BIG Removes Smooya From Active Lineup

BIG officially removed Owen "smooya" Butterfield from its active Counter-Strike: Global Offensive lineup. Smooya will be replaced by ohannes "nex" Maget in the team's lineup.

Smooya will no longer play on BIG's active CS:GO roster, and will instead be replaced by nex in time for the IEM Katowice Major. The announcement confirms a report from VPesports where sources said smooya benched himself in January and was reaching out to other organizations about his availability.

"This may come as a surprise to most people simply because of how happy I’ve been over the last eight months (despite my lack of individual performance)," smooya said. "But, I had a long think about not wanting to hold this team back, I think they already have an insane system that just needs a little bit more work and they will become a standout top five team in the world but sadly I don’t think I’ll ever fit into this system simply because of playstyles."

Nex received medical attention for pains in his wrist but will not have to undergo surgery, according to BIG. "The presence of nex and his calm and collected attitude was pivotal in the success of our Counter-Strike team, and his return will help immensely in solidifying the team ahead of the Major," the post read.