Monte IGL Woro2K: “Right now, I have to focus on CS:GO; when CS2 is released, I will focus on it.”

In the latest Fragster interview, we sit down with IGL of Monte, the CS:GO team that won the CCT West Europe Series #2 as well as CCT Central Europe Series #5, the ESL Challenger League S44 EU, and recently also qualified for the BLAST.tv Paris Major.

As a part of this opportunity, we spoke with Monte captain Volodymyr “Woro2k” Veletnjuk, who lead this team toward their recent successes.

Before joining Monte back in July 2022, Woro2k was part of the popular Spanish organization MAD Lions, where he spent just one season without notable results. After he signed with Monte, however, he seem to have found the success formula that led to the rise of his team.

In this interview, we speak with Woro2k about Monte’s success in CCT West Europe Series #2 organized by Fragster, as well as his time with MAD Lions, how he sees his team after the arrival of former NAVI player sdy, and much more!

Concentration and good vibes help to win

Fragster: First, congratulations on your recent victories! Did you expect to make it this far on all of these events? What’s the atmosphere in the team now?

Woro2K: Thank you for congratulating me! Yes, I always hope we win every game or tournament we participate in. Both my teammates and I tried our best, and we succeeded. The atmosphere is extremely good, and I hope it stays that way.

Let’s take a look back at your victory in CCT West Europe Series #2. Although Apeks managed to take the second Grand Final map into overtime, it was still a clean win for you guys. How would you reflect on this match? It looked like an easy win; what was the hardest part of this series for Monte?

It was a very well final for us. First of all, we analyzed their strategies before the game and already knew how they normally played. Also, to win the Grand Final, we had to play our game, as we always do in practice. So we were all very focused and, most importantly, having fun.

In the semifinals, you beat the CCT West Europe Series #1 champions Spirit Academy 2-1, with things coming all the way down to the second half of the decider map. What did you do on that T-side that finally made them shutter?

For the second map, we threw it a bit; it could have been overconfidence or some lack of concentration. However, we arrived with more confidence for the third map of the series and managed to win it. I made a few plays on the T-side, but we played mostly default. All the guys were in a good tune and focused on the game. Also, all the risks we took worked, and, of course, with luck on our side, we could take the win.

No matter who carries the team, the important thing is winning

Also, you were the best player on the serves in this game and finished with a 1.12 rating. How did that feel, knowing that you just secured your team a spot in the Grand Final?

The truth is that I never pay attention to my performance in terms of statistics in the matches; that’s why I can tell you that I didn’t feel anything. Besides, my only goal is to win the matches; I don’t care who the carry is. The most important thing for us is to win the match.

Monte came into the tournament as a direct playoff invitee, so you faced the strongest teams in the competition. How do you like this tournament system? Do you think the team would be able to maintain the same performance if you played from the initial phases of the tournament?

At the moment, we play a lot of matches in different tournaments. However, playing many matches in many cases can be good or sometimes not. But, for us as a team to play against the best and, most importantly, in the advanced stages of tournaments is much better. Then, the team feels more confident, and we all have fun doing it. In general, I think the important thing is to win every game you play, so, for me, it’s not important whether you play directly in the playoffs or the Swiss Phase.

Synergy with sdy was not good in the beginning

How has been the team’s synergy since sdy’s arrival? Has his experience of playing almost his entire 2022 with NaVi come as an advantage for the team? And how is he getting used to the team?

In the beginning, the synergy between us was not very good because that is obvious when a player like sdy played in another team. However, we are gradually improving our team play within the servers. Also, there is no doubt that having a player with experience in a top-level team as a teammate is a great advantage for any team.

All we need as a team is for him to do his job in his given role within each match. Besides, there is no doubt that he is doing a great job.

What are Monte’s goals this season further on?

Like any other professional esports player, I aim to be in the first place. I never enjoy it if I finish in second place. However, the overall goal of Monte Esports is to win all the tournaments we play before the RMR and then win the RMR to play the BLAST.tv Paris Major.

MAD Lions and Monte are not so different from each other

Let’s focus a little bit on yourself. Even though you are still a young player, you were previously a part of a popular esports organization — MAD Lions. How would you reflect on your time with the org? And how would you compare the approach of a Western European org as opposed to a CIS one?

My arrival at MAD Lions was fundamental to the start of my CS:GO career. MAD Lions taught me how a professional player should behave because, up to that point, my behavior was not professional at all. Moreover, the organization helped me a lot with my English; thanks to that, my communication is much better. I will always be grateful to them (MAD Lions) for teaching me how to be a professional in esports. Also, everyone in the organization, from the team staff to the higher ranks, were very nice to me. I was not a well-behaved player, and they knew that, so they worked very well with me.

MAD Lions was my first professional organization within the CS:GO scene, and Monte Esports is the second team I represent. So right now, I can tell you that it’s not that different. Also, thanks to the experience I took playing under the MAD Lions banner, it is now much easier for me to take on the IGL role, and I also really enjoy playing for Monte.

How do you feel about Counter-Strike 2? Have you already tried it? Do you think that the competitive scene will change when CS2 is released this summer?

I believe that the arrival of CS2 will be very good for the scene and, above all, for my career. However, I haven’t tried it yet. Right now, I’m focused on my development as a CS:GO player and that of my team. When Valve officially releases CS2, then that’s when I’ll leap to the new game.

Regarding the scene, I think there will be a complete change. From my point of view, I believe that with the arrival of CS2 will also come new, very good teams; the meta of the game and everything we knew in CS:GO will change. In addition, we will also have new teams and TOP players.