Interview with Andrei “Anishared” Keretsman, Valorant coach and Analyst

Yoann: Hey, hello everyone, today I’m with Anishared, Valorant analyst and coach! How would you introduce yourself?

Anishared: Hi everyone, my name is Andrei “Anishared” Keretsman, I’m 24 years old, and I’m a professional Valorant Coach, I also have over 9 years of experience as a TV/Esports influencer!

Yoann: That’s amazing! When and how did you get into esports?

Anishared: My journey into esports started when I was 5 years old, when I was first introduced to CS 1.6, my cousin installed it on my first computer. Later, I fully stylized a 1.6 client for the NiP team, and since then I have become a fan of them! I started to get more into esports in 2008 when I had access to the internet at home.

In the summer of 2015, watching the broadcast of a local LAN tournament in Moscow, I realized that I wanted to cover esports events in the same way. From the moment of this idea and its realization, a week passed, and I already got the experience of my first 24-hour broadcast as a CS:GO commentator!

This was just the beginning of my esports career!

Yoann: That’s so cool! What's your role as a Valorant analyst, or as a coach?

Anishared: I originally joined Valorant during the Beta, and I already had years of experience as an analyst on CS:GO broadcasts, and I transferred a lot of ideas, scripts, and logic from there. 

I have always positioned myself in the direction of coaching, as my goal remains unchanged, to compete in Valorant’s Tier 1 as a Coach!

I always strive to give my best for the team to win, you can see me in the role of analyst, assistant coach, coach, etc., but I always perform the same layer of tasks to make it easier for everyone.

Usually, my tasks look like this,

1) Full preparation of the team on the basis of a detailed analysis of the opponent.

2) Constant monitoring of meta innovations, and then it’s necessary to adapt it to our players.

3) Daily and monthly analysis of the team's work, both in-game and in real life. Highlighting our weaknesses and building a plan of work ahead during our meetings with the team.

4) Developing a training schedule, whether it's finding good opponents to "spar" with at pracc's, or a schedule to go to the gym, and for meals. I’m responsible for all coordination with the top management of the organization, conducting/organizing media activities of the squad, working with documents, and so on. I always offer my managerial disposition and focus to the team, because when there is no responsibility in the team, it ends very badly in 99% of cases.

My job consists of working with Tables/Documents/Media/orgs' questions, resetting the psychological status of players, introducing discipline, and being a family for the team 24/7.

Yoann: That’s amazing! What's your preparation routine before broadcasts, as an analyst, or before games as a coach?

Anishared: If we talk about preparing for the broadcast, I always monitor all of the esports disciplines I'm interested in, all the news and results; I don’t need to carry out detailed preparation, because with my coaching approach, I already perfectly emphasize and remember the information necessary for broadcast every day without much effort.

But if we talk about working in a team, then this is a classic set of tasks, strategic preparation, analysis and adjustment of our preparations in the context of the opponent, creation of a favorable atmosphere and always a super pleasant warm-up practice right before the official meeting, it gives us confidence!

Yoann: You are looking for a team for 2024, what would be your dream job?

Anishared: In 2024 I already have several potential VCT/Game Changers projects around the world, throughout 2023 I have worked and met many people who matter to me, so hopefully we will see you on the world stage soon!

But if possible, I would like to say this, dear Riot Games, please give me the opportunity to work as an English-language broadcast talent at VCT in 2024, you know how much we worked for this throughout 2023, thank you for everything!

Yoann: That would be great, for sure! Let’s now get to the quick questions part, I will ask you 10 quick questions, and you'll have to answer as fast as possible, ready?

Anishared: Yeah!

Yoann: Phantom or Vandal?

Anishared: Phantom! 

Yoann: What's your favorite map?

Anishared: Icebox!

Yoann: What's your favorite agent?

Anishared: Reyna!

Yoann: What's your favorite skin collection?

Anishared: Sentinels of Light!

Yoann: Who are your favorite players of all time?

Anishared: From CS, it’s Get_Right , and from Valorant, probably Derke!

What’s your favorite Valorant team?

Anishared: It’s Fnatic!

Yoann: Can you name the eight teams that won an international event?

Anishared: We have Loud, Acend, Gambit, Fnatic, Optic… 

Yoann: We also have Sentinels, FPX and EG! How often do you play Valorant?

Anishared: I’m playing Valorant every day, around 2 or 3 hours of ranked because I need to find new lineups and setups every day for my team. 

Yoann: Can you quote a voice line from your favorite agent?

Anishared: I’m playing Valorant in Japanese, so I don’t know!

Yoann: Oh okay! Let’s now get back to the standard questions, what are your hobbies or passions aside from gaming?

Anishared: Outside of gaming, I’m usually jogging or going to the gym, but the rest of my life is supporting my team!

Yoann: How do you feel about the current meta?

Anishared: I think the meta is not stable at the moment, and I’d like to go back to the Icebox meta, I think it was the best we’ve had.

Yoann: What would you change to Valorant if you were a developer?

Anishared: I’d nerf the classic and the judge, and bring back Icebox! 

Yoann: What are your short and long-term ambitions on Valorant?

Anishared: I always try to focus on my dream to reach Tier 1 as a coach without having any background as a player!

Yoann: What would you say to someone aspiring to be a Valorant coach?

Anishared: Don’t be afraid to experiment with your team, you have to be confident in your abilities and in your play style. Always listen to your players, they are the most precious treasures for you!

Never give up, be disciplined, and you’ll be able to show yourself to the whole world!

Yoann: That’s amazing! Is there anything else you would like to say?

Anishared: I hope you enjoyed Valorant’s 2023 season, dear audience. And together with Riot Games, we will try to delight you with good innovations, more high-quality content, and more tournaments, for a better 2024 season! 

Yoann: Thank you so much for your time, and I wish you the best in the future!

Anishared: Thank you!

Anishared’s socials:

Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/Anishared

Linktree: linktr.ee/anishared