The best player in CS:GO history finally has a major title next to his name.
After eight years in Counter-Strike, 10 major appearances, two runner-up finishes and an Intel Grand Slam, Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has achieved his lifelong dream to win a major.
But it wasn’t easy. Whether it was running into the unstoppable Astralis dynasty, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling LAN or not being surrounded by the best team, there was always something stopping s1mple from getting over the line when it truly mattered.
But in 2021, s1mple put any doubts to bed. In Stockholm, Sweden, he cemented himself as perhaps the greatest FPS player of all time. Now he wants more.
This is The Rise of s1mple.
Who is s1mple?
Although an undeniable talent from the start, s1mple didn’t just step onto the server and start breaking the game immediately. Instead, the young prodigy took time to develop into the superstar he is today. The Ukrainian spent his first two years learning from many of the CIS region’s legends under various organizations. This was particularly true for him with HellRaisers in late 2014, where s1mple got his first taste of a major. The student eventually became, if not the master then certainly an heir apparent, and in early 2016, s1mple left the safety net of home to head for international glory.
S1mple then joined the North American organization Team Liquid, who were decent on the server but, off of it, there was growing tension within the TL camp. You see, s1mple had a reputation for being a difficult teammate to cooperate with.
Experience The Rise of s1mple by watching the video above or heading to Upcomer’s YouTube channel.
Watch more Rise and Fall:
The Rise Again of Faker — How esports’ greatest icon reinvented himself
The Rise Again of ScreaM — How VALORANT Saved CS:GO’s Fallen Legend
The Rise, Fall and Rise Again of dapr — The BM King of VALORANT
