It seems that rumors of changes within OG are finally coming to fruition as reports of Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt being benched have begun to circulate.
Professional teams in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are constantly going changing rosters, but OG has managed to stick to its initial five-man lineup for 14 months. The team was introduced in 2019, headed by ENCE’s Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, and hasn’t changed since. Following months of underwhelming results, this may be about to change.
According to Vakarm, OG is looking to replace entry fragger NBK following an early elimination from IEM Katowice 2021. Despite his experience and credentials, the French player has been blamed by some for OG’s mediocre results to this point. His gunning skills remain indisputable but, if these reports are true, he just isn’t performing up to the standards of one of esports’ winningest organizations.
The news that NBK may be heading out the door comes as a surprise, given a recent interview Aleksib with HLTV that discussed logistical difficulties with Issa “ISSAA” Murad due to ping and regional differences. ISSAA’s performance has dipped significantly since the move to an online format, but the team may be committed to keeping him as live events start coming up on the horizon.
OG had a great start in CSGO esports, powering into the top 10 of the world rankings within one year. NBK played a crucial role in OG, averaging a rating of 1.02. However, the team has been in a slump since taking second place in Flashpoint Season 2, which is prompting damage control from the team. The team kicked off 2021 with a subpar showing in cs_summit 7. Quick eliminations from the BLAST Premier Spring Groups and IEM Katowice prompted a change in OG’s stagnant roster.
If the reports materialize, this will be the first roster change in OG since its inception. The organization is making changes at an opportune time. Roster changes in Fnatic, the dissolution of MIBR, and endless struggles in Cloud9 have left many talented CSGO players waiting to be picked up by an organization. If OG is looking for an overhaul, this may be the perfect time to do it.
At present, OG’s CSGO roster has these players:
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