Official: steel steps down from Chaos roster

1/9/2020 - 00:00

The 30-year-old Canadian has stepped down from Chaos' lineup and will be transitioning to a content creator role focused on Valorant within the organization.

Shortly after breaking into the top 20 of the world ranking for the first time, following a 3-4th place finish in ESL One Cologne 2020 North America, Chaos say farewell to their veteran in-game leader Joshua "⁠steel⁠" Nissan, who leaves the team as he "takes time to figure out what is next for him in his competitive career." According to the earlier reports, steel is entertaining the option to to retire from Counter-Strike and move to VALORANT.

Stepping into his shoes and taking over the in-game leading resposibilities for Chaos will be Anthony "⁠vanity⁠" Malaspina, while further announcements regarding the CS:GO roster will be announced tomorrow, with Edgar "⁠MarKE⁠" Maldonado reportedly joining the team.

steel steps down from Chaos as he explores options

Despite his lifetime ban from Valve-sponsored events, which came as a result of his involvement in the 2014 iBUYPOWER matchfixing scandal, steel returned to competing in CS:GO when he was cleared to compete in ESL and DreamHack events, reforming Torqued in 2017 before leading teams such as Ghost and Chaos.

The only one of the banned players (Keven "⁠AZK⁠" Lariviere, Sam "⁠DaZeD⁠" Marine, Braxton "⁠swag⁠" Pierce) to successfully revive his Counter-Strike career, steel managed to break into the top 20 with both of his last two teams, all while posting impressive numbers for an in-game leader, averaging a 1.09 rating since 2017.

While he was unable to make a deep run in a big event or lift a LAN trophy after returning to competition, leading two different groups of players so high into the rankings has been "a different type of reward," steel said in a recent interview with HLTV.org, but admitted that "it's just a matter of when" the team decide to replace him due to his Valve-sponsored events ban.

"In time I hope that in time I can be remembered for what I've given to the community and not what I've taken from it", the Canadian wrote after the IBUYPOWER scandal was uncovered in 2015. While the matchfixing incident will forever be a stain on his career, his work over the last three year saw him add to his legacy and become recognized as a key figure in North American Counter-Strike, having played a part in developing the next generation of players in the region.

With steel departing the team, Chaos are now:

Anthony "⁠vanity⁠" Malaspina
Erick "⁠Xeppaa⁠" Bach
Jonathan "⁠Jonji⁠" Carey
Nathan "⁠leaf⁠" Orf

Matthew "⁠mCe⁠" Elmore (coach)

omg what a crazy day

2020-09-01 00:00

11 replies

wow

2020-09-01 00:01

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtVtmQBMSJg Never forgetti

2020-09-01 00:06

2 replies

lmao, I feel bad for steel though, I feel like he gets a lot more shit than he deserves for the whole shebang. He definitely deserved it at the beginning but c'mon, give the guy a break, it's been like 6 years and he's done a lot of good for the NA scene since then.

2020-09-01 18:23

1 reply

totally agreed.

2020-09-04 08:02

2020-09-01 00:15

2020-09-01 00:43

Fim de carreira medíocre de um jogador medíocre.

2020-09-01 03:16

4 replies

2020-09-01 15:17

only english porra

2020-09-11 02:34

kkkkk OnLY enGLEhse sai daí

2020-09-11 03:05

vai ser banido tchau

legend man

watt? he didnt win anything dude

2020-09-01 15:18

that is not a criterion for being a legend, he did a lot for the American scene...

2020-09-01 18:19

Today sucks They should have kept steel for EPL, it just doesn't feel right. Swap him like they do with Jamppi, or Volvo unban him

2020-09-01 00:02

They were doing that and it wasnt working

2020-09-01 07:17

Ah shit

GL to him

sad

sad days

feels bad

he just left the team and CS with a big win against MIBR

and 1 ESEA title, don't forget about this one

2020-09-01 01:00

humble dream

2020-09-01 09:49

lul

probably didn't wanna hold them back from playing in valve events, makes sense

goodbye annoying bot

rip

f for chaos

CONTENT BOYS

finally, bad player to the scene

16 replies

2020-09-01 00:03

flag checks out

2020-09-01 00:58

14 replies

I was going to say the same but i dont even know what is Albania

2020-09-01 00:59

13 replies

I was going to say the same but i dont even know what is Brazil

2020-09-01 01:49

12 replies

Oh, the only country that won 5 world cups with 2 majors in csgo but can you explain me what is netherlands?

2020-09-01 01:50

7 replies

Brazil? Who always send dead threat to 16 y o after beating mibr kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

2020-09-01 04:21

brazilian: *opnion* everyone: sTuPiD mOnKeY pOOr fAVelado, He iS oNLy 16 YeARs oLd

2020-09-02 21:16

Sure death threat is an opnion edpected from BR Brain

2020-09-11 13:16

@FalleNCS I ask that you do not offend or take sides against the opponent before an official position! A lot of people threatening the boy etc. this is not cool u are dumb?

2020-09-13 03:18

I love how the gringos think that this type of comment is the majority, and how all Brazilians are assholes (because that's what I understand), as if it was only here that there was a type of retard who makes this type of comment (not defending, but they think this is a majority in Brazil). Anyway, sorry if I was rude, but I'm really pissed off by this kind of finding

2020-09-15 14:33

Still 7-1 lmao

2020-09-01 15:15

+7-1

2020-09-02 17:49

I was going to say the same but I dont even know what is Netherlands

2020-09-01 02:30

3 replies

Belanda bro.

2020-09-01 10:59

goblo

2020-09-01 11:37

I was going to say the same but I dont even know what is Poland

2020-09-01 13:26

bro they were doing so good :(

>content creator >focussed on valorant LUL wheres the fucking logic in that

he did the same thing in csgo, he used to make those videos back in the day giving tips and information for people who suck at the game and since valorant is the new big thing rn it will generate lot of views I think

Valorant, omegalul

:(((((((((( goodbye legend

Helped upcoming players become better. And had a good run himself regardless of ban for na scene

2020-09-02 01:58

i cri ;-;

youtube.com/watch?v=ax6Xfbmn7uU Take care, steel.

2020-09-01 00:04

pain

big sad

Twitter content creator focused on mibr Replying TACO and mibr accusations

why right at the moment chaos has been playing good

2020-09-01 00:05

Might be the org pressuring him to do it, realizing they've struck gold with leaf and xeppa considering the height they already reached. Just speculation, either way he already said he doesnt want to hold the team back from attending events. All the best to steel, and as much as i despise chaos as an org for their virtue signaling i just hope they keep getting better and building on the foundation steel gave them.

2020-09-01 00:29

I’ll miss you bro! 😔👊 Edit: Have a good day!

gl to the only good former ibp player 😔👊

2020-09-01 00:07

Such a wasted talent. That ban really ruined everything for him. He could have become the best IGL in NA. Good luck on moving on!

2020-09-01 02:17

2020-09-01 08:30

vac

Remarkable rise, a big loss for NA CS. Thanks for everything steel!

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAH

2020-09-01 00:08

Good luck man!

will miss you bro, <3

The only way that he could achieve anything

If it wasn't for malding Brazilians mad that both their cherished teams are complete shit and get stomped by 5 puggers every time, he probably would've stayed hoping to get unbanned

2020-09-01 00:09

cry is free

2020-09-01 00:16

infelizmente eles continuam achando que isso é maioria no brazil,pena..... (eu sei que é pra escrever em ingles,mas já q você é br....eu acho)

2020-09-15 14:36

No love for matchfixers. Hope he never returns to CS

"In time I hope that in time I can be remembered for what I've given to the community and not what I've taken from it" there are some retarded ppl from a certain region in the world who dont understand this

2020-09-01 00:10

No one is going to miss him anyway

0/8 dude

2020-09-01 00:23

:(((((( sad day mens

farewell steel.

100T Valorant steel heard it here first :)

2020-09-01 00:19

God no. 2 IGLs = bad like really really bad.

2020-09-01 02:40

Bur if he has the fragging power it can work out

2020-09-01 05:34

IF. Maybe he can co-IGL with nitr0 as well. Maybe help a bit with calling. Idk tho, if he could stand out as a fragging IGL then maybe.

2020-09-01 05:48

One of if not the best NA IGL, sad day

2020-09-01 00:21

RIP...So sad that he got banned, could have been a solid IGL for any of the top NA teams...even a solid coach as well. GL in Valorant Steel.

2020-09-01 00:22

Cya

2020-09-01 00:26

whyyy

I honestly think people overrate the shit out of this guy yes, he was a god back then, but his calling was pretty average these days, no surprise there

2020-09-01 00:28

I think it’s hard to lead a team while posting a good rating. And leading a team of young new talents at that. That’s what’s most impressive about him. He can take a bunch of young bloods and make the top 20

2020-09-01 00:37

Can't wait to see him face his former csgo teamate in valorant, Ghost Wardell

2020-09-01 12:37

Have you ever watched any of his streams/youtube videos? He knows what he's doing. And if you think it's easy to take almost complete unknowns and get them into top30 of cs go teams, then you don't know much about cs tbh.

2020-09-01 14:02

He was ok, he could have stayed, but I understand his decision. I can't say that it's a bad decision in his case. For me Chaos should now remove vanity, and add oSee, because he is insane, and Shakezullah, because he would be enough for them imo.

6 replies

Shakezullah is a bot.

2020-09-01 01:43

2020-09-01 02:28

He isn't anything special, but he is ok.

2020-09-01 11:15

He's an MDL player who rode Grim's coattails into pro league

2020-09-01 14:31

He isn't bad, he is a good pickup for Chaos.

2020-09-01 14:32

Hmm. I don't think they should remove vanity right away unless his IGLing style doesn't work.

2020-09-01 02:41

I really grew to feel sorry for him over the years. He proved his dedication to the game more than enough to be given a second chance. But Volvo is sometimes Dumbo. FeelsBadMens

2020-09-01 00:30

People have gone to jail for years for less. People have been banned by Valve for life for less. What he did was fraud. Good riddance.

2020-09-01 00:38

5 replies

there was no rule for throwing games back then iirc

2020-09-01 01:33

Is this bait? I'm not sure if you're unironically trying to defend match-fixing, which has been a problem in all sports for many decades, or if you're actually dumb.

2020-09-01 01:51

This is fact. I for one am glad he didn't get unbanned. Match fixing is serious and deserves a lifetime ban. An unban would only have jeopardized the integrity of cs more than it already is. What's next we unban Forsaken because he feels bad now and is ready to dedicate himself?

2020-09-01 03:53

Yes, and he was stille able to participate in any tournaments where the TOs could decide for themselves. Valve could have made it a lot worse for him.

2020-09-01 10:10

True. Valve could have done a lot worse than they did. He should be thankful that the ban only extended to valve's events.

2020-09-01 23:24

Unban him volvo, pls

I think he can to well in valeront if he starts now. maybe try out for the 100T team haha. valeront need's way more IGL's.

2020-09-01 00:39

Not for 100T but somewhere else like Faze.

2020-09-01 02:42

I hate this guy, but will also definitely miss him...

No skins trade in valorant He will matchfix for what now? 🤔

2020-09-01 00:44

Real money on bet sites

2020-09-01 04:20

My favourite player and CS mind of all time, still the best player on his team at 30. Godspeed, champ, and f*ck you Valve.

Wow I gained a huge deal of respect for Steel this year after always brushing him aside due to the match fixing. Can’t imagine how conflicted he feels even today about it, knowing he’s probably one of the biggest what-if IGLs. Godspeed, Steel, good luck in the future.

2020-09-01 00:45

OMEGALUL

2020-09-01 00:46

30 years man playing in a t3 team and now going to valorant? this guy will never find a real job ffs?

2020-09-01 00:49

WHAT NO FUCK

2020-09-01 00:51

Maybe, just maybe, he's afraid of his teammates getting caught for cheating and decided to leave and protect his career from yet another scandal? Who knows...

2020-09-01 00:53

+1 very sus

2020-09-01 01:11

Karma?

2020-09-01 01:01

I think at 30 it’s probably time to consider hanging up the mouse. Plenty of career options out there and the world to explore. It’s hard quitting something you invested so many years into and grew your skills but as hard as the decision might be you might end up looking back at it as the best decision of your life.

2020-09-01 01:03

Yeah or just be a streamer/coach/player in valorant and get a csgo tier 1 salary or even better for another few years and then retire early. Retiring in the way you describe it here would be the most retarded thing most of these older players could do

2020-09-01 06:53

Lmao, agree w/ Reape3. Hanging up the mouse now would be the worst decision, there's so much more money to be made through that mouse. Even if he doesnt get signed to a pro val team (which he most definitely will be signed) he's got so many options tied to gaming as a money maker.

2020-09-01 08:17

GO TO VALORANT KEKW

2020-09-01 01:04

Bye matchfixer, go "steal" kids in Valorant now.

2020-09-01 01:08

Wait he was matchfixing, kekw

2020-09-01 01:10

at least he can play majors in valorant :) GL

2020-09-01 01:12

Expected. The real question is: Is MarkE gonna be good enough to help Chaos keep moving up?

2020-09-01 01:15

This makes me sad

Makes sense... NA CS is pretty much dead. I would expect even more veteran talent to leave.

2020-09-01 01:21

41 replies

Its for the better. Maybe new generation of players do better things

2020-09-01 01:24

40 replies

It'll take years to make up for the amount of talent NA CS has lost. Then God knows how to long to match up with the EU/CIS scene. Losing leadership and knowledge like nitr0, steel, etc. isnt easy to replace. We'll see but, i dont see an NA major coming anytime time soon if ever again.

2020-09-01 01:46

39 replies

What talent ? The already ex-pros of hiko and freakazoid ? Steel is replaced for many years now, nitr0 is great and all but time will tell about his absence. I get what you mean but i think NA didnt have a chance as teams were even with steel and nitr0 on board. So what is the big deal ? You know what i think ? That new blood into the scene might make things interesting. Check Furia for example. As for Valorant competitive scene = tier 3 like if we compare it to top teams in CSGO but i would prefer also to be in a tier 1 valorant team than be jobless or be in tier 3 csgo team. The issue with this is that Valorant is way easier game and many new talent its on their way so i doubt all these players who left CSGO will be forever in tier 1 list. Many wont, mark my words. Valorant being way easier than CSGO wont help them stand out forever.

2020-09-01 03:32

38 replies

Look, doesn't matter if you or anyone downplays Valorant comp scene. Game is like 3 months old lol... Also, a team like Astralis wouldnt just automatically be tier1 in Valorant due to the gameplay being very different lol. Aim mechanics is one thing, but map knowledge, weapon differences, agent knowledge, agent compositions, strategies etc. It's all different but, having a CSGO background does give you an advantage. Also, NA CS is simply dead... South America/Brazil still has an active playerbase while NA does not. Facts ---> steamdb.info/servers/ NA will not recover nearly as quick as say Brazil, EU, etc. There's simply no interest in NA CS here. Xeppa, leaf, Grim, and probably like 5 others are NA's future. And the talent that left CS includes Hiko, nitr0, steel, TenZ, food, Freakazoid, brax, skadoodle, AZK, crashies, Relyks, wardell, subroza, Android, roca, SicK, dapr, c0m and like a ton of others. Mix of current, young and "washed" CS talent. That type of movement is unheard of lol. Now, even if you disagree with everything or say "Hey, those players suck anyways etc." it's still a major blow of talent for NA. Maybe not for EU lol. And when you add there's no growth, no investment & no interest in the NA scene well... It's not looking good.

2020-09-01 04:34

37 replies

Even if they were passed their prime it isn't even always about the skill but also the information and experience that can be passed on to the younger players. That's why Steel was so awesome. He was probably a wealth of information to these young dudes. That's all gone. These guys are playing ANOTHER game and no longer even probably paying attention to CS so people probably can't even reach out to them with questions about the intricacies of CS. It's really sad to see how much CS:GO has grown everywhere but the US. Just not enough financial hope anymore over here I guess. Really not looking good in N/A right now.

2020-09-01 06:42

25 replies

Pretty much... Can't replace that kind of wisdom, experience and leadership....

2020-09-01 06:51

24 replies

If it was all about wisdom, experience and leadership we wouldnt have different teams in tier 1 list every year or two but the very same team. Check MIBR for example, insane wisdom/experience and leadership but Furia is better. So please ... I mean what kind of experience and wisdom s1mple had over older and more established cs go players when was ripping apart everyone ? What about FURIA, what so many unheard of players or even teams who made it in majors over and over. What happened when Steel got banned for example, did NA died ? Skadoodle and many more retired before they moved on to Valorant, why NA didnt die then and will die now that many jobless or retired ex-csgo gamers moved to Valorant ? Which teams are in top 10 ? I see 2 NA teams. Why NA is dead with two teams in top 10 ?

2020-09-01 14:29

23 replies

It's not all about just wisdom and knowledge but those are key teaching tools. For instance, in boxing, football etc the coaches are usually older or more experienced right? Younger talent absorb there knowledge and elevate there OWN GAME. That's how players get better rather then relying on pure talent. Furia is great but, that young team was backed by an org with some strong sponsors. And also, they had there growing pains as well... If everyone of value just leaves and you're left with just young talent well... They're going to have to go through much bigger obstacles before reaching that t1 level. Cause no one is there to guide them through any issues or help them develop further. And NA has 2 top teams yes... But there's like 5 orgs TOTAL in the scene haha... It's dead af. There's no investment, no sponsorship's, no anything. NA is dead just look at the orgs on hltv lol.

2020-09-01 17:29

22 replies

You saying Furia was backed by some strong sponsors and this is an argument now ? What are you trying to say ? Who old Optic gaming had and made a great run in major ? Who Gambit had ? Who Luminosity had ? Immortals ? With your logic Nip should have been ranking 1 forever based on experience and wisdom. Youngsters like Coldzera, S1mple and all those amazing players would have never been in top 10 lists of best players in the world with your logic. Wth. If everyone of value .. what are you talking about ?!! 90% of those who left were already retired or moved on before valorant. Scream without a team forever, Skadoodle retired, Hiko retired, Freakazoid retired, Steel out of tournaments since 2014 etc etc. Why didnt you say before NA is dead then ? NA has 4 top teams, 2 of them in top 10. No investment ? And there is investment and sponsorship in Valorant NA more ? And that makes Valorant NA alive and kickin and Csgo dead ? You are a valorant fanboy right ? Admit it so we can talk as intended. Majority of your arguments dont even make sense. Lets cut the craps and stupid arguments and talk straight up

2020-09-01 21:12

21 replies

NA is dead! There’s no investment outside of maybe 5 orgs. It’s dead. No argument you have will save NA. Post some numbers that show NA is alive. Otherwise nothing to talk about. You post non factual bullshit lol. NA has 2 top teams. 3 others scattered about. EU has like 30 good teams. Edited: Never said CSGO is dead learn to read. NA CS is dead.

2020-09-02 00:01

20 replies

Name me what kind of investment there was the year before Valorant. How is dead you retard when there are 4 teams in top 13 ? Are you on drugs or what is going on. You say no investements and no sponsors and no teams and there are 4 teams in top 12-13 in the world. Then you say NA dead period. NA DEAD = 4 teams in top 12. How many NA teams were in top 12 last year or the year before that ? Daaamn, you and your facts.

2020-09-02 00:33

19 replies

Got damn your one dumb fuck... NA has a few talented teams YES. But there's no got damn investment anywhere... No regional tournament organizers... No t2 scene... No real playerbase lol. Look at this liquipedia.net/counterstrike/Portal:Team.. Africa damn near got half as many teams as NA lol. SHOW ME ORGS OR TOs INVESTING... Prove it or stfu. Period Here's T1 CEO explaining whats going on youtube.com/watch?v=i6eu3piGOA0

2020-09-02 01:23

18 replies

You damn Valoboy, you telling me all this time that because of talent NA = dead. Now you coming with investment and regional tournament organizers in an ERA OF CORONAVIRUS ?!! STUPID ASS

2020-09-02 01:25

STFU and post proof dumbass.. haha what a dumb fuck... Go type another book about nothing

2020-09-02 01:26

You fuking moron, this thread is about steel leaving to Valo, you jump from argu to argue stupid ass

2020-09-02 01:27

Then go talk about steel somewhere fuck face lol. I posted NA is dead and expect more talent to leave... WHY?!?! Cause no one in NA cares about CS! lol

2020-09-02 01:28

You tard, you talking for so many different things and you counter yourself in every other sentence. Go play Valorant Valoboy and NA scene is like that before Valorant. You making it like its a big deal when 9/10 from all those you mention didnt even play CSGO before Valorant release.

2020-09-02 01:34

Still no proof huh lol. Calling me a Valorant fanboy means nothing especially since I dont really play it. I played Fall Guys more hours then Val. I speak to facts... You just type nonsense.

2020-09-02 01:36

Go play your Valorant damn you moron, 4 teams in top 12-13 in the world and NA = dead. stupid

OMG what a moron... I dont even really play Valorant... I speak to the facts not because I think CSGO is better... Post some got damn numbers or stfu

2020-09-02 01:29

10 replies

Im asking you to tell me in what year NA had more than 4 teams in top 12. Im asking you what is the effect of all those jobless/retired/washed out veterans jump into Valorant. Big hit to CSGO that Steel left !! Omfg, because he was playing all those years. Big hit that talent ( rofl ) of hiko, freakazoid, skadoodle and many more who were already retired NA scene would be better ... GTFO !!

2020-09-02 01:32

9 replies

Dude it doesn't matter if NA has 8 teams in the top 12. That doesnt = NA is ALIVE and WELL. It just means NA is working with magic lol. nitr0 is better then 95% of players in NA CS. I bet you any team would of taken nitr0 lol. Only team that would of NOT taken him in NA is EG. You have no proof of NA being alive. You just upset at my facts lol.

2020-09-02 01:35

8 replies

Oh so its all about 1 player right ? Ok, thanks for proving my point that 9/10 players you mentioned didnt affect anything since were retired in the first place. I dont even need to debate, you counter yourself in every other post of yours.

2020-09-02 01:39

No it's about tons of talent exiting CS... It's about orgs who invested in Val and not CSGO... It's about the playerbase not growing in NA... It's about Tournament organizers putting prize money up for Val but not CS in NA. The facts are literally all around you. This isnt EU/CIS

2020-09-02 01:40

You jumping from talent and wisdom and all that that left and now NA sucks to NA tournaments .. You are the pinnacle of shit debater. You remind me of Trump

2020-09-02 01:42

It's a multitude of situations thats causing NA CS to die. Not just players, or no investment or low playerbase etc. It's ALL OF IT. But ok I'll be Trump idc. Prove me wrong with facts instead of just typing nothing

2020-09-02 01:46

Now from CS = dead you saying CS to die, so its not dead yet ? You see ? Also you say no sponsorship, show me a csgo team from NA without sponsorship

2020-09-02 01:48

Lol that’s ur argument now. Hahaha Dead, die, nonexistent lol. It’s not alive I know that much.

2020-09-02 01:50

whatever....Valoboy

2020-09-02 01:52

2020-09-02 01:53

A background in csgo will only get you so far, considering the skill ceiling when it comes to mechanics is quite a bit lower, your cs aiming prowess will only get you so far before you get overtaken by young, hungry, native valorant talent. If you look at all the cs players who switched to valorant, very few of them are known for their hard work and dedication at least in the last few years so I'm predicting they're gonna rely way too much on their cs background to carry them and get overtaken rather quick because they're not willing to put in the effort. Just look at the players who switched and their situations, very few if any of them switched because they actually believe valorant is the better game or they truly enjoy it more, most of them went over because its a much better opportunity for them right now, but I think that this decision will bite them very hard unless they srsly put the work in to try and stay at the top. Also, I think the guy you're replying to is right, this could actually be a good thing for nacs because it will weed out the players who were just in it for a paycheck and not willing to put the time or effort in or simply not deserving of a shot in an actual good team . Just look at the players you listed most of them are either washed up or puggers who've been around for a while but never seem to be able to prove themselves, very few of them are actually young, up and coming na talent compared to the likes of leaf xeppa, grim, etc. This could make way for more of these kinds of players to rise up and get a shot instead of the top orgs recycling the same players and just shuffling them around or trying out completely unproven young pugstars and being surprised if they can't compete at tier 1 and then kicking them 2 weeks later. Maybe it will even force the orgs and the entire region to redesign their approach to building/ scouting talent. Overall I do think this will improve the scene in the long run and maybe make na somewhat competitive again, ofc that's only speculation it could also kill the scene completely. Also it's kinda ironic that a lot of na players switch to a mechanically easier game where they don't have to work as hard because of their background and previous career and everything's a bit more casual and they get handed their top spot and salary on a silver plate, says a lot about the region.

2020-09-01 06:48

Listen... NA scene is dead... It's not good. Call them puggers and washed but, what talent is replacing them? leaf? Xeppa? I'll take nitr0 over both of those dudes lol. The numbers on faceit are bad, the active playerbase is bad, the orgs are investing in Valorant, no orgs investing in CSGO in NA... I mean... No real t2 scene besides MDL & Mythic... Not good Didn't read everything but you guys typing books and Im at the office lol. sorry

2020-09-01 17:36

Replacing who ffs ?!!!!!! The already retired/jobless/benched ? "you guys typing books" -- check your posts ffs. How is possible to talk back to people in a debate without read what they have to say ? Damn, im out, talking to valorant fans is waste of time

2020-09-02 00:38

I am not downplaying anything, it is you people that making it a huge deal and going as far as to say "CSGO is dead".All im doing is stating how things are as a player who plays CSGO since day 1 and a player who plays Valorant since beta. Now your example is way off. Astralis will be automatically tier 1 in Valorant in 3-4 months. With that being go watch tier 1 matches in Valorant and tell me what you see because i saw some sentinels vs TSM in face invitational and i couldnt beleive in my eyes. In fact i was laughing out loud with so many mistakes, pug plays, zergs, missing shots.. I couldnt beleive it. Then a week ago had a conversation here with someone and i gave him the benefit of a doubt so i watched live SCREAM playing with Liquid ... Want me to say what i saw ? The same funny, laughable stuff. Then i said to the guy " Do you see what i mean ? " So it is not something i downplay, it is how things are with facts. I dont know if its the game itself which it might be or players who are not the top notch players of CSGO. Maybe is a mix of the two but tier 1 valorant teams is like watching a tier 3 csgo teams playing in terms of execution, zoning, rotations, tactics etc etc. If you dont beleive me or you think im downplaying go watch yourself TSM vs T1 in Faze invitational and Liquid vs SKade from Scream stream and come tell me im wrong. And before you tell me " Valorant is just few months old" i have to remind you that it is you talking about so much talent and experience and wisdom and all that yet when you see games in action are a total mess. I dont want to even think how tier 2 or tier 3 teams of Valorant would play if top 5 teams playing like that . Now youll see players who never made it to a major or never made it in t1 on csgo being in the best teams in Valorant. Kinda funny if you ask me, specially when we talking about talent. The issue is that you think that all this "talent" moved to Valorant because is better game or they like it more. They did it because they see a great opportunity to be relevant again or/and to make some easy money potentially since Valorant LACKS the amount of talent CSGO has and it is way easier for them to be on the top thanks to their CSGO background. Aside the easy views in twitch who a jobless guy thriving for. So, about that talent you speaking of ? The retired guys who with one way or another wouldnt affect CSGO anymore ? You say NA is dead when i see 2 teams in Top 10 for example. Talking about downplay.

2020-09-01 14:54

NA Scene is dead and it's not coming back... Secondly Astralis would NOT be tier1 automatically like I stated... 3-4 months??? Maybe, we don't know... I didn't read your entire book but I skimmed through it... The talent NA lost is HUGE!! No one is replacing the likes of nitr0, & steel let alone the younger talent that left the game... And yes, this is America and it's not cheap to live here. So, you go with the best opportunity. Loyalty doesn't pay the bills in states... There aren't nice $600 apartments here lol. And yes, Valorant is 3 months old and needs time to develop... There isn't flame walls, heals, ice walls, turrets, resurrections, rocket launchers etc in CSGO. Things like that need time to adapt even for veteran CSGO players. There will be growing pains... Even if the might Astralis played Valorant. s1mple even looked bad starting Valorant but his aim saves him... Still, he was not nearly as good as he is in CSGO. Game is 3 months old lol. The new NA scene isn't going to be good.. Or not good for a long, long, lonnnnnng time. It's just facts.

2020-09-01 17:20

NA scene has already 3 teams in top 10. I said astralis in 3-4 months would be tier 1 and you cant prove me wrong on that because every single washed out csgo player you talking about are already in top 10 teams. So why not Astralis players in 3-4 months in Valorant ? Who do you think they are or they lack against Freakazoid and all those washed out ex-csgo pros ? Think again The talent NA lost is Huge yet all you mentioned is Steel and Nitro in the end because you know everyone else didnt make a change nor they could make a change for NA let alone they retired or were in very low tier teams. Im amazed you mention steel as well when he was irrelevant to the scene since 2014 and without him in NA CSGO C9 and Liquid had amazing years in majors As for your argument about America, you admit they made this transition for money purposes aka opportunities and not because Valorant is the future or something better etc. It is that they werent good enough for CSGO. We agree on that. You talking about adaptation to skills when im talking about BS plays. You talking about entirely other things than what im talking about. So nothing to lol about other than TSM vs Sentinels in that Faze invitational or Scream playing with Liquid on twitch. Go and watch and youll understand what i mean. Tier 3 plays all over the place and it wasnt because of skills, beleive me. The new NA scene isnt going to be good because of nitro and steel ? Ooook. 4 teams already in top 12-13. We will see your facts against mine when your "talent" get rekt from "nobodies" in a year or two when many others will adapt to Valorant since game is far easier and skill gap wayyyy smaller than in csgo. Youll see about talent then.

2020-09-01 21:01

Dude, stop writing books man. NA is dead period. No argument. I’ve proved with numbers... Valorant is a scene with large growth & investment in NA... NA CS has no growth or anything. You bringing up Tier3 Valorant plays so what lol. Game is 3 months old. It’ll take years on top of years for NA to have other teams as strong as EG &TL. Period

2020-09-02 00:00

You started writing books then you talking about books. Youve proven with what ? Jobless and washed out pros. With 4 NA teams in top 13 already ? With what ? Since when NA was on top to begin with ? Why 2 teams are in top 10 if are not strong ? You are beyond arrogant to say NA is dead then in the same post you change your argument to "itll take years on top of years for NA to have other teams as strong as EG". But isnt NA dead ? Wtf are you on ? You countering your own arguments yourself.

2020-09-02 00:29

Kid, for NA to grow it needs investment... It needs support... It needs a playerbase... It has NONE! I'm not countering my own point I'm suggesting it would take years for the young talent to grow without any real incentive to push forward. NA CS... IS... DEAD. Show me some numbers and faceit hubs or anything to prove me other wise. Unless you have an established t1 team no org is trying to invest cause no one in NA cares...

2020-09-02 01:13

You see, show me your true colors you Valo fanboy. Name me another year in CSGO that had more than 4 NA teams in top 12 since you arent a kid and you keep going NA = dead.

2020-09-02 01:15

NA is dead by the numbers you dumb ass... NA can have all 5 orgs in the top 10... If there's no playerbase , no companies investing, no anything it doesn't mean anything. It just means NA is turning coal into diamonds lol. Show me some got damn proof that NA as a WHOLE is thriving. Stop pointing at the few good teams. Cause that's all there is

steel performed rlly well in chaos good to see him still putting up numbers even while being banned

2020-09-01 01:22

Took long enough! Won't be missed At least by me

this is the only consequential move after his last interview where he admitted again his ban is holding chaos back. valorant is a big opportunity for anyone good enough to compete.

2020-09-01 01:23

how big will be remain to be seen but for sure better than be in a T2-T3 csgo team. The competitive level in CSGO in on another level.

2020-09-01 01:25

i think valorant, being a dumbed down version of csgo, will never be quite on the same level.. technically at least. but the base game is good enough, has enough interest and riot behind it to have a promising comp future

Exactly. It will never be because game is made in a way to fill the skill gap between higher and lower level players. In Valorant a decent DMG player can be really effective and have kills versus GE players in Valorant. I know many dmg/le friends of mine that made it to Diamond/immortal already. I stand at Diamond 1 with very few games. Now of course game is good enough when it copied that hard CSGO. It is CSGO with Overwatch skills ! How to not be good. With that being said go watch top Valorant teams play then watch CSGO teams ... It is like watching Tier 1 teams vs Teir 3 teams in csgo.

2020-09-01 03:25

"one of the best americas igl" based on what? the online matches in the 6 months or so? lmao one of the best indeed bailed before playing in the real stages or maybe he found out hes teammates were cheating and didn't want to be banned oh wait hes already banned

2020-09-01 01:27

so dumb Jesus christ... he helped develop talent and brought two top 20 teams while fragging amoung the best in the region. He is also great at finding talent and teaching pug stars structure giving NA some great opportunities

2020-09-01 03:59

By teams you mean just chaos right?

2020-09-01 06:05

ghost?

2020-09-01 06:46

so reaching top 20 is a win? i mean ig for u americans is cos thats all yall will get even at ur best phase but no majors and big trophies, finding talent with the structure yall have whichs way better than ours and we still have more trophies than yall

2020-09-01 17:15

I hope that there's no gambling sites for valorant too

2020-09-01 01:31

there will be, just like for any other esport

valvlorant won't succed maybe russian game yes but not this

2020-09-01 01:34

lol

2020-09-01 01:38

Bad news for steel

2020-09-01 01:37

you should forgive him and move on like everyone else in the community did, except valve, who made the IBP case more of a statement and a warning ban than an actual case of justice.

2020-09-01 01:40

just don't throw your match for skins and nothing will happen to you

2020-09-01 02:26

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA I hope that there's no gambling sites for valorant too.....

2020-09-01 01:35

stepping down b/c he knows they cheat as a motherfucker.

2020-09-01 01:54

omegalul

2020-09-01 01:56

Thank you for the entertainment friend

sad day for cs scene ((((

2020-09-01 02:02

-1 matchfixer on CS

2020-09-01 02:07

He earned my great respect. He didn't give up and cry about it. He faced that he made a mistake and even though it must be hard to stay focused when you can't compete high, worked hard for the achievements he set for himself so far. I say good job sir.

2020-09-01 02:14

Rip chaos, not my favorite player for his attitudes but let's be honest, he was the core of the team, probably one of the best igl they could have . Good vibes for chaos and specially for the good boy Xeppaa

Expected, his cs career was pretty much finished, he cant push himself anymore cause of his lifetime ban rip, washed cs pros always end up at valorant kek

2020-09-01 02:20

Running away before the LANs' come back, LUL

2020-09-01 02:24

kkkkkkkkk, so true.

2020-09-01 02:47

based

2020-09-01 08:55

lmao

2020-09-01 10:37

steel has finally decided to hang up his mouse...what a sad day. I knew it was coming, but it's one of those things that you just hope doesn't actually happen. Hopefully everything works out for him and he can pursue something else. One chapter has ended, but another one has begun.

2020-09-01 02:43

Atleast we still have Brazil-steel still playing cs.

2020-09-01 02:44

sad to hear

2020-09-01 02:45

I'm so sad now. He was only 25 by the time he matchfixed, he knew nothing back then... Poor kid. Now he had to retire with 30 yo and no titles whatsoever...

2020-09-01 02:54

Today was a tragedy for the CS scene. Steel leaves professional play, Hunden banned, honestly, one of the worst days for cs in a while.

2020-09-01 03:02

steel is cs legend, and always be, i love him :)))

ok 10yo

2020-09-02 00:11

I thought this was just a late april fools lmao

2020-09-01 03:06

100T valorant welcome!

2020-09-01 03:11

No major no carrer

2020-09-01 03:21

If Vanity can keep this team to T2 still or at least get it to T1 then removing Steel does make sense. Otherwise, get an IGL that can make this team qualify for major or at least win some T1 tourneys.

2020-09-01 03:22

steel still playing csgo? lmao he is trash

2020-09-01 03:23

Wtfff whyy duuude? 200iq igl wasted for trash valorant streams

2020-09-01 03:33

took longer than I expected tbh lol

2020-09-01 03:36

2020-09-01 04:07

why do teams keep on adding washed up players past their prime....marke to chaos like moose to triumph...

2020-09-01 04:08

Cus he has the experience to guide youngsters He stepped down cus he must have completed his guidance part

2020-09-01 04:22

Because there are no more top players in all NA area.

2020-09-01 10:09

we will miss you steel. you did na cs a great thing by bringing up players and making them better

2020-09-01 04:57

LuL

2020-09-01 05:13

i feel bad for him man i loved him on this team they clicked. Sad :(

2020-09-01 05:22

Bro he is legit the only thing that made them anything more than another MDL team. Watch Chaos fall off hard after this, ain't no way they can keep their level of play up without Steel.

2020-09-01 05:42

Well that happened to all the teams he was in, after he left them/was kicked.

2020-09-01 08:01

GG noob

2020-09-01 05:58

Im so sad with this news😀😀😀😀😀😀

2020-09-01 06:07

expected

2020-09-01 06:09

It’s a sad day. Thank you for everything steel!

2020-09-01 06:24

The NA Zeus. Sigh. Except he is a fragging igl, and that he has no major. But huge respect for all his contributions to NA CS. All the best m8.

2020-09-01 06:30

i for one completely agreed with the perma ban when it happened and for the sake of consistency never advocated for it to be reversed. still, i think steel's dedication to the scene and what he managed to achieve is admirable. i don't think those views are contradictory unless you are an absolutist teenager. i think the dude really tried to redeem himself which isn't trivial.

2020-09-01 07:09

End of an era, he was the last active IBP player.

2020-09-01 08:00

I forgive you man, well fought.

2020-09-01 08:12

Nothing but respect for you, thanks and gl!

2020-09-01 08:21

sad, after 6 years he also retires from cs as the last active player from ibp

2020-09-01 08:40

steel did a major fick up but he has shown over and over his love for the game.

Very sad, this roster was showing much potential with steel, not sure how it will go with MarkE

2020-09-01 08:42

gl steel ^^ all da best in val*rant

2020-09-01 08:59

I really don't know how you can like this thief The guy literally stole and you like him

2020-09-01 09:00

2020-09-01 09:07

the irony is, that he will most likely join 100 thieves in valorant :d

2020-09-01 11:39

Good luck legend!!!

2020-09-01 09:23

ok Brazil

2020-09-01 17:22

:( gl legend <3

2020-09-01 09:41

2020-09-01 15:19

doesnt change the fact he is a legend.

2020-09-01 15:21

confirmed: RIP Chaos sad to see him leave, would have liked to see volvo finally remove that stick from their arse and unban them after more than 5 years...

2020-09-01 10:18

sad... and marke sucks

2020-09-01 10:39

Damn, if not this ban I swear he would be one of the best caps and major winners!

2020-09-01 11:05

finally this matchfixing dog got the message that he CAN'T play this game

2020-09-01 11:34

who cares about this cheater?

2020-09-01 11:35

*match fixer cheater was kqly

2020-09-01 12:27

Cheating and match fixing are the same kind of shit thing

2020-09-01 14:46

Awesome, go steel from valorant scene leave cs alone :]

2020-09-01 11:43

the last man from IBP

2020-09-01 11:53

Best of luck, steel! You were always a joy to follow

2020-09-01 12:19

Best na igl in cs go till date gl legend

2020-09-01 12:30

Good Luck steel =)

2020-09-01 12:29

dude who fucked up and regrets it, lifetime ban is still good to set an example by valve but sad they dont ban constant matchfixers in tier 5 big loss for NA cs tho :/

2020-09-01 12:32

who's been matchfixing and not been banned?

2020-09-01 16:58

I don't remember names but its happening every month in china for example

2020-09-01 18:27

so people are matchfixing but you dont know who's doing it?

2020-09-01 18:42

reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/73.. is one example, sadly clip has been removed, pretty much both teams tried to lose and literally played brain dead cs (Ts were running away from a ct as the round was ending and the flashed CT did his best to get himself killed. I'm on a csgo betting discord and people there often find very suspicious odd shifts that always win, I've even bet on one and that won but as expected bookies cancelled the bet, happens all the time especially in china but also in CIS.

2020-09-01 18:48

Almost the entirety of the Chinese CS scene. Have you not read all the news of how fucked it is from the likes of captainMo and all that? He was talking about how large orgs would approach him to throw all the time, and then threaten him

2020-09-02 00:06

goes to valorant scene

2020-09-01 12:36

At the least he going out after making top 20 with two teams good on him and he teaches leaf and Xeppaa how to tilt the br fans makes me more sad 😢 gl steel (the good one not the nt one)

2020-09-01 13:05

whichever valorant team he goes to will get fkn massive stonks

2020-09-01 13:07

Good luck in valorant

2020-09-01 13:09

NO, MY LEGEND, MY LEGEND NOW I'M FORCED TO WATCH VALORANT :-(((((

2020-09-01 13:33

Keep lying to yourself!!! You only know one story, biased one, a fairy tale told by fake news and angry mobs! Open your eyes, look and judge on your own, maybe you'll understand one day.

2020-09-01 16:18

fucking xiter kkkkk

2020-09-01 13:49

Good luck on your next journey, Steel. I hope you will find a path with less bumps on the way. You've grown to be a respectable man who've shown the way for younger talents.

2020-09-01 14:08

once, a wise man said... "trash belongs to the trash"

2020-09-01 14:15

well glad for steel really. He tried everyting and give everything to CSGO even after BAN. I wish u best Josh, gl in Valorant man

2020-09-01 14:22

We lost one of the most experienced and smartest IGLs NA has ever produced. rip

2020-09-01 14:39

he didnt win anything dude just an ordinary player

good, and i hope he never comes back to cs, steel is a real piece of shit. time for easy game with low skill ceiling like everyone else from NA

2020-09-01 15:29

i wish him the best of luck in whatever he does.

2020-09-01 15:37

ok and now im sad

2020-09-01 15:45

He is still bot and no difference. Don't comeback to CS

2020-09-01 15:47

Irrelevant since 2014, no one cares

2020-09-01 15:49

Fuck man , csgo..... Unbanned steel

2020-09-01 16:21

A great IGL, and a great player, but will always be remembered as a match fixer, don't matchfix kids.

2020-09-01 16:56

What an interesting career

2020-09-01 20:23

FINALLY!

2020-09-01 21:31

a funny guy but nevertheless always will be remembered for his greatest csgo achievement: matchfixing. this is not because we're bad people or for hate. it's because we love cs so much that we need examples like this so people don't follow the same route. it's a great contribution indeed hope he has a good life anyhow

2020-09-01 22:56

Damn. All these players retiring or moving to valorant definitely got me a bit nostalgic ngl. Will certainly miss steel and wish him the best moving forward though

anyone with a brain forgives steel for his scandal, the dude has done nothing but give back to CS since in spades and has developed players without once asking to have his ban lifted. People need to learn to forgive someone for a past transgression, one thing you do wrong in life should not forever define you if you actually make up for it. Some crimes are unforgivable sure, but steel didn't kill a child or something absurd. I'm sure every single person here has done something just as bad and wouldn't say that defines them. He should be respected and missed

2020-09-02 00:04

this

2020-09-02 00:19

I hope Richard Lewis is happy, he destroyed two of of NA's most promising careers, in Steel and Swag. Fucking fat prick. Keep writing stories while pasty virgins make millions playing the video games you, "investigatively report" on... what a career... videogame journalist... rolling in the pussy that cunt is.

2020-09-02 02:50

This whole valorant move a lot of players are doing feels like them onlyfans moneymakers - "this old lady said bye to her normal job and is earning thousands on her page in onlyfans", except we don't see any tits

2020-09-02 03:37

Goddamn, sad to see steel leave as he still doing well individually and as a leader. Valorant is a good choice for him, however, as he'll be able to have free reign in their tournament circuit.

2020-09-02 06:44

Legend. Hella respect for him. One of the smartest players

2020-09-02 08:27

Do you intend to fix matchs in Valorant also ?

2020-09-02 11:34

He looks Borat xD

2020-09-02 13:35

Sad, hope he does well in the cs:go retirement home called valorant.

2020-09-02 18:24

Not the news i wanted to see

2020-09-02 22:53

legend

2020-09-03 11:43

eeewwwwww

2020-09-03 16:13

wow what a surprise xD

2020-09-03 17:39

Good to see, wish it was 5 years ago.

2020-09-04 02:02

who cars about matchfixers

2020-09-05 23:00

A legend and imho future hall of famer, at least within NA. Such a shame he followed Dazed's stupid idea. Could have gone down as the greatest IGL NA ever produced!

2020-09-11 13:11

bump

2020-09-28 21:01