Team Envy releases CSGO roster after disappointing performance

Fariha Bhatti Published 11/01/2021

Team Envy has announced that it’ll let go of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup to evaluate further roster options. The players of Team Envy are now free to explore better opportunities.

One of the oldest names in esports, Team Envy has finally released its lineup of CSGO players. The organization has put the in-game leader Noah “Nifty” Francis, Buğra “Calyx” Arkın, Michał “MICHU” Müller, Nikola “LEGIJA” Ninic, and Thomas “Thomas” Utting on the transfer list, as it seeks to assess its CSGO division.

“Team Envy is disbanding its current CSGO roster and coaching staff. Envy intends to make each member of the lineup available for transfer effective immediately, in the interest of allowing players and staff to pursue new opportunities,” the official statement said.

After cementing a foot in the early Call of Duty ecosystem, Team Envy’s entry into CSGO was just as phenomenal. The American organization acquired Team LDLC’s roster featuring Richard “shox” Papillon and Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt in 2015. Quick swaps later, the team had the likes of Kenny “kennyS” Schrub and Dan “apEX” Madesclaire on its payroll during its initial months in CSGO.

It didn’t take long for Envy to become a team that was feared by other players. A winning streak across different tournaments marked Envy’s vigilant entry into CSGO. After lifting the trophy at seventh CSGO major DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca, the team became a force to be reckoned with. Envy’s French roster was unstoppable as it continued to destroy top-tier teams.

Team Envy bagged most wins with its legendary 2015 lineup. However, with roster swaps, the team’s performance severely declined with a recovery nowhere in sight. Envy’s name was smudged by the fresh talent that pushed the older teams into the background. The organization’s efforts to revive its squad failed time and again.

Envy’s owner says CSGO investment is a waste

The decision to dissolve the CSGO division comes days after Envy’s owner was under fire for conflicting with his own statement regarding CSGO.

Envy’s owner Mike Rufail had earlier said that the organization had reserved a much bigger budget than they had for the past three years, which was supposed to revive the CSGO division. However, in a recent Twitter discussion with Jarek “DeKay” Lewis, Mike’s stance towards CSGO investments earned him heavy backlash.

Actually, operating almost any CS team is lighting money on fire right now. There are no underlying assets that support the spend where top player salaries are. I’m sure you could run a fantastic team if you had unlimited cash, but what happens when you can’t cover your cost?
— Mike Rufail (@hastr0) January 8, 2021

While some supported his opinion others mocked him for conflicting with his earlier statement regarding team investment.

Shot, and Chaser pic.twitter.com/kcb56azvrc
— I Don’t EnVyYoU (@RyanAtRBM) January 8, 2021

Following the disband announcement, the owner has said that Envy may sign a new roster in the future that is under its budget. As the organization is currently more focused on other games, odds for a new lineup anytime soon are low. For now, Envy’s anticlimactic exit marks the end of an era in CSGO.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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