“After nine months on the bench I was so sad—I really missed LAN CS,” says n0rb3r7

“After nine months on the bench I was so sad—I really missed LAN CS,” says n0rb3r7

Hot off a surprising victory over the world’s top-ranked team, Russian player David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan opened up about his emotional return to LAN play after a long dormancy on Virtus.pro’s bench. 

HOTU, riding momentum from a flawless Stage 1 in ESL Pro League Season 22, stunned The MongolZ 2-1 to kick off Stage 2.  The MongolZ were No. 1 on both VRS and HLTV rankings at the time. 

Background & loan move

David “n0rb3r7” Danielyan, 24, had spent approximately eight to nine months on Virtus.pro’s bench after being replaced by Timur “FL4MUS” Marev following the team’s early exit at the Shanghai Major.  In late August 2025, he was loaned to HOTU for two months, allowing him to reenter top-tier LAN competition. 

The HOTU lineup for ESL Pro League included:

dukefissura (Kazakhstan)

mizu (Russia)

lampada (Russia)

frontales (Russia)

n0rb3r7 (Russia, on loan)

mou (Kazakhstan) as coach

n0rb3r7 took over the spot of Aidos “kade0” Khairzhan. 

Return to LAN & performance

Reflecting on his return, n0rb3r7 said:

“It’s nice to win [against] good teams again on LAN because... [after] nine months on the bench, I was so sad, I really missed LAN CS.” 
He credited the team’s rapid development over a one-month preparation period:
“It’s not only me, it’s the whole team working hard. We had one month of preparation before EPL, and we don’t have enough time to do some structure. We’re just playing default, with confidence and preparation against opponents.” 

When asked why such a default approach seems to be working, he speculated:

“Maybe it's because we don’t have expectations from ourselves and from the community. We're just playing CS, we're enjoying the LAN … Maybe that’s why we don’t have extra pressure on us.” 

Regarding his future beyond the two-month loan, he remained open but uncertain:

“Yes, it's only two months, but... I don't know. We'll see after EPL and some online tournaments about my future. I don’t know.” 

He also expressed lingering attachment to Virtus.pro and concern at their recent struggles:

“No, because I spent three and a half years in VP, it's like my second family … Sometimes I see how they're playing and I feel sadness, because I know what they are capable of but … they are playing not good.” 

Wider context & past statements

Bench decision at Virtus.pro / Outsiders.
The decision to bench n0rb3r7 was reportedly made around the time of the IEM Rio Major, even before the public announcement.  The club claimed it was part of roster flexibility plans when signing KaiR0N-. 

Earlier challenges adapting to top-tier teams.
During his transition from K23 to Outsiders, n0rb3r7 had previously reflected on the difficulty of adapting to a new system under in-game leader Jame. He said:

“Jame has the biggest brain, and for me in the beginning it was kinda hard to understand him.” 

On team structure and internal challenges.
In a 2024 post-match interview after Virtus.pro lost to NAVI in the BLAST Spring Final semis, n0rb3r7 admitted:

“We don’t have structure in the team, and sometimes I don’t know what to do … I played very bad this event.” 

He acknowledged that VP had been improvising (“freestyling”) and that a new coach would be essential to rebuild consistency. 

On life during bench period.
In a December 2023 interview, he described how he coped with being benched: he played FACEIT, watched demos, exercised, and stayed ready for any return. He also spoke about mental strain and the need for periodic breaks from the game.