1win became one of the main surprises of ESL Pro League after victories over G2, Legacy, and Spirit. The team, which not long ago existed as the TDK project made up of inactive players, has now reached the playoffs and moved closer to the Major, while nafany believes that many more professionals in Europe could follow a similar path.
From TDK to the ESL Pro League playoffs
Not long ago, the core of the current 1win was made up of players who were on the bench or had no organization at all. They invested their own money into participating in tournaments under the TDK tag, and later won ESL Challenger, through which they earned a spot at ESL Pro League.
In Katowice, this path continued. 1win have already defeated G2, Legacy, and Spirit, guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, and climbed to 11th place in the live VRS. According to the current estimate, the team’s chances of reaching the Major are already around 89%.
nafany does not understand the passivity of players in Europe
The 1win captain believes that it is much easier for European players who find themselves without an active roster to organize a similar project. The region has many LAN tournaments, while travel and logistics costs are often lower than for teams from the CIS.
I still don’t really understand why players in Europe are not doing the same thing we did with TDK. In my opinion, it is even easier for them: cheap flights, many LAN tournaments. All you need is to invest in your future.
According to nafany, the main problem lies precisely in the unwillingness of some players to create opportunities for a comeback on their own. He emphasized that TDK required significant personal sacrifices from all participants, but in the end, that risk gave the team a chance to return to the highest level.
1win want to establish themselves among the top teams
For nafany, the current success is no longer just about fighting for the Major. The team wants to consistently reach the playoffs of big tournaments and gradually move from the status of a dangerous underdog to a full-fledged representative of the tier-1 scene.
We are already at the next stage. We are not playing only for the Major — we want to become a tier-1 or tier-2 level team that constantly reaches playoffs, shows stability, and gradually grows to the level of the best.
In 2026, 1win have already reached the playoffs at four of the five significant tournaments they attended. Now that the roster has finally stabilized and the team can regularly play with the same five, nafany sees an opportunity to turn individual successful runs into a system.
Ax1Le has comfortable conditions again
nafany separately highlighted Ax1Le, who became the team’s most productive player in the match against Spirit. The captain explained his progress not by the switch to another version of Counter-Strike, but by the fact that the team understands the player’s strengths well and gives him the right positions.
We know how to use Ax1Le, and he knows how to play with us. We give him the best positions for him. I can even say that maybe he still has not shown his real prime.
nafany also emphasized that Ax1Le continues to work a lot individually. Inside the team, they are convinced that he is capable not only of returning to his former level, but also surpassing it.
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The first big playoff is ahead
After successfully passing the group stage, 1win are now preparing for matches on stage. For nafany, this is a special moment, since he has not played in a big playoff in front of an audience for a long time.
The team has already gone from a self-funded roster to an ESL Pro League playoff participant and a real Major contender. And it is this example that nafany now cites as proof that benched players do not necessarily have to wait for a new contract — sometimes a return to the top level can be created with their own efforts.
