OpTic India have released their current roster consisting of Sabyasachi โantidoteโ Bose, Vishal โhaiVaanโ Sharma, Agneya โMarzilโ Koushik and Lukas โybโ Grรถning after their player forsaken was caught cheating at EXTREMESLAND Asia 2018.
In a statement, they announced that they were against any form of cheating, and hence terminated the contract of Nikhil โforsakenโ Kumawat. They also announced that the other 4 would be free to choose their next destination.
Earlier today, OpTic India player forsaken was found to use cheats by an administrator at EXTREMESLAND Asia 2018 in the Group C elimination match against Revolution. The 23 year old tried to delete those files when confronted, but upon recovery, the organisers found a file called ez frag, which led to them confirming that he was cheating.
Optic International Development Director Jesal Parekh had earlier said “We want to apologize to all the other teams and organizations involved. It is unfair for everyone involved. We also want to apologize to our country and to the fans who have supported us. This will be a big setback for the country, and it is really unfortunate that one selfish person is capable of causing this.โ
Meanwhile, forsaken has already been banned by EXTREMESLAND and by community platform SoStronk, while others are soon expected to follow suit.
OpTic Gaming International Development Director Jessel Parekh told HLTV.org that Nikhil โforsakenโ Kumawat has immediately been released from the roster, and that other players were unaware about it.
The player caught with hacks has been released from the organisation, we do not tolerate anything like this,
We want to apologize to all the other teams and organizations involved. It is unfair for everyone involved. We also want to apologize to our country and to the fans who have supported us. This will be a big setback for the country, and it is really unfortunate that one selfish person is capable of causing this.
An official statement will be released soon by the organization, but I want to make it very clear that the other four players had no knowledge of this and would never have agreed to even play if there was even the slightest hint of it.
Earlier today, the 23-year-old was caught cheating by an admin at the EXTREMESLAND Asia 2018 Group C Elimination March between OpTic India, and Revolution. Fresh details have emerged stating the anti-cheat software had previously detected some suspicious activity in OpTic Indiaโs match against FrostFire yesterday, but they let it go after they lost the match.
However, in Round 17 of Cache, after the Indian side beat Revolution 16-7 on Inferno, the software caught something malicious yet again and the game was paused for 20 minutes. The admins wanted to look into forsakenโs PC, who initially refused, but after a while blatantly shift deleted the file right in front of them. The recovery software found a file named ezfrag which was enough for the officials to disqualify OpTic India from the tournament.
It remains to be seen what happens next, as not only OpTic India, but the Indian CS scene comes under huge questions about how a player potentially escaped cheating for so long.
Optic India’s forsaken has been reportedly terminated from the Zowie EXTREMESLAND 2018 Asia. As per the first reports, the organizers thus noted that there were indeed problems in the way forsaken was playing the game.
In a shocking discovery, an admin at Extremesland 2018 Asia Finals, Shanghai found Nikhil โforesakenโ Kumawat of OpTic India hacking during their match against Revolution in the Group C elimination match. In a tweet, @CSGO2ASIA confirmed that the team was disqualified of the tournament immediately, and the 23 year old was sent home on the first flight back.
At this point, no statement has been released from OpTic India, who could find themselves in deep trouble, and will cast aspersions on all their victories, including the win at ESL India Fall Premiership, which could potentially make their spot at the ESL Pro League Asia Playoffs in jeopardy.
It has been confirmed by Extremesland Officials that @OpTicIndia player โforesakenโ has been caught with hacks on his PC. The team has been dismissed from the tournament immediately and the player will be sent home on the next flight. No further statements from OptiC at this time
The blue wall qualified for the event by staying unbeaten throughout and by besting Entity Gaming 1-0 with a 1 map advantage. Coming into the tournament, the high flying Indian team lost 16-6 to FrostFire on Nuke and were losing to Revolution by 1 map before the cheat was detected by an admin in Cache after 21 rounds
As Sabyasachi โAntidoteโ Bose wields the big green gun for Optic India against the likes of GOSU and MVP.PK, people cheer the youngster from Kolkata on. The rise of the stature of Kolkata within the Indian Counter-Strike Scene has not just been surprising or meteoric, but long overdue.
Rolling back the days to 1.6 and there was hardly any representation from Kolkata at National events. Aim2Game tried to hard to put Kolkata on the Counter-Strike map in India and were the most successful team from the region, especially at National events.
There were others who tried though. Negative Evolution and Foulplay dominated the scene at different junctures as well. But, they failed to have the same level of success at the National level as Aim2Game.
The team was famous for their execute-heavy style, something that was rare within the Indian scene at that point. They made their mark and earned praise from other top teams for their calculated plays and extended playbook. Their highest point came at the WCG 2012, where they placed second, the highest of any team from the region.
Their fourth place at ESWC 2011 though, was much more impressive as they pulled off a brilliant lower bracket run at the event before falling at the final hurdle that saw them miss out on the Bronze.
Back then though, Kolkata wasnโt the shining light of Eastern Indian Counter Strike. Orissa and North East had teams that not only competed regularly at the National level but recorded mild success at the said events as well.
The likes of Elements, Rogues and xM could all be chalked down as more prominent within the Indian Counter-Strike scene.
Fast forward to the introduction of Global Offensive, JMD took everyone by storm with their impressive performances at top online events. There was also a period where a few of the players were alleged to have used unfair means to win. But, the stars were soon removed from the roster.
Despite the early success that JMD enjoyed, there was little representation from Kolkata at LAN events. That soon changed though. Invisible Wings decided to invest into the roster and that immediately propelled the stars to limelight, one of them being Antidote himself.
JMD and Goutfits both produced iterations that competed at LAN Events not just locally but at the National level. Arindam โfRoDโ Bose managed JMD and managed to produce different iterations of the roster, with large success.
It is worth noting that JMD was the first and is still the only organization from within Kolkata to offer a fixed salary and receive sponsorship from brands like Ttesports.
The two teams showed players from Kolkata can more than match up to the best in business in India. And soon began the inculcation of Kolkata-based players into top rosters.
Antidote is undoubtedly the most prominent name to emerge from the region. The star joined MxB, which reformed into Dare 2 Dream, and grew in stature under the leadership of Bhavin โHellRangerโ Kotwani. He did return to the Kolkata CS scene for a brief period but soon found himself representing Eternal Esports.
The lineup then had to change sponsors and came to be called Team Malhar. Antidote was joined by Gurtej โProudโ Singh in the lineup. Proud is still a part of the roster while Antidote has moved on to Optic India.
Antidoteโs selection in Optic India is perhaps the best reflection of the growth of Kolkata within the Counter-Strike scene. But, he was not alone in the shortlist. Dipayan โMaChOโ Das and Bodhisattwa โThe Guruโ Panday also featured on the list but chose not to go for the tryouts.
Both the players are a part of the SRA roster that placed 3rd at the ZOWIE eXTREMESLAND Regional LAN Finals. Slaughter Rage Army are dominant within the local scene, regularly scoring victories over not just teams from Kolkata but Orissa and North East as well.
The Kolkata-based team has even managed to qualify for the ESL INDIA Fall Season Finals, finishing in the top four of the Online Phase and placed second at the LAN Finals in Hyderabad.
Photo via SRA
Sagnik โhellfightRโ Roy represented Ate Gaming and is now a part of Team Malhar. While Sunny โDeathMakerโ Das hails from the North East, he received success within the Global Offensive scene after joining JMD in Kolkata.
Now, the hybrid star represents Entity, arguably Top 2 within the Indian Counter Strike scene, and recently lapped up his first BIG trophy under the Entity banner, winning the Dew Arena Lan Finals over 2ez gaming.
Let us talk about pure rosters from Kolkata. JMD and Goutfits were both successful to a certain degree. But, SRAโs 3rd place at the ZOWIE eXTREMESLAND Regional LAN Finals was the first time Kolkata was put on a map as a serious threat within the Indian Counter Strike scene.
They managed to repeat it at the ESL INDIA Fall Season LAN Finale in Hyderabad by taking down Brutality again, this time in straight maps. SRA may have finished second but losing to an Optic India side that look set to become a South East Asian powerhouse is nothing to be sad about.
As Bodhisattwa โThe Guruโ Panday said in his interview, SRA had nothing to lose and their first consecutive top four placings at National LAN events is something to build upon. The next step is to find financial support, especially with four of the five members not really equipped with the best of financial conditions.
Their victories have taken some experts by surprise. But, what is uplifting is the playstyle with which the wins have come. It resembles just how much Kolkata has grown in terms of competing with other top regions.
SRA boast of a very contact-heavy playing style, often resorting to quick rushes while relying mostly on aim duels to gain an advantage on the server. This is a stark contrast to the execute-heavy style mastered by Aim2Game in CS 1.6.
While you can chalk down the change in playing style to many reasons, one of them is the fact that players from Kolkata are now confident of matching up to other top players in terms of raw firepower, mostly thanks to exposure.
When it comes to exposure, a major portion of credit is due to Sostronk. The Bengaluru-based startup equipped gamers with the ability to play regular PUGs, thus helping in the overall improvement of the Indian scene, not just Kolkata.
It is sad to see Kolkata still being ignored in a few Qualifiers. But, Kolkata is not scared anymore. They have the skill. The support for their unabashed brand of Counter-Strike is also in an upward trajectory. Kolkata has established itself within the Indian Counter Strike ecosystem.
And I am willing to bet, it is here to stay and grow with each passing season.
The 5th edition of the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup 2018, which runs from the 19th-20th of October at Infiniti Mall, Mumbai, featuring CS:GO, DOTA 2 and PUBG, has announced BenQ ZOWIE as its eSports Monitor partner.
Launched in 2008, ZOWIE is a brand that focuses on bringing top gaming gear for enthusiasts and was acquired by BenQ in 2015. All the matches of the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup 2018 will be played on the flagship XL2546 that features a 240Hz refresh rate, and a 1ms response time. It also comes with a one-of-its-kind โDynamic Accuracy,โ that improves smoothness while maiming clarity. Its eQualizer technology optimises colour performance and improves dark light visibility. The XL2546 is priced at Rs 46000, and is available for purchase on Amazon India.
ZOWIE also has a dedicated booth at the event, where they will showcase their range of monitors, including the XL2546, XL2720, and XL2411P. They will also feature their range of gaming gear including the Celeritas II Keyboard, Mousepads like the G-SR, P-SR, G-TF-X and P-TF-X and mice like the EC, FK and ZA series along with the newly launched EC1-B and EC2-B CSGO Edition.
The EC2-B is interesting because it is designed exclusively with Counter-Strike players in mind, which offers bigger room for wrist movements, and is specially useful for right-handed users as its right side is well rounded, providing more comfort. They are priced at Rs 5900 and will be available at Amazon India.
The Celeritas II also has some unique features like optical switch, which aims to avoid double presses and illuminated keys whose brightness can be controlled, and is priced at Rs 10900.
Finally, ZOWIE will also display CAMADE and VITAL, available for Rs 2250 and Rs 6800 respectively. CAMADE is a neat solution for inconvenience with the mouse cable, as it lets the user adjust the cable length, while VITAL is an audio system specifically designed for eSports, which aims to streamline and simplify sound card use.
Gambit have announced that they have removed Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev from the active roster and are accepting offers for the Kazakh.
In a statement, Konstantin Pikiner, CEO of the Russian organisation said
Darren has spent almost three years in our organisation by joining CSGO division upon its opening. Together with Gambit he secured a lot of beautiful victories and earned an impressive amount of titles. Itโs time for change, both for him and our CSGO roster. With that in mind, we support his decision to prove himself in another team, possibly in another region.
The announcement follows the footsteps of Abay โHobbitโ Khasenov, who was transfer listed last month. The organisation also stated that the next tournament they will play is SuperNova in November, giving them a month to find their replacement.
Gambit Esports announces an opening of transfer negotiations concerning Dauren "AdreN" Kystaubayev of Gambit CS:GO pic.twitter.com/nxhKjZyRJh
The veteran CIS player, who completed 3 years in Gambit in August, has been instrumental in Gambitโs success, with the PGL Krakow Major victory being his biggest achievement, where adjourned the MVP of the tournament. He has also won the ROG Masters 2017, DreamHack Open Austin 2017 and DreamHack Open Winter 2016 being his other wins under the roster.
This means that only two of the players from the Major winning squad, mou and Dosia remain in the roster, as it remains to be seen if they look to replace the 2 players or will pick up another squad altogether.
Cloud9 have announced that Tyler โSkadoodleโ Latham would be taking a break from the competitive scene as soon as his replacement is announced.
Tyler "@C9Skadoodle" Latham is officially stepping back from the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitive scene. Your history and achievements at Cloud9 will never be forgotten.
The 25-year-old was the last remaining player from the 2015 Cloud9 roster that was the face of NA CS at the time, as well as the only constant in all the iterations of the organization since, except a 2-week absence in 2018 when Stewie2K joined SK Gaming.
I am taking a break from competitive CS:GO, I would like to thank the fans and Cloud9 for their support these past years and I wish the CS:GO team the best of luck.
Skadoodle was one of the most highly rated awpers in 2015, with a rating of 1.13. While he continued to be one of the best in NA and in the world, the constant roster changes, along with his marked inconsistencies, often overshadowed his impact within the team itself. He finally tasted some success under teenage talent Jake โStewie2Kโ Yip, by winning the ESL Pro League Season 4 against favorites SK gaming. A year later, he finally won a Major in his 9th attempt, and the first for a North American team.
C9 Owner Jack Etienne, said in a statement:
I could talk about what Skadoodle has meant to Cloud9 for years and it still wouldnโt be enough. He is the embodiment of North American Counterstrike and his break is beyond well-deserved. Weโre grateful to have him in the Cloud9 family and look forward to whatever comes next.
As of now, no immediate plans have been announced about the duration of the break, whether his stepping down would be permanent or if he would actively be looking for a spot in another team. He will be playing with Cloud9 on an interim basis till his replacement is announced.
Beyond The Summit, on it’s official Twitter handle, has announced preliminary details about the cs_summit 3. The organizers conveyed that the event will commence on first day of November and it’ll stretch over the span of next three days. Eight teams from North-America and Europe have been invited for the $150,000 USD event:
G2 Esport
NRG Esports
Team Kinguin
OpTic Gaming
compLexity Gaming
BIG Clan
Heroic
Ghost Gaming
The event will feature a double-elimination best-of-three format while the grand-finale featuring a best-of-five encounter with one map advantage for the team that will advance from upper-brackets.
cs_summit will be held in Summit Villa, Los Vegas. It happens to be a very chilled and laid back event in the CS:GO calendar. The groups, schedule, match-ups and talent line-up is yet to be announced in upcoming days. Until then, stay tuned.
Madrid, 16 de Octubre 2018 โ MAD Lions E.C. makes public its agreement with Nescafรฉ. Specifically with Nescafรฉ 3en1, making the official entry of the brand into national esports with the sponsorship of the esports club MAD Lions E.C. Its support is focused on the League of Legends team of the club, recent champion of the European Masters international competition, and also of the last season of the League of Legends Superliga Orange.
Although the Swiss company has already had a presence in the esports territory in other countries and with other brands, this will be the first time it does so in Spain, which is a great milestone for the electronic sports industry in our country, that receives one of the largest food companies in the world.
The coffee brand premieres in national esports with the sponsorship of the Madrilenian club MAD Lions E.C. focusing their support on the League of Legends team.
This agreement is the first entry into Spain of Nestlรฉ, one of the great food giants worldwide, specifically with its “Nescafรฉ 3en1” brand.
The sponsorship will be materialized with the generation of digital content and the creation of experiences in events focused on bringing the club closer to its fans, starting this weekend at the Madrid Games Week, which takes place at IFEMA (Madrid).
Marcos Eguillor, co-founder of MAD Lions E.C. and CCO of the club comments on the agreement: “The entry of the Nestlรฉ group (one of the largest advertisers in the world), through the signing of a sponsorship agreement with Nescafรฉ and its product Nescafรฉ 3in1, is a very important step for MAD Lions E.C. in its relationship strategy with leading brands in its segments. In addition, it is excellent news for a sector that every day attracts more consumer brands that are committed to innovation, digitalization and the transformation of their model of relationship with the customer through eSports “.
Carlos Calvo, Digital Manager of Nescafรฉ 3en1, also wanted to make a statement about this announcement: “Coffee is a perfect complement to enjoy any videogame or esports as a spectator. NESCAFร 3en1 for us is represented with the #VoyConTodo concept. What better than MAD Lions E.C., as leader of esports in Spain, to communicate this way of thinking. ”
The sponsorship will be materialized with the generation of digital content and creation of experiences in events focused on bringing club players to their fans, starting this weekend at the largest videogame fair in Spain, Madrid Games Week, where fans can participate in different activities with the club.
This agreement has been managed by the agency MKTG, specialized in Lifestyle Marketing and sponsorship, and which has already managed various sponsorship agreements within the territory of electronic sports.
In a statement, the German organization announced the return of Martin โStykoโ Styk to the active roster, 4 months after being replaced by Janusz โSnaxโ Pogorzelski, who has been benched effective immediately.
.@STYKOcsgo returns to the starting lineup of mousesports and will replace Snax with immediate effect.
IGL Chris โchrisJโ De Jong attributed the lack of chemistry and coordination to the change.
I’m sorry to Janusz for this episode. Both parties were hoping for something different than the other had to offer so there was a clear mismatch in chemistry ingame, which showed. I hope Snax can look back on the good times with friends where we won a trophy in New York against the odds. I think that is something to be proud of. Sadly, I think we both agree this cooperation will not work longterm. Snax is a great player but we couldnโt get him to play in the way this team needs. Iโm sure he will be an extremely valuable addition to another roster. We are very fortunate to have Martin as a sixth player, who we know will be eager to get started right away.
As it was earlier reported, the organization was already looking for a change after a disastrous FACEIT Major, but having found no suitable players and a surprise victory at ESL One New York gave them more time to rethink their options. The group stage loss at Starseries, however, proved to be costly, as internal problems within the team as well as the availability of Styko after the completion of his loan spell at Cloud9, meant an abrupt end for Snaxโs short tenure at Mouz.
As it was earlier reported, the organization was already looking for a change after a disastrous FACEIT Major, but having found no suitable players and a surprise victory at ESL One New York gave them more time to rethink their options. The group stage loss at Starseries, however, proved to be costly, as internal problems within the team as well as the availability of Styko after the completion of his loan spell at Cloud9, meant an abrupt end for Snaxโs short tenure at Mouz.
Mousesport’sย complete roster is now the following:
