CS Weekly News Recap: Week 29

HUNDEN JOINS TEAM SASHI AS NEW HEAD COACH

Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen, has been appointed as the new head coach for the Danish organization, Sashi. This move is part of Sashi’s restructuring process, which has seen four of their players benched. HUNDEN’s last coaching role was with Heroic, which ended in 2021 due to cheating allegations. Despite past controversies, HUNDEN is set to focus on driving Sashi’s new project forward. Allan “Reijn” Petersen, Sashi’s sports director, expressed confidence in HUNDEN, citing their long-standing professional relationship. The current Sashi roster includes only one active player, Mikkel “n1xen” Borlund, with four others benched.

AMBUSH PLACE WHOLE TEAM ON TRANSFER LIST

The Danish esports organization, Ambush, has announced its withdrawal from Counter-Strike, placing its entire roster on the transfer list. This decision comes less than three months after the team’s formation in April. Despite their initial ambition to reach the top of the esports world, the team struggled to make progress, participating in a limited number of competitions and failing to make a significant impact. Tge Ambush roster consisted of Mikkel “Maze” Sparvath, Niels Christian “NaToSaphiX” Sillassen, Miikka “suNny” Kemppi, Joonas “doto” Forss, and Milen “milky” Iliev.

HUGE CHANGES ARRIVED IN THE LATEST CS2 UPDATE

The latest Counter-Strike 2 update has introduced a major overhaul of the Overpass map, significantly altering its utility meta and visual aesthetics. The update has removed skyboxes, enabling players to line up smokes from almost anywhere on the map. The Overpass revamp has been added to the CS2 map pool alongside Vertigo, while Nuke and Office have been removed. However, Vertigo has seen minimal changes, leading to speculation that it may soon be removed from the Active Duty pool.
The update also introduced the 2 vs 2 game mode Wingman, and more players have been invited to the limited test pool.

Valve Changes CS2 Major Dates and Welcomes Proposals for Majors in 2025 and 2026

Valve has announced changes to the schedule of Counter-Strike 2 Majors, moving them to June and December starting in 2025. The shift in dates is expected to have significant implications for the competitive scene, allowing teams to build their strength throughout the season before making a final push at the Majors. Valve has also opened up for proposals from tournament organizers to host these events.  Their proposal outlines several requirements for potential hosts, including a history of successful events, a plan for streaming, and a time zone convenient for a significant proportion of CS2 customers. The first CS2 Major, hosted by PGL, is scheduled for March 2024 in Copenhagen.

New ESL rules: players are no longer allowed to wear crocs

The ESL FACEIT Group has updated its rulebook, banning players from wearing Crocs on stage at their events. The popular foam clogs are not considered closed-toed shoes, a requirement under the new rules. This change surprised many, but it’s worth noting that other esports events have previously banned Crocs. For instance, a player from Evil Geniuses was fined for wearing Crocs during the 2022 League of Legends World Championship. Under the new ESL rules, Counter-Strike players could also face a minimum fine of $250 for wearing the open-toed shoes.

GAMERLEGION ANNOUNCE NEALAN AND VOLT SIGNINGS

GamerLegion has announced the signing of two new players, Sebastian “volt” Maloș and Sanzhar “neaLaN” Iskhakov. The duo will replace Mihai “iM” Ivan and Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, who left for NaVi and MOUZ respectively. volt, known for his performance at the BLAST Paris Major with Into the Breach, is expected to bring a strong offensive presence to the team. neaLaN, the new in-game leader, joins from Evil Geniuses, where he had a less successful period. Despite this, he has a history of wins in tier two European events like Pinnacle Winter Series and Funspark ULTI Europe Playoffs. GamerLegion, currently ranked sixth in the world and is looking to maintain its position with these new signings.

Valve Sets Sights on Shanghai for Second 2024 Major

Valve is planning to host the second Major of 2024 in Shanghai, in early December. The tournament will be organized by Perfect World, the publisher of Counter-Strike in China, in partnership with PGL, who is also in charge of the first Major of 2024. The qualifiers for the event are scheduled to take place from October 26 to November 13, with the Major following just over two weeks later from December 1-15. This will be the first Major to take place in Asia, a move that was previously planned for 2023 but was postponed due to the anticipated launch of Counter-Strike 2. The decision aligns with Valve’s recent shift to conclude each season in the middle of June and early December.