At the last major tournament of the IEM series, the legendary Ukrainian player managed to have a few words with James Banks. The conversation was very short, but even in it GOAT made it clear that he hopes to return to the professional CS2 scene after the PGL Copenhagen CS2 Major, which is scheduled for March.
Alexander Kostylev took a break back in October last year. His last tournament was the ESL Pro League Season 18, where NAVI reached the finals, but unexpectedly lost to MOUZ and took second place. After this result, the legend of the scene decided to move away from the active cast and focus on personal matters. The organization did not rush to replace them: at first there were rumors, and then it was officially confirmed — w0nderful, who plays for NAVI to this day, was invited to the team.
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Many people forget about the most important reason
Since then, s1mple has remained in deep silence and obscurity. Yes, occasionally we see some comments from the player, but Sasha has practically disappeared from all radars. Undoubtedly, with his return, he will once again find himself in the headlines of news portals, but will his level of play be the same? At the moment, he is the sixth player and will travel with the team to the upcoming Major, providing backup for NAVI. However, many have the feeling that Kostylev will no longer play for Natus Vincere and will move to another organization. Many are expecting him to join Cloud9, but there is one significant reason why this option is unlikely to be realized.
Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev recently revealed that he has no intention of reuniting with his former teammates in Cloud9. Instead of personal or gaming reasons, s1mple has shown no interest in reconnecting with his old friends, and the reason for that is the war that Russia unleashed on Ukrainian territory, which continues to this day.
It is worth noting that former Natus Vincere players, namely Denis “electroNic” Sharipov, Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy, and now Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov, are currently part of Cloud9 and are doing everything possible to form one of the strongest lineups in the competitive scene. From the Natus Vincere roster that won a Major in CS:GO, only Valeriy “b1t” Vakhovsky and Kostylev Jr. remain. There are rumors circulating about Valery as well, suggesting that he will not renew his contract with the organization and will join a European lineup.
Problems for each side
In their current lineup, Cloud9 has some of the best players in their region, and experienced players like Hobbit and boombl4 can boost any team. However, they have one significant problem – they simply lack a dedicated sniper role in the team. Yes, Kirill Mikhailov is trying his hand at this role, including at the recent IEM, but it’s not the level that a top team needs.
The transition from Global Offensive to Counter-Strike 2 didn’t bring too many changes to the gameplay, but one of the main differences lies in the nerfing of the AWP. Every professional player would agree that the sniper role has become less influential in the new version of the game. Due to this update and personal reasons, s1mple took a break from professional Counter-Strike.
The ideal solution for Cloud9?
Most fans expected that if Kostylev was going to make a comeback, the most likely option would be his return to his former teammates at Cloud9. They played together for many years, winning numerous trophies together. The team chemistry is there, and s1mple is the perfect candidate to address the main issue of the lineup – the lack of an AWP player.
Furthermore, the championship-winning Na’Vi roster fell apart because Boombl4 was expelled from the organization due to the scandalous actions of his wife, who publicly supported the Russian army at a time when ordinary people in s1mple’s homeland and other Na’Vi players were dying at the hands of those same soldiers. The reasons for Kirill’s expulsion were far from related to gameplay. And the drug scandal involving Mikhailov certainly didn’t cast the “yellow-black” fury in a positive light.
Sasha made his opinion very clear because, in his words, he believes that every Ukrainian should understand his thoughts. He simply cannot afford to play where there are four Russian players on the team, and the organization itself carries the Russian flag. It just so happened that the trio from this team happened to be his former teammates from the championship-winning squad.
At the same time, Alexander certainly has no issues with electroNic, Perfecto, and Boombl4. However, he would be making a very thoughtless move if, after everything Russia has done in Ukraine, he were to glorify that tricolor flag.
In any case, it is highly likely that s1mple will return to professional Counter-Strike in the future. Whether he returns to Na’Vi or dons a new jersey for the firstMost fans anticipated that if Kostylev were to make a comeback, the most probable option would be reuniting with his former teammates at Cloud9. They played together for many years, achieving numerous victories as a team. The team chemistry is solid, and s1mple is the ideal candidate to address the team’s main issue – the absence of an AWP player.
Furthermore, the championship-winning Na’Vi roster disbanded due to Boombl4’s expulsion from the organization, stemming from his wife’s controversial actions publicly supporting the Russian army. This occurred during a time when ordinary people in s1mple’s home country and other Na’Vi players were losing their lives at the hands of those very soldiers. The reasons for Kirill’s dismissal were not related to gameplay. Additionally, the drug scandal involving Mikhailov certainly did not cast a positive light on the “yellow-black” fury.
Sasha has made his opinion abundantly clear, stating that he believes every Ukrainian should understand his perspective. He simply cannot bring himself to play on a team with four Russian players, especially when the organization itself represents the Russian flag. It so happens that this trio from the team consists of his former teammates from the championship-winning squad.
However, Alexander does not have any personal issues with electroNic, Perfecto, and Boombl4. Nevertheless, it would be an ill-considered move for him to celebrate the tricolor flag after all that Russia has done in Ukraine.
In any case, it is highly likely that s1mple will return to professional Counter-Strike in the future. Whether he rejoins Na’Vi or dons a new jersey for the first time in nearly eight years remains to be seen.
