Photo: theMAKKU
The competitive CS:GO scene is renowned for its blistering pace that only slows down a little over the course of the year. The highlights generally remain the 2 Majors, but there is also a plethora of competitions, more or less big, which follow one after the other. Difficult in this context to rest. The transfer window also does not follow a very precise calendar and there can be changes at any time, depending on performance and market opportunities.
Several recent cases illustrate this permanent frenzy: Navigation currently playing with a stand-in, following the setbacks of his former IGL, YEKINDAR is looking for a new team and Virtus.Pro intends to sell it at a golden price. But a Frenchman is also going to be at the heart of the discussions. Benched by Team Liquidhe is surely looking for a new home… Why not imagine a return to France?
Team Liquid cleans up
The Frenchman in question is Richard “shox” Papillon. At 30, he is still valiant and even though his best years may be behind him, he continues to bring a lot to the field. His former captain, ApEX is never stingy with compliments about him. Richard has a monumental experience (he participated in all the Majors in history) and at the end of the round, he masterfully manages the pressure during the clutches. His sense of the game is also very developed and he is perfect for lurking and infiltrating the opposing defenses. But despite its qualities that no one doubts, mayonnaise did not take well with Team Liquid. We don’t really know why he went to NA, but the results were disappointing, for him and for the team. At the last Major, Team Liquid was knocked out from the Legends Stage with an ugly 0-3.
The Frenchman is not the only one paying the price. Coach Eric”adreN“Hoag was also benched. The team is sick and they are trying to react. But from an outside perspective, the damage seems deep. necessarily less good than the other members of the roster… But players like ELIG, NAF and Nitr0 are untouchable.
Richard, the heart in France?
It’s never nice to be benched and it always hurts your ego a bit. But for once, it may be a blessing in disguise. Sportingly, Team Liquid looked more like a struggling team than a T1 team. shox therefore spares itself the strain of future disappointments that would only have harmed its reputation and its image. In addition, Richard has a family life in France. For his morale and his well-being, a return to Europe could be very beneficial to him.
The French community hopes that a “French” team recruits him. 3 candidates naturally emerge: Team Vitality, HEET and the FALCONS. Officially, the three structures have not necessarily planned to change their roster. But shox represents an opportunity that cannot be completely ignored. We imagine that a player like ApEX keeps a close eye on the situation of his former teammate.