Over the quarter-century of Counter-Strike’s existence, the series has become synonymous with eSports. Over twenty years of tournaments, many stars have emerged, and most of them have already passed away. However, sometimes they can come back.
Jacky Stewie2K Yip
Let’s start with someone who has recently reminded us of his presence. Jackie Yip is one of the biggest legends of North American Counter-Strike. He won the Major with Cloud9 and won the Intel Grand Slam with Team Liquid. There is simply no more a title player in the region.
Unfortunately, the last few years have been unremarkable for Stewie2K: first, the decline of Team Liquid, then the disastrous work with Evil Geniuses. Now the American is looking for a new team, and his victory at IEM Dallas with G2, where Stewie2K replaced HooXi, shows that the legend should not be written off and that he still has the potential to make a wave.
Nicholas Nitr0 Canella
We can’t help but mention Stewie2K’s partner, with whom he won the Intel Grand Slam gold bars. With the release of Valorant, Nitr0 stormed back and forth: he competed in the Valve shooter, then played in the Riot Games title. Recently, he stopped working on M80 Valorant, and there are rumors that Nicholas wants to return to Counter-Strike 2.
What else is nitr0 known for? He took second place at ESL One Cologne 2016. At that time, nitr0 played in the Major final together with the young but super-talented s1mple. In total, he spent about seven years with Team Liquid, surpassed only by EliGE. With Valorant Nitr0, he reached the semifinals of the Major in Berlin in 2021.
Adil ScreaM Benrlitom
Continuing with the veterans who tried their hand at Valorant, let’s move on to Europe. The king of all-top has also shown his outstanding abilities as a shooter at Riot Games (for example, 3-4 place at the World Championship), but neither he nor his brother Nivera have achieved much success recently.
Nivera has already announced his return to Counter-Strike, so perhaps his brother will follow suit. In the end, we miss the semi-finalist of the first Major in CS history, as the Belgian added charisma both on and off the server.
Mikhail Dosia Stolyarov
Speaking of charisma, we can’t forget about Dosia, the Krakow Major champion from Gambit Esports. Mikhail is known not only for his X GOD charisma but also for his unconventional decisions in the game. Nowadays, Mikhail is more often an analyst, but if a good opportunity arises, why not return? The only thing that can’t be denied is his longevity. He’s been competing at a high level for about 15 years, and a return to his esports career is possible.
Joshua Steele Nissan
Finally, let’s talk about a player whose legend now consists of the question “What if?” Steele was a part of the infamous iBUYPOWER team that got caught up in the match-fixing scandal. While many of the banned players have moved on, Steele has remained active, sometimes as an analyst, and has kept fit by playing in high-level pubs.
There are reports that his lifetime ban from CS has been commuted to a ten-year ban, which will expire in early 2025. It looks like Steele is seriously preparing for a comeback, and in that case, it won’t be long before he does. Fortunately, he was a captain and age is not an obstacle for captains — just ask Follen or Kerrigan.
