Twistzz: "My motivation dropped a lot [in CS:GO] with CS2 always being in my mind"

Twistzz opens up about how he didn't end his time in CS:GO the way he would have wanted.

Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken is the most decorated North American player to have touched CS:GO. He's a Major champion, the only two-time Intel Grand Slam winner in the world, and a four-time top 20 player of the year.

The Canadian's time in FaZe has been fruitful, to say the least, but with CS2 lingering like the sword of Damocles for months before its release, his and his team's performances took a hit.

FaZe most recently exited ESL Pro League in 9-12th place after a big loss to MOUZ in their first playoff match. It was the international side's third early exit in a row and Twistzz took to social media to share what has been on his mind in the past months.

"In all honesty, my level has been bad individually," Twistzz wrote on Twitter. "I am not displaying how I am in practice and ultimately hurt my team when I can't transfer my performance. I don't think this was the case vs. MOUZ as I felt like everything I did was countered, either an unlucky flash or spammed through smoke.

"Inconsistency is a huge problem for me at the moment and can be caused by a variety of things. Unfortunately for me, my motivation dropped a lot with CS2 always being in my mind. The effort to find new things, a new smoke or flash, knowing that it will be useless at any time because of the unknown release date of the new game, and also playing the new game and knowing the issues it has at the moment, I let this impact me and now I end CSGO with a performance I will regret having."

FaZe were actually one of the teams that voted for the ESL Pro League Season 18 playoffs to be finished in Counter-Strike 2 after the game's release on September 27. They were on the losing side of the vote, but it showed a predisposition for the new game that Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool confirmed in an interview with HLTV.

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Now, with CS2 fully released, Twistzz can rest assured that there's plenty to explore, metas to set, and new utility lineups that are here to stay. So, can this release help FaZe find their way again? The Canadian rifler is, at the very least, aware that he needs to focus on having a positive mindset when undertaking the new challenge.

"As a professional it is my job to go into the new game with the best mindset, approach and motivation to be the best teammate and player I can be," Twistzz finished. "See you all in the new game ❤️"