The overhaul of Fnatic’s CS2 roster is in full motion. The organization has officially moved Australian in-game leader Christopher “dexter” Nong to the bench on Nov. 24, ending a stint that last only four months.
Dexter is the third player to be removed from Fnatic’s Counter-Strike lineup in November. The organization negotiated the move of Danish rifler Fredrik “roeJ” Jørgensen to Prezy on Nov. 11 and parted ways with British star William “mezii” Merriman on Nov. 2, who went on to join Vitality. CS:GO legend Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson, French AWPer Aurélien “afro” Drapie, and head coach Jamie “keita” Hall are the only members left on the roster following this latest development.
“As we continue to rebuild and restructure our CS2 roster, Christopher “dexter” Nong has been moved to the inactive roster,” Fnatic announced on Nov. 24. “With Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 starting within a few days, we will provide further updates on our roster for the tournament soon.”
Dexter had joined Fnatic on July 6 alongside afro. His arrival meant the end of mezii’s stint as the IGL of the team and Fnatic hoped the Australian would lead them to great results. However, the team’s performances were subpar in all tier-one tournaments they played with dexter, including Gamers8 in August, ESL Pro League season 18 in September, and IEM Sydney in October.
After Fnatic announced dexter was benched, the Australian captain commented on X, formerly known as Twitter, that things didn’t work out as they wanted. “I will be heading home for Christmas to take a break from this crazy year,” dexter wrote.
Fnatic has enjoyed a lot of success in Counter-Strike esports, but the last time the organization lifted a tier-one trophy was back in 2019 at DreamHack Masters Malmö when the team was still represented by a full Swedish lineup. Fnatic told fans on Nov. 15 that priorities were “fully set on investing in a new roster” that will help bring the organization back to its “former glory.”
Elisa Masters Espoo, the next CS2 tournament for Fnatic, will kick off on Nov. 29. This means Fnatic has five days to inform the fans who will be taking dexter, mezii, and roeJ’s spots, even if it’s temporary.
