S1mple went on an indefinite break from competing on Oct. 26, causing Natus Vincere to fill his spot with Ihor “w0nderful” Zhdanov. While CS <\/em>fans wait to see how the move pans out, Justinas “jL” Lekavicius explained the differences between them in an interview with HLTV on Nov. 16.<\/p>
The expectations around w0nderful are pretty high, not only because he’s a talented youngster who deserved a shot at the highest level of CS2<\/em> pro play but also because he’s filling in for none other than CS:GO’s<\/em> very own GOAT<\/a>. While jL acknowledged what everybody knew\u2014that w0nderful isn’t exactly s1mple\u2014he believes the 18-year-old has what it takes to evolve and become a great player.<\/p>
“It\u2019s a different player, even though he has s1mple\u2019s sensitivity and video settings and all that stuff, he does not play like s1mple, s1mple is a phenomenon you cannot really repeat,” jL said during the HLTV Confirmed<\/em> podcast<\/a> on Nov. 16. “He understands the game in his own way, you cannot copy that, this is not the book. w0nderful also understands the game in his own way, and I think the best player should have that understanding. I think he has all the talent and all the will to overcome all the obstacles and become a great player.”<\/p>
