PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, the first major in the history of Counter-Strike 2, kicks off on March 17th. In this article, Bo3.gg will discuss ten CS:GO era superstars who will miss the upcoming event.
Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson
KRIMZ and Fnatic are closely linked to each other, so much so that it can be said: KRIMZ is the embodiment of Fnatic, and vice versa. The Swedish player has been part of this esports organization for nearly ten years, demonstrating unmatched skill and consistency. All of Fnatic's major achievements in history are directly associated with KRIMZ.
It's worth remembering that he holds the record for the most kills in a LAN match on a single map. This historic event occurred during a match against MIBR at ESL Pro League Season 10. KRIMZ finished the map with 44 kills. Over his career, he has twice been crowned a major champion and has been named MVP at various tournaments five times.
Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke
In October 2022, Astralis ended their collaboration with k0nfig, citing reputational risks associated with an incident that occurred in September of the same year in Malta. During ESL Pro League Season 16, k0nfig, while intoxicated, got into a fight with an event lighting studio employee, resulting in an injury and missing the subsequent RMR tournament, letting his team down.
Subsequently, he found himself in Ninjas in Pyjamas, where a promising lineup was taking shape. However, poor management by the organization led to constant changes in the team and, accordingly, a lack of stability. As a result, NiP failed at the RMR and did not make it to the major, leaving k0nfig without a team again.
Keith “NAF” Markovic
Team Liquid completely rebuilt their lineup and brought in star players. It was expected that the roster would, at the very least, qualify for all major tournaments without any issues. Despite this, the team failed the first two months of 2024 and did not manage to qualify for PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
In turn, NAF experienced a period when Liquid dominated the pro scene. He didn't stay at the top of professional CS as long as he would have liked, but he managed to mark significant achievements. His substantial contribution to Liquid's success in the Intel Grand Slam cannot be underestimated. Nonetheless, this short era of dominance did not culminate in a major victory.
Casper “cadiaN” Møller
cadiaN, an experienced Counter-Strike player, only achieved contender status for major trophies after joining Heroic. Under his leadership, the team reached heights that made it a serious candidate for a major win. Unfortunately, the team eventually disbanded, and cadiaN moved to Liquid, with which he failed to qualify for the first major in CS2 history.
Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski
Even at the age of 30, Snax plans not to end his professional career and demonstrates a commendable level of play. After several years of transitions between various Polish teams, he found his place in CS2 by joining GamerLegion. Yes, he failed to lead the team to the major, but GamerLegion cannot be called a disappointment either. Over his career, Snax has won 14 trophies, been named MVP of tournaments seven times, and earned over $676,000 in prize money.
Emil "Magisk" Reif
The youngest member of Astralis' golden roster continues to perform successfully at the highest level, rather than just making up the numbers in the team. At the end of 2023, Magisk was no longer needed by Team Vitality, which led him to Team Falcons. Despite his past successes and experience, the Dane could not help the team qualify for PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. Now, he has to prove that there's still gunpowder in his powder flask.
Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen
dupreeh has earned the status of a game legend, having participated in all 19 CS:GO majors and winning five of them. In addition to these victories, the Dane has also been a champion of 27 major tournaments, two of which he was named MVP. Over his career, dupreeh has earned over $2 million in prize money.
At the end of 2023, the legend found himself unwanted among tier-1 clubs. He had to settle for a relatively modest organization, Preasy Esport. He strongly dreamed of qualifying for the first major in CS2 history, but his dreams were shattered. Now, the Dane has to decide whether to continue playing on the tier-2 scene or to end his professional career.
Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken
Next up is another player who moved to Liquid in search of a new challenge in his career. Twistzz indeed needed this, as at the age of 24, he has already left his mark in Counter-Strike history. The short, but bright era in Liquid circa 2019 and conquering the world CS scene with FaZe Clan seem like incredible achievements at such a young age. He also made history as the only esports athlete to win two seasons of the Intel Grand Slam. Can he recover from the failure to qualify for PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and find the motivation to continue his career?
Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz
dev1ce, once shining in CS:GO and having earned 19 MVP awards, is in a sort of limbo. After Astralis' failure at the RMR for the CS2 major, he, in search of new motivation to continue his career, took on the role of IGL. What comes of this is unknown, as device has never before performed such duties.
Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev
The current situation of s1mple is very similar to the previous esports athlete. To solve problems with motivation to play and documents for permanent residence in Europe, the Ukrainian sniper took a break in his career. Now, the best player in the history of CS:GO is forced to miss the first major in CS2. However, s1mple is already ready to return to the pro scene and has announced his intention to compete at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
Kostyliev will resume his career with Falcons. Indeed, he will be playing on loan and only for a month, but both parties do not rule out a full transfer. At this point, s1mple is not counted on in NAVI, but everything could radically change after PGL Major Copenhagen 2024.
All the listed esports athletes still have something to show at future major championships. Therefore, we eagerly await their return to the server. Who would you add to this list?
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