Fnatic is skipping ESL 'CS:GO' Pro League and bringing back an MVP
UPDATE: Oct. 26, 2016, 10:34 a.m. EDT Fnatic's Chief Gaming Officer Patrik Sättermon told Mashable that Dennis "Dennis" Edman's absence from ELeague is also the reason why Fnatic is not attending the Pro League finals -- Fnatic did not have enough time to secure a stand-in.
Fnatic's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team has had a tumultuous year, but it looks like they're trying to smooth things out as 2017 (and the next Major) approaches.
After trading away three players to fellow Swedish team Godsent in August, Fnatic is bringing back Freddy "Krimz" Johansson and saying goodbye to Jonas "Lekr0" Olofsson. Not only that, Fnatic is not attending the $600,000 ESL Pro League finals in Brazil happening at the end of October.
You May Also Like
Fnatic Chief Gaming Officer Patrik Sättermon told ESL: "We regret to announce that our CS:GO team will not be able to participate in the ESL Pro League Finals in Brazil due to personal circumstances. We want to use this moment to wish all the finalists and ESL the best of luck in São Paulo."
Tournament organizer ESL said in a release that no other European teams were able to attend the Pro League finals, so only 11 teams will be competing Oct. 28-30 instead of 12.
In an announcement welcoming Krimz back to the roster, Fnatic said that the team will be playing with a substitute during ELeague Season 2 in November.
"Dennis will not be participating due to personal reasons."
"Dennis will not be participating due to personal reasons," Fnatic said. "We will release more information on our stand-in shortly."
Dennis "Dennis" Edman's absence from ELeague is also the reason why Fnatic is not attending the Pro League finals -- Fnatic did not have enough time to secure a stand-in, Sättermon told Mashable in an email.
As for the trade-back between Fnatic and Godsent, Fnatic said in its announcement the move was best for both teams.
"After evaluating the roster changes that took place this summer, both organizations concluded that a return of Krimz and Lekr0 to their respective teams is best for the future success of both squads," Fnatic said.
Bringing back a part of its traded-trio was definitely a good move for Fnatic, who has seen much less success with its current roster than its previous roster. And managing to grab Krimz will undoubtedly help the team reach its goal of making it to the top eight of the next Major tournament in January.
Krimz has been a reliable support player for Fnatic, helping them turn the tide at ESL One Cologne Major in 2015 to beat Team EnVyUs in the finals after a 1v3 clutch victory on Dust2.
Since signing Krimz (and Olof "Olofmeister" Kajbjer Gustafsson) in 2014, Fnatic has won two Majors and over a dozen big tournaments, most recently taking second place in the first season of ELeague before the trade with Godsent.
On the other side of the coin, Godsent hasn't had a bunch of success with the three Fnatic players it acquired in August. Godsent has lost in multiple qualifying matches, being denied entry into ESL Pro League Season 4, ESL One New York, ELeague Season 2, StarSeries Season 2 and Epicenter.
With the return of Lekr0, Godsent may be able to get a little bit of its momentum back, but it may be some time until the team can make it back into placing at big tournaments.
