Over the course of professional Counter-Strike’s development, there have been many players that, in spite of reaching the top and being fortunate enough for the spotlight to caress them for a while, will always be remembered as ones that could’ve done much more. But in reality, some of these names could even leave a deeper mark than a Major winner or someone who’s lifted more trophies than them. Why? Well, because at a certain point and time – these players were electric.
Players like k0nfig, sergej of the past, and more recently, like degster or even Patsi, regardless of the last 2 still being in a position to “make it”.The main character of today’s article, however, was not only an entertaining player, but a national hero.
Coming from a region of the occasional good team results by teams like Windigo, MK, HEADSHOTBG, E-frag & some well renowned names in CS 1.6 like Ognian “steel” Gueorguiev, but one that struggled to leave a deep mark and break through to the highest level of international competition, one teenager was able to take the Bulgarian flag all the way to the big stages, develop, earn his reputation as a professional, ever-smiling & positive player with a rather strong affinity for the AWP and the skillset to produce some beautiful plays with it. The person in question is the so-called “Bulgarian Bulldozer” – Tsvetelin “CeRq” Dimitrov. But where did he come from, exactly how good was he during his 6-year-stint on North American soil and where is he now?
The transition
As a youngster, CeRq would spend the majority of his time competing in local Bulgarian CS:GO Qualifiers and tournaments. Starting from 2015, when he is just 16, he would start participating in as many tournaments as possible, regardless of being nowhere near the top of the domestic scene, but his talent was undeniable and just 1 year after his first Liquipedia tournament – ESL Bulgarian National Championship, he would end up being one of the main pillars of the newly created WinFiction lineup, that would later on become Outlaws, where he would finally start shining.
As for many young phenoms of modern and even oldschool CS, things were moving pretty quickly for CeRq. After joining the higher ranks of Bulgarian CS and establishing a good connection and outside of the server friendship with experienced IGL – Teodor “SPELLAN” Nikolov, the now 17-year-old AWP would go on to average a 1.21 rating over 286 maps with Outlaws – 37 of them being on LAN, where he would look equally as good, posting a 1.20 rating across 7 tournaments from a studio/stage with the zenith of it all being the ESL Southeast Europe Championship Finals in 2017, where CeRq would absolutely steal the show with a 1.31 rating and a 1.40 against emi, LETN1 & huNter-’s Binary Dragons in the Grand Final, leading to a LAN trophy.
Soon after, came the call.
It was 4 in the morning, I was still 17 or 16 at the time, when I got the invite from NRG and I just rushed into my father’s room to wake him up and tell him I was going to the USA – the thought I was losing my mind.. – CeRq via eSportsBulgaria in 2021
For most 17-year-olds, moving to the other side of the world to compete on a completely different level to what you are used to, speaking a different language and working with people from different backgrounds and cultures would be pretty stressful, but not to him. According to CeRq’s words – he never really thought about any of that. Leaving home, going into a completely new environment – the only thing that mattered was playing Counter-Strike and everything else – he knew he could catch up with later on.
How good was he truly?
One of the most important things for CeRq throughout his career has been the personal connection with his teammates. In order to trust someone inside of the server, you need to be comfortable around them outside of it too. That was one of the reasons SPELLAN was so vital for him while in Outlaws, and the same could be said about the instant bond that the Bulgarian was able to establish with IGL & Captain of the team – Damian “daps” Steele, as well as with peers Brehze & Ethan, with the latter one arriving on the team slightly after CeRq.
Not much time passed before the newly entrusted by the NA organisation AWP started showcasing his potential. With a couple significant showings like a 1.20 rating at his second event – EPL Season 6 North America, and others like ECS S4 NA (1.21) and EPL Season 7 NA (1.23), CeRq quickly became NRG’s highest rated player for 2017, while also showing glimpses of his clutch and supportive nature on the T-side, yet aggressive tendencies on the CT-side, being responsible for 30.9% of the team’s opening fights, while almost having the highest success rate at 61.6%.
Over the course of the next couple of years, CeRq would become a household name for NRG & later on – the early, successful days of Evil Geniuses. 2018 ended up being the highest rated year in his career (1.18), with the pinnacle of it all being IEM Shanghai 2018, where the “Bulgarian Bulldozer” posted a 1.34 rating, grabbing the MVP and leading NRG to the trophy with key performances over sides like Hell Raisers, Gambit & Tyloo, but that was just the beginning.
Over the course of the next 3 years, CeRq would play in 4 Majors, reaching the Semi-Final of the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, with the Bulgarian being one of the best performers in EG’s win over The Danish Colossus in the Main Swiss stage, won 7 events, 2 MVP and was even named the 18th best player of 2019.
He had incredibly crisp movement, even on a micro level – he was one of those AWP-ers that were an absolute pleasure to watch while they were not moving, but flying around the map. Incredibly good on the CT-sides, intelligent in reading the server & positioning himself in both clutch scenarios and as the round was going on. He might’ve not been the most aggressive of AWPs, especially on the T-side of things, but would never shy away from the so-called “combat AWP”.
So how good really was he? Well – quite good. There was probably a point in time where many would put CeRq in their personal list of the 10 best AWP-ers in the world and at the time – this was as normal of a statement as it gets. He might’ve never been the game changer to single-handedly power through entire events when the team was slacking, but one thing was for sure – CeRq knew how to level of the play of his teammates and be the X-factor in specific moments, while also not requiring a lot of resources, but only under the right circumstances.
Rough times – nowadays
Many hate the term “momentum based” both in regards to describing a player or a team. I, for one, would dare to say under specific circumstances, psychological momentum could be the difference between being a team between the 5th and 10th place in the world, and competing for trophies. Over the course of CS:GO and CS2, there have been many good examples of players who, under the right circumstances, when they have the utmost belief in themselves and are simply “having fun” in the server – are capable of despicable things. Players like degster, YEKINDAR, Patsi, hallzerk and many more. Whether it is because of their own temperament or the team’s struggles, once those guys go out of rhythm, it could be pretty tough to get them back at it. And as much as I believe CeRq to be the calmest and least emotionally flamboyant out of all of them, he needs one thing in order to play to the level he can – confidence.
Most of us remember EG’s downfall between 2021 and 2023. The team that once reached the #1 spot in the HLTV World Ranking, regardless of that being during the online era where North American competition would play a big role, and was Top 4 at a Major in 2019, was now in shambles. And one of the people that stayed during most of it – was CeRq.
First, it was Ethan deciding to step down, after that – it was time for tarik to go over on the bench. Slowly but surely, the team that allowed CeRq to showcase himself started changing, even falling apart, and that left a mark on his individual performance too.
From being the wild underdog that would make people shout and rejoice in watching the aggressive, entertaining and surprisingly efficient style of firepower-pushed Counter-Strike, to becoming a big name, with a lot of expectations attached, that would not win a game against European teams in almost half a year in 2022 – finding any positives was definitely tough for both the “Bulgarian Bulldozer” and his teammates, and that led to the end.
After a couple of years of below-average results, followed by 10 months of inactivity, CeRq’s numbers, form, confidence and career were not in a good place, and yet – he kept grinding. He kept playing and tried to earn himself an opportunity to play again, which he did on the kassad-led BLEED Esports at the start of 2024. However, albeit a couple of good results and steady individual improvement, he would get moved to the bench in May of 2024 and shortly after – transferred over to 500 Esports to reunite with fellow Bulgarians for the first time since 2017, but the slump would continue until the end of the calendar year, and would continue throughout the start of 2025.
Nowadays, CeRq is still on 500 in the team’s international iteration, joined by ex-BLEED teammate – hampus, and volt, as well as countrymen Rainwaker & REDSTAR and his individual level is yet to recover and get back to where it was. At this point – it might never happen, but there are glimpses of that smiling teenager that would flick around like crazy, quick-scope like it is nothing and make it look pretty smooth as well.
CeRq is on his own path to redemption. After many years of underwhelming performances, whether it be because of lack of fortunes on his teams or his own individual belief and skillset – it is probably difficult to get back to believing in yourself as much as that smiling teenager did all those years ago and yet – he keeps trying. It seems unlikely, but under hampus’ leadership and in that new iteration of 500, maybe he finally gets to go out of his shell once again and remind people why he was given the name “Bulgarian Bulldozer”, but one thing is for sure. This young man was not only Bulgaria’s most successful Counter-Strike player or one of North America’s favourite non-American players, he was an inspiration to an entire nation and the reason for many to fall in love with Counter-Strike and believe that they could reach his heights, and that alone – is worth more than a penny.
