Espionage enter Counter-Strike with former Tricked trio

The newly-minted organization look ahead to Counter-Strike 2's release in the summer.

Espionage, a newly-formed organization co-founded by former Astralis Talent coach Rasmus "⁠FaagaN⁠" Møller Thomsen, has entered Counter-Strike with the signing of an all-Danish roster featuring a trio of former Tricked players.

The Danish organization has made Counter-Strike 2, which is set for a full release later in the summer, its main focus area and is looking to get a head start by putting pen to paper and signing contracts with a quintet all under the age of 24.

Lucky's new venture begins with two former Tricked comrades by his side

Forming the bulk of the roster are Philip "⁠Lucky⁠" Ewald, who was notably on Astralis' books as a replacement for Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz from August 2021-June 2022, Oliver "⁠kwezz⁠" Rasmussen, and Oliver "⁠IceBerg⁠" Berg. The three Danes all join the newly-established organization after last representing Tricked, which put its esports division on hold back in February, citing an inability to meet its ambitions of the current market.

Read more

Tricked puts professional esports division on hold

The trio enjoyed modest success in domestic competitions during their time with Tricked and notably picked up second-place finishes at a hat-trick of Danish LANs. The squad were unable to go the extra mile, however, and failed to earn a berth to the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMR after falling in the last chance qualifier. Numerous 9-16th place finish in online CCT competitions were their biggest highlights.

Casper "⁠Cabbi⁠" Jensen makes the jump to Espionage after spending the past two months on ECSTATIC's bench. The Dane averaged a 1.02 rating over 192 maps during his seven-month tenure with the organization, but was eventually moved to the sidelines to accommodate Magnus "⁠Nodios⁠" Olsen after the squad missed out on a spot at the BLAST.tv Paris Major RMR.

Rounding out the roster is Anton "⁠Anlelele⁠" Huynh, who joins forces with his new teammates after being a part of MASONIC for close to a year. The 22-year-old put up a middle-of-the-pack performance whilst with his countrymen (1.06) and was notably a part of the lineup that triumphed at Heroes of Lofoten, a tournament which garnered traction thanks to its unusual and impressive location within the Arctic Circle.

Read more

MASONIC win Heroes of Lofoten

"The main focal point for the organization will be CS:GO and the upcoming title CS2," the new organization's press release reads. "As so, we are happy to announce the players that will represent us in the coming seasons — their official debut will be at Gamebox, this coming weekend.

"We are committed to providing our players with a stable home, as well as the support and resources they need to succeed both on and off the server."

Espionage have the following roster:

Philip "⁠Lucky⁠" Ewald
Oliver "⁠kwezz⁠" Rasmussen
Oliver "⁠IceBerg⁠" Berg
Casper "⁠Cabbi⁠" Jensen
Anton "⁠Anlelele⁠" Huynh

Rasmus "⁠FaagaN⁠" Møller Thomsen (coach)