jL also talks about his time with MOUZ, the current state of buyouts in esports, dealing with haters, and much more.

Part of the episode is sponsored by Polymarket.

https://allaboutcs.gg/ep76_stickers - HLTV’s Article - “A catastrophe”: How the new Major sticker system is impacting the CS scene

Part of the episode is sponsored by Polymarket.

Appologies for second (or third) notification, technical troubles!

We start with some heated World Cup banter before breaking down the biggest roster news: ECSTATIC benching players, FL4MUS returning to form with GamerLegion, and Groove’s terrifying new TDK mix team. The second half of the episode is dedicated to the BLAST Bounty Draft Show. We analyze the spicy opening matchups, discuss Liquid’s strange roster lock situation (including ultimate standing in), and laugh at the renewed JW vs FaZe rivalry.

Part of the episode is sponsored by Polymarket.

Then, we jump straight into Rostermania, analyzing the wildest moves of the off-season. S1mple’s shocking new international roster with electronic and Magisk, SAW’s masterclass roster moves, MOUZ shaking things up and much more! We wrap up with a community Q&A.

Part of the episode is sponsored by Polymarket.

Part of the episode is sponsored by Polymarket.

Welcome to Episode 69 of All About Counter-Strike! This week, James Banks and Devilwalk welcome Engin ‘MAJ3R’ Küpeli, the legendary IGL currently leading the Turkish superteam under Aurora. MAJ3R discusses everything from the intense preparation required in modern CS to balancing the demanding life of a professional player with being a father.

Discover the team’s rigorous bootcamp schedule (six scrims with no breaks!), the challenges of facing NAVI, and MAJ3R’s favorite career moments. Whether you’re interested in the tactical side of CS, the mental struggles of top-tier competition, or heartwarming personal stories, this episode has it all!

From the shock of being benched to stepping back into a chaotic rebuild, xfl0ud holds nothing back. We dive into the team’s grueling schedule (11 events in 5 months!), the transition of yxngstxr to the AWP role, the impact of their new performance coach, and why they sometimes struggle against Tier 1 teams despite dominating Tier 2. To wrap things up, xfl0ud answers community questions, shares his Major Pick’ems, and explains why prime XANTARES is the only one who could stop donk.

We also discuss the new CS2 sticker economy, test the market for a $515,000 Dragon Lore, and take fan questions regarding the Cologne Major and the origins of BanKs and Devilwalk’s friendship.

We also dive into the latest CS news: ESL trying to hide their Pro League Season 25 move to Saudi Arabia, the truth behind kyxsan’s Falcons exit, and a hilarious rant about 100 Thieves’ tacky trophy picture. Plus, our predictions for the upcoming CAC event in Shanghai!

• Devilwalk’s Career Move;
• BLAST Rivals Analysis;
• The Return of Cache;
• Roster News;
• PGL Astana and IEM Atlanta Predictions;
• And more!

• Karrigan leaves FaZe, joins Falcons;
• Animgraph 2;
• MOUZ’s major overhaul;
• BLAST Rivals Preview;
• And more!

• BC Game and s1mple’s Performance;
• Astralis and Tournament Reflections;
• karrigan to join Falcons.

• The Liquid Controversy;
• Chaos in Asia;
• The Role of HLTV & Valve;
• NIP’s New Deal;
• IEM Rio Preview.

Guest: Finn (@MischiefCS2)

• More transfer news;
• ESL Playoffs changes for 2027;
• PGL Bucharest Preview;
• Answering your questions from Discord!

• EPL Season Review;
• The TO Arms Race;
• Roster Shuffles;
• Industry News;
• and more!

We dive deep into the “Subtle Rise” of the UK’s greatest player: from the early days of lying to his dad about homework just to play officials, to the high-pressure reality of joining the world’s #1 team. mezii opens up about the “imposter syndrome” he faced at Vitality, the hilarious truth behind apEX’s “crash outs, and why he never gave up.

• 100 Thieves played their first tournament after CS2 return;
• ⁠Senzu⁠ saga;
• VP Roster Updates.

• Top Teams Skipping IEM Atlanta
• PGL Cluj-Napoca Preview
• …and the knife giveaway winner announcement!

Parts of the episode are relying predominantly on visuals, you can check them out on our YouTube channel

• Review of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1;
• Preview of IEM Kraków 2026;
• More news;
• Answering your questions from our Discord!

Fresh off the HLTV Awards, we discuss why the event has become the gold standard for esports award shows, debate Donk vs ZywOo, and break down the biggest winners, snubs, and talking points from the night.

We also dive deep into why CS roster mania has completely stalled — from inflated buyouts and poor ROI to why teams are afraid to make big moves. Plus, we cover Vitality’s dominance, Molodoy’s rise, Hall of Fame inductions, women’s CS milestones, and major roster changes across NiP, Fnatic, BIG, Astralis, and more.

Join host James Banks for an exclusive roundtable discussion featuring three of the most electrifying young talents at the Major: Ilya “m0nesy” Osipov, Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, and Danil “molodoy” Golubenko.

We also look at what’s next for TaZ as he discusses his coaching future, lessons from G2, and how the current CS2 meta is evolving. To close out, we preview tomorrow’s massive matchups—MOUZ vs FaZe and FURIA vs NAVI—and analyze the key players, strategies, and X-factors that could decide each series.

Stay tuned for daily coverage of the StarLadder Major and everything happening on and off the stage.

We’re also joined by an insane lineup of superstar guests: FalleN (FURIA), Aleksib (NAVI), ZywOo (Vitality), mzinho (The MongolZ) and tN1R (Spirit), where we broke down their teams’ performances, and what they expect going into the Playoffs stage.

It’s our second episode here at the Budapest Major - we are joined by Jack (Manager of TYLOO), Xirreth (NAVI Performance Manager), Launders, Styko & Kimi (PARIVISION General Manager) to breakdown the Stage 1 performance from the teams. In addition, we’re also discussing and picking our favorites to get through Stage 2, into Stage 3 of Budapest Major.

Today’s episode is a really special one. It’s our first Episode on site at the Budapest Major. We sit down with Eddie, Director of Esports at FaZe, Samme from Fnatic, and Robl, performance coach for NiP. We’re also joined by top analysts Maui, Tedd, and legendary commentators Hugo & Harry for a full breakdown of everything leading into the first stage of the Major. We’re ranking teams who are most likely to make the next stage, so there might be some good advice for your Pickems.

• More Esports News;
• BLAST Rivals Preview;
• Your Questions answered!

• Rumors of 100 Thieves’ interest in the GamerLegion roster
• PGL’s announcement of 15 Tier 1 events for 2027 and 2028
• Valve is rejecting many sticker designs

• IEM Chengdu 2025 Preview
• PGL Bucharest Group Stage Review
• OG Shuffles
• Pay-To-Enter Tournaments are here
• And more!

• CAC 2025 Review;
• PGL Masters Bucharest 2025 Preview;
• Rosters news;
• Answering your questions from Discord!

• Shuffles in teams;
• PGL tournament canceled. Is it ESL’s fault?;
• Previewing CAC 2025.

• ESL Pro League Stage 1 Review and Main Event Preview
• CS2 Update
• FaZe Benches Rain
• And More!

In this second special of “All About Counter-Strike,” our own James Banks sits down with two prominent in-game leaders, Johnny ‘JT’ Theodosiou of Passion UA and Christoffer ‘Chr1zN’ Storgaard of OG, for an in-depth discussion on the art of leading in professional Counter-Strike.

• StarLadder StarSeries Recap
• Counter-Strike News & Discussion
• ESL Pro League Preview
• Q&A from the Discord
• And more!

In this Special, James is joined by two IGLs from NAVI and Ninjas in Pajamas for a lengthy discussion about the essential traits of a top-tier IGL, the emotional toll of leadership, how to integrate rookie players into a top team and much more!

• Wildcard controversy,
• Team Spirit roster change,
• Match-fixing allegations
• And much more!

• New Devilwalkthrough
• Roster Moves
• And answering your questions from our Discord!

Also today:

• HLTV Rating 3.0
• FaZe Clan changes
• BLAST London Preview
• Your questions answered

Some portions of the episode are relying on visuals, you can find them on our YouTube channel!

– Austin Major Play-Offs Recap – dupreeh announces retirement from competition – BLAST moves part of their tournaments online – As usual, answering your questions from our Discord!

Also in the episode: – New path to the ESL Pro League – Valve’s controversial removal of MRQs – BLAST.tv Major Play-Offs breakdown

This is a re-upload with the correct audio. Apologies for the technical difficulties!

This is the first part of that interview.

— Discussing PGL Bucharest — What was wrong with EU MRQ for BLAST Major? — Touching on other regions MRQ as well — Previewing IEM Melbourne 2025

And as usual, answering your questions from our Discord!