BERRY steps in as Sprout continue search for IGL

9-2-2023 15:44

Mikkel "⁠Maze⁠" Sparvath's trial with Sprout has ended after just two days.

Danny "⁠BERRY⁠" Krüger will be stepping in for Sprout in their upcoming matches in ESL Challenger League Season 44 and the CCT Central Europe Malta Finals 1, HLTV has learned, as the team continues their search for an in-game leader.

Sprout bench Zyphon, trial Maze as IGL

The move ends Maze's short-lived in-game leadership trial and the Dane, who was revealed to be trying out for the squad as their new captain on Tuesday, has subsequently been cut from the roster after just two days at the helm.

BERRY will be standing in for Sprout while they continue their IGL hunt

Sprout made one tournament appearance with Maze as their skipper, competing in the IEM Brazil Europe closed qualifier in a bid to secure a berth to the $250,000 competition.

The tournament, which was marred by technical issues and delays, went poorly for the Danish-majority roster. The side crashed out in joint-last place after conceding losses to 9INE, a side currently ranked outside of the top 30, and BIG.

IEM Brazil Europe closed qualifier plagued by tech issues

Sprout have been on the hunt for an in-game leader since their roster shuffle on Tuesday. Ismail "⁠refrezh⁠" Ali stepped down from the captaincy after six months in the position, revealing in a TwitLonger that he suffers from a stutter and that the speech impediment has prevented him from reaching his potential as a caller.

The squad will be welcoming BERRY into the server in the interim, and the coach will return to competition for the first time since playing with the team in their second-place run through ESL Meisterschaft Autumn 2022 Finals in December.

Sprout successfully qualified for ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference with BERRY on hand as BIG Academy are unable to compete in ESL's flagship league alongside their main roster, who are partnered with the tournament organiser through the Louvre Agreement.

Sprout will temporarily field the following roster:

Victor "⁠Staehr⁠" Staehr
Laurențiu "⁠lauNX⁠" Țârlea
Ismail "⁠refrezh⁠" Ali
Adrian "⁠XELLOW⁠" Guță
Danny "⁠BERRY⁠" Krüger (stand-in)

God Berry mastermind gonna bring XELLOW and launX to another level

2023-02-09 15:45

12 replies

tbh i really think this can work out haha , if berry uses launx like raalz did or even better . This should be a banger to watch launx dropping 30 bombs for months straight like the first months in sprout

2023-02-09 16:10

8 replies

launX 1.32 rating next 3 months inc

2023-02-09 16:24

5 replies

refrezh not igl ?

2023-02-09 18:13

4 replies

not anymore. that's why they benched Zyphon and are looking for an IGL now.

2023-02-09 19:15

3 replies

but refrezh is even worse than zyphoon it doesnt make any sense

2023-02-09 20:51

2 replies

I think refrezh is willing to take more bad roles and he has the most experience at tier 1 in the team. Also I’ve seen a lot of people comment on Zyphon possibly tilting way to easily and bringing down the teams mental.

2023-02-09 21:35

1 reply

yeah people have talked about it a couple times during his time with astralis talent

2023-02-10 06:31

He was already their coach, this isn't going to change much lol

2023-02-09 16:37

he might be able to shore up some of their playbook on the fly atleast. Might see some different defaults and a few new executions since he can call the rounds now

2023-02-09 18:11

another tier*

2023-02-09 16:16

Damn bro two days and they cut you? What did you yell at refresh and call him a naughty word? Seems like everyone was performing in those games but him lmao

2023-02-09 16:58

LEGEND BERRY IS BACK!

2023-02-09 18:15

KEKW

GOD BERRY

jesus

Omega LUL

Huh?

save launx and staehr

11 replies

Vitality Staehr, you heard it here first

2023-02-09 16:13

10 replies

i like both of them but i think launx is better

2023-02-09 16:22

9 replies

launx is a beast

actually launx being next to zywoo/spinx dupreeh/magisk he will be a sponge for a year and after that a beast

2023-02-09 16:25

7 replies

2023-02-09 16:39

bro even spinx said on a livestream that launx is a huge potential and has the highest skill potential from all the tier 2 riflers :D

2023-02-09 16:59

yh bro i know, but he needs some time in tier 1, not everybody is monesy unfortunately. and watching launx games he needs some guidance at least. if thats the case then ence are going to go crazy about it AND I REALLY HOPE THAT! they didnt want to pay a few pence more for a young talent and got valde instead. AMAZING DEAL!

2023-02-09 17:15

they offered 300k for launx and sprout declined the offer , so they really wanted launx but ig unlucky

2023-02-09 17:18

dunno about that amount of money, heard was way less. like less than 50%

2023-02-09 17:21

As far as i know and heard from a german guy from sprout manager's side , they offered atleast 150k

2023-02-09 17:27

right, i heard that ence got greedy and didnt want to pay but i guess we will never know the truth... and they got valde instead. deserved! they are using the same path like fnatic and a few others, it's their fault in the end.

2023-02-09 17:36

GOD BERRY BACK!

Rip Sprout

Just take in lekr0 ffs

14 replies

not the worst idea but unfortunately lekr0's time is gone mens (((

2023-02-09 16:23

could be a good move :D

Think it’s up to Jonas to make some initiative, dunno what form he’s in nor how rehearsed he is in the meta

2023-02-09 16:33

He does play the game still in pugs at least , with old NIP guys + Olof . They played the open qualifier too for IEM Rio

2023-02-09 16:51

He is a beast in faceit with f0rest and Olof, but it's only faceit. Still, I'd love to see Lekr0 back. He had so much unrealized potential! :(

2023-02-09 18:00

+1 He felt like one of the few stable and reliable players in the Swedish scene that had some skill in him aswell. His career deserves to end better than this :(

2023-02-09 18:16

Lekro, Krimz, Rez, Brollan and Naawk. If my fanboy heart could, I would replace Brollan with f0rest. Xizt or RobbaN for coach. Best possible full swedish lineup?

2023-02-09 18:23

Yeah, by far. lekr0 is still somehow the best igl in Sweden and the rifling trio works perfectly with how nawwk plays.

2023-02-09 19:28

This is what fnatic should have done instead of going international... It would, I guess started of with jackinho instead of nawwk and f0rest instead of rez but thats still a decently enough lineup in the wait for nawwk and rEZ

2023-02-09 19:30

Why would REZ downgrade?

2023-02-10 14:52

Dude wtf? Downgrade? There aint nothing worse than nip atm and hasn’t since device left

2023-02-10 18:23

Lekr0, Krimz, Rez, f0rest, Joel would probably be my top lineup atm. Can agree that ures aint bad either.

2023-02-09 19:38

Nip did naawk so dirty... I think he was doing ok (I cant remember tbh) and nip got device out of nowhere and naawks career suddenly stopped... And then nip didnt had an awper for an year lol juggling the awp between rez and estag. Nawwk definitely deserves a second chance!

2023-02-09 21:27

Even young ninjas would defeat that team lol

2023-02-10 01:04

Jeez

2023-02-09 15:49

MUCH LOVE BERRY

2023-02-09 15:46

Bro got no chance whatsoever

1 match and they kicked him?

almost certain they most have had some really clashing personalities or problems outside the game, otherwise there is 0 reason to kick him after such a short time

2023-02-09 16:49

he didn't look that bad in fnatic rising but well that's an academy team so maybe he needs more time/not good enough. anyway sprout realized they have the igl issue and FINALLY they are addressing it. the only question now is who is on the list next? they said they have 3/4 names or smth

2023-02-09 16:56

he was just on trial so he has to perform. and he obv didnt

2023-02-09 17:31

BERRY GOAT

2023-02-09 15:47

wtf happened to maze

wtf is going on with Sprout lol

2023-02-09 15:48

Shuffling a deck as much as possible to desperately find a result. Probably founders want to eat the csgo cake but in reality they're not better than most of t2 teams and also partnership for esl and blast is already sold, so nt

2023-02-09 15:54

goat berry

Joke team

Damn, this guy still around? Haven't seen him play in like 15 years lol

Berry? He was their coach lol

2023-02-09 16:52

Bruh

that was fast

Ridiculous to bench Zyphon when refrezh is the problem

refrezh said he don t want to igl. In team, you need an igl. That's why they benched zyphon.

2023-02-09 15:52

yeah....

2023-02-09 17:58

Hyytinen pog

2023-02-09 16:46

Does refrezh really not want to be an IGl that sprout has to rack their brains to find one instead of just getting another rifler or support player?

2023-02-09 15:50

6 replies

Ismail "⁠refrezh⁠" Ali stepped down from the captaincy after six months in the position, revealing in a TwitLonger that he suffers from a stutter and that the speech impediment has prevented him from reaching his potential as a caller

2023-02-09 16:01

Dont get why they didnt replace him, zyphon>refrezh for sure. Cause it even sounds like a problem that prevents you from being a pro.

they benched zyphon because his attitude issues not because his performance

2023-02-09 16:32

Didnt know he was toxic

2023-02-09 21:18

copepasta or what`?

2023-02-09 17:29

yeah copy pastad from this article

> kick young prodigy for some random IGL > play a qualifier with new IGL, literally 2 games > kick IGL > play with washed coach sprout management is highly memeable

We don't know what happened..

we never know what happened, we can only judge from the outside but moves from sprout almost always look stupid and i dont think they're the unluckiest org in the scene

2023-02-09 16:15

Yh the changes look really dumb. Dont get why they didnt try longer with that squad and refrezh as igl, I really thought the team looked good. If refrezh isnt even igl anymore they shouldve rather kicked refrezh and replace him for an igl.

Again ppl talking shit out of their asses Zyphon was hard to deal with ,so he got kicked

and then they go for an IGL to replace a skilled rifler, thus decreasing their firepower? also why didnt he have those problems in CPH flames? no matter how you turn it, the moves were stupid

2023-02-09 16:34

Zyphon was known to be toxic since he was playing in Astralis talent,thats why main Astralis always avoided taking him. in cph flames probably hooxi had more patience with him anyway he was garbage 1.01 rating vs tier 2/3

2023-02-09 16:35

He was humble’d down in Flames as he was the worst at least experienced on the team. Why do you think everyone else ended up on actually good teams? Roej and Nico in Fnatic. Jabbi to Heroic. Hooxi to G2?

2023-02-09 18:46

Lekr0

2023-02-09 15:51

ChrisJ!

anti vax j? no thanks

I am unvaxxed :)

2023-02-09 16:28

2023-02-09 17:39

Yeah flag

2023-02-09 21:09

covid over, doesnt matter

2023-02-09 16:29

LMAO still caring about that scam. What a clown you‘re

two DAYS LMAO

Get Alex, he’s a decent IGL and for this team it would be perfect in my opinion.

No, he's not. Most overrated player ever

2023-02-09 15:56

Would still be a pretty good player for Sprout though. But there is currently just a limited amount of free igls with experience on the market. Could be quite difficult to find a solid igl just at the start of the season.

2023-02-09 15:58

Sure, from this point of view probably. But he hasn't played for like a year (less). Seems like nobody interested in his service

2023-02-09 16:00

i think he decided to take a break for medical reasons after his stint with fnatic. i am not sure about his current condition

2023-02-09 16:02

he’s probably not joining any team anytime soon, check his twitter

Sprout got inspired by Eternal Fire lol. Just as they seemed to be a serious org...

LOL

2023-02-09 15:55

suNny? MSL?

Both

2023-02-10 09:40

Freak show

2023-02-09 15:57

THE GOAT

godberry is better than maze

just remove him already, he's the problem in sprout.

OMG that was really fast lmfaooo GOD BERRY INCOMING

2023-02-09 15:59

GOD BERRY SUPERMACY

2023-02-09 16:04

HAHA

Can we talk about the elephant in the room ? Why was Maze only there for two days?

2023-02-09 16:05

worst individual player i've ever seen in a while really , i really think while they were playing they realized who they trial + NO MID ROUND CALLS AT ALL XD

2023-02-09 16:08

stupid org like Astralis

2023-02-09 16:14

could be that his igling was worse than refrezh probably is most likely, cant see no other reason unless toxic

2023-02-09 17:08

Idk if you watched the games,he missed utilities, lost stupid fights played the last 1v1 on mirage like a lvl 3 not checking anything, he had a lot of basic mistakes, I agree maybe 1 day is not enough but he didn't played as a top 20 team player

Clown org

2023-02-09 16:07

JOKE TEAM, SAVE STAEHR AND ZYPHON FROM THIS SH1T

zyphon ? hell na , let him rot in hell for being a toxic avg player , save lauxn and staehr , they are the best in that team and the most wanted players , launx wanted by ence and col and staehr by astralis , zyphon by no one XD

2023-02-09 16:09

wow nice achievement, sourced by 2 tier 2 teams, I like lau but this is nothing, I think that he needs + xp and with Sprout he can get, its better to get big xp with Sprout than join a tier 2 team that will put poor roles to him. Staehr and Zyphon have a good xp to join Astralis and Heroic for example, lau not yet

Yea , but launx to ence will be good , he has enough experience game wise , he lacks just lan experience , and if he plays in ence he will get that for sure , and as far i seen in katowice , he plays more relaxed then the usual , i hope this is his usual form on lan not just katowice

2023-02-09 17:00

they need solid, experienced igl not pug igl like maze

I wasn't watching, were their calls really that bad?

2023-02-09 16:11

Sprout stealing tactics from eternal fire and never ending polish t2 shuffle

lmaoo that was a long stint

did they really get rid of maze after TWO matches?

Sprout is finished, Xellow’s not impressing me, they made a mistake benching zyphone & should continue with refresh as igl…

2023-02-09 16:18

yes but refrezh couldn't do it anymore as igl

2023-02-09 22:04

fear is the answer

2 days? wtf

2023-02-09 16:21

They’ll regret kicking Zyphon

stupid sprout, just sign 200iq fear

Lets Goooooo BERRY

2023-02-09 16:27

Upcoming talent Berry will carry them! Just like taz is doing right now!

Maze Unlucko Mazucko

what if Launx, Staehr, refrezh and regali go to big ez major

2023-02-09 17:07

tabsen made syrs0n a good player, imagine what he can do with good players

😂😂 Imagine being as bad as the coach decides to step in as igl

2023-02-09 16:38

there is only one solution: MSL

2023-02-09 16:40

god berry

2023-02-09 16:41

Berry 32yo? NO F'N WAY

Berry's recent tweet was actually positeve in recent months. twitter.com/BERRYCSGO/status/16125870108.. twitter.com/BERRYCSGO/status/16141959577.. twitter.com/BERRYCSGO/status/16147176715.. It's really ironic that Sprout found situation like this. But I am still believing god_berry and can't stop hope thier good luck ;)

Welcome to Circus Sprout Should have accepted Astralis bid on Staehr. But noooo. Lets be arrogant. RIP MF´s

I agree Astralis is not an arrogant org at all. They probably offer a nice amount of money and didn't try to be greedy. You know when you have nicoodoz and you buy farlig.

2023-02-09 18:53

vague sarcasm detected. not impressed Staehr should still have joined Astralis instead of staying on this clusterfuck of a team. He had his chance. Thats gone now. I bet he is banging his head against the wall, as we speak.

2023-02-09 20:06

Cmon, if Astralis really want him, they will pay the money, but the org cares more about profit than result. I have nothing against the players. I really like the fact device returns, but the org is greedy and is well-know for their bad management. They miss so many opportunities, it is crazy. The dane pool of talent is kinda impressive, but they went for farlig, lucky, mistr and even buzz. Bubzkji is a special case too. Why bought Bubzjki if he will have role clashes with Glaive ? So, I won't be surprised if Astralis offered a small sum, just after device return from NIP.

2023-02-09 20:26

What's with all the revisionism with nicoodoz? He's been bang average even in tier 2 for years and had two stand out tournaments (with other players impressing more than him), at a moment where they'd already recently signed an AWPer. I am almost sure that even if they'd be slightly better off with nicoodoz, he'd still end up being benched eventually

2023-02-09 20:41

Sure, rn, nicodooz suck and device is better, but now, you have the solution, the final answer. Back then, Nicodooz vs farlig, who's you gonna take ? They took a decision and they went for a bad one IMO. Farlig went from bad to worse. He wasn't impressive in FPX and was not playing for few months.

2023-02-09 20:46

He was decent in FPX (playing in tier 1-2) and good in CPHF before that. That was their player they were aiming for at that time. Remember how people were "begging" Astralis to sign Farlig the moment FPX disbanded and released their players? Back then, people thought it was a good choice.

2023-02-09 20:47

Ppl thought it was a good choice, but anyone who really watches FPX knew that he is a whiffer, take bad duel and rely on flitch instead of positinning. Also, many wanted nicodoz,, not him. Farlig was the second choice after nicodoz for many many one.

2023-02-09 20:53

Well that was fucking quick

maze unluko

2023-02-09 17:03

XDDDD

2023-02-09 17:05

Huge L, unlucko

+suNny and bring back Zyphon instead of refrezh

wtf

2023-02-09 17:12

Don't underestimste BERRY. The guy can aim.

wtf sprout doing

2023-02-09 17:22

Ez for GOD BERRY

2023-02-09 17:28

2023-02-09 17:34

Let’s go Berry

Clown org lmao Just sell staehr and zyphon to astralis you dumbies

2023-02-09 17:43

lul wtf?

2023-02-09 17:46

Lul what?

2023-02-09 17:52

maze: rush b guys after game: ur kicked bro

btn incoming

Berry will be wildin

they really gave homie 2 days? 💀

2023-02-09 18:47

Jesus, the team is gonna fall soon. I feel it is like when COL had coldzera or esetag. Plan A, doesn't work, let do plan b .. I meant plan C.

2023-02-09 18:48

Now it is plan E

2023-02-09 20:54

Agree, poor players. They deserve better.

2023-02-09 20:56

I’m sorry but this is a fucking joke. What is someone suppose to do with two days? Develop an entire playbook, get the team coordinated, and bring perfect calls?? Some IGL’s can’t even do this with MONTHS.

Sprout next tier1 team 🤠

2023-02-09 19:22

msl in sprout

2023-02-09 19:26

Berry is 32? Looks at least 50.

2023-02-09 19:39

ANARKEZ was looking like 70 at his 20

2023-02-09 20:42

MSL looked like 50 when he was 21 xD

2023-02-10 09:47

There can only be one maze

2023-02-09 19:40

shortest trial ever for maze wtf

2023-02-09 19:52

he probably ate the other player so he can stand-in.

2023-02-09 20:11

+krystal or +golden = izi top 5 team

God Berry

2023-02-09 20:49

lmao

2023-02-09 21:03

2023-02-09 21:07

just bring zyphon back..

2023-02-09 22:01

Easy for the legend BERRY

2023-02-09 22:44

Remeber when Staehr was wanted by Astralis and he/sprout trought it was going to be a downgrade . Clown org , but lucky for half a season now back to reallity

2023-02-09 23:01