on a good note. And that`s it, what now, we sit and play slowly, we need to be focused, we need to be here.
— Given all that, what has changed with the arrival of Boombl4 and Ax1Le?
— In terms of results – it`s understandable that it`s hard to say anything definitive. But I think it`s fair to everyone in the team, now there`s simply a feeling of maturity, confidence in teammates.
For example, when we played with Danis [danistzz], with Kai [KaiR0N-], back when we didn`t have a coach, I always had the feeling that I needed to teach people somehow. Even though I myself still don`t know a lot, I don`t have much experience, but still you constantly think: I need to teach here, I need to do something somewhere, solve some psychological problems, talk somehow… And in the end, you don`t think about yourself at all in the moment. By the end with that roster, there was more negativity, nothing was being done.
Here, I just feel that, say, Boombl4 is sitting there, and I see that he… he`s just won things already, you know? Such a seasoned player, Ax1Le is also a seasoned player, so I understand that when we play an important match – these guys definitely won`t mess up, they`ll do their part, they`ll speak up.
Also, because of their experience, people help more with advice and perhaps contribute less of that destructive, unnecessary stuff. People already understand roughly how the game works, how tournaments are won, and all that. You feel the maturity – both as people and as players.
Boombl4 and Ax1Le have some kind of winning aura. You can`t say it`s a huge difference, you know, but you probably feel it yourself in the moment, at a subconscious level, there`s just confidence.
— Now I`d like to step away from esports a bit and talk about you, touch upon some everyday life. What do you do between practices, how do you like to spend your leisure time?
— Well, let`s imagine a standard practice day. You can`t say that an esports athlete has time to acquire another serious hobby that you can consistently allocate time to – traveling somewhere and so on. For me now, a hobby is simply taking care of my health, that is, doing physical exercise, walking, specifically focusing on steps, on how I feel. For example, when we have a one-hour break between practices… We usually have a review, three practices, a break, two practices, a break. As soon as I realize, “Oh, a break, I shouldn`t just sit.” I immediately go do 40 minutes on the elliptical, take a shower and so on – I monitor how I feel, it`s already becoming a habit, a hobby.
What else? Well, sometimes I might play other games. More often I just sit on YouTube. So, nothing special. If you`ve played a practice day, you finish closer to eight. My wife comes home, you`re sitting, you`ve eaten something, talked for a while, then you go for a walk for an hour – and the whole day is gone. In short, there`s not much time for leisure, movies, anything else. Basically, like everyone else, you know, there`s nothing really extraordinary. I plan to start playing tennis, practicing, but that also means traveling somewhere to train with a coach.
— What else do you play besides CS?
— Well, I have a friend, he`s basically from esports, but he`s the only one I communicate with regularly – PASHANOJ. We often play together, for example, when we have some breaks. Right now we`re playing Legion TD together, and we also play Rust sometimes – those are the two games we play plus or minus often. Everything else isn`t interesting.
— So you`re not much of a fan of solo games?
— No, no, no, you know, it`s… I recently decided to play Metro, just suddenly got the urge. Bought Metro, logged in, played for literally ten minutes, and thought: “Damn, I`m so lazy.” Just completely lazy to even bother getting into it. That`s it, I sold it, ended up logging into CS, opened a case, got a knife – that`s it. It`s somehow difficult for me to get into that. Solo games are more interesting to watch someone else play. Well, okay, I also follow Dota 2, watch tournament streams and so on.
— And who do you root for in Dota 2?
— I don`t really root for anyone. I just watch what has changed, what`s happening. It`s just interesting to watch when there are tournaments, when there are many good teams, and you can watch some matches, just for fun. Overall, I don`t support anyone specifically. Well, I often watch BetBoom Team when they play, almost all their games.
— Is there any interaction between the Dota 2 and CS rosters?
— No, I remember we had a joint media event once, and we talked about the esports component, the differences between us. We just shared opinions, so to speak. They watch our matches too, and I think they play CS, but we don`t communicate regularly.
— And how often have you logged into Dota lately?
— Oh, I never log into Dota. I only watch it, I don`t log in at all.
— So, among your hobbies, you mentioned health, tennis…
— Well, I also follow crypto *[laughs]*, if you can call that a hobby. I like crypto, I follow it and so on. I`ve seen people often write that it`s a hobby. But I think it`s more a part of financial literacy. You can`t really say it`s a hobby. I just like it.
— Do you have any plans or dreams outside of esports?
— Yes, I do. Sometimes I think about what I need globally from life. I think it would suit me if, say, by the age of 35 or 40, I had earned a significant amount of money or knew how to manage money so that I wouldn`t have to work for the rest of my life, to travel. I think that`s the greatest pleasure.
Because for me, how is it? In fact, I got involved with CS and now I`m tied to it all the time. Year after year, there are emotional swings and so on. When I`m no longer playing, I hope I can feel freedom – fly anywhere, see anything, not be dependent. I don`t need any planes, superjets, and so on. It would suit me if by the age of 35 I had such a budget and some passive income – about $10k. Or $8k, okay. Well, $5-8k or $5-10k, perhaps. And that`s it, I think that would suit me. And then I would probably start searching for myself – some hobby, some activity, I`d give myself time to find it. While I`m in esports, I can`t understand what I want – all my thoughts are about the game for now. Most people who play – they step away from the computer, and that`s it, what`s outside the window is just a dark forest, what to do there is completely unclear. What you`re interested in, you simply don`t know. Maybe I`m interested in some painting or, I don`t know, playing the piano?
— You recently helped a shelter in Kaliningrad. Was that a one-time case, or do you often participate in such things? Because, as I understand it, you really love animals.
— Yes, my wife Ira and I love animals very much and always try to do something when the opportunity arises. We had a situation where we saw a kitten near our house – and Ira, that`s it, she just can`t, she has to go to the store, buy food, come back and feed the little creature. Even when I played for Unique a long time ago – I didn`t have a huge salary, just enough for rent, food, and that`s it – we still constantly donated to help, for someone`s surgery – Ira always found opportunities.
And here I just thought that such an opportunity arose. The shelter shared that they had debts, not enough money, and we brought everything they needed. Yes, we had already donated to them before that. I`m very glad that other people responded. It even gives you a real feeling that you didn`t play the show match for nothing, so to speak. There are many people who can donate, but they need to be prompted to chip in a little money. In short, for many people it`s difficult in the moment. I think you should help, no matter how much you earn, how much money you have, even if you donate a little – it will definitely be beneficial. I think this is all underestimated. Because, you know, if you help, then when you need help, you can count on finding similar people who will help you. I think you need to help, especially animals. Animals are more pitiful.
— Yes, you want to help them because otherwise no one else will. Unfortunately, they can`t buy their own food or go to the doctor.
— Yes, a lot happens. We constantly watch, we`re subscribed to different shelters. There`s a well-known shelter in Krasnodar, there was a story recently that they were building a house or something, and the workers left fuel oil, a kitten fell into it and started screaming – in the basement or something like that. And volunteers from Krasnodar found it near death, and eventually saved it. And when you watch these videos, of course… It`s very sad, and often people themselves abuse animals – I don`t understand that at all. For me, if a person doesn`t love animals, it`s… I don`t judge anyone, of course, but if a person just *hates* animals, to me that`s a very strange person. I think love for animals is instilled from childhood – when you`re little, you should have a puppy or a kitten, some small creature, so you get used to some kindness, you know, to this cuteness.
— And who did you have as a child?
— Well, I always had… I often had cats. I`m not much for dogs, more for cats, so to speak. As a child, I had a cat named Vasya, I never had a dog. Then I found another cat, Asya – she had just been born, I found her in the stairwell, brought her home, and she became mine. Now I also have two cats. I had two parrots, I had fish, but fish are boring, they just swim there – unclear.
— But an animal is a huge responsibility in any case, and you need to understand that you can`t just get one, you need to dedicate attention and time…
— Yes, 100%. Even cats – I have a cat, Krip, he had a problem with his kidneys. There was a lot of stress. He couldn`t go to the bathroom because of kidney stones, they had to insert a catheter. Now he`s cured, everything is fine. There`s always a lot of stress because of this. You constantly have to notice things in time, pay attention, and so on. You also need to know a lot, so to speak, about cats and dogs, especially needing a lot of time.
Finley Holt