The full-fledged release of Counter-Strike 2 is getting closer and closer. The new MR12 match format, new smoke grenades, reworked maps, rankings, and other innovations are heating up interest in the Valve shooter around many corners of the world.
These and other innovations and the transitional period on the pro scene might become a suitable window of opportunity for all those who, for one reason or another, stopped performing at a professional level in CS:GO. It could also breathe new life into regions where the quality of competitive play has deteriorated in recent years. The necessary boost might happen, in part, if some American esports players return to the pro scene. Today we will talk about five such players.
Stewie2k
Major champion, former Liquid and Evil Geniuses player Jake “Stewie2k” Yip hasn't been on the pro scene since March of last year. Does this mean that his interest in Counter-Strike has evaporated? Not at all, especially considering that he has been streaming CS2 frequently lately.
Jake still has minor complaints about the current state of the new version of Counter-Strike (take, for example, movement), but if Valve polishes all the rough edges, then in 2024 we might very well see the 25-year-old Stewie2k in big championships again.
s0m
The coronavirus era, which restricted travel to various tournaments, and the release of Valorant in 2020, urged the American to switch disciplines. He spent 3 years at NRG, and now is a free agent. Why not try his hand at CS2 after the full release? Sam had a good reputation in the last season of Valorant Champion Tour, meaning he has a good chance to attract the attention of domestic clubs and give a substantial boost to his home region in Counter-Strike.
vanity
Like s0m, Anthony “vanity” Malaspina was another promising representative from the USA who moved to Valorant. He made a name for himself in Chaos and Singularity in 2019-2020. Considering that his home region suffers from a lack of star snipers, he could potentially fill this niche, or focus on captaincy, which he has done before.
It should be noted that in July of this year, the player already announced that he is open to offers from clubs not only in Valorant but also in Counter-Strike, meaning his return is quite possible.
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steel
Joshua "steel" Nissan is among the players who were banned by Valve indefinitely in 2015 for a fixed match in North America. DreamHack and ESL also prohibited him from participating in their tournaments, although the ban period expired 6 years ago.
Since then, the player has participated in various events, knowing that he cannot get through to the major due to the unclear ban period. He spent three years on the pro scene of Valorant, earning around $42,000 there. Now, he has begun to participate in small tournaments in Counter-Strike in North America for Bad News Bears.
A number of esports athletes at the time, including the former captain of Astralis, Lukas "gla1ve" Rossander, advocated for Valve to finally lift the ban on steel, which has lasted almost 9 years. Considering the player's age of 33, the duration of the sanctions, and the upcoming transition to CS2, the company could pardon the Canadian and give him the opportunity to participate in events for a spot in the major.
RUSH
Formally, William "RUSH" Wierzba has not left Counter-Strike, but during his time at Evil Geniuses, he failed to achieve impressive results on the big stage. However, his statistics in the first half of 2023 were hopeful.
Since RUSH currently has no contractual obligations, and the release of CS2 and the first qualifiers for RMR and the major are not far off, he has every chance to start anew and potentially restore North America's former glory with new teammates.
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