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BETBOOM TEAM carry Ilya Kiritych Ulyanov has said he does not currently single out one Dota 2 esports player as uniquely difficult to face. In comments published by Cybersport.ru, Kiritych said the challenge of playing a lane is not fixed to a particular nickname. Instead, he described difficult moments as something shaped by experience, adaptation and the form of the players and teams involved. The comments concern Kiritych’s view of individual lane matchups rather than a confirmed tournament result, roster move or qualification development. His answer matters because it draws a clear line between an initially uncomfortable matchup and a lasting verdict on an opponent. Kiritych acknowledged that he had hard games early in his time with BETBOOM TEAM, but said that learning opponents’ playstyles can change how those situations feel.
Kiritych located one such difficult period at BLAST, which he described as the first tournament after The International when he had begun playing with the BETBOOM TEAM players. He recalled facing ATF and 33 there and said the experience was very hard. The account is specific about the setting: it was an early-season BLAST event after The International, not a claim that either player remains an impossible matchup for him. His broader explanation was that players can improve, become accustomed to opposing playstyles and grow more stable in lane.
That framing gives the remarks a useful competitive context. A hard stretch can be a reference point for development rather than a permanent hierarchy of who can or cannot be played against. Kiritych’s emphasis stayed on adjustment, not on naming a definitive list of feared opponents. He also tied the difficulty of a match to individual form: his own form, the form of his team and the form of the opposing team. This does not establish a result or predict a future series. It does explain why his answer resists reducing Dota 2 lane play to a single player-versus-player label. For Kiritych, the state of all three sides of that equation can affect how demanding a game becomes.
Pressure, not carry names, is the issue
When asked specifically which carry players are difficult to play against, Kiritych said there were no such names and that playing against carries is generally not difficult for him. He gave the same answer when Satanic was raised directly: he did not describe that matchup as hard. The distinction is important within the interview because it narrows the point of his earlier BLAST recollection. The difficult experience he described should not be read as a blanket claim about every opposing core player. Kiritych instead identified a different kind of problem: highly active mid players who run at an opponent, or a strong position four player who performs well in lane, places wards and creates pressure. These are descriptions of the circumstances he finds most demanding. They also show that his answer is about the interaction of lane activity and support pressure, rather than a ranking of carry handles. That is the central editorial takeaway from the source. Kiritych did not deny that difficult games exist. He said he had encountered them, then explained that the answer can change as a player adapts and as teams’ individual form changes. His comments therefore combine a concrete early experience with a refusal to assign a lasting label to any one opponent.
The source-supported sequence is straightforward. Kiritych first recalled a hard period at the BLAST tournament after The International while newly playing with BETBOOM TEAM. He then described improvement as a process of getting used to rivals’ playstyles and becoming a more stable, stronger laner. Finally, he answered the direct questions about carry opponents by saying that no particular carry name stands out as difficult. This sequence matters because each part serves a different purpose. The BLAST recollection supplies the personal example. The discussion of improvement explains why that example is not his final assessment of all matchups. The answers about carry players clarify the scope of his view. Together, they present a player describing pressure as conditional and manageable, not attaching an enduring reputation to ATF, 33, Satanic or another named carry. Kiritych’s focus on form adds another layer to that explanation. He named his individual form, his team’s individual form and the enemy team’s individual form as factors. That is a measured account of why lane difficulty can vary from one moment to another without requiring a claim about an opponent’s permanent level or a prediction about a future tournament meeting.
Kiritych’s comments at a glance
The interview contains two separate subjects that should not be merged. One is Kiritych’s assessment of lane difficulty and pressure. The other is a previously reported opinion on a hero choice in a deciding game at The International 2026. The latter was presented by the source as an earlier comment, not as part of the present discussion of which players are hardest to face. Keeping those subjects separate preserves the meaning of the current remarks. Kiritych’s lane comments are centered on adaptation, team and player form, aggressive mid pressure and support activity. His earlier remark concerned Alan Satanic Gallyamov’s decision to play Juggernaut on a deciding map, which Kiritych considered an unsuccessful choice. The source does not provide a match result, a series score, a date for that earlier comment or any further competitive consequence, so none is asserted here.
- Source record: Cybersport.ru published the comments on September 8, 2026.
- Interview scope: Kiritych was discussing which Dota 2 esports players are harder to face in lane.
| Interview subject | Confirmed position from Kiritych |
|---|---|
| Opposing carry players | He said no specific carry player is difficult to play against and said playing against carries is generally not hard. |
| Most demanding lane pressure | He pointed to active mid players and a strong position four who lanes well, wards and creates pressure. |
The available material supports a limited reading of the comments: it reports Kiritych’s named early lane experience, but does not provide match results or a broader ranking of opponents.
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