Erick “Xeppaa” Bach chose to join floppy and continue his career in VALORANT, this will end his CS:GO career but the duo will stay on the Cloud9 team.

The Cloud9 team was shut down in March due to financial problems due to the ongoing pandemic in the world, but the two former Cloud9 players chose to make something out of this.

Xeppaa only ended up playing five events with the team, that he signed with at the start of 2021, the team struggled with role changes and poor results.

Xeppaa

Cloud9

You may have heard the famous words before. A piece of advice that both can be used in general life but certainly also in competitive Counter-Strike.

However, it doesn’t apply to everyone. The Ukrainian powerhouse Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has his own rule book and his own way to play CS:GO.

Watch the NAVI superstar knife Xeppaa from Cloud9.

[twitchClip:SparklingTentativeOstrichOSfrog--6YZNTCwqJD1wZSc]

s1mple

Natus Vincere

Extra Salt have just announced their newest signing. The fifth player to finalize their roster is confirmed to be Mexican Edgar "MarKE" Maldonado. After benching Ian "motm" Hardy in late February, the team needed a fifth member in order to compete. Whilst it had been rumored that the organization was eying out "MarKE" it has now been officially confirmed on their Twitter page. 

The 22-year-old Mexican in "MarKE" has been sat on the sidelines since his former team Chaos fell apart. With two of his former teammates leaving Counter-Strike to compete at Valorant, "Xeppaa" joining for Cloud9 and "Jonji" forming a new roster at Bad News Bears, "MarKE" was the only player waiting to start a new journey elsewhere. 

"MarKE" now gets the chance to prove himself and re-enter the professional Counter-Strike scene at his new club Extra Salt. His debut is set to be later today, as Extra Salt faces Triumph at 23:00 (CET). 

MarKE

Chaos

Extra Salt

Triumph

Extra Salt has according to sources signed the 22-year old rifler Edgar "MarKE" Maldonado, who previously has represented Chaos Esports Club. The rifler will take Ian "⁠motm⁠" Hardy’s place on the roster, as the North American organization decided to bench motm prior to the signing.

MarKE will join the former Cloud9 core in Johnny "⁠JT⁠" Theodosiou, Aran "⁠Sonic⁠" Groesbeek, Josh "⁠oSee⁠" Ohm, who all three joined Extra Salt in December last year, when the org decided to acquire the ex-Cloud9 roster.  

MarKE hinting towards a potential transfer on Twitter

MarKE, who is a Mexican International, has previously played at Swole Patrol and eUnited as a lethal entry-fragger, but it was at his time at Chaos where the 22-year old became a well-known figure on the CS:GO scene. Alongside the newly-confirmed Cloud9 player Erick “Xeppaa” Bach, MarKE won two prestigious events with Chaos, in their victories at IEM Beijing NA and DreamHack Masters Winter NA.

The promising rifler has already debuted on his new team, as he featured on Extra Salt's roster in their most recent matchup at ESEA Premier Season 36. A match, Extra Salt won 2-1 against Rise, and where MarKE ended the match with a 0.91 Rating and a 42-50 K-D. 

The first eight teams of the upcoming IEM Katowice 2021 event have already been found. However, before the tournament can start on February the 18th. there needs to be found eight additional teams to compete against the world's best teams. The eight teams that have already qualified for the high-profiled tournament are as follows:

The remaining eight teams are to be found in the upcoming IEM Katowice Play-In event, beginning tomorrow at 12:00 (CET). 

To kick things off we have, among others, Cloud9 against Spirit. Cloud9 currently ranks 20th. in the world, whereas the Russians of Spirit rank at an impressive 16th. Despite their new signing of 20-year-old rifler Erick "Xeppaa" Bach, Cloud9 has struggled with finding their footing in the new Counter-Strike season. They will seek to hit the ground running as they face a new-look Spirit roster with young prospect Abdul "degster" Gasanov wielding his team's AWP. The last time the two rosters faced each other Cloud9 won the BO3-series 2-0. 

A team that, like Cloud9, has had difficulties with finding their form is the Swedish Ninjas in Pyjamas. They face the, arguably, strongest roster of the tournament in Complexity on the first day of the mini-event. The Ninjas currently ranks at 15th. in the world and with Complexity coming from a strong performance at BLAST Premier Spring Groups, finishing first in their group, it is without any doubt going to be a difficult task for the Swedes. The last time the two rosters clashed was in 2020 where Complexity won 2-0. 

[image:{"source":"cloudinary","publicId":"players/Copyright_-_Carlton-Beener_-_Rush_ll6sj4","originalWidth":3840,"originalHeight":2160,"cloudinaryAssetData":true,"cloudName":"pley-gg","format":"jpg","caption":"Credit: Carlton Beener ESL","alt":"CS:GO, Counter-Strike"}]

Get ready to witness some quality Counter-Strike as some of the world's best teams battle to earn themselves a spot at the IEM Katowice main event. The show starts tomorrow (Tuesday) at 12:00 (CET). 

degster

Spirit

Ninjas in Pyjamas

compLexity Gaming

As we move closer and closer to finding out who is going to be the victor of the $200.000 cs_summit 7 event we are presented with entertainment of the highest caliber with fnatic taking on Cloud9 in a battle for a spot in the semi-finals. Both teams have made changes to their roster - will it be Cloud9 and their new signing "Xeppaa" or instead fnatic with their newest member "Jackinho" to best their opponent and advance in the tournament? 

Jackinho

Fnatic

Xeppaa and company won against Ninjas in Pyjamas in a three-map series in Group C at the $200.000 tournament and will now get to rematch FURIA in the decider, while NiP will have another chance to make it to the playoffs via the last-chance stage.

Dust2: 5-19 | hampus 1.71 rating | 116.8 ADR | 23-7 K/D 

Overpass: 16-11 | REZ 1.49 rating | 116.7 ADR | 27-20 K/D 

Train: 16-12 | es3tag 1.37 rating | 100.0 ADR | 27-16 K/D

NiP got off to a flawless start to the series, dominating Cloud9 on their own map pick. But Cloud9 managed to bounce back on NiP’s map pick of Overpass which took them a while to squeeze through as they were only two rounds from victory with the score being 14-4 in the beginning of the second half. The two teams followed each other on the decider of Train, with Cloud9 coming out on top to claim a 9-6 advantage before the second half. As the teams switched sides, NiP didn’t manage to stabilize their CT defense and get their bank rolling even though they won the pistol round.

Even though NiP lost, Fredrik “REZ” Sterner managed to finish on top of the overall scoreboard.

We close out the first day of cs_summit 7 with a brawl between Cloud9 and FURIA. Both teams seemed eager to fight, but in the end, it was FURIA to take home the win in their first BO3-series of 2021. 

The first map was FURIA's pick and to no one's surprise, the match was set to start on Inferno. With a win-rate of 71.4% across 14 maps, FURIA have shown their strategic capabilities plenty of times. It was also FURIA to take map one, however only just, as new Cloud9 signing Erick "Xeppaa" Bach and William "mezii" Merriman did everything they could to stop them. FURIA powered through, however, and managed to take map one 16-14, as close as possible. 

With both teams now fired up, the match proceeded over on Cloud9's map pick Nuke. Cloud9 seemed more than up for the task, however, and ended up taking the second map. Despite a valid effort from 24-year-old Andrei "arT" Piovezan, FURIA never really seemed to find the answers needed and Cloud9 could walk away from Nuke with a 16-6 victory. 

This, of course, meant that it was all going to be decided on the last map, Train. With neither of the two teams having much experience on the map it was sure to be an all-out brawl. Either team refused to give up without a fight as they went back and forth trying to close out the series. In the end, however, FURIA bested their opponents and finished Train 16-11 and thereby won the series 2-1

16-14 FURIA (Inferno) | KSCERATO 1.45 Rating / 107.6 ADR / 27-18 K-D

16-6 Cloud9 (Nuke) | es3tag 1.62 Rating / 99.3 ADR / 20-11 K-D

16-11 FURIA (Train) | yuurih 1.76 Rating / 106.1 ADR / 31-13 K-D

Yuri "yuurih" Santos - | 1.17 Rating - 61-49 K/D - 78.5 ADR - 72.2 % KAST

KSCERATO

mezii

es3tag

FURIA

It's time for the second big event of 2021, with this Monday presenting the start of the star-studded cs_summit 7.

[link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/prominent-200-000-kick-off-today-cs-summit-7-preview"}]

The first of the two final BO3-series, both set to begin at 21.00 (CET), is between Virtus.pro and Ninjas in Pyjamas. The Virtus.pro roster currently ranks at 11th. in the world, whereas NiP finds themselves sitting at 16th. place in the world. 

The second match in Group C is going to be between FURIA and Cloud9. FURIA is on paper the favorite, but with the new signing of "Xeppaa" Cloud9 should definitely not be ruled out of the question, as they will seek to get a strong start to their 2021-year. 

Virtus.pro

The iconic CS:GO organization of Cloud9 has this Friday confirmed the acquisition of the American rifler Erick "Xeppaa" Bach. The announcement of Xeppaa buries the rumours and speculations regarding the former Chaos player, with news and reports about him joining the American org, emerged back in the beginning of January.

The promising rifler joins an already star-studded roster, consisting the likes of Alex “ALEX” McMeekin and Patrick “es3tag” Hansen. Xeppaa will replace the Turkish AWPer Özgür "woxic" Eker who recently was released by Cloud9.

Read more. "Cloud9 release Turkish AWPer"

[link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/cloud9-release-turkish-awper/"}]

"My personal goal is to show that I can compete on a high level, especially against these top European teams" says a thrilled Xeppaa in the above announcement video. 

The 20-year old rifler has been given a 3-year contract in a deal worth up to $540.000, with potential bonuses. As earlier mentioned, Xeppaa concludes Cloud9's roster as their new fifth, even though not being an AWPer like his Turkish predecessor. It will be exciting to follow if Xeppaa is the last signing or if GM Henry "HenryG" Greer has a potential sixth in sight.

With the team Chaos ending back in December 2020 and Cloud9 looking for a new member to join their roster, it isn't surprising that the name "Xeppaa" jumps to mind. Erick "Xeppaa" Bach was one of, if not the best player at Chaos. Showing impressive individual skill as well as the ability to work together with his teammates "Xeppaa" took the Counter-Strike world by storm and was by many people regarded as one the best players from North America in 2020. 

After Cloud9's restructuring of their roster in 2020, they saw mixed results and are seemingly not yet satisfied with the current roster, as they are looking for another member to strengthen their team. Rumors have pointed towards "Xeppaa" being that exact player and it seems very likely. The 20-year-old rifler has had a crazy 2020. Let's take a look at some of the best moments from, potentially, Cloud9's new signing "Xeppaa":

With Cloud9 parting ways with their former Head Coach Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović it is no surprise that they are looking for a new Coach to guide the roster. "kassad" said his goodbyes with the Cloud9 organization after a clash with the British in-game leader Alex "ALEX" McMeekin. 

Cloud9's General Manager Henry "HenryG" Greer states, in an interview with Rush B Media, that: 

"While nothing has been made official as of yet, it is no secret that we are in deep talks with Elmapuddy." 

He carries on by praising the young Australian Coach: 

"He's an absolutely fantastic coach and negotiations are going extremely well. I can't wait to update you all later in the week." 

Chris "Elmapuddy" Tebbit isn't without experience as he was hired as Coach for Gen.G. Last December, however, Gen.G transfer-listed both "Elmapuddy" alongside Hansel "BnTeT" Ferdinand, Kenneth "koosta" Suen, and Timothy "autimatic" Ta. 

If Cloud9 succeed in signing "Elmapuddy" as well as newly rumored Erick "Xeppaa" Bach, the future of Cloud9 is without any doubt an intersting and promising one. 

autimatic

koosta

BnTeT

ALEX

Gen.G

As always there is many storylines to follow in the new era of Cloud9 in CS:GO.

Shortly before the end of 2020 their coach left the project after just four months. Read more here:

[link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/cloud9s-coach-leaves-organization-after-less-four-months-/"}]

Now multiple sources reports, that the "Colossus" is close to signing a new player. 20-year-old Erick "Xeppaa" Bach should be on the verge of signing a contract with the NA Organization. The American player was part of the CHAOS team, that got dissolved in late 2020. It is still unknown whether Cloud9 will line a six-man roster, or if one of their current players will leave.

You can read the full report from 1pv here.

[link:{"url":"https://www.1pv.fr/fr/news/99500-xeppaa-close-to-joining-cloud9"}]

It should have been a festive moment, with laughter and joy. It’s the winner interview, Chaos has just won the North American division of DreamHack Masters Winter, the biggest trophy in their short but exciting lifetime. However, the moment and the interview didn’t feel like a celebration as it typically would when a team just had secured back to back championships. On the contrary, it felt more like a farewell party, as it was the last time, we would see this roster.

Last week, it was announced that the organization behind Chaos, has decided to release their CS:GO roster of Nathan “leaf” Orf, Edgar “MarKE” Maldonado, Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, Erick “Xeppaa” Bach and Jonathan “Jonji” Carey.

Read more. “NA organization confirms CS:GO exit”

[link:{"url":"https://pley.gg/news/na-organization-confirms-cs-go-exit/"}]

The roster of Chaos gave their perception of the situation in the aforementioned interview with the analyst desk at DH Masters. Chaos coach Matthew Elmore explains how NA organizations and sponsors aren’t answering their calls and IGL vanity continues by saying “There is no interest in Counter-Strike at the moment”.

[twitchClip:AwkwardPhilanthropicBeaverGOWSkull]

They looked like a team which have lost all faith in finding a new organization or sponsors, and as vanity says “we have proven us time and time again”.

The Chaos roster gets the chance to make the fairy tale ending when they attend the IEM Global Challenge later this month. The prominent tournament will be Chaos’ last tournament as a team, where the NA team stand as a clear underdog going into the event.

See what vanity and company have to say about attending IEM Global Challenge.

[twitchClip:NimbleKathishTomatoCharlieBitMe]

vanity

leaf

Jonji

The winner of IEM Beijing NA and the current #18 best team in the world according to HLTV’s world ranking, leaves professional CS:GO. Chaos Esports Club has announced the release of its CS:GO roster by of the end of this year.

The North American organization writes in a press release that the consequences of Covid-19 have been too damaging and “put pressure on our organization's ability to support our rosters and the incredible players behind them.”

This current Chaos roster has presented fine results in their lifetime with the victory at IEM Beijing-Haidian NA as the biggest yet. Xeppaa, vanity, leaf, Jonji and MarKE will get the possibility to make the perfect escape in their last tournament under the Chaos badge at IEM Global Challenge, starting December the 15th.

Watch Chaos secure their biggest win at IEM Beijing.

Chaos were favorites going into the game and despite losing the first map they managed to turn the tables on the two next. The favorites left no doubt of who deserved the victory as they wrapped up the decider 16-6 on Nuke.

Anthony “vanity” Malaspina and Erick “Xeppaa” Back from Chaos finished on top of the scoreboard, leading the team to victory with 1.32, and 1.31 ratings.

Chaos will now advance further in the tournament and look forward to playing in the semi-finals of the division.

	30 days	90 days
Fixture count	0	0
Maps count	0	0

Xeppaa

Player stats

Articles mentioning Xeppaa

XEPPAA joins floppy and quits CS:GO

Video: s1mple brings out his knife vs Cloud9!

MarKE confirmed as new Extra Salt player

Extra Salt set to add former Chaos rifler

Get ready for the IEM Katowice Play-In

Live: fnatic vs Cloud9

Cloud9 take down NiP at cs_summit 7

FURIA closes day one of cs_summit with 2-1 victory

LIVE: Virtus.pro vs NiP (2-0) / FURIA vs Cloud9 (1-1)

Cloud9 sign former Chaos star

Video: Best of new potential Cloud9 signing Xeppaa

Cloud9 hunts Elmapuddy as new Head Coach

Media: Cloud9 close to signing American

Chaos IGL: There’s no interest in Counter-Strike at the moment

NA organization confirms CS:GO exit

Chaos continues the journey

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