Groove: TDK proved a team without pay or bootcamp can compete

Konstantin “Groove” Pikiner, coach of 1w Team, believes Counter-Strike 2 teams can fight at the highest level even without funding, Cybersport.ru reported on Nov. 1. According to the outlet, he says his mixed roster proved it by example.

Groove said in the Russian-language comments that the team’s own story shows what is possible without salaries, a bootcamp or any financial support. With strong desire, he said, a team can move mountains.

How the roster came together

Groove described the base as himself, nafany and Ax1Le. The group then reached an agreement with zorte, and two more players were still needed. He said building a roster is very hard without an organization and proper funding, but they managed it.

He called it luck that sugaR and Xant3r joined, and that clubs agreed to let their players compete for the TDK mixed team. From the first days, he said, the players practiced from home six days a week for 10 hours a day, climbing step by step from the bottom of the world ranking.

Before 1w Team

Cybersport.ru wrote that Pikiner’s team played under the TDK tag without financial support before moving to 1w Team. Without an organization, it qualified for ESL Pro League Season 24 and finished fifth to eighth.