CS:GO community remains divided over IEM Cologne trash-talk incident

Tempers flared among the CS:GO community yesterday following an outburst from Heroic captain Casper “cadiaN” Møller midway through his team’s IEM Cologne 2023 group stage opener against TheMongolZ.

In what was expected to be a walkover for the world’s No. 1 ranked squad, Heroic was shocked by the Mongolian minnows who upset the top seed in the opening map of their best-of-three on July 29. TheMongolZ won Mirage 16-11, forcing Heroic onto their map pick of Overpass.

Starting comfortably and up 4-1, cadiaN bit back at TheMongolZ in the form of a one-versus-two, denying the retake and extending the Danish squad’s lead. Famous for being loud and boisterous, cadiaN shouted across the room to his opponents, saying “You fucking noobs.”

Trash talk has been a core element of many esports and games since the dawn of technology itself but some members of the community thought cadiaN had taken it too far, bringing about a fiery discussion on Reddit. “It’s fine when it’s both ways like device and m0NESY today but I found cadiaN a bit too much,” said one fan, citing a moment shared between the Astralis and G2 AWPer after the latter landed a ridiculous Deagle round.

Related: ‘Play of the tournament’: CS:GO prodigy single-handedly keeps team aloft at IEM Cologne

Another viewer pointed out in the post-match thread that such trash talk had been occurring all event, yet the community was singling out cadiaN because of his notoriety as the “villain” of the scene. One responder added they believed cadiaN would “respect [TheMongolZ] grind” given cadiaN’s own upcoming through CS:GO over the years.

There were plenty who came out to support cadiaN. One member of the community believes others who had a problem with the outburst were soft, telling them to “return to your Riot-organised esport where calling someone a noob results in a fine.” Another likened the incident to “mental warfare” and that success in esports is not without confidence.

CadiaN apologized for his actions following the match on Twitter but was somewhat sarcastic in his tone knowing full well he isn’t the first to talk trash in CS:GO—and he certainly won’t be the last.

Heroic went on to win the series 2-1 with TheMongolZ coming incredibly close to snatching the series away multiple times over the course of Overpass and Inferno. CadiaN led from the front, dropping 67 kills in the three-mapper and topping the HLTV rating chart.

At the end of the day, being vocal has been a part of CS:GO at all levels, from local grassroots LANs to the biggest stages in the world. Whether it was meant as a mental break, or just in the spur of the moment, there should always be a villain—as without one there cannot be a hero.

The Danish squad will proceed in the IEM Cologne upper bracket later today against Monte, while The MongolZ face elimination against GamerLegion. The matchday begins at 5:30am CT.