Will this Israelian be the next CS:GO superstar?

Endpoint could have difficulties keeping flameZ on their roster, after a stellar 2020 from the Israelian talent.

2021-01-21 | @PleyTB

The CS:GO world has seen countless newcomers and youngsters, who all possess incredible abilities and promising potential. However, it’s not all talents that have succeeded to break through to the highest level of CS:GO.

One certain player who has done it and emerged out on the scene is the Israelian phenomenon Shahar "flameZ" Shushan. Although his modest age, the 17-year old player has managed to establish his name in an otherwise star-studded CS:CO scene.

“'Who the f*ck is this guy? I've never heard of him and he just comes and he starts popping heads'. I've also played with him and he has really good communication and he sounds like a really good guy.” – Nikola “NiKo” Kovac on flameZ.

The rise

flameZ’s impressive Counter-Strike abilities run in his blood with his big brother Shiran "shushan" Shushan also being a professional player, having competed for various Israeli pro teams. It was also here, it started for little brother flameZ. The then 14-year old teenager began his career at exDT and afterwards Aeguus in 2018, alongside his elder brother where flameZ’s quickly showed a glimpse of his shining talents. flameZ juggled between playing pro CS and playing FACEIT Pro Challenger, which is a playground for upcoming pro talents and players. A place he could use as a stepping stone for his future career.

“I got home from school, practised for seven hours with the team and then played PUGs until like four in the morning,” flameZ recalls, “I didn't see friends, I didn't go out, and I was in a situation people wouldn't really want to be in, having to do several things at the same time, but I think that it made me stronger. I didn't quit school to make my mother happy and I stayed on the team because we played well and it was fun for me, but one day I had to tell Finest that I couldn't play with them anymore. I apologized for wasting their time and left. Then I played for 27 hours straight to reach the FPL-C qualifier. Every time I finished a game, I started a new one, until I made the top 100. Eight days later I played the qualifier and made it to FPL-C.”

From an HLTV.org interview: How three players are changing the face of Israeli Counter-Strike

His remarkable performances in FPL were being recognized by multiple pros as Robin “ropz” Kool and the Kovac cousins from G2, who all has expressed their acknowledgement for the young Israeli. It also resulted in matches for the European teams Adaption and Team Singularity, where flameZ once again showed great potential. On Singularity, he dominated especially at Nine to Five 3 and Nine to Five 3 Dawn, presenting a 1.31 and a 1.19 Rating respectively. Midway through 2020, it was clear that flameZ was ready to take a new step in his otherwise young CS:GO career.

Joining Endpoint

The aggressive rifler continued to climb the FPL rankings and kept on impressing and gain respect from multiple actors on the pro scene, which culminated in September 2020 when the big and renowned organization Endpoint decided to acquire the young Israeli on a permanent deal. With the transfer, flameZ leaves low-tier CS:GO and joins a profiled team, having a top professional set-up and experienced players as Joey "CRUC1AL" Steusel, Robin “robin” Sjögren and the British duo Kia “Surreal” Man and Max “MIGHTYMAX” Heath.

“When I wake up and go to practice with an Israeli team, I know that I will have fun with my friends, but when I'm playing with Endpoint, I learn a lot and develop myself as a person and as a player”

Source: How three players are changing the face of Israeli Counter-Strike

On Endpoint, flameZ excelled from the very start by displaying strong matches in his first couple of months. Of course, there was some weak performances from time to time, but only what you could imagine from a 17-year old player who’s new to the top scene. In general, the expression was no other than outstanding, even though playing against the likes of North, forZe and Heroic, and not smaller teams as he was used to. At his second tournament at the important ESEA MDL Season 35, flameZ took his team on his shoulder, leading Endpoint to the victory and the promotion to the prestigious ESL Pro League Season 13.

He helped Endpoint to reach its highest placement ever on HLTV’s world ranking, with the British team being ranked #29, only a couple of months deep in his tenure at the team. Throughout his time at Endpoint, flameZ has averaged a stellar 1.17 Rating - 83.9 ADR - 0.76 KPR – 1.17 Impact (Multi kills, opening kills. and clutches)

The future

The future of flameZ seems to be very bright, owing to the outstanding and quite unique talents which the young rifler possess. His aggressive but collective playstyle mixed with his rather impressing grenade and flash usage will make him highly attractive for several teams in the future. The entry-fragger makes it look so easy and effortless while being on the server, and teams from the very elite could well be interested in his signature in the near future.