North has benched and placed its former CS:GO captain MSL and rifler aizy on the transfer list, the organization announced today.
North described the move as the second stage of its “talent development strategy” that was introduced in September. The goal of this plan is to build a sustainable talent development model and provide a “healthier path into the professional scene” for Scandinavian players.
With MSL and aizy out, North will bring back 18-year-old Danish player Kristoffer “Kristou” Aamand, who was being loaned to AGF. For now, North’s fifth player will be Rasmus “kreaz” Johansson, who’s best known for his period with Syman Gaming and was last seen standing in for Gen.G at Flashpoint season two. Kreaz will be the first of a “number of players” that North will test, according to North’s head of esports operations Graham Pitt.
North’s new project will focus on recruiting “young, talented players from the massive Nordic talent pool,” Pitt said. MSL joined North for a second stint in January, while aizy had been playing for North since February 2017. They most notably helped North win DreamHack Masters Stockholm over Astralis in September 2018, but the team slowly lost relevance in the Danish scene, falling behind other teams such as Heroic and MAD Lions.
Gade will be North’s in-game leader for the time being, a function that he previously served in 2019, while the veteran cajunb will take on a “mentorship role” within the team to help develop the new players.
North will play with kristou and kreaz for the first time at DreamHack Masters Winter Europe, which will kick off next week on Nov. 30. The rest of the team consists of gade, cajunb, Lekr0, and head coach Jumpy.
