CSGO: Cajunb Returns to OpTic, Refrezh Benched

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CSGO: Cajunb Returns to OpTic, Refrezh Benched

Danish CS:GO veteran René “cajunb” Borg has made his professional return to OpTic Gaming, reuniting with former teammates Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke. The move sees young talent Ismail “refrezh” Ali put on the bench. Ali originally joined the team in January of this year following a promising run as a stand-in for Cloud9 at BLAST Pro Series Lisbon.

The Boys Are Back In Town

OpTic in-game leader Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen revealed in a TwitLonger that Borg would be joining the team in place of Ali. He cites the need for “experience and stability” as a motivator for this change. OpTic played with this updated lineup last week during the GG.BET New York Invitational, where they placed first and secured themselves a spot at ESL One New York in September. Lauridsen addressed this victory in the TwitLonger, stating that they “played as a team” and it felt like they had “finally clicked in-game.” The IGL goes on to praise Borg, listing his experience, stability, lack of mistakes, and good individual skill as reasons to bring him on board.

Resistance Is Futile – Borg is Back

René “cajunb” Borg has been a staple member of Danish Counter-Strike for years, with a career in Global Offensive dating back to 2013. Borg has played on several lineups in the past, including North, Dignitas, and Astralis. Though he was a starting member of the revamped OpTic Gaming roster that formed in 2018, he was benched from the team in March of 2019. He then had a brief stint in North America, where he played for Cloud9 in one of their many recent European/American mixed rosters.

This was not his first venture in the North American region, as a former OpTic roster had featured NA mainstays Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz and Shahzeb “ShahZaM” Khan and played in the United States.

CajunB back on Optic, Refrezh benched

In Search of a New Home

The OpTic Gaming CS:GO team has been in search of a new organization to play for after OpTic’s parent company, Infinite Esports and Entertainment, was sold to Immortals Gaming Club. IGC is the parent company of rival CS:GO team MIBR. Lauridsen also addressed the search in the TwitLonger, where he states that, although they have received offers, the team is still looking for a new organization to represent.

Additionally, the team is adamant about not wanting to move to the United States. Despite this turmoil, the team does have a number of events in their future, including ESL One New York, Dreamhack Masters Malmö, and both ESL Pro League Season 10 and ECS Season 8. Lauridsen also mentions the team’s goal of reaching the top 10 within four months.

These changes come during the CS:GO player break preceding the StarLadder Berlin Major, which OpTic will miss after falling in the EU Minor closed qualifier. It is currently unclear where Ismail “refrezh” Ali will play next, but he did address the roster change in a TwitLonger of his own, where he insists that he is not giving up on a career in Counter-Strike. Fans can see the new and improved OpTic Gaming at ESL One New York, which will kick off in late September. This will also be their first LAN showing with this roster.


Images VIA: Dreamhack, ESL

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Caroline Rutledge
Caroline is an esports journalist focusing on CS:GO. Starting out as a casual CS:GO fan, her interest quickly turned into a passion as she spent years studying the game. She has put that knowledge to use as a journalist, now writing about professional CS:GO for multiple websites including TheGamer.