Kometa unveil PashaBMW-led roster

10-4-2021 15:30

Less than a month after his release from Virtus.pro, the 18-year-old resurfaces as the centerpiece of a new Russian project.

(Photo credit: Kometa)

Kometa, a new Russian organization founded in March, have presented their first Counter-Strike lineup, with Pavel "⁠PashaBMW⁠" Tishchenko as its centerpiece. The 18-year-old joins four players from the Russian and CIS tier-two scene, led by in-game leader Ilya "⁠orbitaL⁠" Barinov.

PashaBMW was released by Virtus.pro on March 15, six weeks after winning cs_summit 7 and his fourth consecutive MVP medal. Neither side disclosed the reasons for the split, which came as a surprise given the team's form: across 134 maps with the bears, PashaBMW averaged a 1.34 rating and won four of the nine events he played.

PashaBMW: "I want to win a Major with this team"

Speaking to HLTV, PashaBMW did not want to go into detail about his exit, but admitted that he had been looking for a bigger role.

"In Virtus.pro I learned a lot and we won a lot together, I have only good words about the guys," he said. "But I wanted a project where the team is built around my style and where I can take more responsibility. Kometa gave me this, and they showed me a plan for the next two years, not only for the next tournament."

I wanted a project where the team is built around my style

Pavel "⁠PashaBMW⁠" Tishchenko on joining Kometa

Kometa's founder and CEO Arkady Melnikov told HLTV that the project had been planned around PashaBMW from the start.

"When we started to build the team, Pavel was the first name on our list," Melnikov said. "We wanted a player who has already won at a high level and who is young enough to grow with the organization. The other four players were chosen to fit around him."

The rest of the roster is made up of players with little tier-one experience. orbitaL has spent the last two seasons calling for various CIS mixes, while 21-year-old Kazakh AWPer Timur "⁠kazbek⁠" Abenov arrives from the online circuit with a reputation for aggressive play. Artem "⁠Tyoma⁠" Lukin, born in 2003, is the only member of the team younger than PashaBMW, and Maksim "⁠w1nd⁠" Belov completes the lineup in a support role.

The team will be coached by Oleg "Haxit" Gromov, who previously worked with several Russian academy teams.

Kometa are expected to make their debut at EPIC League CIS in May.

Kometa's lineup:

Ilya "⁠orbitaL⁠" Barinov