Former esports player Daniil “Zeus” Teslenko has commented on Passion UA`s decision to part ways with their CS2 coach, Mikhail “Kane” Blagin. Zeus shared his thoughts on his Telegram channel.
Zeus reflected on working with Kane to build the Passion UA team from scratch. He emphasized the extensive player selection process, taking 3–4 months and involving hundreds of tests and training sessions. From thousands of hopefuls, they chose the players known today, who were then unknown. Zeus credited Kane`s experience and energy for giving these players an opportunity.
Zeus highlighted Kane`s success in leading the team to international recognition, Major qualification, and sticker achievement, almost reaching Legends status. He stressed this was a result of immense hard work and primarily Kane`s achievement as coach and leader.
After the sale of Fear and jambo for reportedly close to a million dollars in transfers, the team continued with a new roster. Zeus acknowledged the need for time to rebuild and gel with the new players, which is normal. However, he expressed shock at removing the person who built the entire system at this point.
Zeus spoke with Kane, who was also surprised and hadn`t been warned in advance. Zeus found the decision “very strange, to say the least,” without negativity towards management.
Zeus emphasized his 20+ year history with Kane, including Majors, victories, and mutual respect. He wished Kane success in finding a team that values him, praising his proven top-tier coaching ability and expressing confidence in Kane`s future success. Zeus concluded that “time will tell” and questioned Passion UA`s strategy of selling top players and expecting immediate good results without Kane`s system. He reiterated that Kane built the system and found the decision very strange.
Kane had been coaching Passion UA since August 2023. Under his guidance, the team won several tier-3 championships and qualified for the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, finishing 17-19th. Passion UA announced the end of their collaboration with Blagin on March 3rd.
Finley Holt