The team, which is sponsored by the online gaming platform BC.Game, has attracted considerable attention with the return of legendary AWPer Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács as their coach.

GuardiaN, widely recognized as one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time, brings his vast experience to the team. He previously played for top teams like FaZe Clan and Natus Vincere, and his leadership is expected to be a crucial asset for the new roster.

The lineup has been rounded out with notable players such as Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson, known for his strategic gameplay and experience with teams like NIP and fnatic, and Luca “pr1metapz” Voigt, who is emerging from BIG Academy. Additionally, Guy “anarkez” Trachtman, Aleksandar “CacaNito” Kjulukoski, and the recently added Kacper "KwertzZ" Weitz have joined the roster, each bringing unique strengths to the team.

However, the team faced an early setback when Joel "joel" Holmlund was removed from the roster following a ban by Akros Anti-Cheat during an ongoing investigation. Despite this, BC.Game remains focused on establishing themselves as a competitive force in the CS2 scene.

BC.Game’s strategic recruitment reflects their ambition to compete at the highest level in upcoming tournaments, and the esports community is watching closely to see how this new team will perform under GuardiaN’s guidance.

The BC.Game lineup narrowly lost out on qualification for the European RMR tournament for the upcoming Major in Shanghai. A 19-16 win against ECLOT was followed by two close defeats to Sangal and GamerLegion before losing their third match in a row to be eliminated from the qualifier by TSM.

In the CCT Season 2 Europe Series 7 tournament, BC.Game had made their way into the playoffs, but had to withdraw from their match against B8 due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Joel "joel" Holmlund.

BC.Game is currently competing in the ESEA Season 50: Advanced Division – Europe tournament, where the team is on route to qualify for the playoffs with an 8-3 score so far.

Lekr0

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GuardiaN

We are now less than one week away from the start of the much-awaited IEM Rio Major in Brazil. To ease the waiting time, we have created a countdown series, where we dive into the history of all 17 Majors. Today we have reached the ELEAGUE Boston Major from 2018.

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Number of teams: 23 (owing to Immortals forfeiting their spot)

Winner: Cloud9 (Stewie2K, tarik, Skadoodle, autimatic, RUSH)

Map pool: Train, Inferno, Mirage, Nuke, Cache, Overpass, and Cobblestone

The hosting of the 12th Major Championship in CS:GO history ended up in the hands of the proud region of North American – more specifically, USA. The massive $1 Million tournament was set to be played in Atlanta and Boston in the G-FUEL ELEAGUE Arena and Agganis Arena.

The ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018 marked a pivotal event in Counter-Strike history, as Valve decided to transform the Major format, going from 16 teams to 24 teams.

FaZe’s superstars off to a flying start

Finn “karrigan” Andersen and his trusted FaZe soldiers arrived at the Major as one of the heavy gold candidates, placing 2nd on the world ranking and possessing superstar players like Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovacs, Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer, and the 21-year-old phenomenon Nikola “NiKo” Kovac.

The strong FaZe-side also got off to a flying start in the Legends Group Stage, where they swiftly managed to secure a playoff spot by beating tough opponents like Fnatic and the iconic Brazilians from SK Gaming. The 3-0 record meant that they obtained a top seed in the next stage.

A team, who didn’t relish the same kind of success right off the bat was the North Americans from Cloud9. The talented roster, led by Tarik “tarik” Celik, had to go on an utterly impressive 3-0 run in the group taking down Astralis, Virtus.pro, and Vega Squadron, after they fell short in their two opening matches. However, the hustle was enough for them to seal a quarterfinal spot.

A star-studded FaZe lineup that has gone 7-0 in maps since the Legends Stage against the underdogs from Cloud9. A true David vs. Goliath battle - The setting for the ELEAGUE Boston Major was set.

After FaZe stole Cloud9’s map pick on Mirage through a close 16-14 victory and the North Americans returning the favour on the second map of Overpass, the title was set to be decided on the forever-iconic Inferno in a third and conclusive map.

At 15-11 in FaZe’s favour, the majority of viewers and spectators in Agganis Arena were certain that the match was about to be over, handing karrigan his first-ever Major title. However, Cloud9 thought differently. An iconic comeback and an absolute heroic display by Jake “Stewie2K” Yip in the 30th round where he single-handedly crushed FaZe’s A-execute, meant that Cloud9 was given a second chance in overtime.

The comeback and insane performance by Stewie2K clearly gave Cloud9 some much-needed momentum, which in the end helped them to secure the title at the 12th CS:GO Major tournament in history. The first-ever Major title for a North American team.

Highest rated players at ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018:

1. {cflag:RU} Egor ‘flamie’ Vasilyev – 1.39

2. {cflag:SE} Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson – 1.29

3. {cflag:RU} Mihail ‘Dosia’ Stolyarov – 1.25

4. {cflag:BA} Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac – 1.25

5. {cflag:SK} Ladislav ‘Guardian’ Kovacs – 1.24

6. {cflag:CZ} Tomas ‘oskar’ Stastny – 1.23

7. {cflag:UA} Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev – 1.23

8. {cflag:US} Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik – 1.22

9. {cflag:SE} Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer – 1.20

10. {cflag:US} Timothy ‘autimatic’ Ta – 1.20

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"Gamle billeder/cloud9_tarik_22_y04yul","originalWidth":640,"originalHeight":360,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Cloud9"}]

The MVP from NA's biggest CS:GO achievement: Tarik "tarik" Celik

Tomorrow we take a look at the FACEIT London Major from 2018.

Stewie2K

autimatic

tarik

karrigan

olofmeister

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Cloud9

Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács has had to take a break from CS as he experiences health problems that have taken him away from the computer and Counter-Strike. That means you won't be able to see him play in the following tournaments under the Sampi banner.

Earlier in his career, he was also forced to take a break from CS as he had some problems with his wrist. The question is if that is the problem coming back or another problem that occurs. We are yet to find out and will for now need to wait until further news about the legend.

GuardiaN has won it all despite a Major. He is an 8-time HLTV MVP and a top 20 player on the HLTV top 20 player of the year from 2013 – 2018.

In the past 3 months, he has produced some fine stats even though his "old" in the counterstrike world. 

30-year-old Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács is still swinging the "Big Green", and in a recent match, he gave Sprout a hard time on the A-site on Ancient through a stellar hold with the AWP in hand.

GuardiaN is today playing on the Czech/Slovakian team Sampi after having represented Team Singularity alongside his former NAVI teammate Denis "seized" Kostin.

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When talking about the greats in CS:GO's history you have to mention the name "GuardiaN". The Slovakian AWP'er was once one of the most feared snipers in the entire CS:GO scene. Alongside his, at the time, teammates at Natus Vincere and FaZe, Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács struck fear into the heart of his opponents when they were met with his scope and incredible flickshots. 

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After his spell at Natus Vincere, the Slovakian superstar had a few small stints at Singularity and Trident, however, he never really seemed to regain the scary form and incredible results he managed at the peak of his career. Now he is back with intent and seeks to become, once again, one of the greatest AWP'ers in the CS:GO scene, this time with an all-Slovakian roster to help him lead the way. 

The new Sampi line-up, with now 30-year-old "GuardiaN" and his four teammates, looks as follows: 

{cflag:CZ} Jakub "Bfull" Kokoška (Head Coach) 

It is often the players who have been trusted with the AWP, otherwise known as 'the big green', who steals the spotlight away, and for good reason. Having an incredible AWP'er within your roster can sometimes singlehandedly win you games, whether it be due to them oppressing the opponent's offense or even making space with their T-sided AWP'ing. It is safe to say that the AWP is the most impactful weapon in CS:GO and having a great AWP'er can be instrumental to teams' success. 

Throughout the years we have had many excellent AWP'ers and the discussion about which player is the best AWP'er of all time is often a quick one. For good reason, it is impossible to look past the godlike performances that "s1mple" has put up on a consistent basis. But what if you were only to look at a player's peak? RivalryCSGO sat down with various pros and asked them: who was better at their peak, "GuardiaN" or "kennyS". 

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If you ask "mantuu" the answer is quite straightforward: 

To hear more about what other top-tier pros had to say about "kennyS" and "GuardiaN" in their peak, you can watch the series of interviews in the video posted down below: 

kennyS

Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács and Team Singularity has parted ways on the 3th January, the organization confirmed on Twitter. The former NAVI profile departs after having represented the team for a 4-month period dating back to September, where he joined alongside Denis “seized” Kostin.

- I want to say thank you to Team Singularity and my teammates for the time together and I wish everyone the best going forward. I’m looking forward to being able to share more news about my future as soon as possible and thanks to everyone for their interest and patience in the matter, GuardiaN said in an official statement.

Team Singularity further explain the decision to part ways with GuardiaN by stating that the roster is in a rebuilding phase and that it was a “tough decision”. Atle S. Stehouwer, Founder and CEO at Team Singularity said the following about GuardiaN’s departure.

- I wish Ladislav all the best, it’s been a great experience working with a true legend and I hope to see him continue to pursue an active esports career. I will always remember the first time we had a call and for once I must admit that I was a bit starstruck going into the call as I have always been following GuardiaN’s career, even prior to entering esports myself.

In the official [link:{"url":"https://teamsingularity.com/parting-ways-with-guardian/","isNewTab":true,"text":"statement "}]by Team Singularity, the organization inform that they will announce their new roster this month.

{cflag:RU} Ivan “SELLTER” Miroshnikov (Stand-in)

Singularity

Natus Vincere

There are plenty of pros out there who had a lot of good ideas about what could change in the game, maybe something they are dissatisfied with, or just or whatever something they think is missing.

RivalryCSGO asked different pro players like EliGE, mantuu and GuardiaN what they would add to CS: GO if they could.

[youtube:www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmRI4UHkl_E]

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Singularity has signed a newly formed team mixing the experience of Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács and Denis "seized" Kostin alongside three young and motivated players in Evgeny "Norwi" Ermolin, Timur "clax" Sabirov, and Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov with Artem "Fierce" Ivanov coaching.

Seized and GuardiaN has played together in NAVI from 2013 until 2017 before GuardiaN left to play for FaZe Clan, and Seized played for various teams. The two veterans have reunited since playing together in NAVI, but they were reconvened when GuardiaN was a stand-in for Trident back in June. Seized realized that he missed a great sniper, so he wrote to GuardiaN and he regained his motivation and decided to continue achieving goals in the CS:GO scene.

Team Singularity treading new waters in the CIS region after being committed to the Danish scene for about 1,5 years.

seized

clax

Norwi

d1Ledez

The former FaZe and Natus Vincere star Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács haven't played competitive CS:GO regularly since December 2019, where he was benched on NAVI after a rater underwhelming second spell with the team.  The Slovakian legend has turned 30 this year, however, that does not stop him from dominating in Counter-Strike.

During a match for BEZ ZP at Iron War Grand Prix 2021, GuardiaN turned back time to enter his prime mode, which ended in this stellar quad kill on Inferno. 

Watch GuardiaN rip Nemiga apart in a perfect defence of the A-site.

Whilst perhaps the most intriguing rounds of Counter-Strike are those where both teams are well-equipped and have the desired weaponry as well as utility, there is something to be said about pistol rounds. Perhaps the most crucial round is the first one, where both teams are only equipped with pistols. The team that takes the pistol round not only gains momentum and confidence both also secures the winning team an economic lead. 

More than just the pistol round, the lesser guns, which are pistols, can be utilized in different aspects of the game. Whether it be on an eco-round or perhaps just a secondary option to the rifle at hand, it pays off to be lethal with these guns. Many players throughout the history of CS:GO can be said to have mastered the pistols, but what do the pros think? If you ask Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács the best to wield the pistols is his former teammates in Håvard "rain" Nygaard: 

"I will give it to rain. I think the best pistol player of all time is rain, I mean he has insane highlights with pistols. Every time I play with him in practice or officials he will do some insane stuff with the Deagle or in the pistol round." GuardiaN carries on by saying: "Rain is a special player with pistols." 

To hear more about which player the pros think is the best with pistols you can watch the following video:  

rain

One of the best AWPers in the history of CS:GO in Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovács is making a comeback to the competitive scene, as he will stand-in for Trident for an undisclosed time, the Russian org state on Twitter. That marks a return for the Slovakian superstar, who has been benched on NAVI since the start of last year.

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Furthermore, Trident has brought back Denis "⁠seized⁠" Kostin to the active lineup after he was placed on the sidelines on the 1st of June this year. The two experienced players will reunite on the server, being a duo who played together for a long period on NAVI, with great results to follow.

Ladislav "⁠GuardiaN⁠" Kovács (stand-in)

Enjoy some of GuardiaN's best plays down below:

TRIDENT

Before the likes of s1mple and ZywOo, there was a bigger competition in who was going to be named the best player of a year. Since the two players established themselves at the top, the competition is more about who comes behind the two icons.

In 2015 the Slovakian AWPer was playing for Natus Vincere, and he was the main man for the Russian roster. He delivered some outrageous plays, that you can see in the video here:

There are many similarities between s1mple and GuardiaN, in the way they play. They had over a year together at NaVi over two times, as GuardiaN played for FaZe in two years, in between his two spells at NaVi.

The AWPer became inactive for NaVi in February and hasn’t found himself another team yet.

Watch some highlights from GuardiaN apprentice s1mple here:

	30 days	90 days
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GuardiaN

Player stats

Articles mentioning GuardiaN

A closer look: BC.Game has entered the world of CS2

ELEAGUE Major Boston 2018: The peak of North American CS:GO?

GuardiaN out for months due to health problems

Video: GuardiaN turns back the time with 4 AWP kills

GuardiaN is back!

Mantuu: At his peak kennyS was the best AWP player we've ever had

GuardiaN leaves Team Singularity after lacklustre spell

CS:GO PROS ANSWER: If you could add one thing, what would it be?

Team Singularity sign a new team with GuardiaN and seized

Pley of the Day: Prime GuardiaN is back!?!

GuardiaN: "Rain is a special player with pistols"

Legendary AWPer returns to competitive CS:GO

Nostalgic flashback at GuardiaN´s 2015

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