Author: Gabriele "DauD" Mantovani

With international quintets becoming the norm in tier-one Counter-Strike, it’s time to look back at Kinguin, the organization that pioneered the concept at the highest level.Throughout 2022, the international CS:GO scene was shaken by a series of surprising transfers which radically transformed the identity of some of its most iconic brands. In January the last French representative in tier-one, Vitality, welcomed Danish stars Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen and Emil “Magisk” Reif. Mere days later Joonas “⁠doto⁠” Forss, the spiritual successor to an ENCE project that had brought Finland back to the top, was removed from the organization’s active roster. The biggest…

With Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo’s VAC ban having been lifted on January 26, will MOUZ add another piece to its push toward the top?Known for a long time only as Jere “sergej” Salo’s younger brother, Jimpphat’s incredible rise to the ranks now puts him just a step away from Tier-1 Counter-Strike. His domination of WePlay Academy League S6, where he was the highest-rated rifler and the second-best player after new NiP recruits Danyyl “headtr1ck” Valitov, has now proven him to be a star in the making. In addition, being a member of MOUZ NXT means his progress combines with a clear…

A rifler capable of stellar performances at the biggest events of the year, Nikolay “mir” Bityukov now finds himself a free agent after a 5-month stint on Entropiq.Considered by many as either a superstar rifler who found himself on the wrong side of fate or a troubled talent responsible for his own downfall, mir is an extremely polarizing figure. Experts and fans hailed him as a potential upgrade for Russian-speaking and international teams for years, but a lukewarm 2022 quelled the flame powering the mir-train. However, unlike other cases of players considered too good to languish in the lower tiers,…

With Björn “THREAT” Pers’ recent departure from the organization, Ninjas in Pyjamas have closed the curtain on three years of disappointment and inconsistency with a single title to their name.The project developed around the return of the much-beloved coach and the painful end of Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg’s 8-year stint with the team has now officially come to an end. The signing of young Ukrainian sniper Danyyl “headtr1ck” Valitov seems to match this sentiment, marking the start of a new period in the Swedish camp with the legendary organization attempting to return to the forefront of the competitive scene. NiP’s “COVID…

Kazakhstani organization K23 has announced 18-year-old Russian prospect Kirill “Magnojez” Rodnov as a new player, filling the space left by Sanzhar “def1zer” Talgat, who was removed in December.This signing completes K23’s roster for the new season. After a failed campaign at the European RMR for IEM Rio, where the team led by Vladislav “FinigaN” Usov failed to make the Major after losing to BIG in the decisive 2-2 match, the organization unveiled former Nemiga duo Rassim “Jyo” Valijev and Artem “iDISBALANCE” Egorov. K23 hoped to achieve consistency in the lower tiers through these changes, but Daniil “X5G7V” Maryshev’s leadership has…