The post Counter-Strike team Nakama parts way with shox and Kyojin appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>The organization did not give any reason for the move but informed fans that the duo would continue as substitutes for their ESEA matches when necessary.
“We inform you today of the removal of shox and Kyojin from the active roster. We would like to thank the 2 players for the investment and the heart given to the project,” a translation of the post read.
“While waiting to find their replacements, they will continue to help us for ESEA matches as stand-ins if necessary.”
With the departure of the players, Nakama consists of Jeremy “?Kursy?” Gast, Matthieu “Razzmo” Mellot, and Ryan “?Neityu?” Aubry, with Boris “?flex0r?” Latry as coach.
shox started competing with Nakama at the start of the year when the organization was founded. As one of the main figures of the squad, he set qualifying for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 as their target.
Nakama however failed to qualify for the Major after facing elimination at the BLAST Paris Major Europe RMR Open Qualifier. The team were beaten by Let Us Cook in the RMR with a 16-12 scoreboard.
shox also announced his departure from the French lineup via a TwitLonger, revealing that he felt like leaving the team was the right decision to make.
“This choice was not easy to make, but it was essential for my future. I put everything aside since the beginning of the year to make this project work,” shox wrote.
“Unfortunately today, being a father, beyond the financial aspect, managing everything that needs to be managed requires a lot of energy and time, so I choose to focus on my role as a player.”
shox added that he hoped his efforts helped the rest of the teammates on the squad to become even better players. The player also clarified that his desire to play CS:GO was still as great as ever, and he hoped to find a team with similar views.
Kyojin joined Nakama in March this year in place of Edouard “SmithZz” Dubourdeaux following the team’s failure to qualify for the BLAST Paris Major. He previously played with shox on Team Vitality, winning the IEM Winter 2021 with the French man.
The duo was eventually benched in favor of Emil “?Magisk?” Reif and Peter “?dupreeh?” Rasmussen.
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]]>The post CS:GO player Richard “shox” Papillon looks to build a new team appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>This will be the return of shox to the competitive scene, as the player has been benched since October last year with his European team Apex. This move will also mark his return to the French region.
Shox is pursuing this project alongside retired CS:GO player Edouard “SmithZz” Dubourdeaux, his former teammate from G2 Esports. This will more likely be the return of the veterans.
According to CS:GO reporter neL, both returning players will be taking on the tournament alongside three other young players. For the initial stage, SmithZz will also be competing while showing the young players the ropes and the nitty gritty before being moved to an executive role, leaving room for a fresh and new player.
“Shox & SmithZz are teaming up again with 3 young players! My nostalgic heart can’t take it,” he tweeted.
“SmithZz will help the team at first, then move in staff role when needed, and let his place to a younger player.”
Shox & SmithZz are teaming up again with 3 young players! My nostalgic heart can't take it.
SmithZz will help the team at first, then move in staff role when needed, and let his place to a younger player.
The 3 other names will be announced tonight on @shoxCSGO stream. pic.twitter.com/z2gcfJX7dP
— neL (@neLendirekt) January 11, 2023
The other players who will be joining the veterans are the 21-year-old French AWper player Jeremy “kursy” Gast, the 17-year-old player Ryan “Neityu” Aubry, and Paul “Day0s” Niel.
All five players will strive to qualify for the BLAST Paris Major through participation and earning top spots at the open qualifiers and the RMR events. Qualifying for these tournaments will mean proceeding to Copenhagen, Denmark, for the RMR event, and then the main final event, which will take place in May in France, where they will have an opportunity to be cheered by their own audience as an all-French roster.
Shox can be likened to having strong experience in the esports scene, having played for multiple regions like dominating the North American scene and also the European CS:GO community. The 30-year-old player has bodied several awards and championed his team to win a handful of trophies and spots in tournaments.
Shox commenced his CS:GO career in early 2012, after retiring from Counter-Strike, which he started playing in 2006. He represented CS:GO teams such as Titan, Team EnVyUs, G2 Esports, Team Vitality, Team Liquid, TCM-Gaming, Imaginary Gaming, Episilon eSports, and a host of others.
The former rifler was also recognized by the CS:GO community and was ranked by HLTV as the 3rd best player of 2013, the 8th best player of 2014, and the 6th best player of 2016. He also made it to Thorin’s Top 10 CS:GO Players ranking as the 4th best player.
Shox’s best tournaments include his back-to-back first-place streaks with G2 Esports at the 2016 Esports Championship Series Season 1 Finals, the 2017 ESL Pro League Season 5 Finals, and the 2017 DreamHack Masters Malm?. The French rifler also replicated the same prowess in Team Vitality; alongside his teammates, they were able to garner a first-place finish at the 2020 BLAST Premier: Fall, a second place at the 2021 BLAST Premier: Fall Finals, and a resounding first place at the 2021 Intel Extreme Masters XVI: Winter.
In the following weeks, the CS:GO community will find out if the phenomenal player still have what it takes to bring the Major trophy home alongside his other teammates.
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]]>The post Shox searching for new CS:GO team after leaving Apeks appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>?The organization announced via Twitter that the Frenchman had been allowed to explore offers from other franchises. Apeks revealed that the decision was made after determining that shox had a “difference in vision” from the rest of the team.
??”After much deliberation, we have mutually agreed for shox to explore his options,” the announcement read.?
?”He will not be a part of our active roster moving forward. This is due to a difference in vision on how to proceed with our in-game team development.?
“Richard has been nothing short of a stellar professional throughout this process, and we are doing everything we can to help him find a home where he can thrive. We are actively looking for a replacement.”?
Apeks’ decision came not long after they had a disappointing run with a string of losses, which caused them to withdraw from competitive playing in September in order to “reflect and evaluate”.
?Shox unexpectedly joined Apeks in August this year after a disappointing tenure with Team Liquid. Shortly after the move, the 30-year-old revealed that the decision to place himself on the bench was “inevitable”.? ?
After the French player and Justinas “?jL?” Lekavicius were added to Apeks’ lineup, Martin “?STYKO?” Styk was made the in-game leader of the squad. Despite the significant changes, the Norwegian team could not muster any impressive results over the summer.? ?
Apeks’ best performance this season was at the stateside Fragadelphia 17, where they reached the semifinals. The team placed third-fourth in the tournament after suffering a 1-2 loss to BIG Academy during their final match.? ?
Apeks’ most significant loss this season was when they failed to qualify for the European Regional Major Ranking (RMR) event which took place earlier this month. Due to this, the Norwegian squad could not participate in the second Valve-sponsored tournament this year, the IEM Rio Major.
The team’s failure to make it through any of the four open qualifiers ended shox’s record of attending every Major held since CS:GO esports began operations. Currently, Team Vitality’s Peter “?dupreeh?” Rasmussen is the only player with this achievement.? ?
Apeks’ announcement officially ends the French player’s second attempt to compete under the banner of an international team. For most of his career, shox played on French CS:GO squads like Team Vitality and G2 Esports. He moved on to English-speaking squads last year when he signed with Team Liquid.? ?
Apeks revealed that they had no players in mind to replace shox, so the organization and the player will likely have to wait till the IEM Rio Major comes to a close in November before they can explore the market.
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]]>The post Team Vitality looking to replace Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt appeared first on Esport Bet.
]]>A lot of things have happened in the CS:GO esports scene following the Berlin Major, most notable of which was the benching of NBK-.
But he is not the only player who will be leaving his team in September. It was announced earlier that G2 Esports will no longer need the services of shox and Lucas “Lucky” Chastang, who will be both released and forced to look for a new team.
The reason behind the decision to replace shox and Lucky was mediocre results that have plagued G2 since their runners-up finish at ESL Pro League S9 Finals. The French giants have already found two replacements in Nemanja “nexa” Isakovi? and Nemanja “huNter-” Kova? from CR4ZY.
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That surprise move by G2 is quite a convenient one for Vitality, who are reportedly very keen on signing shox as a replacement for NBK-. That would require Vitality to splash the cash, but there is a strong belief the deal could go through.
Vitality and G2 have a good relationship, as it was G2 who helped Vitality enter the CS:GO scene by letting them sign Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and NBK- in October 2018.
Should, however, the French powerhouse fail to land shox, it is believed they will give kioShiMa a chance to return to the CS:GO professional scene.
The former FaZe Clan, Team Envy and Cloud9 player has been without a team for over five months now, but the two-time major champion has expressed a desire to once again play for a French team.
Which of the two stars will end up in Vitality remains a mystery, however, it should not stay so for long.
Vitality are in a race against time, as they will need to have their roster finalized before Friday, September 13, when BLAST Pro Series Moscow begins.
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