Last night, OG officially announced the departure of their second member in less than a month, and this time the name mentioned is Issa “ISSAA” Murad, a 24-year-old rifler from Jordan. He has been a part of OG since the team formed its CS:GO roster in late 2019 alongside names like mantuu, Aleksib, and NBK-.
This decision comes after a prolonged period of unsuccessful performances by OG, especially since the beginning of 2021. Most recently, they failed to advance past the group stage of ESL Pro League Season 13, losing to FPX in the match for the last playoff spot, finishing in the 13-16 position. This marks the second change in OG’s roster in less than a month; at the end of February, they also announced the departure of NBK, the first roster change since the team’s inception.
Since the CS:GO scene shifted to online play in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ISSAA has been unable to practice with his teammates and has had to play from home (in Jordan) with high ping (ranging from 70-100). This disadvantage, along with the time zone differences, has significantly affected ISSAA’s performance; over the past 12 months, despite maintaining a rating of 1.05, which is quite impressive given his circumstances, it has not been enough to bring OG any titles, leading to the mutual decision to part ways.
In the official announcement, coach ruggah stated: “This is a very difficult decision as we have always held respect and affection for ISSAA, who has shown he is willing to do anything for the benefit of the team. […] We will always remember ISSAA and wish him all the best.”
After placing NBK on the bench, OG signed niko from Heroic as a stand-in to compete in DreamHack Masters Spring Europe and ESL Pro League Season 13. In both tournaments, the 22-year-old Danish player performed quite well, leaving a strong impression, and rumors suggest he may become a permanent member soon. The final position in the OG lineup is still yet to be determined, but the organization has plenty of options as many quality players are currently sitting on the bench at various organizations: suNny (ENCE), b0rup (Heroic), Flusha (Fnatic), Nivera (Vitality), or even Kjaerbye (FaZe Clan),…
OG will have about a month to rest and prepare as their next tournament, BLAST Premier Spring Showdown, is set to take place from April 13 to 18. The current OG roster will be:
Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen.
Mateusz “mantuu” Wilczewski.
Valdemar “valde” Bjørn Vangså.
Nikolaj “niko” Kristensen (stand-in).
Casper “ruggah” Due (Coach).
Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt (sub).
Issa “ISSAA” Murad (sub).