{"id":192012,"date":"2025-06-16T10:56:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T10:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skin.club\/community?p=192012"},"modified":"2025-11-05T17:14:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T17:14:11","slug":"the-day-s1mple-nearly-joined-sk-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/en\/news\/the-day-s1mple-nearly-joined-sk-gaming","title":{"rendered":"The Day s1mple Nearly Joined SK Gaming (by neL)"},"content":{"rendered":"

FURIA<\/b> has just qualified for the playoffs of a Major for the first time in over two and a half years. This milestone comes after the team decided to open itself up to international talent, notably bringing in two players from the CIS scene:<\/span> Danil “⁠molodoy⁠” Golubenko<\/b> and <\/span>Mareks “⁠YEKINDAR⁠” Gaļinskis<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

But this isn’t the first time the Brazil x CIS combination has made headlines. Back in 2018, the Brazilian team<\/span> SK Gaming<\/b> — two-time Major champions — was on the verge of signing the player who would go on to be named the world’s best that same year: <\/span>Oleksandr “⁠s1mple⁠” Kostyliev<\/b>. This is the story of the biggest move in CS history… that never came to be.<\/span><\/p>

Brazilians in Doubt<\/strong><\/h2>

\"Brazilians<\/p>

In 2016, CS:GO was booming, with Majors now offering<\/span> $1,000,000<\/b> in prize money and taking place twice a year. Out of nowhere, the Brazilians stormed the scene and won both Majors that year. It was the culmination of a steady rise for FalleN and his team.<\/span><\/p>

After two playoff runs in 2015, <\/span>Luminosity<\/b> (<\/span>FalleN<\/b>, <\/span>fer<\/b>, <\/span>coldzera<\/b>, <\/span>TACO<\/b>,<\/span> fnx<\/b>) reigned supreme in 2016, then continued their success under SK Gaming, an organization that matched their ambition.<\/span><\/p>

But the three following Majors were less fruitful: the team had two top 4 finishes and one top 8. After testing <\/span>felps<\/b> and<\/span> boltz<\/b> in place of <\/span>fnx<\/b>, and with <\/span>TACO<\/b> on his way out, the team began considering deeper changes — even if that meant looking beyond Brazilian borders.<\/span><\/p>

A Superteam in the Making<\/strong><\/h2>

\"A<\/p>

With the Brazilian talent pool exhausted and the gap between SK and the rest of the local scene widening, their eyes turned to Europe. As former manager <\/span>Ricardo “dead” Sinigaglia <\/b>later revealed, their first target was shox, who declined for personal reasons. Then came <\/span>NiKo<\/b> and <\/span>rain<\/b>, but the Norwegian never followed up, ending that path.<\/span><\/p>

That’s when <\/span>s1mple <\/b>and <\/span>KRIMZ <\/b>came into the picture. The Swede was about to become a free agent, making him a logical option — but that idea quickly fell through. In the meantime, s1mple proposed a different name: his<\/span> Na’Vi t<\/b>eammate,<\/span> flamie<\/b>. Everyone loved the idea, and negotiations with Natus Vincere began for what was set to be a record-breaking transfer.<\/span><\/p>

At the time, Na’Vi was a solid top team with Major contender potential, but not consistent winners. The chance to join a trophy-winning roster like SK must have been appealing for both players.<\/span><\/p>

The Biggest Transfer in CS History<\/strong><\/h2>

\"The<\/p>

FalleN<\/b> and his teammates weren’t just aiming for competitive upgrades — they wanted to step up on all fronts. As I revealed at the time for Flickshot.fr, the plan was to join Immortals and revive the legendary “mibr” tag. With significant financial backing, the organization was ready to buy out both Na’Vi players in what would’ve been the largest transfer in CS history — in money, media impact, and competitive significance.<\/span><\/p>

As a reminder, at the start of 2018, s1mple was already seen as the best player in the world, while flamie had been in the top 20 twice before. By comparison, coldzera had been considered the best player in the world in both 2016 and 2017, fer had just finished 3rd in 2017, and FalleN had finished 2nd in 2016 and 6th in 2017. A true superteam on paper.<\/span><\/p>

On Tuesday, March 22, 2018, <\/span>Flickshot<\/b>, <\/span>HLTV<\/b>, and <\/span>ESPN Brazil <\/b>broke the news. A bombshell. The scene went wild. The players had agreed, the buyouts weren’t an issue, the project was exciting — everything pointed toward this superteam becoming reality.<\/span><\/p>

Airports, Cancellations, and Loyalty<\/strong><\/h2>
\n

Official: s1mple and flamie stay with Na`Vi<\/p>\n

— Yevhen Zolotarov (@NAVIHarisPilton) March 23, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>