TaZ announces retirement from competitive Counter-Strike

The Major winner hangs up the mouse after a career spanning three decades.

Wiktor "⁠TaZ⁠" Wojtas has announced his decision to retire from competitive Counter-Strike, drawing a close to a career that started in the early 2000s and spanned across two versions of the game, 1.6 and Global Offensive. The 36-year-old revealed his choice on social media, with a picture taken in front of several winners' medals accumulated throughout the decades.

The Pole's career can only be matched by very few individuals and includes 23 LAN victories in CS:GO alone, with four Big Events trophies and a Major claimed at EMS One Katowice 2014. His trophy cabinet also counts a dozen of 1.6 awards, including six gold medals from the biggest tournaments, the joint-most in the game's history.

TaZ attended a total of 33 Big Events and 12 Majors in his CS:GO career

TaZ gained notoriety by winning Samsung Euro Championship 2005 alongside a team of Polish players which would eventually be known as the Golden Five. The squad included Filip "⁠NEO⁠" Kubski, Jakub "⁠kuben⁠" Gurczyński, Mariusz "⁠Loord⁠" Cybulski, and Łukasz "⁠LUq⁠" Wnek and dominated the Counter-Strike scene between 2006-2008, claiming several trophies along the way.

The veteran made the transition to CS:GO in 2012 and eventually joined forces with Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski and Paweł "⁠byali⁠" Bieliński under UniversalSoldiers, building the foundations of the team that would eventually be acquired by Virtus.pro. The Polish quintet was a force of nature in the early years of Global Offensive, claiming several trophies such as Gfinity 3, ESL ESEA Dubai Invitational 2015, and a Major trophy from EMS One Katowice 2014.

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Virtus.pro win EMS One Katowice

Internal disagreements between the members of Virtus.pro led to TaZ's departure in 2018 and the breakup of a lineup that stayed together for more than four years. The veteran remained in the Polish scene after his departure, and captained the likes of Kinguin, devils.one, and Aristocracy in the following half-decade. His later years would not prove as successful, with just a few victories at regional events in Poland.

His most recent LAN appearance came in February as he attended CCT Central Europe Finals with HONORIS, the organization he created alongside NEO in 2020. CCT was the last offline event they attended before ceasing operations on Wednesday.

TaZ attended 12 Majors in CS:GO, appearing in the playoffs of ten, and winning one. The Pole's teams were often treated as "gatekeepers" of the Valve-sponsored events as winners often had to go through Virtus.pro before claiming the title for themselves.

Notable international tournaments won by TaZ in CS:GO:

EMS One Katowice 2014
DreamHack Masters Las Vegas 2017
ELEAGUE Season 1
ESL ESEA Dubai Invitational 2015