Dmytro Pankiv, known as r0se, is 15 years old and plays for B8 Academy. Three players from the HLTV 2025 top-20 named him a young talent worth watching. Among them — b1t, who said simply: “r0se will tell his own story when the time comes.” That story is already starting.
From FACEIT to the academy
r0se started without big plans — just grinding FACEIT, not thinking about an academy or the pro scene. But good gameplay speaks for itself. “At first I just played FACEIT with no expectations. When I got called up to a team, I realized I wanted to become a pro player,” he says.
B8 is one of Ukraine’s most well-known esports organizations. The academy wasn’t built as a formality — it was created as a place to develop talent: the organization spent months scouting young players across the country to build a roster made up entirely of Ukrainian talents aged 14 to 17. Making it through that selection process is already a mark of quality on its own. r0se turned out to be the youngest player on the roster.
In their very first official season, the team reached the UESF Championship of Ukraine 2026 Stage 1 and finished 3rd-4th. The matches are recorded on HLTV. For a 15-year-old player, this isn’t just a result — it’s his first real mark at the professional level.
School in the morning, training after
r0se’s typical day looks like this: wake up, handle the usual routine, go to school. After that — sit down and train with the team, then grind FACEIT. No complicated rituals. Just the schedule of someone who takes both things seriously at the same time.
Attention gives extra power
Getting attention from top players on the scene isn’t a typical situation for a 15-year-old. r0se treats it as motivation. “It always gives me extra power and the drive to get better,” he says. Not pressure — fuel.
Demos matter more than clicks
Most young players focus on mechanics — speed, accuracy, reaction time. r0se takes a different approach. “I watch a lot of demos to improve my macro game and map understanding. I think it’s one of the key details in team play,” he explains.
Understanding what’s happening on the map is a rare quality for a player his age. Most teenagers at his level still think individually: my position, my frag, my stats. r0se already thinks as a team. That’s exactly what catches the attention of scouts and the scene’s top players.
The worst thing you can do
Asked about the typical mistakes young players make, r0se answers without hesitation: “Pushing yourself too hard and setting unrealistic goals — that’s the worst thing young players can do.”
It’s almost paradoxical to hear this from someone three HLTV top-20 players have already singled out as a future star. But that’s exactly the difference: between someone who wants to go pro at any cost, and someone who just does their job, every day.
Advice from r0se
How do you reach academy or pro level? r0se keeps it simple: “Play more FACEIT, grind a lot of ELO, train your aim, and try to show good individual results. That’s when you’ll get noticed and called up to academies or teams.”
r0se’s path is about a player who just played, ended up in the right environment, and does concrete things every day: watches demos, trains with the team, grinds FACEIT after school. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth trying seriously — here’s your answer. Start with what you have. The rest will follow.
And you can start with Stage 3 of the Ukrainian Championship of Ukraine in CS2, with qualifiers kicking off in July. The first step is the same one r0se took: just register and play.
