The Benriltom name still has more to offer the world of Counter-Strike. In the wake of ScreaM, the former jewel of French CS, recently transitioning to Valorant, his younger brother has stepped to the fore: Nivera. The nineteen-year-old Belgian-Marocain prodigy has been playing at a high level with Heretics since last march.
Vitality has increasingly pushed for a 6-man roster, similar to the one employed by Astralis, to allow for player rotation and to install a sense of internal competition within their French roster. The Counter-Strike scene has seen an increase in tournaments, in no small part due to the COVID-19 situation, which has eliminated the need for travel days to and from various tournaments, freeing up even more days in the calendar for online events.
For players, this means more online competition and less time off, with the confined players feeling less invested in their matches: Vitality needed to react, and that’s exactly what the French side has done. After coming up short in three straight finals, something that can’t have been good for morale, Vitality is moving into a new era and seeking a fresh impetus. They now host a new roster, one that featuring the extraordinary Nivera.
Although there were more experienced names on their shortlist according to 1PV.fr, such as Maka (23 years-old) and Hadji (24 years-old), XTQZZZ and his staff ultimately settled on Nivera. With this acquisition one thing is certain: having picked up ZywOo, who has matured into a superstar, then Misutaaa, who is still just only 17 years-old, Vitality is entrusting their future into the development of its young players.
Round out your squad with young players, then let them develop by playing whenever others need to take a break — an affordable solution lifted right out of the world of sports, and one that should be monitored closely over the coming months. This move is just another one of the ways in which traditional sport continues to inspire Vitality and permeate its projects.
So why not give it a go during the finals of the BLAST Premier Fall Series? Rumour has it that this just might be the event where Nivera makes his first appearance for the Bees. But before they make it to BLAST, Vitality will attempt to win DreamHack Open Fall, which is currently in its quarter-final stages. This event offers a good opportunity for Nivera to sit back and watch before he works his way into the side and continues writing his story.
The Dane, Patrick Hansen, will wear the colours of the historic North-American esports organisation. He leaves Astralis, a team that has only just put itself back on the road to recovery, in a move that raises further questions about the effectiveness of an expanded roster.
Photo: Louvard Game
