pwny released from RBG; set to transition to VALORANT
RBG have announced that they are parting ways with Josh "pwny" VanGorder, marking the end of the one of the longest-lasting lineups in North America, with the team coming together around 15 months ago.
In the quintet's first MDL season together, RBG performed well above expectations by claiming a spot in playoffs after a 10-6 regular season. In playoffs the team were eliminated in the first round following a one-sided loss to oNe and a close game against Depth. Over the course of Season 35, pwny was a standout player for the team, putting up a 1.16 rating over the course of 21 maps.
Despite the team's and pwny's strong performance, RBG's coach Kieran "KayJay" Playfair told Dust2.us:
The team felt that we were becoming stale and weren't really improving that much anymore. Team decided that we needed to switch things up to re-add some motivation and have a slightly different look. pwny was sadly the piece that we felt that we could somewhat easily find a replacement that could play at his level but still be a him or herself. Not saying we don't value what he brought to the table but it's a lot easier to replace a rifler than it is to replace an IGL, AWPer, or support player.
Regarding his removal from RBG, pwny released a TwitLonger saying that while his removal from the team was surprising he held no ill will towards his former teammates and valued his time on the team. In closing, he admitted that his passion for CS:GO has dwindled in recent months, and that he is now considering a move to VALORANT, stating that "the freshness of the game is too appealing for me and the opportunity to grow a fan base is too good to pass up" as additional reasons for his transition.
With pwny exiting the team, RBG are now:
Austin "gmanchew" Vieira- Colby "Walco" Walsh
- Jadan "HexT" Postma
Jerric "wiz" Jiang- Kieran "KayJay" Playfair (Coach)
Like many teams, RBG currently have no events scheduled as the winter break approaches, with only a few more ESEA and FACEIT cups set to take place to round out the North American calendar.
