When Daniil “headtr1ck” Valitov made the jump from Ninjas in Pyjamas to B8 Esports in 2024, it wasn’t just another transfer—it felt like a fresh start for both the player and the team. He is renowned for his keen AWP abilities and capacity for composure under pressure. Alongside headtr1ck, the team features Andrii “npl” Kukharskyi, who brings valuable experience from his time with Na’Vi. Arsenii “cptkurtka023” Derevinskiy adds a fearless and aggressive edge to their gameplay, while Alexey “alex666” Yarmoshchuk provides a steady and calculated presence on the match. Dmytro “esenthial” Tsvir, with his sharp reflexes and strong game sense, rounds out the roster. Backing them up is coach Ivan “maddened” Iordanidi, a crucial piece of the puzzle who focuses on strategy and team cohesion.
headtr1ck, who began playing at the age of ten, contributes a wealth of expertise to the changing B8 team. Switching teams mid-career is always a gamble. New teammates, new strategies, and fresh dynamics—it’s a lot to adapt to. We interviewed headtr1ck for this article, and he told us about his intentions for 2025, favorite skins, and more. Let’s begin!
headtr1ck About Plans, Picks & Predictions
In this exclusive interview, headtr1ck talks about his ambitions with B8, shares his thoughts on the team’s direction, and reveals his personal goals for the season. Beyond gameplay, he opens up about his favorite skins, the players and teams he respects most, and who he thinks will dominate the CS2 scene in the months to come. Now, let’s get into it.
Hi! Happy New Year and Merry Christmas! What are your plans for the upcoming holidays?
Merry Christmas Skin.Club! I hope you enjoyed your year. My plans are to take some rest mentally and physically, obviously. I still play CS sometimes, but not as much as before. And hopefully, I will be refreshed and ready for the next season.
You played a small number of tournaments last year, what are your plans for 2025?
Our plans are to be consistent and dedicated as a team as we were last year, rather than as we have been in recent months. We will try to take each tournament seriously and give our best as some of the first events of 2025 will be very important for the future of the team. These competitions may bring our team a lot of points and even invite us for the LAN events.
How do you estimate your growth as a professional player for 2024?
I believe I made good progress as a player this year. Though the first couple of months were tough, I gained more confidence and started to play in a lot of official events with B8. I’m excited about it, and I think I’ll continue to do so in 2025.
Pretty soon HLTV will be summarizing the year among the cybersports scene: who do you think will take the best player of the year?
I think it will probably be donk as his team won the Major, and he won the Major MVP. Besides, donk showed some brilliant statistics, as I would say. So, in fact, he should be number one in this award. Also, m0NESY or Zyw0o could take the award, of course. It’s hard enough for me to predict who will take second place: as for statistics, Zyw0o occasionally hits greater numbers, but m0NESY had more MVPs and also played well.
The most popular map on the pro scene right now is Ancient. How do you feel about it and what is your favorite map in CS?
I don’t know, to be honest. I actually don’t like this map as much as I used to before. Ancient is very green-colored, and I don’t like it. As I feel, it can be both boring and fine at times. On this map, when you play for the CT against a strong team for the T it’s hard to have some space as the enemy team knows how to use nades and fight. As for my favourite map, I think it’s Mirage or Inferno.
Tell us about your favorite skins in CS.
My favorite skins are AWP Gungnir because it looks really nice and detailed. Deagle Blaze looks fiery and classic as well. And I would choose all Redline skins because they have a quite default design. They are popular, and reasonably priced, making them accessible to a wide range of users.
Which skin was the first in your inventory and which was the last?
The first skin is quite hard to remember as it was about 10 years ago, but it might be AWP Worm God or AK-47 Redline which was battle-scarred and relatively cheap. But it felt great to have my first C2 skin and show it to my friends. The last one was Glock-18 Water Elemental.
Just share your most beautiful highlight for 2024!
I think it was the moment when we won Eternal Fire on ESL Challenger in Katowice, as I took some clutch shots there. Overall, that game was very memorable for me and my team.
So, this was the interview with headtr1ck, and we thank him for sharing his thoughts and plans for Skin.Club! His insights into the team’s future, his personal ambitions, and his favorite CS2 skins gave us a glimpse into both the player and the person behind the monitor. As he continues his journey with B8 Esports, we’ll be keeping an eye on his growth, his highlights, and the impact he brings to the competitive stage. Stay tuned, because if this conversation is any indication, headtr1ck’s CS2 story is far from over!
headtr1ck’s Journey Continues
Throughout our conversation, headtr1ck gave us insight into his mindset as both an individual competitor and a key part of B8 Esports, showing a blend of confidence, humility, and an undeniable drive to keep pushing forward. On a personal note, headtr1ck took a moment to reflect on his own growth over the past year. He admitted that 2024 was a pivotal year for him, a time when he not only refined his skills but also matured mentally as a competitor. But he’s not stopping there. With 2025 just around the corner, headtr1ck is setting even higher standards for himself. He’s determined to continue evolving, improving, and proving that he belongs among the best AWPers in the world. For fans of CS2 and esports in general, players like headtr1ck represent the perfect mix of talent, ambition, and personality that keeps us glued to every match. Follow the future of the B8 team with us!
