smooya announces free agency after move to TIGER fails

Steven Rondina Published 04/06/2020

Owen “smooya” Butterfield is a free agent. Again.

The British AWPer announced he is back on the market after previously flirting with Mongolian organization TIGER. Smooya wants to return to action, but shut down the idea of moving to Asia by stating he is looking for offers from North America or Europe.

Smooya first broke into the upper echelons of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2017 with Epsilon Esports. He departed the team after a year to join BIG, helping the organization hit new heights that included reaching the grand finals of ESL One Cologne 2018 and placing top eight in the FACEIT Major London. He left BIG in January after a string of poor results and rumors of discord, eventually moving to North America to join Chaos Esports Club.

Chaos found generally poor results during smooya’s tenure, with its greatest achievement being a successful qualification to Flashpoint Season 1. Chaos released smooya in March.

More recently, smooya and Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer were reportedly in negotiations with TIGER. The organization was set to add the two European players, but those plans were aborted when its all-Mongolian roster enjoyed a surge of success that included winning the ESL Road to Rio: Asia event and the Weibo Cup Asia Professional Championship 2020. 

Snappi has since become a substitute for Astralis, while smooya was left in limbo.

smooya could find new team for ESL One Cologne and cs_summit 6

Though Chaos wasn’t extraordinary in the first quarter of 2020, smooya remains a very skilled player when correctly positioned. He could stand as an upgrade for many of the teams in both North America and Europe that underwhelmed in the ESL Road to Rio events, though there may be concerns with is potential interpersonal fit.

It shouldn’t take him too long to find a home. It’s going to be a hot summer for CSGO, highlighted by cs_summit 6 and ESL One Cologne 2020. Teams looking for an upgrade at the sniper position could be interested in making a new addition.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...

Esports Betting

All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...