In the post-match press conference, Demon1 reflected on DRG’s close Champions 2025 series against T1 and praised his teammates’ potential.
DRG surprised many with a close debut match against T1 at Champions 2025, but the late addition of Demon1 put the spotlight firmly on him. Having been away from the international stage, he now has the chance to prove he still has a lot to offer.
Meanwhile, several DRG players made their international debuts in the series. The team ultimately fell 0-2 to T1, with both maps going to overtime in a hard-fought battle. They will now have to face G2 Esports in the Lower Bracket after the NA team lost against Team Heretics.
T1 defeated DRG at Champions 2025
On Sept. 14, in a closely contested match between DRG and T1, the Chinese team ultimately fell short. Making their international debuts, Lin "SpiritZ1" Ding-yu and Zhang "Akeman" Haoran admitted they were a bit nervous at the start, but quickly settled in as they found their rhythm. Despite their growing confidence, both players acknowledged that their lack of experience impacted their performance during crucial clutch moments. However, he believes the macro was good and they were able to show their individual quality.
In-game leader, Luo "Flex1n" Rui, expressed their inability to play anti-strats, even though they were able to read the enemy team in various situations. "We lost some rounds because we made the wrong decisions," he stated.
During the match, two relatively long technical pauses disrupted the team’s rhythm. The in-game leader shared that he reminded the squad to focus on predicting T1’s movements and to stick to their original game plan.
Demon1 returns to the Champions stage
The return of Maximilian "Demon1" Mazanov to the international stage was highly anticipated by pro players and fans. After winning Champions 2023, he has been absent from the spotlight. His subsequent teams failed to qualify for major tournaments. He is now back in the spotlight after replacing Ilya "vo0kashu" Ushakov, who was unable to attend the tournament due to visa issues.
Demon1 reflected on his performance, noting that a few rounds were lost on the first map due to the fast pace. He believes this is part of gaining experience and emphasized the importance of reviewing mistakes and analyzing what went wrong. Overall, he assessed the team’s performance as very strong and feels that he is adapting well to the squad.
For Demon1, the biggest challenge has been the language barrier. “Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s going on, but it is what it is,” he admitted. Still, he feels the integration process has been smooth and was even surprised by the level of his teammates, especially SpiritZ1. “They have really good aim. They just lack experience in the later and tougher rounds, but it was their first match here, and I hope the Lower Bracket will be better.”
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