The Casualties of the NA Shuffle

Whether it be the imminent release of CS2 or the fact that the next Counter-Strike Major will not occur until 2024, the NA scene has undergone some big shake-ups ahead of the second half of the year. It is not just in North America either, with some of the best in Europe getting in on the shuffle. Only seven teams in the current top 20 have/are rumored to be keeping their rosters heading into the second part of 2023. Naturally that has left a lot of players on the lookout for a new home, here is a rundown of some of the most notable NA players on the market.

Justin "FaNg" Coakley - Rifler

During his time on Complexity, it feels like we were only treated to glimpses of the real potential FaNg has. It's easy to forget that 2023 marked just the second year at the top level for the 21 year old Canadian rifler. After struggling in his rookie year, he began to show flashes of his talent. He finished Elisa Masters Espoo 2022 with a 1.16 rating, posted a 1.11 rating in the IEM Katowice 2023 Play-in and had some key rounds to help Complexity to a top eight finish at IEM Katowice.

However, a mixture of poor results and bad luck for the side with some not-so-great individual performances left the door open to changes in the off-season. So when the chance came to pick up one of NA's greatest ever riflers in Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, the team could not pass on the opportunity.

For FaNg it leaves him on the Complexity bench and in a bit of limbo. He has proven to be right at the top when playing in the domestic scene but has so far struggled to consistently translate that to the big events. FaNg has stated that he is open to International offers and maybe practicing and playing in Europe could be key to unlocking his full potential.

William "RUSH" Wierzba - Rifler

A major winner and selfless player, it's sometimes hard to believe that RUSH never seems to stay in one place for long and usually its through no fault of his own. A support player who is more than capable of holding his own on the server, RUSH performed his duties to a respectable level in the Major winning Cloud9 lineup, the Complexity 'Juggernaut' and Jake "Stewie2K" Yip's Evil Geniuses roster.

Having helped the EG Black squad get promoted to the main roster, RUSH finds himself out in the cold despite having done his job once again this time aiding the development of the young inexperienced members of EG's second team. Despite not posting eye-catching numbers, that has never been the veteran's role and RUSH's Tier One experience will make him an extremely valuable asset to any North American team.

In his tweet talking about his benching, RUSH suggests that he is not only open to offers as a player but also as a Coach, having seemingly found his part in the development of EG Black particularly rewarding. If he is open to aiding young inexperienced NA teams he could become an important fixture of a domestic scene severely lacking veteran hands, often argued as one of the key reasons why North America has struggled to develop talent over the years.

Jerric "wiz" Jiang - AWPer

One has to feel for wiz - thrust into a tough situation whilst playing one of the most important roles in modern Counter-Strike. Not to mention one the NA scene desperately needs, the stage was set for the 22-year-old AWPer to become a star. However, a mixture of unfortunate team circumstances and a big step up in competition left wiz struggling to perform for the EG side.

The AWPer only managed to post three positive ratings at events in his time with the squad, one of which being an ESEA Cash Cup, one a Closed Qualifier for Gamers8 festival, and his highest rating being the 1.07 he managed at the BLAST Paris Americas RMR. His 0.92 rating for 2023 is a massive drop from the 1.09 rating he posted throughout 2022 and suggests that the step-up was just too much too soon for the young sniper.

However, wiz should take inspiration from the bounce back of fellow AWPer Paytyn "Junior" Johnson who now finds himself back on a top side after his own struggles being promoted out of the domestic scene too early with FURIA in 2021. For wiz, the best option is likely to return to the ECL level to hone his skills whilst he tries to earn another shot at one of the top teams.

Vincent "Brehze" Cayonte - Rifler

A former two-time HLTV top 20 player, 2019 Brehze feels a long time ago now as the once star rifler has been struggling for form for a number of years. Brehze has gone from posting a 1.16 rating in 2020 all the way down to a 0.97 rating for 2023 - a perpetual downward spiral that demonstrated his importance to EG as results fell off once Brehze began to struggle.

Whilst Brehze is not currently posting star player numbers, he does still average around the 1.00 mark and at the age of 25 could be beneficial to a team in a more backseat supportive role. This would maybe take off some of the burdens of having to carry the fragging power of a team and instead allow the rifler to make the most of his vast experience at a top level.

It is hard to imagine Brehze returning to the ECL level, but it's even harder to see where else the rifler will find suitors, the former star could take inspiration from RUSH's recent career path dropping down a level to help bring up the next generation of NACS talent whilst rebuilding their own reputation.