DeKay Mailbag Part 2: What’s next for Gambit CS:GO, Valve franchising, and HellRaisers Major slot

With an abundance of inactive CS:GO talent existing in the CIS region, it is almost certain that a combination exists that can become a fringe top ten team in the world.

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Edward has already joined Winstrike but could AVANGAR bolster their roster? A Valve sanctioned franchise league gets mentioned from time to time, but is it realistic? Lastly, what happens if Immortals buy the OpTic Gaming brand?

Answers to these questions and more are in this edition of the DeKay Mailbag

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Will we see a CIS roster shuffle soon? 

I would agree that there is a hypothetical team out there that would perform better than AVANGAR have, but it’s not exactly clear cut. With good pieces of talent out there, like AdreN and Hobbit, you’d have to imagine they might consider a change. 

You can make a case for them on Vega Squadron or Winstrike as well. The issue is, I think it will take some trial and error with these teams over the remainder of the year to really make an impact internationally.

Are FaZe Clan planning any more roster moves? 

If FaZe lose any of those players, it will be because one of them wants to leave and another organization is purchasing them. There is no way they actively replace one of them right now on their own, it just wouldn’t make sense. I expect them to retain this roster for a while, given FaZe’s situation right now.

Will Valve ever make a franchised CS:GO league?

There have been rumors about this and even questions about it in recent mailbags. My answer is still the same: No. I don’t think Valve is willing to be that hands-on with professional teams, it just doesn’t align with the way they like to operate. 

Some serious internal structure would have to change for me to feel differently about it. It can have value but overall I prefer the open market we have now, so long as people don’t abuse their influence and power. Unfortunately, that is inevitable from time to time.

Are there any leaks about the possible Immortals buyout of OpTic Gaming? 

I don’t have any information regarding the Immortals/OpTic situation, I wish I did. Last I was told, things weren’t looking good for OpTic but that could be pure rumor. I don’t see them picking up an academy team now or in the future, regardless of the outcome.

Are teams interested mou? 

Not that I have heard, but it could easily be the case. The key factor for Gambit players is how high their buyouts are and/or how much time is left on their contracts. That will decide what the near future will look like for them more than anything else. I wish I had more insight for you.

How will Renegades perform in the near future? 

I believe so, just not right away. Spending that amount of time without real practice with all five members definitely hurts. Some believe they may have peaked before he ran into VISA issues but I think they had room to get even better. Let’s see if they can get back into shape before the Major.

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Did Renegades think about replacing Gratisfaction?

They definitely kept an eye on possible replacements in case they couldn’t sort his situation out. Some might view that negatively, but I think it’s smart and I would do the same. I didn’t really hear any names in particular but you would have to imagine smooya was one of them because he was just about the best stand-in they could have gotten.

What’s next for AdreN and Hobbit?

He is definitely getting offers, which is what you would expect for a very experienced player that can play a number of roles. I think him linking up with a CIS team of some kind is the most likely scenario, but I can’t say for sure just yet. 

Hobbit is open to playing almost anywhere and has even had an offer from North America, but I have nothing to report just yet. If I do, you’ll see it published!

What is HellRaisers plan for the next Major?

I’m actually not sure and have been asking around about it this week. StarLadder have it so that teams cannot abuse the rule like it was previously. Teams will now need a legitimate emergency reason to swap their coach in as a fifth player and retain their spot. 

Right now they either won’t attend the Major or will put deadfox on the roster for the June 25th deadline. The deadfox option is looking like the most likely scenario given that they aren’t in any of the qualifiers right now.

Will Immortals face problems of dual ownership like RFRSH did? 

If Immortals do buy OpTic, they would have to immediately sell the team to abide by WESA rules. I do think both TSM and Rogue would at least consider getting both of them, but it really depends what they are looking for. 

The team itself is about to make removing Snappi official and they have been improving since MSL joined. Therefore, it is probably safe to say that someone will buy them, but it’s just a matter of who and for how much.

Do you actually play CS:GO?

Not nearly as often as I would like, unfortunately. I would say 2 hours per week at most lately. My full-time job outside of Counter-Strike takes up a ton of my time as well as other personal obligations at the moment. 

I’ve had a plan in place for about a year to leave my work outside of esports in July this year and I’m looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll be able to play a little bit more once that happens. One of the unfortunate realities of working in esports though, is that your time to play is reduced a ton if you are giving it your best effort. Many members of talent share the same sentiment.