allu steps down from ENCE, major finals roster is gone

ENCE’s oldest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, Aleksi “allu” Jalli, has officially parted ways with the organization.

The Finnish quintet that once took ENCE to a major final finally comes to end with allu’s imminent departure. ENCE will now fields a roster of mixed players after sporting a fully Finnish squad for over three years. allu had announced a brief break from competitive CSGO earlier in May, but fans were hopeful that he’ll come back stronger to help ENCE with its roster overhaul. The recent release confirms that he won’t be returning . 

allu has been the longest-standing member of ENCE’s CSGO roster that posted big results during its peak. While the entire lineup was top-notch, allu was a driving force behind its success during its golden era. The organization paid tribute to allu and his contributions to the Finnish Counter-Strike in a video compilation. 

In a press release, general manager Niklas “Willkey” Ojalainen explained that allu’s break would extend through summer while remaining under contract with ENCE. The pro AWPer is free to explore his options, and the organization is also working towards finding a new home for him in the meantime.  

“I personally want to thank allu for everything he has done for ENCE and Finnish Counter-Strike as a whole. He’s a living legend of CS:GO from this small country and he has shown to many what can be achieved by working hard,” Willkey said. 

allu joined ENCE when the team was going through a brief slump in 2018. After a successful year studded with big wins and trophies, ENCE had hit a rough patch in 2017. allu’s addition breathed a new life into ENCE’s roster, bringing the team to newfound glory. With allu on its payroll, ENCE placed second at the IEM Katowice major in 2019 after losing to Astralis in the final. This roster bagged multiple titles with allu and Jere “sergej” Salo at the forefront. 

A podcast interview later revealed deep problems within the roster. allu’s comments ignited a public feud between the teammates, leading to numerous roster changes. With this last change, 2019’s IEM Major qualifying roster will finally dissolve. The organization has brought in Olek “⁠hades⁠” Miskiewicz to take allu’s slot in ENCE’s overhauled CSGO lineup for 2021.