The Future of Fnatic CS:GO

Today we announce the signing of a new player to our CS:GO roster, and publicly set out our vision for the future of Fnatic’s Counter-Strike team.

As Fnatic and Counter-Strike fans are aware, our form since the start of Covid-19’s impact in early 2020 has not been at the expected level for such a legendary team. It’s for this reason that we have been looking very hard at our structural setup with the future of Fnatic CS:GO in mind, and are today announcing several changes to improve our results in the short term, and help us build a CS:GO roster for the future.

Welcome Peppzor

We’re pleased to announce the signing of Peppe “Peppzor” Borak to Fnatic. The 18-year-old Swedish rifler has impressed in his short CS:GO career, and we believe he has the potential to be a big player for Fnatic in years to come. Peppe is a player with huge raw potential, and it is our responsibility now to help him shape his talents into a player that can compete alongside the very best in the world.

On Peppzor, CS:GO Head Coach Andreas Samuelsson said:

“I am thrilled to have Peppe onboard on this project. He plays a rifle role, often as an anchor. He’s one of the best young talents in the game with tons of potential. ”

The signing of Peppzor alongside Jackinho and Brollan gives us a CS:GO team of ambitious future superstars, with the potential to continue to improve and take Swedish Counter-Strike to the next level.

The Future Roster

The signing of Peppzor is the first step towards the Fnatic CS:GO roster of the future. We are excited to bring Peppe into the fold as a sixth man, able to help us diversify our gameplay as he integrates himself properly into the team.

On Peppe and 6-man rosters, CS:GO Head Coach Andreas Samuelsson said:

“Peppe will slowly but surely be integrated in the team and grow in the role as the 6th player. We will find our own way to be as efficient as possible with this new structure.”

We don’t know yet if rosters beyond five players are the future for Counter-Strike, but an injection of something different into our team is a risk we believe is worth taking. As other teams have experienced, a six-man roster is not yet a perfect system, but for now this experiment will give our roster a much-needed shakeup, while allowing Peppzor to develop his phenomenal talent away from the pressure of official matches.

We will endeavour to keep fans and organisations up to date if there are any changes to our ‘starting’ roster, and look forward to exploring the possibilities of this new setup.

Role Changes

As many have already noticed, the roles within our team have also changed. Jackinho has been tasked as our primary AWPer for several recent matches, and has grown well into that role. A confident and talented AWPer is one of the hallmarks of the top sides in the current Counter-Strike meta, and Jackinho has everything he needs to be one of the best in the world.

That change has meant JW taking a more primary rifler role, that gives him the freedom to roam the map and look for the kinds of pop-off plays that JW is known for, without compromising our tactical structure.

Moving Forwards

These details, from big structural changes to tactical tweaks, are all part of our learning and experimentation process as we work towards a new version of Fnatic CS:GO. There will be periods of adjustment where results do not immediately improve, but we believe this is a process that will create the best possible results in the near future.

We are immensely proud of our history as a Swedish organisation. However we are not satisfied with the status quo, and our decision to remain as a fully Swedish roster has its drawbacks in terms of the available talent pool that can integrate immediately. This is something we will continue to review as this lineup develops, and something that we have and will continue to consider to bring Fnatic CS:GO back to the top of the rankings.

Finally to the fans, we would like to thank you for your patience over the last year. A lack of LAN events and periods of poor results have been tough for everyone. We look forward to meeting you again soon in person, and introducing you to our new roster of talent. We hope we can count on your support, now and forever.

#ALWAYSFNATIC