Former Cloud9 duo Alex “ALEX” McMeekin and William “mezii” Merriman have marked their return to top-tier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive by joining Fnatic.
The Swedish team’s director and head coach, Andreas “Samuelsson” Samuelsson, earlier expressed a wish to go International and it seems that the organization has made the big move by signing the British duo.
The start of something new.
Welcome, @kingmezii & @CSGOALEX to the Black and Orange. pic.twitter.com/SYpU8YNAGV
— FNATIC (@FNATIC) August 3, 2021
Fnatic recently dropped its legendary players Jesper “JW” Wecksell and Maikil “Golden” Kunda Selim as tons of speculations about the team going International for the first time since 2013 surfaced. The team has filled up the empty slots with former Cloud9 stars that went under the radar after the organization annulled its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division in 2020.
After Cloud9’s withdrawal from CSGO, many had expected ALEX to switch lanes like teammates Ricky “floppy” Kemery and Erick “Xeppaa” Bach. With a plethora of North American players transitioning to Valorant, the rumors of ALEX joining Riot Games’ shooter were ripe. However, the in-game star leader has returned from the shadows to his home turf, CSGO.
“To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. Being given the chance to help rebuild Fnatic into a title-winning team again is a big challenge but a fun one that I will take on with enthusiasm,” ALEX said in a statement.
ALEX has a long account in CSGO as one of the most sought-after IGLs. The French skipper cemented his foot in a competitive area after acquiring a leadership role at LDLC. At Vitality, APEX reached the pinnacle of his career, winning cs_summit 4, ECS Season 7 Finals, and EPICENTER 2019. However, his tenure at Cloud9 was underwhelming as the team failed to deliver one time after another.
While ALEX has a decorated resume that speaks to his accomplishments, Fnatic is a significant chance for mezii to prove his worth after Cloud9. Despite the disastrous ending to Henry “HenryG” Greer’s colossus project, mezii stuck to CSGO and managed to stay in good shape in terms of performance. The pro player has actively been competing at lower levels and has averaged a 1.22 rating.
Both players will instantly become part of Fnatic’s starting roster. Despite a star-studded team, the squad may face some communication barrier as this is the first time Fnatic has gone International. However, it shouldn’t be a major issue as IGL ALEX has only played for non-English speaking teams, despite hailing from the United Kingdom. The rest of the roster may find it easier to adjust under the new skipper.
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