“It cost me about 17–18 thousand zlotys…” – Stan Podziemia #8, Ostrowianin

In the seventh instalment of the ‘Stan Podziemia’ series, we were joined by Szata, the former owner of Armitra Esports and current CFO of Galaxy Cup. Szataaa nominated Ostrowianin, best known for running the “Mollitiem” project. We asked him about the origins of his nickname. There was also a question from the previous guest about how much Ostrowianin had invested in his project.

[R] Hi Ostrowianin. To start with, please introduce yourself to our readers.

In that case, hello to everyone who fancied reading my ramblings. I took my first steps in esports in 2020 with RDL E-sport, then came Faded Squad, until I ended up at Mollitiem – my own project with the “golden five” (hubi, foxje, TerQs, 16Danio, xevisgod). I’m currently building my own social media-based community, which you can find on X under the name @beka_z_esportu.

[R] Can you tell us the story behind your nickname? Is there a bigger story behind it?

At first, my nickname was “TTPR”. When I was 15 or 16, I thought the abbreviation for “TakiTamPanR” was a brilliant idea. However, after taking a break from esports to focus on FiveM in 2022, I decided to change it to “Ostrowianin”. Simply because I live in Ostrów Wielkopolski and it just fits and suits me.

[R] Why did you decide to ‘shut down’ the Mollitiem project? Might we see Mollitiem back on the server in the future?

The Mollitiem project gave me a huge amount of satisfaction at first. Animations were appearing, the social features didn’t look like anyone else’s (at least in the underground scene), and every day I was thinking about how to move forward in presenting the team, which was always in the TOP 1 or TOP 2 of the underground scene. I was constantly looking for ways to mix things up and didn’t skimp on it. I wanted to be the best at what I do – that is, writing posts and creating content. I worked with brilliant people who helped me stand out, but over time, I started to feel burnt out.

At the same time, I was running @beka_z_esportu and realised that the latter brought me more joy. Looking at how much money was going into it, I decided to hand the lads over to good hands that would provide them with similar opportunities for growth. I don’t think the project will return – I’m focusing entirely on the community and playing with friends. I’m still in touch with the five of them, of course, but it’s not the same anymore. And the amount of money that suddenly stays in your wallet when you don’t have to maintain the squad, tournaments and production is unimaginable.

[R] Szata nominated you for this interview in the previous piece. Can you tell us what your relationship is like?

My relationship with Szata is neutral, just like with the whole Galaxy Cup. If they ask me something, I try to help. If they do something that I think is poor and unbecoming of a tournament with aspirations to be number one (which they currently are), I say so publicly. Szataaa is a funny bloke who always puts a smile on my face, and incidentally, he was always a pleasant rival for me when I was running my own project.

[R] To say that Mollitiem’s social media was run in a controversial and aggressive manner is an understatement. Was it a deliberate marketing ploy to attract attention, or simply expressing an opinion in a slightly different way?

Both. Sometimes it was a deliberate marketing ploy, and other times the insults flew because I simply felt that our opponents’ behaviour deserved to be torn to shreds. We had the advantage that we usually dominated on the server against those we were swearing at. What was the other side supposed to do? Cry and forget about their esports dream? Because what else can you do when four grown, working lads slowly building their own families and one kid are destroying you in pixels without any warm-up?

[R] Which ‘Underground’ are you closer to? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

At the moment, I think I’m closer to ‘Zieloniak’, although I’m active on both. What draws me more to ‘Zieloniak’ is that most of the people I used to insult and consider sick and the like have now found their place at ‘Czerwoniak’. On the other hand, my passion is name-calling, so I often hang out on ‘Czerwoniak’ to demotivate or insult someone on a good day and make them realise they’re a lesser person in this world.

Drawbacks? The downside of ‘Zieloniak’ is that its social media is dead; according to current data as of 24 January 2026, they have 4 posts in January with an average of 430 views, whereas ‘Czerwoniak’ has 23 posts in January with an average of 700 views. It’s a bit of a dominance, though I won’t hide the fact that both ‘UnderGrounds’ have no idea what to post on their socials apart from “We’re collaborating with this and that” and “Our partners have moved up the rankings”. On the other hand, I consider the ‘Czerwoniaki’s’ major flaw to be their excessive obsession with what others are doing. You can’t see this in the chat, but I know the lads are playing some serious tactical games over there; at least that’s what you can gather from their chats. In my humble opinion, if they consider themselves the bigger players, they should stop checking up on the competition and just get on with their own thing, thinking about how to win over more people.

Strengths? The ‘Reds’ certainly have the means to spend more money on their ideas, i.e. ‘ranking’. It’s money that will convince the bigger players to identify with a particular ‘UnderGround’. With the Greens, on the other hand, I see a better offer for the weaker players who play in open armies, perhaps in Rising. I don’t know what this offer is, but again, according to the statistics, more people are going to them than to the Reds.

[R] What do you think is the biggest problem facing the Polish community? How can it be solved?

The biggest problem is that there’s hardly anyone we can support in major tournaments. The underground scene is just a tiny fraction of the whole scene. Currently, the ESEA Advanced is dominated by ‘old-timers’ like rallen, whilst we have perhaps six young talents who want to break through to the top (such as jcobbb or xKacpersky). The solution? Hard to say. There’s something wrong with the mindset of young players and the lack of Polish brands that would genuinely promote young talent in the CS2 world.

[R] You’ve given up on running a team or organisation, so maybe it’s time to organise a tournament?

No chance. Organising a tournament wouldn’t give me as much joy as ‘hyping’ it up on social media, congratulating a youngster on a great game, or making a clip of a funny moment.

[R] Speaking of tournaments, which one in 2025 do you think went best?

Overall: the Betclic Clash Polish Championships 2025, because my ‘golden five’ in Horizon colours performed brilliantly and pulled off a surprise. On the underground scene: MLE, because I could be there with the lads, play as a coach and see what it’s like from the inside.

[R] It seems we’ll have more tournaments on our underground scene this year… what are your thoughts on this? Where has this sudden surge in ‘organisers’ come from? Could too many tournament-organising projects affect the standard of play?

People have realised that a tournament offers better benefits, such as PR, than running a team that won’t achieve anything anyway. There’s a slight glut, but projects like the Feather Cup, Lunacy Cup, Vanguard Cup or Galaxy Cup will still attract participants. It’s not a disaster yet.

[R] A couple of weeks ago, we read about Axide.pl withdrawing from the partnership scheme. In your opinion, does such a partnership scheme still make sense in 2026? To some extent, this might limit coverage of teams playing at a lower level. Is this a good time for a new ‘media portal’ to appear on the underground scene, or does it make absolutely no sense?

A new portal? No, it doesn’t make sense. The partnership system is fine if you’ve got no idea how to engage your audience. It gives the portal the assurance that teams will share articles about themselves to boost their reach. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that allows new people to hear about you in the first place.

[S] In the current climate, with a lack of interest from sponsors, is it even worth running a team?

It isn’t worth it. Unless you hit the jackpot and someone buys your player up to a higher tier. But that requires contracts and a registered business, which generates further costs.

[S] How much money did you spend on Mollitiem in total? Do you have any regrets in hindsight, purely from a financial perspective?

I spent about 17–18 thousand zlotys from my own pocket. I don’t regret a thing. The lion’s share of that money went on graphic design and social media, because everything had to look perfect in my eyes. Would I spend the same amount today? Probably yes.

[S] Name three projects that are doing a good job and refreshing the scene, and those that shouldn’t be running any initiative at all.

Good work:
1. Vandals – they bring a touch of professionalism and freshness to social media despite their inferior graphic design.
2. TNC Esport – after taking over Grin Esport, they dominated the underground scene, registered the organisation according to their social media standards and introduced contracts. (I don’t think they had such things before the takeover)
3. Galaxy Cup – for their huge progress and the organisation of LAN tournaments in 2025, which created a trend where everyone now wants to host LAN matches in their own tournaments in the future.

Who should give up? It’s hard to say, but if I must: Saganek.
He’s building a facade of a grand project around himself, complete with a staff and plans, yet in reality we see lacklustre line-ups. It’s the creation of an alternative reality that doesn’t match the facts, and it’s a shame to write any more – let everyone read for themselves what he’s been posting.

[S] Are you planning to return with the Mollitiem project? Perhaps another team, or joining an active project?

I’m not planning a return or working for anyone else. It would have to be a project with a massive budget and a plan that’s ‘grounded in reality’ within the current Polish context for me to even consider getting involved.

[R] Thank you for accepting the invitation. Would you like to add anything yourself, or send a greeting to anyone?

Cheers! To those running their own projects: if you’re enjoying it, do it regardless of the money. It’s an amazing feeling when your mates make it into Poland’s TOP 6 or the Polish Championships. Keep doing your thing and introducing new ideas. Thanks for the nomination – I had to read it five times, and the answers are still a bit rubbish.

Thank you once again for accepting the nomination. The questions and answers above have been lightly edited. Grammatical errors have been corrected. The context has been preserved. We would like to remind you that Stan Podziemia is a charitable initiative.
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