The Renegades Counter-Strike lineup is in its worst run of form since they joined the organization. And the team, which looked almost immune to roster changes, has finally been forced to make a swap. Luke “Havoc” Paton, A.K.A ‘The Beard’ has been dropped to the substitute position in favor of Karlos “USTILO” Pivac.
The new signing comes from fellow Australian outfit Team Immunity. Pivac had been widely considered one of the best players on that team and in the oceanic scene in general. He’s even featured on the international level before, competing at Gfinity, IEM Cologne, and Dreamhack Stockholm.
The change comes after a poor run of form for the side towards the end of 2015 that carried on into the start of 2016. This culminated in a defeat against The MongolZ at IEM Taipei, meaning the team lost out on a spot at IEM Katowice, one of the year’s biggest events. But 2016 promises to be a busy year. With the ESL ESEA Pro League, Turner’s ELEAGUE, and the MLG Major qualifier approaching, the team needs to be in top form.
Paton is heading home to Australia, though it’s not all bad news for him. Rumour has it the player has already found a new home consisting of various players from the region’s top three teams. Paton also made a statement on Reddit, claiming that the split was amicable, and that he intends to compete on an international level again as soon as possible.
Pivac will be joining up with the rest of Renegades in their home/practice building in Las Vegas. The team currently resides in the hotel of the Downtown Grand casino and uses its offices to practice.
Photo by Marcin Wróbel via ESL/Flickr (All rights reserved, used with permission)
