Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov believes 1win’s newly assembled Counter-Strike 2 lineup has the potential to make a serious impact after reaching the playoffs of the Esports World Cup 2026 Open Qualifier.
The Russian in-game leader described the roster coming together as “like a dream” following a difficult period in his career after leaving Cloud9. Although nafany admits the team remains inconsistent and still makes significant mistakes, he believes the individual quality is already strong enough to challenge almost anyone in Paris.
The lineup features nafany alongside Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov, Artem “ArtFr0st” Kharitonov, Petr “fame” Bolyshev and Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy, with former Gambit and Cloud9 coach Konstantin “groove” Pikiner behind the team.
1win Project Came Together at the Last Moment
The current roster originated from the TDK project built around nafany, Ax1Le and groove earlier in 2026.
That core had already enjoyed considerable online success, including wins in the ECL Season 51 Europe Finals and CCT 2026 Europe Series 4. The roster was then strengthened in July when fame and BELCHONOKK replaced Xant3r and sugaR.
The additions were far from guaranteed. nafany explained that negotiations continued until shortly before the roster began practicing together, meaning the team entered its preparation later than planned.
The current five are:
- nafany — in-game leader
- Ax1Le — rifler
- ArtFr0st — AWPer
- fame — rifler
- BELCHONOKK — rifler
fame joined after becoming available from Virtus.pro, while BELCHONOKK had attracted other offers but wanted to play with nafany’s group. The eventual involvement of 1win helped turn what had been an independent project into a fully backed roster.
For nafany, the biggest change is that he can finally concentrate primarily on Counter-Strike instead of carrying the financial and organisational pressure of running an independent project.
nafany Reunites With Familiar Faces
The lineup also brings nafany back together with several people from important periods of his career.
Ax1Le was his teammate during the Gambit and Cloud9 era, while groove previously coached that successful core. nafany said he had wanted to work with groove again for a long time, but circumstances repeatedly prevented a reunion.
That changed with the current project.
| 1win member | Connection to nafany |
|---|---|
| Ax1Le | Former Gambit and Cloud9 teammate |
| groove | Former Gambit and Cloud9 coach |
| ArtFr0st | Part of the TDK core |
| fame | Added to TDK in July |
| BELCHONOKK | Added to TDK in July |
The situation is particularly meaningful after a difficult stretch for nafany. Following Cloud9, he competed for BetBoom before later playing in various mixes and eventually building TDK.
He said his time at BetBoom suffered because he did not establish the right connection with the coaching staff. The road since then was difficult, but the current combination of players and staff has given him renewed confidence.
BC.Game Defeat Shows 1win Still Need Time
Confidence does not mean 1win are already operating at their intended level.
During the EWC qualifier group stage, the team lost to BC.Game. nafany acknowledged that the opponent was simply better and said his roster still needs time to connect different approaches to Counter-Strike.
The recently rebuilt lineup has only played a limited number of official maps together. fame and BELCHONOKK joined the core in July, leaving relatively little time to establish a full tactical system before the Paris LAN.
The biggest current challenges include:
- Reducing individual mistakes in important rounds
- Connecting players from different tactical backgrounds
- Building consistent communication under LAN pressure
- Turning individual firepower into reliable team play
nafany described 1win as unpredictable at this stage. On a good day, he believes they can beat elite opposition. On another day, the same roster can struggle against considerably less established teams.
That volatility makes the EWC qualifier especially dangerous once the tournament enters its single-elimination stage.
EWC Qualification Would Accelerate the Project
1win reached the playoff bracket with only three victories separating them from qualification for the Esports World Cup main event at the time of nafany’s interview.
Their path was anything but comfortable, with Liquid awaiting in the opening playoff match and teams such as FOKUS, 100 Thieves and BC.Game positioned on the same side of the bracket.
For such a young lineup, qualifying would represent a significant early achievement.
nafany is realistic about the difficulty but believes individual performances could quickly change a series. He specifically highlighted ArtFr0st as a player capable of taking over matches when in strong form.
The qualifier itself has also impressed him. With dozens of teams competing simultaneously at the venue, nafany compared the atmosphere to his earlier days with Gambit Youngsters at traditional European open LANs.
Assessment
1win’s roster contains considerably more experience and firepower than its short history together suggests.
Ax1Le and nafany already understand each other from their Gambit years, fame brings Major-winning experience, ArtFr0st provides high-level AWPing and BELCHONOKK adds another aggressive option. groove gives the project an experienced coach who already knows how nafany wants to approach the game.
The question is how quickly those pieces can become a coherent team.
The EWC qualifier has already exposed weaknesses, particularly against BC.Game, but reaching the playoffs gives 1win valuable high-pressure matches early in the project.
nafany is not presenting the roster as a finished product. His optimism instead comes from finally having players, staff and organisational backing that he believes can develop together.
After a difficult journey since Cloud9, that alone explains why the new 1win project already feels like a dream.
