After being eliminated from the VCT Americas Stage 1 lower bracket by the 2025 world champions, NRG, Torogul
"alym" Baidyldaev shared his thoughts on the game and his journey since joining Furia at the beginning of the year with
Sheep Esports.
The Kickoff Americas 2026 Duelist champion shared his feelings about the game and how he experienced the change in meta with the arrival of the
new Neon nerf, his best memories from Santiago and more topics.
The first game looked quite difficult for FURIA today. In your opinion, what were you unable to do that ultimately cost you the match? What happened on the first map?
Torogul "alym" Baidyldaev: “I think I just missed a couple of entries and didn’t play my game. We were too overstressed about map control instead of trusting our individual instincts and playing the game. We were too focused on going to clear A, taking B, faking B, faking C, breaking utility, going C, going A, and all that running around the map. We were low on time, and when we were that low on time, it was just hard to make a plan. Yeah that’s what happened.
This match marks the end of Stage 1 for FURIA. If you look back at the start of the year, what are you proud of?
alym: I mean, for the most part, we were just improving and having fun playing the game. Our vibes are probably the biggest thing I’m proud of. We’re always helping each other out, supporting each other. We live together, do stuff together, and no matter the outcome, we’re just always there.
You also talked about your level. What part of your gameplay do you think you improved the most since the start of the year?
alym: I think the part I’m most proud of is playing my own game and being confident, gaining more confidence, but not relating to today. I became a lot more confident on stage and in playing my own game, except today. Today just wasn’t there, and it happened today.
We have seen a shift around the Yoru meta, but Neon has remained mostly untouched for now in VCT. For you, does this meta feel like a buff or a nerf? And how do you see the next meta developing with the upcoming Neon nerf?
alym: For me personally, I don’t know if it’s a buff or a nerf, but it’s more of a relief. Neon is a hard-entry agent. You always have to stay on top of your toes. You have to stay locked in and make sure you don’t die for free. There’s a lot of relief coming off me because, let’s say you’re playing other Duelists, for example Waylay or Raze, you’re still entering, but to me, Raze is more methodical. You die fewer times. You make less space, but you still have to hard entry. That’s the best part about this meta change. With the new Neon change, I think the agent is going to be completely dead. Because of the momentum, I just don’t think it’s going to be playable.
Alym during the game against NRG. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games
You tried it a bit in ranked?
alym: Yeah, I tried to play it, but the biggest thing is that on Neon, when you were jumping, if somebody shot you, you kept the momentum, so you could still slide. But now, you can’t really jump. You’re too slow, and you’ll die. If you’re running and any bullet grazes you, if you take any damage, you lose your momentum, so you can’t slide.
That’s the biggest nerf in my opinion, because you can’t really do the same thing, the same scaling, and then be able to use your slide. It’s just not the same. It’s like a completely new agent, in my opinion. Regarding that, it’s a nerf for me. But in a general sense, it’s a buff because I don’t have to be in positions where I just die. I’ll be able to shoot my gun and play the game a little more.
Since joining VCT Americas, you have won most of your matches during Kickoff and qualified for an international event, Masters. What do you take away from your experience at Masters?
alym: The biggest thing I took away is that the most important part of the stage is going out there and just having fun. Anything else doesn’t really matter. That’s the thing I learned the most, from BBL. If you just go out there, have fun, and play the game, you’ll play your best, and that’s where you want to be. And just the crowd experience. After that, the Santiago crowd, any other crowd would feel less pressured. It won’t feel the same, but there will be less pressure.
As a player, I imagine you have to put in a lot of individual work, since you are often the first player on site and need to react very quickly. What does a typical match day look like for Alym when it comes to preparation, aim work, and everything around it?
alym: It starts the day before. I always try to play a lot of deathmatches the night before, like two or three hours of DMs, just to make sure my mechanics are on point. Another important part is getting good sleep, making sure you’re well-rested. Then, on the day of the match, it’s always the same routine: wake up, shower, eat. If it’s the late match, I play DMs again at home for like two hours, two and a half hours.
If it’s the early match, I usually just wake up, do my routine, and we head out to the Riot Arena. It’s 50-50. Sometimes I’ll take a nap, sometimes I’ll watch the VODs. I’m always on the chair taking a nap. Sometimes I’ll DM. If I don’t feel like taking a nap, I’ll DM for like an hour or two. Then I just get on stage and play. And a Red Bull, one Red Bull before a match.”
