The silly season in competitive Counter-Strike is in full swing, with a myriad of teams either signing one or multiple new players to their roster. Most of the time when teams bring in new acquisitions, there are players who have to give up their spot in the lineup.

We have tried to compile all the free agents on the market and all the players who have been placed on the bench/transfer list. 

[slugORMA:{"slug":"notable-cs-go-transfers-2022","isNewTab":true}]

kennyS

We are less than one week away from the start of the last ever Major in CS:GO history. To ease the waiting time, we have created a countdown series, where we dive into the history of all 18 Majors. Today we have reached DreamHack Winter 2014.

 Cache, Cobblestone, Dust2, Inferno, Mirage, Train, Overpass.

DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 was the seventh CS:GO Major tournament in the history of the game and was held from October 28 – November 1, 2015 in the Polyvalent Hall venue in Cluj-Napoca Romania. Like the previous Majors, this one also featured a total of 16 teams and a total prize pool of $250,000.

The final Major of 2015 came to an end with Team EnVyUs claiming the title on Romanian soil. It was the first ever Major final to not feature either Ninjas in Pyjamas or fnatic. The Frenchmen from Team EnVyUs defeated Natus Vincere in the grand final and took home the $100,000 first place prize.

Results for Team EnVyUs weren’t satisfying for the organization in the period 2015, so they decided to release Richard “shox” Papillon and Edouard “SmithZz” Dubourdeaux to sign Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and Kenny “kennyS” Schrub from Titan.

It turned out to be a great roster move from the organization as the new roster went on to win IEM Season X – Gamescom right after the change was made. Additionally, NBK, Happy, kioShiMa, apEX, and kennyS reached the Grand final of the following Major in Cologne but lost to fnatic. Nevertheless, the rest of 2015 ended up being a success for the Frenchmen.

They became champions in two big tournaments (DreamHack Open London and Gfinity Champion of Champions) before winning the Major in Cluj-Napoca. There, the Frenchmen from EnVyUs had to defeat some really strong teams such as fnatic, Team Dignitas, G2, and NAVI on their path to the title.

apEX and company from EnVyUs started off their playoffs run with a 2-1 victory over the Swedes from fnatic in the Quarter-finals, eliminating them out of the tournament. Next up, Team EnVyUs would take upon their fellow countrymen from G2, who secured their semi-final spot with a 2-0 victory over Virtus.pro. In the other quarter-finals, TSM lost 0-2 to Ninjas in Pyjamas, while NAVI defeated Luminosity Gaming with a 2-0 result.

The first semi-final match of the Major began with a victory for G2, who took down kennyS and company on Dust2 with a 10-16 scoreline. EnVy came back on Inferno after three overtimes, closing out the map 25-21 to force the decider. The decider of Cache saw apEX’s troops confidently close out the map 16-7 to secure themselves a spot in the Grand final, where they would face off against NAVI who came out on top with a 2-0 victory over NiP in the second semi-final.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"Affiliation/SKINS_reklame_Pley_USP_akk94w","originalWidth":1920,"originalHeight":480,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg"}]

The Grand finalists were chosen and it was time to find out who would claim the title as Major champions. The first map of the series was Train, where NAVI started off miserably and found themselves behind 0-7 on the scoreboard. NAVI managed to pick themselves up and added six rounds of their own on the scoreboard, before EnVyUs went to halftime with a 9-6 advantage.

In the second half, NAVI finally found their footing and moved ahead to a 10-11 lead before kennyS and company answered back. The remaining rounds on the map were fiercely contested, with rounds going back and forth. However, it was EnVy who took the first map 16-14.

Cobblestone was EnVyUs’ map pick and the Frenchmen started things off strongly, cruising to a 7-0 lead with full momentum. In a similar fashion to Train, GuardiaN and company from NAVI woke up after being down 0-7 and fought to get five rounds on the scoreboard before halftime.

The second half ended up being even worse than the first for NAVI, as the Frenchmen went on to just bulldoze every attempt NAVI made to take either of the sites. A few rounds came close, but the sheer pressure of EnVy’s lineup proved to be great, and the Frenchmen managed to clinch the map 16-5 to claim the Major trophy. EnVyUs’ AWPer,

Highest rated players at DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015:

1. {cflag:DK} Philip “aizy” Aistrup (Dignitas) – 1.55 Rating

2. {cflag:SK} Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovacs (NAVI) – 1.30 Rating 

3. {cflag:PL} Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski (Virtus.pro) – 1.29 Rating 

4. {cflag:FR} Kenny “kennyS” Schrub (EnVyUs) – 1.23 Rating 

5. {cflag:RU} Georgi “WorldEdit” Yaskin (FlipSid3) – 1.22 Rating 

6. {cflag:DK} Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen (TSM) – 1.18 Rating 

7. {cflag:BR} Marcelo “coldzera” David (Luminosity) – 1.18 Rating 

8. {cflag:NO} Joakim “jkaem” Myrbostad (G2) – 1.16 Rating 

9. {cflag:BA} Nikola “NiKo” Kovac (MOUZ) – 1.16 Rating 

10. {cflag:SE} Robin “flusha” Rönnquist (fnatic) – 1.15 Rating

Tomorrow we take a look at the MLG Columbus 2016 Major.

apEX

kioShiMa

NBK-

Envy

Group A of the European RMR starts tomorrow. We have taken a look at some of the storylines and tried to predict the event down below.

16 teams are slotted into group A, where eight teams will advance to the BLAST.tv Paris Major. Teams placed from 9th-11th will play in a last chance stage against the teams in the same position in group B. The six teams will fight for the 17th European spot for the Major.

The group will be played out in the Swiss format. This means that you will always play against a team with a similar score. If you win your first game, you will face another winner from the opening round and so on.

The group is significantly weaker than group B. The average world ranking is 29 for group A, while the number for group B is 19!

 as the two teams who are predicted to go 3-0 in the group. The number two and four on the world ranking should be able to qualify without any problems.

. The reigning Major champions are also expected to ease through the group. The team might be a little rusty having only played one competitive match in the last month, which they lost 2-0 to forZe.

 should also be able to go through with a 3-1 or 3-2 score. Fnatic is probably the team hardest to predict with their recent results in mind. A weak map pool could be a problem in the bo1 matches.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/Bad_News_Eagles_wbzmvr","originalWidth":3840,"originalHeight":2160,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

 have qualified for the last two Majors but outside of the biggest tournament in CS:GO, the team almost seems to go into hibernation. The team has not won any of the smaller tournaments that they have attended since the IEM Rio Major. Their opening match against 1WIN will be a very good indication of the form.

 is somewhat in the same category. The team has mostly played against lower-tier opponents since they were knocked out of the IEM Rio Major. Their last match was against a bunch of Germans called EPIC DUDES, where GL actually lost. So, what can we expect from them?

The former NAVI in-game leader Kirill "Boombl4" Mikhaylov leads 

, who has been inconsistent in the past months. They seem to belong in the contenders' group alongside 

. They could all have the chance to go 3-2, but are probably most likely to be among the teams, that have to play against the teams from group B for the 17th and last European ticket to the Major. 

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/_Boombl4_uolcvo","originalWidth":4096,"originalHeight":2304,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: PGL"}]

Boombl4 is back. If things pan out, he could face his former teammates for the first time since he was benched on NAVI.

It will especially be interesting to follow Falcons, who are fighting for the right to play on home turf in Paris. The team has had some okay results lately, but they need to see a stronger performance from their legendary AWP’er Kenny "kennyS" Schrub, if they are going to make it. kennyS is rated 0.92 on 12 maps in the last month.

 are to be considered the clear underdogs in this event. Sprout has been playing poorly lately with only a 26.9% win rate during the last three months. Into the Breach will for the first time in its history face a team placed within the top 30 of the world ranking. They start out with NAVI.

Viperio has not been able to follow up on their fine results at the closed qualifiers. The Irish/English team has lost 13 matches in a row against the likes of ENCE Academy, Iron Branch, Partizan etc. They are currently placed 80th on the world ranking. If they make it to Paris, it will be one of the all-time biggest upsets.

That leaves us with Apeks. The Norwegian-owned team has some fine players in Martin "STYKO" Styk and Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad, but the roster seems to be stuck in the tier-2 scene at the moment. They have recently won against BIG, which gives some promise.

Here is our prediction for group A of the European RMR:

5th-8th: Fnatic, OG, Falcons, and Bad News Eagles.

12th-16th: Apeks, Sprout, Into the Branch, and Viperio

The tournament is played on location in Copenhagen and will last from Thursday to Sunday.

STYKO

jkaem

Boombl4

In Group B of the closed online qualifier for the Paris Major EU RMR tournament, OG was the team that everybody kept an eye on with in-game leader Nemanja "nexa" Isaković missing out on the tournament due to personal reasons. In today's match against Aurora there was no need to sweat! OG won a clear 2-0 victory, but what was even more impressive was their T rounds. OG managed to go 22-5 on their T sides despite not having their in-game leader there.

AWP'er Abdul 'degster' Gasanov also did incredibly well to set his team up for success with a +19 K-D score during the match.

MVP: {cflag:RU} Abdul 'degster' Gasanov - 1.47 rating / 44-25 K-D / 86.4 ADR

Another AWP'er that stole the spotlight today was the legendary Frenchman Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub. The sniper performed excellently on all three maps in today's match between 500 and Falcons. The French Falcons reversed swept 500 after going behind on Nuke. With the win kennyS keeps the dream alive of representing his country on home soil in at the Paris Major.

MVP: {cflag:FR} Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub - 1.34 rating / 75-50 K-D / 86.6 ADR

While France could enjoy success with Falcons they got disappointed with the overtime loss on the decider map for HEET. The French lineup lost 19-16 on Nuke to Monte with former NAVI stand-in Viktor 'sdy' Orudzhev on the roster. Both teams had won each other's map pick before Nuke came into play. Here Bryan 'Maka' Canda did everything he could to keep his team in the match, but Monte was too strong in the overtime game. 

MVP: {cflag:FR} Bryan 'Maka' Canda - 1.39 rating / 85-53 / 89.3 ADR

Aurora, 500, and HEET all have an extra chance to qualify. They are playing right their fifth and final game right now in the group.

Maka

degster

Monte

The 27-year-old Kenny "kennyS" Schrub strikes once again with an impressive 1vs4 clutch.

The famous AWPer stood alone against four Sinners players during a 1vs4 situation. With both the AK-47 and the AWP and 1.28 left on the clock, the Frenchmen secured his team their eight-round on the T side of Ancient.

Watch kennyS shock the CS community with this insane clutch in the video below:

kennyS state line against Sinners: 74 kills / 18 assists / 46 deaths / 75.3% KAST/ +28 Diff / 74.8 ADR / 1.32 Rating.

Kenny "kennyS" Schrub is back in competitive CS:GO after a long stint on the bench of G2.

[slugORMA:{"slug":"its-last-opportunity-kennys-returning-competitive-cs-go","isNewTab":true}]

The French AWPer has joined an all-French team in Falcons, where he hopes to find back to his old self.

- I wanted to go back on a National team and speak French again in the game. The expectations and ambitions, and the full lineup made a lot of sense to me, and it was the best approach for me and they just showed up at the right time.

Kenny "kennyS" Schrub has played 12 official matches so far with Falcons without big success. But that can all change with time, according to the Frenchman.

- Obviously, if you look at my stats right now it's not really good. But I know that I am improving. I know people expect me to go back to prime kennyS straight away, but that doesn't happen like that. I need a little bit more time. If I keep going through the process I will reach my expectation. My goal is to be a starplayer again, no doubt about it.

You can see the full interview with the legendary Frenchman right here.

Before the Grand Final of BLAST World Finals, we get to see another showmatch from BLAST.

The two teams that will play each other on Nuke are:

The match will be filled with twists and turns decided by the users of BLAST.tv.

Kenny “kennyS” Schrub is no longer sitting on the sideline at G2 after the French legend has signed a contract with Falcons Esports. Regarding his Counter-Strike form, it’s fair to say that he hasn’t found a consistent level yet after his long period on the bench.

However, with that being said he still lights up the server from time to time with his crisp AWP skills. Something he showcased in a stream yesterday on his Twitch.

Just sit back and enjoy this 4k from the Frenchman.

[twitchClip:GeniusSmoothCourgetteMcaT-ZzfbCdKZujtmLlbD]

G2 Esports

Kenny “kennyS” Schrub made his debut for Falcons just a few days after signing with the organization. At the European Development Championship 6 on Wednesday, the French AWPer led his team to a victory against LDLC in the first round of the playoffs. His standout performance against their fellow countrymen gave Falcons the edge.

On the first map of the series, Vertigo, kennyS had a slow start but quickly got into his zone when the two teams switched sides. He displayed some great skills as his team secured a tight 16-14 victory. The French AWPer ended the map with 23 frags under his belt, 19 deaths, 78.5 ADR, and a 1.11 Rating.

Falcons were on the back foot in the first half of their map pick Overpass, where their opponents took an early lead to end the half 9-6 up. However, kennyS and company turned things around in the second half where they stole another tight 16-14 victory.

kennyS delivered the most kills in the series (47), having recorded 23 on the first map and 24 in the second, with a total of 37 deaths. This match was kennyS’ first competitive outing since December 2021 at an IEM event, when he was still playing under the G2 banner. After that event, kennyS got benched and didn’t play a pro match for 18 months.

The transfer to Falcons is “probably” Kenny “kennyS” Schrub’s last shot at returning to the top of Counter-Strike.

Something, the French superstar has stated himself in an [link:{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnuWDtB9FEI","isNewTab":true,"text":"interview "}]on his own YouTube channel, following the announcement of his homecoming to professional CS:GO.  

[slugORMA:{"slug":"legend-says-goodbye-kennys-leaves-g2-after-lengthy-period-bench","isNewTab":true}]

Kenny “kennyS” Schrub is for many CS:GO romantics regarded as one of the biggest legends in Counter-Strike history. However, that may not be the same for the younger and more new CS:GO audience due to kennyS’ peak years being a rather long time ago.

That’s also an aspect that the AWPer discusses in the interview, admitting that he’s not as good as before.

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"teams/G2/Copyright_-_jak-howard_-_g2_npiyxj","originalWidth":2048,"originalHeight":1152,"customWidth":"100%","customHeight":"100%","cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Jak Howard Blast","alt":"CS:GO, Counter-Strike"}]

kennyS were benched on G2 from March 2021 all the way to his contract release this November 

kennyS explains how the loss of his father has taken a heavy toll on him, and how it has created “a hole in his personal life”.

You can watch the entire interview and video with kennyS down below. 

*Shortly after the announcement of his farewell from G2, kennyS was revealed as a new player for Falcons.

Kenny “kennyS” Schrub is no longer an official G2 member as his contract with the organization has ended, both kennyS and G2 announce on Twitter. The Counter-Strike legend has been a part of G2 for nearly six years dating back to 2017, which is something he also highlights in a Twitlonger today.

kennyS statement via [link:{"url":"http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1ss66ip","isNewTab":true,"text":"Twitlonger"}]:

{cflag:BA} Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač

Kenny “kennyS” Schrub was once one of the biggest names in CS:GO thanks to his unique AWPing style and natural talent. Nobody could play his style to the effective level he manifested and nobody could play against him. He made magic on the server and defied all expectations and principles of role balance. Soon, we could be enjoying his presence on the server once again.  

According to a [link:{"url":"https://www.1pv.fr/news/144854-kennys-and-g2-to-part-ways-talks-ongoing-with-falcons","isNewTab":true,"text":"report by 1pv.fr"}], the 27-year-old AWPer is in talks to join Falcons Esports, which will mean that kennyS soon could be making his return to competitive Counter-Strike after being on the bench at G2 since the beginning of 2021.

The 1x Major winner and 1x Major MVP is the last French survivor in the German organization after the departure of JACKZ, AmaNek, and XTQZZZ, and has seemed very far from a comeback to the pro scene having almost joined VALORANT at one point. 1pv.fr stated that according to their sources, kennyS and G2 have found an agreement to part ways in the course of November, and with possibilities opening on the French scene lately, his comeback could very well become a reality soon.

It will be interesting to see if the French magician makes his way back to competitive Counter-Strike. If the move becomes a reality, the Falcons Esports roster would be:

{cflag:FR} Jordan “Python” Munch-Foehrle 

{cflag:FR} Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni (coach) 

{cflag:FR} Bryan “Maka” Canda (benched) 

{cflag:FR} Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van (benched)

Kenny "kennyS" Schrub was once a part of the absolutely elite within competitive Counter-Strike. Now the legendary Frenchman sits on the bench at G2, which he has done since March 2021 when he was replaced by Audric "JACKZ" Jug. Since then kennyS has only featured in four official matches for the team. 

Despite the lack of playing time on the biggest stage of CS:GO, kennyS is still a very, very flashy AWPer, who still can produce wonders on the server from time to time. Something he occasionally showcases on his Twitch channel, which currently has 989k followers. Just watch this impeccable 1v4 clutch on Dust2 as proof. 

[link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/legends-galore-f0rest-kennys-more-compete-50-000-event","isNewTab":true}]

[slugORMA:{"slug":"video-kennys-documentary","isNewTab":true}]

A busy silly season in the competitive Counter-Strike scene, where a myriad of teams has decided to mix up their roster, has meant that there are a lot of players without a team or resting on the bench.

There are a lot of ICONIC AWPers that we all know and love, but for the pros themselves, who is their favorite AWPer of All-time? Betway esports have sat down with several pros such as kennyS, shox, and arT to find out who they think is the best AWPer of all time.

[youtube:www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMz-zZgUlMw&t=88s&ab_channel=betwayesports]

shox

There is little as frustrating as entering a game of Counter-Strike only to find out that you are not feeling yourself and the shots you attempt are simply not hitting. Whilst warming up is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a must if you are competing at the highest of levels, even the more casual players could quite possibly elevate their own game to new heights by simply just warming up beforehand. 

Whilst this might seem like a boring and dull task to warm up it can be very helpful if you wish to see your own gameplay and skill improved, and Counter-Strike and e-sports, in general, are no exception to the rule.

Made in collaboration with Betway esports, the iconic AWP'er "kennyS" gives his tips and tricks on how to warm up in the most efficient and potent way possible. Whether you are more a deathmatch kind of guy or perhaps you like shooting 'bots' as a way of getting yourself warm, "kennyS" has all the need-to-knows for you to elevate your own gameplay with an efficient warmup. 

Take a look as "kennyS" takes you through his own warm-up routine and some of the ways you can possibly improve your gameplay at home

Throughout the years of Counter-Strike we have had many iconic players and AWP'ers especially. Whether you think the best AWP'er of all time is "s1mple", "FalleN", or perhaps the magical Frenchman that is "kennyS", it is impossible not to respect what these magnificent players have managed in their careers. Whilst the latter mentioned player had a somewhat short career in the world of CS:GO, "kennyS" was once the best AWP'er in the entire scene by quite a bit. 

[slugORMA:{"slug":"mantuu-peak-kennys-was-best-awp-player-weve-ever-had","isNewTab":true}]

Known for his incredible reaction time and ability to hit flicks that you wouldn't even believe were possible otherwise, "kennyS" stole the entire community's hearts with his aggressive and free-flowing playstyle. At the still-young age of 26-years-old, the French AWP'er is no longer active in the professional scene of CS:GO, however, the highlights he managed to produce and entertain us with, still live on to this day. 

[slugORMA:{"slug":"awp-magician-30-times-kennys-flickshots-shocked-cs-go-world-1","isNewTab":true}]

In a video created by betway esports, "kennyS" goes through all the steps he took in order to become the AWP magician we know and love him as. Take a look and enjoy his story and some of the beautiful moments he created throughout his years as a top-tier AWP'er: 

There is little more satisfying in the world of CS:GO than a clean AWP kill, especially if the shot connected is a flick. It is almost a must for CS:GO professionals to have a great reaction speed no matter the role they are playing, but even more so if you are a team's dedicated AWP'er. Most of the time in professional CS:GO you are only given one shot as the AWP'er holding an angle and if you miss you are in big trouble. Reacting to a peeking opponent can sometimes be straightforward, however, if they appear somewhere unexpected in your line of sight a flick is called for. 

Some players seem to just have that magic power when it comes to flicks and reactions. Known as one of the most explosive AWP'ers in CS:GO's history, "kennyS" was once the king of flicks with his "magic stick". In more recent times there are few who can hit a flick-shot like "s1mple".

Take a look at some of the most amazing CS:GO flicks of all time and enjoy how satisfying the rattling sound of the AWP is when dragged onto an opponent and fired at the exact time needed: 

The list features big stars such as Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov, Kenny "kennyS" Schrub, and many more, who have produced some highlight-worthy plays during the month of March. 

You can see the 30 most viewed CS:GO clips on Twitch here.

m0NESY

s1mple

Natus Vincere

Kenny "kennyS" Schrub is one of the most legendary players in CS:GO history. The Frenchman is currently benched on G2, and have not been a permanent part of the team since March 2021. But back in the day, kennyS was one of the best with the AWP in the game. He won a Major at DreamHack Open Cluj⁠-⁠Napoca 2015 with TeamEnvyUs, where he also won the MVP award.

So why not let him make a list of all the best AWP'ers in the world? Last night he did that in an interview with the French site 1pv.fr

You can see the final list in the tweet below.

	30 days	90 days
Fixture count	9	31
Maps count	17	64

kennyS

Player stats

Articles mentioning kennyS

Most notable free agents and benched players in CS:GO

DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015: Team EnVyUs' path to Major glory

Can kennyS lead his team to Paris?

kennyS ready for EU RMR alongside OG

Pley of the Day: kennyS 1vs4 clutch

kennyS on comeback: My goal is to be a star player again

Live: Watch the showmatch from BLAST World Finals

Video: kennyS throws back time with a ridiculous QUAD kill!

Strong debut for kennyS at Falcons

“It’s my last opportunity”: kennyS on returning to competitive CS:GO

Legend says goodbye!*

Media: kennyS set to return to pro play

Video: kennyS turns back time with a disgusting AWP clutch on Dust2!

Most notable free agents and benched players in CS:GO

CS:GO Pros Answer: Who is your Favourite AWPer of All Time?

Video: How to get warm like kennyS

Video: kennyS - the documentary

Video: Best CS:GO flicks of all time

Video: The Top 30 most viewed CS:GO clips of March

Legendary Frenchman rates every top AWP'er

Follow Pley