On the servers for over two decades, Engin “MAJ3R” Kupeli has lived it all: the cramped LAN halls of the 1.6 era, the chaotic early days of CS:GO, the exile to build a Turkish empire, failed comebacks, doubts… and rebirths.
At nearly 35 years old, he still leads his troops against the best in the world, proving that with intelligence, hard work, and an iron will, you can defy time. This is the story of a player who, no matter the opponent, the game, the map, or the era, has never accepted to lay down his arms.
CS 1.6: The Young Prodigy
In the late 2000s, as Counter-Strike 1.6 entered its twilight, two young French players burst onto the scene: Engin “MAJ3R” Kupeli and Christophe “SIXER” Xia. Inseparable, complementary, and lethal, they breathed new life into a French CS scene lacking fresh faces.
In an era dominated by the giants, Poland’s Golden Five, Sweden’s f0rest and GeT_RiGhT, NAVI’s markeloff and Edward, Denmark’s zonic with mTw, France was the underdog. But MAJ3R and SIXER weren’t intimidated. They piled up standout performances, mixing firepower, youthful boldness, sharp game sense, and raw mechanical skill.
Their results spoke for themselves: 3rd place at DreamHack Summer 2009, 4th place at DreamHack Winter 2009, and numerous top 5-8 finishes at WCG 2009, ESWC 2010, DH Winter 2010, WCG 2011… Gradually, they became the heirs to French CS, faces of a new generation thought capable of bringing the country back to the top. But the switch to CS:GO would change everything.
CS:GO: A Difficult Start
1.6 was gone, CS:GO had taken over. But for MAJ3R and SIXER, this was no springboard. Both stepped away from competitive play, unlike the Source-based French scene, VeryGames, apEX, shox, ScreaM, and company, who finally got to face the 1.6 elite.
Months later, MAJ3R returned with Imaginary Gaming alongside shox and his old 1.6 leader Ozstrik3r, replacing ScreaM. But the game was new, the habits were gone, and motivation was low. He had to accept starting from scratch, grinding a title that wasn’t the game he once loved.
The French scene was overcrowded: rising prodigies, entrenched veterans, and ruthless competition. CS still didn’t pay enough to make a living at that level. The experience was a failure, and the French-Turkish player stepped back again, making only occasional appearances, most notably with the Turkish national team, a minor CS nation that still needed his experience.
In 2016, he returned full-time with Millenium, reuniting with SIXER, with HaRts (ESWC 2013 champion), alongside talents like Maniac, JACKZ, xms and more. Once again, nothing worked, France just didn’t click for him. The only bright spot came with his appearances for the Turkish national team, winning the 2016 World Championships with Calyx, paz, DESPE, and a certain XANTARES, who claimed MVP. And maybe… his future was there all along.
Exile to Succeed: The Space Soldiers Era
Late 2016, after a grueling year with Millenium, he made a radical choice: leave France to join Space Soldiers, a little-known Turkish team. For some, it was a crazy gamble. For him, it was a fresh start with nothing to lose.
Captain, strategist, mentor, he surrounded himself with raw talents like XANTARES and Calyx. He built a project in his own image, on a scene where everything still had to be achieved. In two years, he turned them into a well-oiled machine: online victories, qualifications for top events, an aggressive yet disciplined style.
From humble beginnings, Space Soldiers has become a national symbol, proof that Turkey can compete with the best nations in the world. After conquering Tier 2 and the internet during a year of hard work, and qualifying for ESL One Cologne, the adventure has taken on a whole new dimension.
In November 2017, Space Soldiers qualified for the ELEAGUE Boston Major, winning the European Minor. Fun twist: the other qualifying team was EnVy, featuring none other than SIXER. The former duo had done it, each on their own path.
The Turks fell just short of the playoffs but proved they were a team to watch. S-tier events followed, including a win at DreamHack Open Austin 2018. The FACEIT Major: London 2018 seemed to cap their rise, but the Space Soldiers chapter soon closed. XANTARES left for BIG, the project lost momentum, and it was time for MAJ3R to go home.
Doubt: Failed Returns and a VALORANT Chapter
In 2019, LDLC called on the French-Turkish veteran for an ambitious rebuild. The lineup featured Happy (a two-time Major champion) alongside xms and his lifelong teammate SIXER. The idea was to position LDLC as the clear number three in France, behind Vitality and G2.
But much like his time with Millenium, the project fell apart quickly. The Happy-MAJ3R duo clashed in leadership styles, results were disappointing, and the magic never happened. In truth, MAJ3R might well have deserved a shot at leading EnVy or G2 during his Space Soldiers time, but that call never came.
Once again, he returned to where he had truly succeeded: Turkey. He joined Sangal in 2020, reuniting with some former Space Soldiers players, and began the grind again. For over a year and a half, he tried to bring a Turkish roster back to the top. Without XANTARES and Calyx, the task was almost impossible. And in the meantime, a national superteam had formed without him, XANTARES and w0xic joining forces elsewhere.
Facing this reality, MAJ3R stepped away from Counter-Strike entirely. But he didn’t leave the competition, instead, he switched to Valorant, looking for reinvention. New game, new mechanics, new scene, but the same relentless drive. The experiment didn’t last, yet it revealed one of the defining traits of his career: the willingness to leave his comfort zone rather than cling to a fading status quo.
The Brain of Turkish CS: Eternal Fire and the Comeback
After several months away from CS, July 2022 saw MAJ3R return to his first love by joining Turkey’s superteam: Eternal Fire. The lineup included old allies XANTARES and imoRR, alongside w0xic and young talent xfl0ud. The first months were chaotic. Internal issues mounted, and MAJ3R stepped away to join VALORANT again, announcing that if he ever returned to CS, it would only be as a coach. At 30+, he made it clear: “I want to play somewhere where I can have control and build something healthy.”
But Eternal Fire’s problems didn’t go away. Calyx came back, w0xic left, and just a month and a half later, MAJ3R was back, this time for good. Through 2023, the team made key adjustments: the arrival of young Wicadia and the return of w0xic brought new life to the roster. Under MAJ3R’s leadership, Eternal Fire evolved from a regional promise into a global threat. They made history with a top 8 finish at a Major (a first for Turkish CS), reached the ESL Pro League Season 20 final, and solidified themselves in the top 10–15 before cracking the world’s top 10.
By then, Eternal Fire had become a team feared by most opponents. XANTARES earned a spot in HLTV’s Top 20 Players of 2024, and for MAJ3R and Eternal Fire, now competing under the Aurora banner, only one thing remains on their checklist: lifting an S-tier trophy.
In less than a decade, MAJ3R’s presence, guidance, and leadership have helped turn Turkey from a minor CS scene into a major force on the global stage. By shaping raw talents into disciplined competitors and giving them the structure to win, he has rewritten what was once thought possible for his country.
The Architects of Victory
Today, on CS2, at nearly 35 years old, MAJ3R still holds the helm. He adapts his game, shifts his roles, and proves that with experience, discipline, and relentless will, you can still lead your team to the top.
In an esport where youth reigns and stars often explode before 20, one truth remains: great teams are rarely built without an experienced leader. Whether it’s apEX guiding Vitality to their Majors and their era, karrigan molding FaZe Clan year after year, FalleN writing Brazilian history past and present, HooXi reshaping G2 and Astralis, or Snappi lifting ENCE and reviving NIP, these captains over 30 have shown that vision, leadership, and human management are as decisive as superstar aim.
MAJ3R belongs to this rare breed. He has lived through multiple generations of players, multiple versions of the game, multiple cultures. He has learned to adapt, to endure, to rebuild. And above all, he understands that in a world where mechanics sharpen with age but reflexes inevitably fade, the brain becomes the ultimate weapon.
His career is proof that a veteran is not a relic of the past, but a driver of the future. And as long as he’s on stage, drawing up the next strategy, the man who never gives up will keep writing his country’s history.
