Spirit’s stand-in coach Dmitry ‘S0tF1k’ Forostyanko has guided the team from a difficult early-2026 stretch to two grand finals in two events — and he still doesn’t know if he’ll keep the job. The 31-year-old told reporters at PGL Astana that any decision about his long-term future with the main roster will only happen after the Astana run ends.
The Shavaev situation
S0tF1k stepped into the role after longtime head coach Sergey Shavaev was forced to miss IEM Rio 2026 and PGL Astana due to health-related issues. Since then, Spirit have reached the IEM Rio grand final and now the Astana final — a meaningful uplift after a trophyless early-2026 stretch.
The tactical adjustments
tN1R described the changes S0tF1k has made: correcting ‘important mistakes’ in Spirit’s system while loosening the structure to let individuals play more comfortably. Combined with donk’s tournament-leading 1.36 rating and sh1ro’s AWP anchor, the team has looked structurally cleaner than at any point in 2026.
The academy connection
S0tF1k previously coached Spirit Academy and helped develop donk himself, along with rising prospect Maksim Lukin. His description of the temporary role as ‘coming home’ reflects how tight the relationship is. If Spirit keep producing results — and the Astana grand final against Falcons would seal the case — the organisation’s decision becomes harder, not easier.
