Imagine a world where two titans of Counter-Strike, s1mple and rain, were reunited under the banner of 100 Thieves. Sounds like a dream team, right? Well, according to s1mple himself, this almost happened! During the StarLadder Budapest Major, the Ukrainian superstar Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev revealed that he was close to joining forces with Håvard "rain" Nygaard, potentially rekindling their partnership from s1mple's stand-in stint with FaZe earlier this year.
This potential move would have undoubtedly solidified 100 Thieves' roster with two of the most celebrated and skilled players in the Counter-Strike scene. However, the stars didn't align. S1mple mentioned that the discussions ultimately fell through due to scheduling conflicts and other factors that prevented the deal from materializing.
But here's where it gets controversial... While the specifics of the talks remain unclear, it's intriguing to consider how far negotiations progressed before the deal fell apart. 100 Thieves reportedly shifted their focus to Astralis' Nicolai "device" Reedtz instead. Meanwhile, BC.Game, s1mple's current team, is undergoing a significant restructuring, parting ways with or benching players like Aleksandar "CacaNito" Kjulukoski, Nemanja "nexa" Isaković, and Luka "emi" Vuković.
Considering BC.Game is reportedly pulling out all the stops to build a top-tier team around s1mple, and given reports that he is the highest-paid CS2 player in the world, earning a staggering $130,000 per month, it begs the question: Could the allure of playing alongside rain have been enough to tempt him away from BC.Game? This is a question that sparks debate.
What are your thoughts? Would s1mple and rain have been a successful duo for 100 Thieves? Share your opinions in the comments below!
