Team Spirit’s tN1R Reflects on IEM Chengdu 2025 Exit: “Expectations Played a Cruel Joke”

Team Spirit’s tN1R Reflects on IEM Chengdu 2025 Exit: “Expectations Played a Cruel Joke”

Team Spirit rifler Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich has opened up about his team’s unexpected early elimination from IEM Chengdu 2025, admitting that pressure, jet lag, and several painful in-game mistakes contributed to their disappointing run.

The Russian player spoke in a post-event vlog on Team Spirit’s YouTube channel, where he discussed the team’s form, mindset, and the issues that plagued their performance.

“Expectations played a cruel joke on us”

According to tN1R, the atmosphere within Team Spirit naturally comes with lofty internal expectations. Those expectations, he believes, may have backfired at Chengdu:

“When you play for Team Spirit, you expect to reach playoffs all the time; maybe those expectations played a cruel joke on us.”

He explained that the team looked strong in practice leading up to the event, yet struggled to replicate that level on stage. Among the factors he listed:

Scrims looked promising, but once the team arrived in China, their performance unexpectedly dipped.

Jet lag affected him personally, making the first days in China particularly difficult.

Each player, in his words, was “missing a little bit” in different areas, resulting in an overall decline.

One of the most painful moments for the squad came in their match against Team Falcons on Ancient. A critical disconnect occurred during a 5v3 advantage, leading to a lost round that tN1R believes could have changed the direction of the entire tournament had they converted it and reached Train for the decider.

Despite the disappointment, he emphasized that the team understands their shortcomings and knows they should have delivered a stronger showing.

How Spirit’s Chengdu run fell apart

Team Spirit were eliminated during the group stage, losing key matches to both Team Falcons and The MongolZ, which cost them a place in the playoffs.

Loss to Team Falcons

Spirit first met Falcons in the Group A upper-bracket semi-final, where they suffered a 0–2 defeat on Dust2 and Ancient.

Falcons AWPer Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov later commented that they felt extremely confident facing Spirit, noting they were familiar with Spirit’s playstyle and that he and NiKo had played them many times. That comfort translated into a dominant series and an impressive 1.72 rating from m0NESY across his first four maps of the tournament.

Decider against The MongolZ

Spirit’s final chance to reach playoffs came in a decider match against The MongolZ. After losing Dust2 7–13 and narrowly edging out Ancient, Spirit fell in the decisive map and were eliminated.

The MongolZ’s victory marked the end of their lower-bracket comeback, securing the last playoff spot in the group.
After the match, rifler Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold discussed how the team overcame doubts following roster changes, praising stand-in controlez for adapting quickly despite limited practice time.

Analysts point to donk’s worst LAN of the year

Analysts across the CS2 scene were critical of Spirit’s showing.

A breakdown highlighted Danil “donk” Kryshkovets delivering his weakest LAN of 2025. Though he still posted a 1.20 rating, it was a noticeable drop compared to his usual dominance.

The same analysis pointed out that zweih and chopper averaged only around 50 ADR during their decisive loss to The MongolZ, while sh1ro was described as the team’s sole standout performer.

Another editorial described the situation as a “crisis of Spirit”, with community figures such as Mauisnake and Thorin debating whether the team’s system under chopper is failing and how much responsibility lies with zweih, alongside questions about donk’s cooling form.

Additionally, broader event coverage grouped Team Spirit with G2 and HEROIC as some of the top-tier names unexpectedly eliminated in the group stage, highlighting the brutal level of competition in Chengdu.

The bigger IEM Chengdu picture

While Spirit faltered, the upper end of the tournament showcased defining moments.

FURIA delivered a dominant 3–0 victory over Team Vitality in the grand final, securing the IEM Chengdu 2025 championship.
Young AWPer Danil “molodoy” Golubenko earned MVP honors, a major milestone in his rookie season and a historic achievement for a Kazakh player competing under a Brazilian organization.

Many tournament recaps frame Chengdu as a critical moment for Brazilian Counter-Strike, signaling a long-awaited resurgence as FURIA finally converted their potential into a top-tier LAN title.

For Spirit, the contrast is stark: expected to contend for the trophy, they instead left early while their competitors surged.