HellRaisers have butchered their own CS:GO team. The organization took out the axe and got rid of two of their current players, benching the rest. One of the benched players did not react accordingly, however, and HR are now practically down to two men.
The longest marriage in CS:GO ends in divorce
The biggest outtake of HellRaisers’ chopping maneuver is the departure of in-game leader Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow. The Ukrainian mastermind has been looking after HellRaisers’ ever-changing roster for over six years. He somehow managed to keep it all together for what is an eternity in CS:GO terms but he finally met his maker with this latest roster.
HellRaisers have admittedly been in a prolonged slump in this day and age. Was ANGE1 the main reason for this though? Eeeh, I don’t know. The man is now in his 30s and nothing lasts forever, especially in esports, but it still feels a bit unfair to kick somebody who’s single-handedly kept you somewhat relevant for more than half a decade as soon as things go downhill.
Joining ANGE1 on the boat out of HR is Igor “crush” Shevchenko. His stint on the team was sliiightly shorter, having joined in September 2019 from Vega Squadron. The remaining three players – Žygimantas “nukkye” Chmieliauskas, Vadim “Flarich” Karetin and Ivan “AiyvaN” Semenets were moved to the bench with the prospect of building a new team around that core.
Even the best-laid plans can go south, however, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. Lithuanian multitasker nukkye almost immediately went to social media to make it clear that he has no intention of remaining within the HellRaisers roster in its new iteration. He did not slate the org itself, but revealed that he’s not comfortable playing with a Russian-speaking squad and would prefer to join a Europe-based team that communicates in English.
This leaves HR with just Flarich and AiyvaN to work with. Technically, Abay “Hobbit” Khasenov is also contracted with the organization, but his return doesn’t seem at all likely as he’s now been playing on loan with Winstrike for half a year.
The CIS region is going through some rough times it seems. Another major player on the market – AVANGAR, closed shop altogether mere months after reaching the Starladder Major final in Berlin. Now we see HellRaisers falling apart with no clear path in sight. I am particularly curious about how the team will develop without the leadership of ANGE1. What do you expect out of all this? Was it time to let go of the IGL or will this move stick on the back of HR’s mind for years to come?
