S1mple – is there a chance for the legendary player to return?
In October 2023, the Counter-Strike community lost one of the best players in the world – Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev. The main star of Natus Vincere left the team and became inactive. But most recently, he attended IEM Katowice 2024, where he announced his imminent return to the esports scene. In this article we will discuss the player’s chances of regaining his former heights and his possible future.
Why did s1mple go inactive?
s1mple’s break has been coming for a long time. In 2023, his personal skill sank noticeably and the team could no longer win thanks to his performance alone. In the fall, serious reasons arose for inactivation – the transition to Counter-Strike 2 and problems with documents.
The Natus Vincere sniper was extremely dissatisfied with the state of CS2 at release. The game did not bring any pleasure to the esportsman. He constantly criticized it on streams and did not play a single match on the professional stage after the tournaments switched to an updated version of the shooter. The esportsman was supposed to attend IEM Sidney 2023 – the first CS2 LAN, but suddenly he did not make it to the tournament. At the championship he was replaced by the team coach Andrey B1ad3 Gorodenskiy, and the role of sniper was taken by Justinas jL Lekavicius. The club never gave an official reason, but Kostyliev himself said that he needed to solve problems with documents.
According to s1mple, the move to Europe was the main reason for taking a break from the professional scene. All this time he was busy preparing documents to officially be there. He immediately knew that the break would last at least three months and did not believe that it was too long. However, he misses the tournaments and atmosphere of LAN.
The indirect reason for Oleksandr Kostyliev’s burnout and forced pause could be his long stay at Natus Vincere. The e-sportsman spent 8 years in the club, during which time he won many tournaments and became the champion of PGL Major Stockholm 2021. But everyone needs changes in life, perhaps in order to show the same results s1mple needs to change the organization and move away from the structure of NAVI and Andrey B1ad3 Gorodenskiy. All clubs have a different approach to the training process and championships, and a change in the «internal climate» can benefit the player and give him new motivation.
As part of Natus Vincere, Oleksandr Kostyliev was replaced by Ihor w0nderful Zhdanov. Together with him, the club reached its previous level and was able to begin to compete with the best teams on the shooting range-1 stage. But s1mple himself noted that the Ukrainian is not a worthy replacement for his talent. Still, he’s impressed by the rookie’s performance.
Will s1mple be able to return to his previous level?
Now Oleksandr Kostyliev still rarely plays CS2. In an interview with the Players portal, he noted that he logged into the shooter about three times in a month. s1mple also spoke positively about the major update that introduced the Kilowatt Case – he really liked it. But he is still not playing practice due to the lack of a team, which means that he has no opportunity to return to his former form.
At IEM Katowice 2024, s1mple first announced his return. But he did not name the exact time, he only noted that it would happen after PGL Copenhagen Major 2024. At the upcoming major, he will act as a reserve player for Natus Vincere in case of a necessary replacement.
After PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, most of the best teams in the world will be expected to make roster changes. This will be a great opportunity for s1mple to find a new home. But only if he constantly spends time in CS2 and returns to the custom form. So far he is not very willing to do this, but sometimes he plays on FPL. He also began to stream rarely, which affects his media presence – the popularity of the esportsman is falling, which may have a negative impact on the desire of top clubs to see Kostyliev on their rosters. But throughout his career he has built an impressive media image and this should be enough to still be a household name.
In 2024, s1mple is unlikely to compete for first place in the ranking of the best players of the year from the HLTV.org portal. He has already missed several important tournaments, and the competition is now extremely high. One of the main contenders for this title is Team Spirit star Danil donk Kryshkovets – the young player is already considered the most gifted newcomer in the history of Counter-Strike. It is worth noting that Kostyliev recently lost a head-to-head match with donk at FPL. The s1mple team led the Anubis with a score of 9:1, but lost the match 15:19.
Possible future of s1mple
While s1mple is inactive, he certainly receives offers from other clubs. The esportsman does not disclose information about this, but one can make assumptions about where he will be able to go.
Obviously, a player of this level will not consider invitations from teams that are not in the top 30 of the HLTV.org rating. Kostyliev also noted that he would never move to Cloud9, despite popular rumors. He did not even negotiate with the players and management of the organization about a possible transfer.
However, s1mple is unlikely to return to the active roster of Natus Vincere. The club has no reason to make a replacement, and it is unlikely that Kostyliev has a desire to spend even more time in the organization. NAVI has found its game with Ihor w0nderful Zhdanov and there is no room for s1mple in it.
The obvious options for the return of Oleksandr Kostyliev are G2 Esports and Team Falcons. After PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, Ilya m0NESY Osipov can leave his team and make room for a new sniper. If the club manages to complete the transfer, they will receive a terrifying combination of s1mple + NiKo.
Team Falcons tried to build a stellar roster before updating their CS2 roster, but the best players rejected their proposals. One of the possible candidates was Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev. After his break ends, the club can again turn to the player with a lucrative contract. The current Falcons roster is not stable, nor is their sniper Alvaro SunPayus García. The roster does not compete for high places at PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, which means that replacements are almost inevitable.
FaZe Clan remains an unlikely but possible option for s1mple. After each exclusion of a player from the European team, the community believes that Oleksandr Kostyliev will become its new member, but never once were these rumors even close to the truth. Now, when he is without a team, this reshuffle can still happen. FaZe sniper Helvijs broky Saukants performs at the highest individual level, but perhaps if the team fails at PGL Copenhagen Major 2024, management will want to see a star like s1mple in his place.
The most unpredictable option for continuing s1mple’s career will be Monte. It is quite possible that if Kostyliev cannot immediately find a suitable team, he will not refuse an invitation to a team of compatriots, which performs on equal terms with top teams and is in the top 10 of the HLTV.org rating. The only question is what conditions a small club can offer for one of the best players in the world.
Of course, the career of Oleksandr s1mple Kostyliev is not over yet. He will definitely continue performing at a professional level after the break ends. But whether he can show the same game as before, only time will tell. Most likely, we will see this already at a distance, because right away he will not be able to regain his previous heights. To do this, an esports player needs practice, which can only be obtained in official matches and major championships.