s1mple joins BC.Game!

Talk about a surprise, the Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev has found his next challenge in his Counter-Strike career in BC.Game! Currently composed of nexa, cacaNito and pr1metapz, s1mple arrives as the fourth player of a squad in construction. More changes are expected.

Nine years in Natus Vincere

In Auguste 2016, s1mple joined Natus Vincere after a short stint in Liquid. It is in this jersey that he wrote most of his legend. 17 significant trophies, including the 2021 Stockholm Major and the Intel Gran Slam, talk about leaving your mark. In October 2023, after a troublesome switch from CS:Global Offensive to CS2, he decided to take a step back from the active roster. Since then we had only seen him filling in for Falcons and alongside FaZe for Dallas and Austin very recently.

A surprising step back

Let's not mince our words, BC.Game, albeit about to change some more, is still an organisation a few leagues below what s1mple has been used to his entire career. This represents an undeniable step back. In his tweet, s1mple explained that he would rather make that sacrifice and actually play in order to get back to his best self.

Such a decision is a testament to s1mple's will and dedication. The superstar also alluded to the possibility of "rebuilding" the squad. Currently composed of four players, the arrival of such a high profile, pending financial ressources, could trigger the interest of other high value targets.

Mellow Dallas, improved Austin

If his first outing with FaZe in Dallas was underwhelming, by s1mple's standard, his progression from Dallas to Austin was remarkable. Considering the premise that his improvement will continue, s1mple will very soon find his name once again amongst the best in the world. What will be key for the superstar is to keep the right mindset in the new chapter of his career.

A mental challenge

Therein lies the real difficulty for s1mple. Accustomed to elite offline tournaments and high stakes games, the sniper will probably find out about the jungle that online Counter-Strike is. Open and closed qualifiers, questionable opponents and free style Counter-Strike will surely amount to some degree of frustration. If s1mple truly wants to use BC.Game as a spring board for his career, he will need to maintain a positive attitude throughout what will seemingly be the hardest stretch in his last decade of professional gaming. Stay tuned! 

_{Picture from HLTV.org}

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