kRYSTAL transitions to coaching

The German IGL has decided to hang up his mouse after more than a decade competing as a player.

Kevin "⁠kRYSTAL⁠" Amend has announced his decision to step down from playing to focus on coaching after more than 10 years of competition, the highlight being the three Majors he attended with PENTA. The 29-year-old returned to the German scene in the twilight of his playing career, where he called the shots for ALTERNATE aTTaX and cowana before stepping down to assume a new role.

kRYSTAL has brought his decade-long career as a player to a close

After hanging up his mouse, kRYSTAL admitted that public criticism is one of the reasons for his decision. "I always was the kind of person for a team that sacrificed himself for the greater good, no matter how bad I may have looked like in the process," he reflected on his playing days. "However — I am still human. I have my flaws and my weaknesses. And I fully accept the reality where the way people think of someone (sadly) does influence their power and possibilities."

He also touched on the fact that transitioning to coaching is a scary prospect, but that he feels ready for the challenge. "I know because of all the things I went through and all I achieved — if I really want to do something, I am definitely able to do it."

kRYSTAL started out in CS:GO with ALTERNATE aTTaX after playing in Source for the same organization. His performances on the team earned a call-up to PENTA, with whom he attended three Majors and made his name in the international community when the roster opened up from purely German players to also include players from other European nations in 2016. He briefly went back to the German scene with Sprout, but exited the team in favor of Dennis "⁠sycrone⁠" Nielsen.

He returned to action in the international Imperial roster, with whom he won his only LAN title in DreamHack Open Summer 2018 before ending up in the orgless NoChance. The team was eventually signed by GODSENT and hovered around the top 20 in the world rankings throughout their existence, but kRYSTAL's low individual rating of 0.85 prompted the team to replace him and he once again joined his domestic scene to finish his playing career.

The 29-year-old, who is under contract with cowana until January 2023, has stated that parties interested in his securing services as a coach can contact him on Twitter.