Team Spirit’s magixx Praises tN1R After PGL Astana 2026 Playoff Run

Team Spirit secured a playoff spot at PGL Astana 2026 after defeating FURIA 2-1 in the Swiss stage, but Boris “magixx” Vorobiev admitted the team still has major communication issues to solve despite its strong recent results.

The victory moved Spirit to a flawless 3-0 record in the group stage following wins against The Huns and The MongolZ, guaranteeing a direct quarter-final berth at the Barys Arena playoffs.

In a post-match interview with HLTV.org, magixx described the series against FURIA as chaotic and inconsistent. According to the Spirit player, the team showed two completely different levels during the match, especially on Overpass.

“We played a half on Overpass like bums, and a half like geniuses.”

magixx explained that Spirit’s biggest weakness remains communication. He revealed that there were rounds where teammates only shared basic information instead of discussing flashes, positioning, rotations, or tactical ideas.

The Russian rifler called Spirit’s CT side on Overpass “super bad,” although he praised the team’s recovery on the T side that helped secure the series victory.

magixx Says Spirit Are Close to Their Rio Form

Despite criticizing the team’s communication, magixx believes Spirit are slowly returning to top form after a difficult period earlier in the season.

“I think we are in pretty good form right now.”

The Spirit player compared the team’s current level to their performance at IEM Rio 2026, where the roster reached the grand final after impressive playoff victories.

Spirit’s resurgence has coincided with the rise of Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich, who joined the team from HEROIC in 2025 as a replacement for zont1x.

At the time of the transfer, reports noted that tN1R averaged a 1.19 LAN rating during his time with HEROIC, making him one of the most promising riflers available on the market.

magixx Admits tN1R Struggled Early in Spirit

magixx openly admitted that tN1R’s first months in Spirit were inconsistent.

“His performance was sometimes pretty poor.”

However, the veteran player emphasized that the rifler’s recent performances have been “pretty impressive,” especially over the last month.

According to magixx, tN1R’s biggest strength is his willingness to contribute ideas during rounds instead of relying only on mechanics.

That improvement became especially visible during IEM Rio 2026, where tN1R delivered one of the best playoff performances of his career against MOUZ. He finished the quarter-final with a 1.86 rating, 105.7 ADR, and a dominant 39-18 K-D scoreline.

HLTV later described Rio as tN1R’s best tournament since joining Spirit, partially due to recent role adjustments inside the lineup.

tN1R Previously Spoke About His Difficult Start

tN1R himself recently admitted that adapting to Spirit was harder than expected.

After Spirit’s victory over G2 Esports in Rio, the rifler said he had struggled with inconsistency since joining the team and felt disappointed with several of his performances.

“Sometimes I played very bad.”

The player also praised magixx’s leadership during the transition period and highlighted the work of academy coach Dmitry “S0tF1k” Forostyanko, who temporarily helped the main roster while head coach hally was unavailable.

According to tN1R, S0tF1k focused on fixing important mistakes and giving players more freedom during matches.

Spirit Continue Building Toward Another Deep Playoff Run

Spirit’s recent performances suggest the roster is finally finding stability after several months of inconsistent results and role adjustments.

magixx recently stated that the team’s communication and teamwork had improved significantly compared to earlier events, although he admitted there is still work left before Spirit can consistently challenge elite opponents like Team Vitality.

With the PGL Astana playoffs approaching, Spirit will now look to turn strong individual performances into a complete team performance — and if tN1R maintains his current level, the team could once again become one of the favorites for the title.