Why shroud said he doesn't like playing with pro players

Olivia Richman Published 04/10/2021

Michael “shroud” Grzesiek may be a talented Valorant player, but he really doesn’t like playing with pro gamers anymore.

shroud has a background as a pro player in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He used to be one of the best CSGO players in the world, competing most notably with Cloud9. He retired to become a full-time streamer, eventually switching from CSGO to Riot’s newer first-person shooter.

While shroud used to practice CSGO for around 10 hours a day each day, shroud is now a bit of a variety streamer, even trying out new MMORPG New World recently while on stream. Still, shroud put a team together for the Valorant Championship Tour Qualifiers earlier this year. The team was eliminated, but shroud still grinds Valorant on his stream, where he impresses fans with his skills and commentary. But shroud recently admitted that he most enjoys streaming the game without any current pro players involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvNq9e3k6lo

shroud explains why he doesn’t like playing with Valorant pros

“It makes me so mad when I play with professional players because in my head I’m like, ‘Man, I’m as good as them,'” shroud said.

shroud admitted that once he plays alongside those pro players he realizes that he just isn’t skilled enough to be on their level anymore, now that he no longer holds himself to such a strict practice regimen.

“It makes me so mad because I know I want to be as good but I also know I never will be unless I play the game that much on a professional team. It’s such a f—— aggravating thing,” shroud said.

Since shroud isn’t willing to compete in that type of environment anymore, he admitted that he won’t really be on a professional level any time soon. That’s why he he doesn’t like playing with pro Valorant players.

Is shroud the best gamer in the world?

shroud seems to excel at almost every FPS game he touches and has demonstrated skill in other games as well, leading many fans to wonder if he’s the best gamer in the world today. shroud was one of the skilled professional CSGO players in the world when he was actively competing. When he turned to streaming, shroud immediately impressed viewers with his skills in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a battle royale shooter with a focus on realism more similar to CSGO than some other battle royale titles.

shroud is now one of the most popular Valorant players in the world despite not feeling on par with the pros in the scene. But he probably won’t be putting together another esports team any time soon, and whether he’s truly the “best gamer” is a question that can only be debated.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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