A new CS:GO “super team” is in the works at Eternal Fire. The new organization has signed Turkish heavyweights like Ismailcan ‘XANTARES’ Dörtkardeş and Özgür ‘woxic’ Eker in a final push ahead of the 2021 Major.
The Space Soldiers are back but under a new name. Eternal Fire is looking to rekindle the “Turkish super team” project with faces, new and old.
The organization, founded by former mousesports AWPer woxic, comes after rumors of the super squad reforming following XANTARES’ departure from BIG.
The squad features veterans of the Turkish scene woxic, XANTARES, and Buğra ‘Calyx’ Arkın.
21-year-old rising star Ömer ‘imoRR’ Karataş is getting an opportunity with the squad, having been a part of the old Space Soldiers core following their break-up in 2018.
Hulk gerçek! Türkiye’ye ve Dünya’ya yepyeni bir soluk getirmek için geliyoruz! #forEFHulk is real! We are coming to breathe new life into Turkey and the world! @XANTAREScsgo @w0xic @CalyxCSGO @imorcs @OG_ISSAA @bishopcsgod https://t.co/xnbqlSMOr9 pic.twitter.com/aoWt0DagZJ
— Eternal Fire (@eternalfiregg) August 13, 2021
Jordanian player Issa ‘ISSAA’ Murad is the only non-Turkish player on the team. Formerly of OG and Hellraisers, ISSAA has previously played with woxic and has plenty of experience across his five-year career.
“We made the decision to fulfill XANTARES’ wish and to prematurely dissolve his still-active player contract,” BIG CEO Daniel Finkler said in a statement following XANTARES’ departure on August 13.
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“Thereby, we would like to contribute to helping XANTARES continue his playing career with a Turkish team.”
Thank you and goodbye @XANTAREScsgo!
We have made the decision to release Can from his contract so he can pursue his wish of competing for a Turkish team.
📰 https://t.co/8AAfrVyCLR pic.twitter.com/1u0nq1JL0V
— BIG (@BIGCLANgg) August 13, 2021
The Turkish super team has been teased since June when woxic announced he was “ready to compete and grind in CS:GO” again after taking a break following his Cloud9 stint.
They were originally looking for an organization to represent but failed to find backing.
Eternal Fire will be eligible to make a last-minute sprint to the PGL 2021 Stockholm Major, with two European RMR events still to play.
This article was originally published as “BIG releases XANTARES amid ‘Turkish super team’ rumors”.
Additional reporting by Dexerto’s Andrew Amos
