squad1x

Ilya "squad1x" Kuvaldin (born June 14, 2003) is a Russian professional Dota 2 midlaner currently playing for Enjoy. At 22 years old, Squad1x is one of the most promising young mids in the CIS scene – a player who made it to The International at 20 years old with Virtus. Pro posted a mid-patch tier list that got taken seriously by the community and is currently grinding through tier-2 Eastern Europe, waiting for the phone to ring from someone who deserves him.

Early Career

squad1x started competing in February 2021 with Excellent Esports at 17 years old, grinding through lower-tier CIS events before getting noticed. He moved through Team Empire and several smaller stacks before Virtus. Pro came calling in December 2022 — signing him alongside Noticed as part of a rebuilt roster built around Kiritych as carry. VP had historic brand power in the CIS and had just missed TI12. The roster rebuild was aggressive, and Squad1x at 19 was the mid they bet on.

Virtus.pro and TI

The 2023 season with Virtus. 'Pro' was the defining chapter of Squad1x's career so far. The team qualified for The International 2023 — squad1x's first and so far only TI appearance — and finished 7th-8th in the playoffs, earning a meaningful share of the prise pool. That result, at 20 years old, as the mid one of the CIS scene's most recognisable brands, told you everything about his ceiling.

VP hit the 12,000 MMR milestone in March 2023 — Virtus. pro posted about it like a proper org announcement. He was that kind of midfielder for them: young, individually elite, and the centrepiece of the system.

The 2024 season was bumpier. VP qualified for BetBoom Dacha Dubai 2024, DreamLeague Season 22, Elite League 2024, and PGL Wallachia Season 1, but results were inconsistent. They failed to qualify for TI 2024. Squad1x was often playing stand-ins for other teams in parallel – Yellow Submarine, 1win Team – which tells you something about both his work ethic and his situation. By March 2025, VP listed him for transfer. On May 30, 2025, he joined the 1win team — and then when Tundra Esports' roster took over 1win in June 2026, the original CIS squad was transferred to Enjoy. Squad1x is now the mid for Enjoy's development structure.

Playstyle and Reputation

squad1x is an aggressive, high-tempo mid who plays to create pressure from the laning stage and never really lets up. His MMR trajectory — 12,000 at 19, ranked top 44 in the Americas leaderboard — reflects a player who keeps improving individually regardless of team context. In July 2025 he published a tier list of the best mid heroes in Dota 2 patch 7.39c that circulated in the community, which says something about how seriously he thinks about the game beyond just playing it.

The Enjoy chapter is temporary. That is the most reasonable interpretation of where Squad1x is right now – a 22-year-old TI participant with legitimate individual quality between platforms, waiting for the right team. The CIS scene has a way of losing young talent to stagnant rosters or org instability. Squad1x has the kind of profile that either ends up on a major tier-1 team in the next shuffle or becomes one of those players people look back at and wonder what happened to.

Fun Facts

VP posted a formal announcement when squad1x hit 12,000 MMR. As a 19-year-old in the middle of a DPC season. That's the kind of org attention that tells you the internal belief in the player was real.

He has represented approximately 22 different teams across his career. He is 22 years old. That ratio is genuinely chaotic even by CIS Dota standards.

When 1win acquired the Tundra Esports roster in June 2026, Squad1x's original CIS stack was moved to Enjoy.