DeKay Mailbag Part 1: SuNny’s future, Thoughts on FaZe, and Why SK Gaming is Unlikely to Return

With the next CS:GO Major starting on August 23, teams will have to make a decision on whether or not to keep their current lineups. Some will change while many others will stick together and give it their all.

Natus Vincere just made their move, but what about others? What is going on with SuNny? How long will neo stay with FaZe? Are Cloud9 happy with their lineup?

These questions and more will be answered or discussed in part 1 of the latest edition of DeKay’s Mailbag.

Who’s Na’Vi interested in?

From what I heard, he was the main target. They didn’t even get the chance to consider anyone else because everything worked out well in and out of the server with him. I think the only hurdle was discussing the transfer and they obviously got it done in a couple days.

Where next for SuNny?

I asked around recently because I believe he is too good of a player to sit on the sidelines for this long, but nothing is going on with him from what I was told. I have a suspicion he is hoping that ENCE come calling in the next few months and add him if they start to struggle. 

The team has newfound expectation and pressure to live up to after how well they have played in the first part of the year. Other than that, I don’t really see where he ends up right now. Mousesports is playing really well already, so returning to that lineup doesn’t seem likely either.

FaZe/Tfue controversy affecting CS:GO team?

I wrote about my worries with FaZe Clan CS:GO here, but overall I don’t think the players themselves are too worried. They are all household Counter-Strike names that would have no issues joining another team if FaZe Clan ever exits the game or doesn’t re-sign them. My assumption is that they are operating like they usually do and focusing on the task at hand.

Cloud9 changes planned?

I expect them to remain with this roster until after the Major. They had explained their desire to play with a solid five once they felt it was good enough and I think this is it. Ultimately it will come down to how Autimatic and Valens feel, they have the most influence on the roster. CajunB has played well and done exactly what they have asked him to, so I think he remains long term.

Do FaZe have a plan B?

In a perfect world they would consider another player pretty quickly, given that they announced this was another temporary move when getting him. The only issue with that is there aren’t very many free agent players that fit their needs if it doesn’t work. 

If they continue this trend of not being willing to pay for players, I can see him sticking around for a while. Their star players are capable of getting them decent results even if he plays bad. I want to see how they feel once the mystique of playing with a legendary player wears off.

Jame and/or Qikert to Na’Vi?

I didn’t hear that they were interested in them, but you have to imagine they were on the short list of players to add. I would definitely consider them if Na’Vi makes another move in the near future. The likelihood of either of them moving before Cologne is very low though, I don’t expect that.

Another French contender?

FrenchFrogs are my number three team for France right now but that’s only based on them stealing a single map off of G2 on LAN. That isn’t much to write home about, so it’s really just a guessing game until one of those teams does something more impactful. Hadji is clearly the bright spot on the team and their best player, but beyond him I’m not super impressed. Even if you look at all the other French players, I don’t really see a combination that makes me feel like they can do something internationally.

Markeloff’s future?

All signs point to his retirement, but I haven’t heard one way or the other. I would say he is technically “inactive”.

Is sk gaming taking Aristocracy (ex-devilsone) to play for them ?

— Macien124 (@macien12) May 26, 2019

I was told a while back to not expect SK Gaming to return to Counter-Strike for many years or ever again. I would be shocked if that actually happened. Their exit from the game was anything but smooth behind the scenes after silently recruiting the NTC roster while still having the now MIBR players under contract. That could change of course, but that is what has held them from returning thus far.

CompLexity’s plans with Rickeh?

He has been practicing with the team, so I will have to assume that they got his issues sorted out. I do however expect them to make a roster change, so keep an eye out on my Twitter feed in the coming days.

The fallout of Tfue vs FaZe Clan?

For FaZe and Tfue it’s pretty simple in my opinion, they are both at fault. He should have had a lawyer read the contract, just like ANYONE should no matter what it is for. That would have solved the problem before it even became one. They shouldn’t have provided a contract that potentially violates labor laws and it’s clear they realized that before this even went down. 

All the other drama is pretty much meaningless. Sadly, this won’t be the last time people come out about their contract situation being unfair in esports. I bet there are a ton of players that looked at their contract as a result of this and are currently in talks with their own organizations about some of the stipulations

What’s going on with TyLoo?

No, I’m not sure what is going on there. As I reported, freeman had agreed to join the team prior to him playing at IEM Sydney. I had assumed he would join prior to TYLOO playing at DreamHack Masters Dallas, but that didn’t  happen. My only guess is that the team want to give this lineup one last try before making a move. I still have him joining their roster in the near future, because I know for a fact how interested both parties were in making the move.