Hype
4 down, 1 to go - welcome r1nkle
It's now been 1.5 months since we committed to an overhaul of our Counter-Strike roster, and it's time for another update. Xizt came on board three weeks ago, and — as hoped and expected — Richard has been quick to integrate into the efforts in the scouting of new players. We are all on the same page regarding the qualities we look for in prospective players: raw talent tempered by a strong work ethic, an insatiable drive to become the best, and, yes, a positive effect on team culture (don't call it vibes!).
maxster clearly displays all these qualities, so the decision to promote him was made very quickly. If you want a glimpse of why you should believe in him, and you want to watch Max's dream come true in real time, we recently released a player profile about our youngin last week.
There are two more roles to fill: an anchor and an AWP. It's clear by now that CS2 has changed up the AWP meta, and while a few elite AWPers have managed to adapt, there’s a new crop of young talents that might surprise those who don't like to get too in the weeds of demo watching and homebrew stats.
Artem "r1nkle" Moroz has been on our list (and, it turns out, not just ours) for quite some time now. Our analysis tells us his talent and in-game performance are undeniable, but in talks with him it's become obvious that he also has that crucial drive that we're looking for, and his background in competitive karate brings with it a competitiveness and resilience to pressure that’s incredibly valuable in young players. It took 24 hours from the time of signing until Artem was with us in Stockholm to shoot a cringy announcement video and then get right into scrims with the team.
"r1nkle has been on my radar since BLAST RMR 2023. He's a young talent that already plays smart CS considering his experience."
— Richard “Xizt” Landström, Head Coach NIP CS.
That leaves the 5th and final player. In line with our commitment to transparency, here's our current read on the situation: the market for top anchor players is less shrouded in mystery than for AWPers. We're in advanced talks with multiple prospects, but the post-Major shuffle is in full swing and looks to become more protracted than usual due to external factors like tournament scheduling. Frankly: we might sign tomorrow, and it might take a month.
Remember how Erik said, "By 2025 teams have to be competitive to stay in the game"? That's a reflection on the state of the game — it doesn't mean we hope to start winning in January 2025. The roster we are putting together right now, it should be clear from these updates, is one that fits our criteria for what makes a winning team. So, we're not in a rush to lock down the 5th. If the shuffle drags on, we stay patient.
"As we said when CS2 came out, new players will rise and old players will drop off. I saw the exact same thing happen between 1.6 and CS:GO. Now, more than 6 months after the release and a crazy major cycle later, we’re very happy about this signing strategy. It allowed us to take it easy and decide on going for talents like r1nkle. He has everything needed to be one of the best, and we will do everything to help him get there."
— Björn “THREAT” Pers, Counter-Strike Division General Manager.
These are exciting times, and we are having tons of fun letting you guys in behind the scenes. The next Roster Maniacs episode is going to be a banger, but if you don't want to wait for that to drop you should follow Richard, Björn, Erik, and Troels on Twitter. You could even interact with them directly about the statements we are putting out — that way, if there's something that raises questions, feel free to ask! We don’t mind explaining ourselves.
GET READY FOR WHAT'S COMING NEXT
