The move may come as a shock to many CS:GO fans; however, there has been some talk since the start of the player break a couple of weeks ago that Vitality were going to make a move and try and reinvigorate their roster with younger talent.
Team Vitality said this move would provide them with “an opportunity to bring fresh talent into our team in order to build a new generation of champions��.
So when you consider the fact that dupreeh is now 30, and flameZ is 10 years his junior, the move is aimed at keeping the world��s number one ranked CS:GO team ahead of the curve.
A legendary chapter closes..
Thank you for everything @dupreeh pic.twitter.com/0u3ss6z4sY
— Team Vitality
(@TeamVitality) June 22, 2023
As you would expect, dupreeh expressed his displeasure with the decision that was made by the French esports organisation, saying in a twitter post that, ��I don��t feel we had come to the end of the road with the current team, but I respect Vitality��s decision and wish them all the best��.
��I still feel I am on the top of my game and will spend my holidays on exploring what the next chapter in my life should be,�� he continued in his statement.
He ended his twitter post by saying, ��Obviously would love to win the 6th Major in my hometown next year, but winning a Major is not easy and I would need to find a team and an organization who share my ambition, professionalism and willingness to sacrifice to achieve the goal.��
Dupreeh is referencing the first Counter-Strike 2 Major in Copenhagen, Denmark – being held in his hometown in February of next year – which would be his sixth Major win, if he was victorious with a new team.
As for flameZ, he will join from OG on a free transfer and will now get the opportunity to join a roster that has been playing some of the best Counter-Strike in the world, in recent times.
FlameZ shared on his twitter that he is ��super excited and proud to join the hive today! I��m ready to put in the work for this new step in my career.��
… A New One Begins
Welcome to the hive @flameZcsgo & Happy Birthday
— Team Vitality
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?In line with their win, OG has advanced to the semifinals of the Play-in Stage of the BLAST Premier Fall Finals.
Complexity, on the other hand, have been relegated to the BLAST Premier Fall Showdown. At the Showdown, the North American esports franchise will have a final chance to make their way to the Fall Finals in November.?
.@Complexity loses 2-0 to @OGcsgo, and their journey ends here… for now.
We'll see you at Fall Showdown
#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/NahmVTnOaW
— We play CS:GO today
(@BLASTPremier) August 25, 2022
?The first map of the series was Ancient, and OG was in control from the start. Towards the end of the second half of the game, the team almost lost their lead of 14-4 to Complexity after the North American squad bagged nearly nine consecutive wins.
Complexity was unable to keep up with their play, and OG ended the game with a 16-13 score.? ?OG gave an even more impressive performance in Overpass, the second map of the series. The team were able to nullify nearly every offensive attempt carried out by their opponent in the first half.
They led with an 11-4 score and finished off Complexity by bagging five consecutive T-Side rounds.? ?Despite Complexity��s AWPer, H?kon ��hallzerk�� Fj?rli��s best efforts to stop OG��s new star player, Abdul ��degster�� Gasanov, the player ended the match with an impressive number of kills. The OG star finished with 47 kills and he also recorded about 27 deaths.
1.49 > 1.04.
The Slap King strikes again#BLASTPremier pic.twitter.com/KxpD4aRuzf
— We play CS:GO today
?The team brought hallzerk into their starting lineup in June in a bid to improve the their faltering level at the time. In order to make space for him on the roster, Payton ��junior�� Johnson was moved to a substitute role in preparation for a transfer to another team.? ?
The BLAST Premier Fall Groups‘ premature elimination was an unfortunate result for the franchise. However, it is uncertain if Complexity will have to implement new changes to their roster for a better outcome.? ?
OG will go on to battle FaZe Clan in the semifinals of the play-in as underdogs with $3.94 odds on GG.BET esports. The anticipated match will take place on August 26 and see the victor go head-to-head with Astralis in the next round.
The winner of the Astralis match will qualify to join the BLAST Premier Fall Finals, and the defeated team will be given another opportunity in the Last Chance stage.? ?
The BLAST Premier Fall Groups started on August 19 and will carry on till August 28. The tournament has a prize pool of $177,498 and features 12 CS:GO teams battling in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Out of the 12, only six will advance to the BLAST Premier Fall Finals set to take place at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen in November.? ?The six teams that are unable to make it to the BLAST Finals will be given another chance in the October Showdown, where they will compete against 10 different teams for the remaining two slots in the BLAST Finals.
]]>The esports organization made the announcement via its Twitter page. The post read, “It’s with heavy hearts that we will attend another event without them. Misha and Chu have been denied their visas to the US and won’t be able to attend the Major. They will work with the team remotely. We’ll do everything in our power to make them proud once again.”
Both Chu and Misha are Russian nationals, and due to the current conflict in Ukraine, citizens from both countries are experiencing issues obtaining US visas. This is the second time in a row this issue has arisen, and to make up for the lack, Sebastian “Ceb” Debs will rejoin the team��s lineup, hoping to lead them to another victory.
Ceb previously played with OG in the ESL One Stockholm 2022 campaign, which the team won. His play at the time enabled the team to earn its fifth Major win despite the event being several teammates�� first time at a major LAN event. At the time, he also replaced Misha, who had visa issues. GAMERS GALAXY: Invitational Series Dubai 2022 also saw the absence of the team��s captain, who was replaced by Chuvash.
The head of OG��s esports, Mike Schwartz, revealed that the organization had already made plans and gotten the visas for the other teammates before the competition; however, Misha and Chu��s arrangements could not be completed.
The OG head explained, “Although we completed and received both B and P visa approvals for the entire team in a timely manner, we were unable to secure the required appointments to finalize the process with Misha and Chu.”
Schwartz continued, “Unfortunately, this was an issue facing many of the teams that are having stand-ins at the event due to the current immigration climate and USCIS backlog. We are grateful, however, that Ceb can once again step into the roster and hopefully guide the team once more to a Major victory.”
Whether or not OG wins the Arlington Major, the team is already qualified to carry on to The International 2022. By October, they will head to Singapore due to their position as one of the favorites from Europe.
OG is not the only team that has faced issues preparing for the Arlington event. Earlier, Fnatic announced that three of their players, Marc “Raven” Fausto, Jaunuel “Jaunuel” Arcilla, and Armel “Armel” Tabios, would not be joining them for the tournament due to their inability to secure US visas in time.
The team is now down to two players, Anucha “Jabz” Jirawong and Djardeo “DJ” Mampusti. Fnatic will reportedly participate with three stand-ins. This could deal a huge blow to the team��s hopes of giving an outstanding performance at the Major because they would most likely be unable to practice with their three new teammates before then.
Xtreme Gaming is another team affected by an incomplete US visa process. Unlike others who brought in stand-ins, the team decided to entirely withdraw from the competition after a player had their application declined several times. Some more roster changes could still be in the works before August 4, when the Major will start.
]]>Although details of the partnership were not revealed, we know that the bookmaker’s logo will be featured on OG’s team jerseys.
OG Esports’ head of partnership, Romane Sorine, expressed the organization’s excitement to partner with 1xBet. While she revealed that the bookmaker will provide the team with some resources, she was more thrilled about the potential of stepping up in the esports industry with the help of the experienced betting company.
“Having the opportunity to count with 1xBET on our side is pretty exciting. As an experienced company in the sports and esports field, we��re sure that 1xBET will help us step up, even more, our projects, by not only enabling us with more resources but also with their ideas and expertise.”
1xBet spokesperson Alex Sommers also commented on the deal, pointing out OG’s rapid growth and how the bookie is willing to help create historic moments.
“Just a year after its creation, the organization managed to win The International, [and] won the commitment of hundreds of thousands of fans in all corners of the globe. OG are able to ignite the hearts of fans thanks to bright performances and innovative views on CS: GO and Dota 2,” he said.
“There is a big adventure ahead and, we are sure, it will be accompanied by resounding victories. With 1xBet, the organization will write a new, exciting chapter of its history, #DreamOG.”
OG revealed that the partnership would cover only their Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) rosters.
Although OG have a Valorant roster, that has been left out because of the recent transformation on that front. A few weeks ago, OG Esports went into a partnership with British esports organization LDN UTD.
The deal will see both Valorant rosters operate as one team now called OG LDN UTD. Meanwhile, OG will continue to operate its French roster, currently participating in the Valorant French league.
While this is the most recent partnership, OG have about seven other partners, with the most popular being Red Bull.
There have also been other changes the organization has implemented since the start of this year. Their first point of action in 2022 was to make a change at the top level. They appointed a new head of esports, Michael Schwartz, and unveiled the French Valorant team in the same period.
How are OG’s Dota 2 and CS: GO rosters fairing this year?
OG are not competing in the ongoing CS:GO PGL Major Antwerp. A top-eight finish in the European Regional Major Ranking (RMR) tournament would have guaranteed them a place in the tournament, but they failed to hit the mark.
The Danish team finished 10th in the RMR with a 2-3 record. They had an opportunity to seal a finish in the top eight but lost their Round 5 match against Eternal Fire 2-0.
However, OG still have an opportunity to seal a spot in the 2022 World Final as early June in the BLAST Premier Spring Final. They are one of eight teams that will be competing in the event, and while $200,000 from the US$425,000 prize pool is incentive enough to win, they will have a chance at a bigger payday and bragging rights at the 2022 World Final.
Meanwhile, on the Dota 2 front, OG are having a decent campaign in ESL One Stockholm 2022. They are currently in round two of the lower bracket and are getting ready to face Fnatic.
Although a top-eight finish, a piece of the prize fund and Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points are already guaranteed, OG have a chance to aim for more. They are the heavy favorites against Fnatic, paying around $1.50 with most esports betting sites.
]]>Both organizations are set to go into a joint venture with the LDN UTD’s Valorant team being revamped to OG LDN UTD and performing as one entity. Since March 2021, LDN UTD has been involved in Valorant, and its team of mostly Lithuanian players qualified for the VCT EMEA Challengers in Stage 1 of the league.
Upon retaining its Valorant Champion Tour (VCT) status, the OG LDN UTD team will compete in the VCT Challengers Stage beginning May 13, with every player to wear co-branded OG LDN UTD jerseys to signify the recent partnership.
The partnership will see both franchises pool resources together for players�� aid and performance boosters. Both organizations will also be focusing on community development and joint activities, some of which will be done at the headquarters of LDN UTD, the Centre Of Excellence, Camden Town, London.
OG Esports has announced that it will run its existing French roster till the end of the season. The team is scheduled to participate in Valorant’s French regional tournament.
CEO of OG Esports, JMR Luna addressed the joint-venture and describes the partnership with LDN UTD as ��a perfect match.�� He also shared that their community-driven structure was a great pull to getting the partnership solidified.
��Very rarely do we have a chance to work with another value-driven company and in LDN UTD we have found a perfect match.��
��We love their community-driven initiatives and what they are building, so when we all sat down together and spoke, we became very excited about this adventure together. We think they have done a very good job building and nurturing this project and we hope we can contribute to its success this new season.��
The leads of LDN UTD also did not hesitate to express their admiration of OG Esports and their excitement about the partnership.
��OG��s reputation in esports is well earned and highly respected, and through this unique partnership we will be able to continue to support our existing Valorant team and give them the best chance of pursuing success and fulfilling their ambition,�� CEO LDN UTD Oliver Weingarten said. ��We look forward to working closely with OG to grow the community and host engaging, joint events with them in London that further our ethos.��
��I��m so excited for LDN UTD to work with an organization that aligns with our values, to enhance our Valorant competitiveness, and I��ve no doubt alongside Johan, Seb, JMR, and the OG team we are going to create some great content that the community will love,�� Connor Ball, Co-owner LDN UTD also stated.
The organizations revealed that the team’s regular day-to-day activities will still be maintained by LDN UTD, specifically handled by its Head of Esports, Ali ��Rezi�� Rashid, and Mike Schwartz, OG��s Head of Esports.
The LDN UTD coach Tommaso ��JoYnt�� and OG analyst Tyler ��Bambino�� Jay, will maintain their roles. Likewise, the schedule for OG LDN UTD will follow suit with the LDN UTD existing roaster of Ri?ardas ��Boo�� Luka?evi?ius, Lukas ��feqew�� Petrauskas, Tomas ��Destrian�� Linikas, and Micha? ��MOLSI�� ??cki. Replacement for the inactive Aurimas ��Dreamas�� Zablockis will be former Alliance man, Tautvydas ��hype�� Paldavicius.
Joint-venture partnerships are fast becoming popular within the esports space, with the core aim of penetrating new markets or regions. In 2018, PSG joined with Chinese Dota 2 organization LGD Gaming to form PSG LGD. PSG also returned to League of Legends in 2020, forming the PSG Talon brand in collaboration with Hong Kong-based Talon Esports.
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