After enduring the loss of their original manager triMble, a failed reunion with the Swedish star, Elakeduck, and the imminent hibernation of all-around mainstay, Abver, fnatic looked like a team in turmoil.

But as the calendar rolled over, a new month brought with it new hope, a new manager (Noname), and new blood in the form of Robert “Rob” Abdrakhmanov and Johan “Naniwa” Luchessi. What follows is an interview with fnatic’s newest addition— Russia’s top Orc formerly of WE.EU, fnatic.Rob, who opens up to Gotfrag about his recruitment, the possibility of playing with fellow Russian Xyligan, and the state of the Orcish Horde in his Motherland.

Did you know any of the fnatic players before joining their clan, and if so, how well?

Yeah, I knew Hooligan [Xyligan] very well. We have known each other since my first LAN, which was the WCG qualifications. I’ve known RotterdaM pretty well too. We have good relations, though I haven’t met him at LANs. I hope we meet someday. The others were unknown to me, just heard a bit about them.

At the Tavern, Part 1 Favorite Hero Spell: Hex Favorite Hero Ultimate: Metamorphosis Favorite hero combination (with spells): Blademaster (Wind Walk/Critical Strike) and Shadow Hunter (Hex, Healing Wave) Favorite Item Drop: Scourge of Bone Chimes Favorite WC3 player: 4K.Grubby If you could adopt one Tavern hero permanently to be a “5th Orc Hero,” which would it be: Goblin Alchemist! ^^ What unit from another race would you like to have: Destroyers Race you would play if you were not playing Orc: Night Elf

Why did you choose fnatic from all other clans after leaving WE.EU? Surely there were other clans that could have offered you a guaranteed starting slot, whereas in fnatic, they have RotterdaM to compete with.

Well, this clan is very friendly and professional at the same time. So I didn’t have to choose long. As for playing time, I don’t worry about it. fnatic is one of the best clans nowadays and I think that it will be number one in the world soon. For me, we don’t have any competition between Rotti and me, maybe for Rotti. :)

You’ve been with fnatic for only a few weeks. What do you think about your new team and teammates?

Well, I got everything I expected from the team before joining it. Friendship, professionalism, team spirit-– all of these things unite this clan.

The 2v2 team has been the weakness of fnatic. What are the chances of seeing you in 2v2 action with Xyligan? fnatic’s other team is the Finnish NE/UD pair of elfittaja/Satiini. Which racial pair do you think is better, Orc/HU or NE/UD?

Hmm, most probably we will fight for fnatic, as a 2v2 team, but we don’t know for sure yet. Speaking about the racial combinations-- I don’t think it’s that important. The hands you use and the way you use them are more important.

If you had to pick one moment (a game or tourney) in your playing career where you realized that you could play this game competitively at the highest level, what was that moment and when?

I think it was WCG [2006, in Monza Italy]. I had a lack of experience then, though I was on my game at that time [finishing top 16].

You play in one of the most competitive WC3 countries in the world, Russia. What is it like playing in one of the richest, talented countries in WC3? What do you see as the pros and cons of the competition level?

Yes, Russia is one of the strongest countries in the world. Knowing this, it is more motivating to play. You always know the level of competition of your opponents; it’s always there. Another good thing is that a low-skilled player-- a player who cannot show the strength and discipline of Russia-- will never represent our country. And speaking about the bad things-- you can never pass qualifications mooching!

Russia does not have a storied history of accomplished Orcs. If anything, the preferred race seems to be Human, going back to Caravaggio and now Xyligan, etc. and of course, Night Elves (Deadman, TitaN, Neytpoh). What has it been like for you playing the ‘outsider’s race’ in your country and why did you choose Orc in the first place?

That’s not true. Russia has always had worthy and skilled Orcs, great players such as Karma, Franse, Ginsash. But you are right, though-- Humans and Elves have always dominated in Russia. But I think that the Orc era is coming. You can see many good Russian Orcs already, like Casper and Sting. And now about my choice, I played Orc from the very beginning and I’m still not sick of them, so I guess my choice was right.

At the Tavern, Part 2 Most memorable personal game: Maybe vs Sky at WCG. Close spawn at Turtle Rock. I took Firelord second and tried to tower but made mistake and he saw my towers, then Blizzard, etc. :( Most memorable WC3 game: Grubby vs. Moon at WEG, I think. Echo Isles was the map where (Grubby) was using Blademaster to kill Archers and at the same time surrounded DH with 4 Grunts. If you could have one item from another race’s shop, what would it be: Staff of Preservation Most impressive WC3 accomplishment by any player: Sky winning back-to-back WCGs is imba! ^^

How do you think the game has changed from its earlier years to today. What strategies have you seen added and removed from your race’s gameplay ever since you began playing?

Yeah, there were times when Orc players used other strategies but right now, everything in Warcraft is starting to resemble Starcraft. In most cases, you already know which units your opponent will use and what actions he will attempt to do in certain situations. Still, you can see some new stuff and unit mixes and in most cases, it turns out that the dumb cookie-cutter standard will end up more effective than your attempted innovations!

Blizzard has announced at least one more patch for WC3 this year. Referring just to your race, what changes would you like to see in terms of buffs and nerfs?

Hmm… I don’t really know. In general, I think that for this moment the game is quite balanced. Of course there are matchups which include a bit of imbalance, but that’s the “tagline” of Warcraft-- mastering of difficulties.

fnatic is clearly one of the favorites to make it to the WC3L next year. What other teams do you think will make it to the qualifiers, maybe a team that the average WC3 fan is not familiar with?

Of course, our team will occupy first place! Speaking about the competition, I think our team will win without a rival. Actually, I think maybe Team Delta or evo (besides us, BeT and Mouz).

A replay pack provided by Rob can be downloaded here.

Thanks to Proplay.RU for providing pictures and a translation of the interview!