DBL PONEY is on the rise - How far can they go?
Can the French Ponies continue their great form and maybe conquer a spot at the very top of CS:GO?
DBL PONEY was on everyone’s lips last week when they managed to do the impossible by taking down the superstars from Vitality at Flashpoint 3. In the sense of their countrymen from Vitality being the French flagship in CS:GO and possessing the prodigy Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut, the defeat was highly astounding for the CS:GO world.
And DBL PONEY didn’t just beat Vitality – They destroyed them.
The underdogs, led by Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro, dismantled ZywOo and company by handing them two crushing defeats on Nuke (16-5) and Inferno (16-7), only giving up 12 rounds in total.
But who is DBL PONEY?
The French Counter-Strike scene is one of the biggest in the world and has always played a huge and significant role in the history of the game. The big European country holds a rich history of legendary players and teams like G2, LDLC, EnVyUs who’ve won iconic majors titles in DreamHack Winter 2014 and DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca.
The origin and creation of DBL PONEY can also be found in correlation with these renowned organization, with DBL PONEY’s most profiled players Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro and Lucas “Lucky” Chastang having represented G2 and LDLC in the past.
The duo has, alongside the more unknown Aurélien “afro” Drapier and Thomas “Djoko” Pavoni, played under the DBL PONEY banner since mid-February this year, where they quickly showed promising levels, despite being without an organization. The Frenchmen got a heavy boost of firepower and experience when they managed to acquire the benched G2 rifler Audric “JaCkz” Jug as a stand-in, who later on was replaced by the 2-time major winner Nathan “NBK-“ Schmitt.
DBL PONEY | Roster
Lucas “Lucky” Chastang (Rifler) | 23 years – 2021 Rating: 1.13
Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro (IGL) | 24 years – 2021 Rating: 1.10
Aurélien “afro” Drapier (AWPer) | 21 years – 2021 Rating: 1.10
Thomas “Djoko” Pavoni (Rifler) | 24 years – 2021 Rating: 1.06
Nathan “NBK-“ Pavoni (Stand-in) | 26 years – 2021 Rating: 1.04
The mind behind DBL PONEY: Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro
With JaCkz on board and bodyy at the helm, DBL PONEY went on to display strong performances at different cash cups, winning one and ending 2nd in two. The Frenchmen continued their great form at the lower-ranked event ofFantasyexpo Spring, where they managed to beat strong Top 30 teams in Sprout and mousesports - Just to lose in the Grand Final against a likewise profiled Endpoint.
Their first real taste of tier-1 CS:GO was at the closed qualifiers at Flashpoint 3 at the end of March. Despite being among much stronger and established teams, the dark horses from DBL PONEY didn’t bow down anyone. Quite the contrary in fact. bodyy and company ended up taking a spot at the main event, in front of the likes of ENCE, Endpoint, and HAVU.
A ticket, they converted into the astounding victory vs Vitality in the opening round of Flashpoint 3, which could be seen as the culmination of their hard work and dedication throughout the last 3 months.
