A string of underwhelming results of late for Hellraisers has triggered the departure of their talismanic captain Kirill “Ange1” Karaslow, who has been part of the organisation for the last six years.
Ange1 has left Hellraisers along with crush and LK. (Photo courtesy HLTV)
“Every story has an end. Today I am breaking up with the tag to which I have devoted almost 10 years of life and which certainly means a lot to me,” said Ange1 on Twitlonger. “Thanks to all the people who supported me and HR. In each of our good performances you can clearly see the trail left by you. It was you who gave me strength to get up and move on even in the darkest times.”
During his time in Hellraisers, Ange1 guided the team to multiple titles, including the Copenhagen Games 2016, the Bets.net Masters, and most recently the CIS Minor Championship 2018 in London. For many the Ukranian has become synonymous with the organisation, but the 30-year old former Hellraisers captain appears ready to start a new chapter.
“I am sad to part with HellRaisers, but on the other hand I clearly understand that going out of my comfort zone will only benefit me as a player and captain. Now I’m open for any offers,” added Ange1.
The former team captain is also not the only departure, with Igor “crush” Shevchenko and coach Alexander “LK” Lemeshev also no longer part of the organisation. Hellraisers are currently ranked outside of the top 30, and are left with just nukkye, flarich and AiyvaN, all of which will be benched until a new roster can be completed.
This is the second time in the space of a year Hellraisers have had to overhaul their roster. Back in September 2019, the organisation benched their entire roster stating they had not managed to “build a team which every fan of Hellraisers can be proud of”, only to return with an almost entirely new roster a fortnight later.
However, with results once again below par, Hellraisers CEO Alex “Magician” Slabukhin stated in the official press release on Thursday that reforming the team once more was a “necessary measure”.
“Today we’re saying goodbye to the legend, Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow. First and foremost, we want to thank him for his incredible contribution to the organization. It was the roster led by ANGE1 with which HR started its path in esports. We’ve made some great memories together which we’ll definitely look back on with a smile in the future. And on my own behalf I want to thank you for the opportunity to have worked with you all these years. Press “F”,” said Hellraisers CEO Magician.
Hellraisers CS:GO roster on April 2nd:
Žygimantas “nukkye” Chmieliauskas (inactive/benched)
Vadim ‘Flarich‘ Karetin (inactive/benched)
Ivan “AiyvaN” Semenets (inactive/benched)
