In the middle of the match between Heroic and The MongolZ, Jakob "Jabbi" Nygaard had to withdraw from the match due to illness.

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Luckily for Heroic, their coach Richard "Xizt" Landström is an old Counter-Strike legend and was able to step in mid-game on Overpass. Heroic lost the map though, but came back on Mirage to settle the score with a 16-6 win. On Mirage Richard "Xizt" Landström went 13-10 in K-D and was able to help his team secure the win.

It was Richard "Xizt" Landström's first match since 2020, where he played in Flashpoint 2 as a stand-in for Gen.G. Xizt is most known for his time with NIP from 2012-2018, where the Swedish Ninjas won the ESL One Cologne 2014 Major. He was also part of the team that went 87-0 on LAN in 2012-2013.

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Heroic will already be back on the server today. It is still unknown whether Jakob "Jabbi" Nygaard has recovered in time to play against Ninjas in Pyjamas at 19.30 (CEST).

Xizt

Heroic

31-year-old Richard "Xizt" Landström extends his contract with the world's number one Heroic. 

Landström joined Heroic in October 2021 as an analyst and temporary coach for PGL Major Stockholm 2021 but has since then become the head coach for the team in the following years. The former pro player has in his Heroic coaching carer archived some impressive placements at big tournaments such as BLAST Premier Fall Finals 2022, Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 second place, and Pinnacle Cup Championship 2022. 

The Swedish coach stood behind Heroic during their impressive run at IEM Rio Major where the Danish team managed to take down the world's best despite people saying Heroic cant play on LAN. Heroic only lost to Outsiders in the final after a stunning tournament where the Danish team went into the final as favorites. 

Xizt and Heroic are currently playing in the BLAST Premier Spring Groups where the Danes are set to face the winner of Liquid and BIG. The winner of that match qualifies for the BLAST Spring Final and the losing team goes to Spring Showdown. 

The coach of Heroic, Richard "Xizt" Landström commented on the CIS dominance at IEM Rio, and also gave his opinion on the state of his own region. Heroic will face Spirit in the Quarter-Final at IEM Rio.

You can watch the entire interview with the Heroic coach down below.

If you ask the Counter-Strike community which nation has been the most dominant and paramount in the history of the game, the majority will most likely point towards one certain European country.

The Swedish CS:GO scene has produced a myriad of legendary figures in Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund, and many others. The big Scandinavian nation, embodied in Fnatic and Ninjas in Pyjamas, also dominated the very beginning of CS:GO, winning four out of the first six Major Championships.

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However, every great dynasty has its end, and for the Swedish CS:GO scene, it was no different.

We have sat down with f0rest to hear what he believes caused the collapse of the great Swedish dynasty, and why the Swedish CS:GO scene isn’t as dominant anymore. When speaking with the former NIP superstar, one particular aspect seems to appear – The unwillingness to grind your way to the top.

- The Swedish players feel kind of entitled because Sweden always has been presented as one of the best nations in Counter-Strike. Because of that, some people expect to be a great star player right off the bat and to join an already tier-1 team. But people are not fighting together as a team to reach that goal collectively.

The quality and the grind that Danish players are doing, is what’s lacking in Sweden. The Swedish scene hasn’t really committed to the lower-tier teams in the way Denmark has, where teams have stuck together and made the grind to reach the top, f0rest explains and continues with his comparison between the two neighbouring countries:

- What Denmark does right, is that they nurture and have a lot of really strong teams in lower-tiers that grind their way up towards the higher ends. Heroic for instance, they came from battling in tier-2 to now being a stable Top 5 team in the world (…) At the end of the all, we just need to see more Swedish teams stick together longer and actually grind and try to make it work.

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Fnatic has this year gone from being a fully Swedish roster to an international team with the signing of the British trio ALEX, mezii, and Smooya. 

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Swedish players in Top 30 Teams (HLTV’s world ranking):

f0rest's way to the top of Counter-Strike

Long before becoming one of Counter-Strike’s most accoladed and greatest players in history, f0rest recalls a time and a period where he alongside some of his fellow friends were trying to break through to the professional scene.

- When I started playing Counter-Strike there was already a lot of Swedish pro teams, where I only played with four of my friends. We all had the same goal to reach LAN events or just do something. During that path, we all became really good, because we all wanted the same thing – to become great players and a great team.

We didn’t make it that far, however, we did a few upsets as a team, and that was enough to get recognized and picked up by a better team. You got to grind – I think that’s the way to do it because it’s not up to others to show you the way.

I don’t think it’s as hard to get recognized now, as it were be back in the day. There are a lot of tournaments you can play right now. So just get in there and make sure you have four teammates, who are playing for the same reason as you.

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NIP's iconic roster who managed to set up a massive 87-0 map streak (From left to right: Fifflaren - GeT_RiGhT - friberg - xizt - f0rest)

The upcoming PGL Major is set to be held in Sweden’s capital of Stockholm, with the $2 Million tournament being the first Major in over two years. Sweden’s best hope for an overall victor will undoubtedly be NIP, after their impressive win at IEM Fall.

Despite the iconic Ninjas’ great success lately, Sweden will only be going to be represented by a historically low of five players at the PGL Major – the lowest in Major history.

The number of Swedish players at selected Majors:

PGL Stockholm Major (2021): 5 {cflag:SE} players

Starladder Berlin Major (2019): 7 {cflag:SE} players

IEM Katowice (2019): 12 {cflag:SE} players

FACEIT Major London (2018): 11 {cflag:SE} players

DreamHack Winter (2013): 21 {cflag:SE} players

The two Swedish mastodonts in Ninjas in Pyjamas and Fnatic has in recent years tried to strengthen the Swedish talent pool with the creation of Young Ninjas and then also Fnatic Rising. The creation of these academy teams is something f0rest sees as a very positive direction.

- NIP is doing something right with giving LNZ a shot, being a young player from Young Ninjas and now has won IEM Fall. That will hopefully give some motivation for younger Swedish players to see that it’s possible.

That grind, where you develop at a certain pace and get a feel out for the game is a healthy way of doing it, in my opinion. Jackinho and the Young Ninjas players on NIP have been thrown into tier-1 competition and are expected to deliver results right off the bat.

I think the future of Swedish Counter-Strike looks brighter than it has in the last few years. There are a lot of upcoming talents who are beginning to pop up within the scene, and it feels like the Swedish CS:GO has got reignited and realized “Hey, we are not so bad after all”, f0rest concludes.

You can watch the entire interview with f0rest in the video below.

f0rest

GeT_RiGhT

Jackinho

friberg

Ninjas in Pyjamas

Young Ninjas

Fnatic Rising

Fnatic

Patrik “f0rest” Lindberg has been playing competitive Counter-Strike at the very top since the mid-2000s. Over the years, the Swede has won countless titles, impressive individual awards and been such an influential character in the scene that he became an institution within the game itself.

We have sat down with the 33-year-old veteran to talk about what drives him to keep playing competitive CS:GO, despite being one of the oldest and most accoladed players in the circuit.

- My motivation comes from me loving the game so God damn much. I just love playing Counter-Strike, and I still love every single part of the game, even though I have been playing for almost 16-17 years now. No match is the same as the previous one, and it’s still so much fun to play, which drives me to keep on playing.

I still want to win tournaments and attend big events, because I don’t want to end on this note and just say “I did my part”. I want to play at the big tournaments again, especially the LAN events in front of a crowd – Grab a trophy, that’s also what continues to drive me. And I still believe we have what it takes, to do so.

You can watch the entire interview with f0rest in the video below, where you can hear him talk about his goals with Dignitas, CS:GO returning to LAN and how it is playing alongside younger talents on the team.

Dignitas is currently placed just within Top 30 on the world ranking (#30), after two mediocre results at IEM Fall and REPUBLEAGUE Season 2. In the interview, f0rest explains how he believes that he and Dignitas could reach a much higher position if the team is willing to do the “grind”.

- Top 10-15 isn’t impossible – especially not in today’s Counter-Strike. It’s definitely something we can reach, and maybe also deeper. (…) doing a great result here at BLAST Showdown or even qualify for BLAST Finals will be an incredible thing for the team and also something which will place us much higher in the rankings, f0rest said, where he continued to explain some of the difficulties climbing the CS:GO ladder:

It’s very hard to be playing everything online and especially when you have to qualify for every single tournament since we don’t get invited. To reach that top-level is a grind – But as I’ve stated before, you have to do the grind to reach and appreciate that sweet spot.

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f0rest joined Dignitas in early 2020, concluding a 7-year long tenure with NIP - Here Xizt, hallzerk, GeT_RighT, f0rest, and friberg (From left to right)

Dignitas will kick off their BLAST Premier Fall Showdown today at 15:30 (CEST), when they take on Fiend in the Round of 16. A matchup that suits the Swede well, owing to the Bulgarings being “a team that we are very comfortable playing against, so it’s a good starting matchup for us”, f0rest states.

You can watch the match right here on Pley.gg

hallzerk

Team Dignitas

On Thursday, the Swedish CS:GO legend, Xizt, announced his retirement as a player, bringing an end to his 12-year Counter-Strike career during which he won numerous titles and represented big organizations such as Ninjas in Pyjamas ,FaZe Clan, and Dignitas.

“My career has had its ups and downs, but looking back it’s been an amazing and unforgettable journey,” the Swede stated in the announcement while also hinting at his plans for the future: “I’m not walking away from Counter-Strike yet!”

The 30-year-old Swede most notably helped Ninjas in Pyjamas establishing the first true era in CS:GO as they dominated every single team they met, winning 87 LAN maps in a row without dropping a single one. 87-0 is a record that has never been replicated by any team since, and remains one of the most impressive Esports records of all time. It’s a huge number, and on the surface, it just seems impossible.

When asked about his biggest memories as a competitor, the Swedish Major-winner highlighted the Cologne Major which NiP won after two grand final losses.

While the 30-year-old Swede has decided to not join the server as a player anymore, he’s convinced his time in the Counter-Strike world is far from over.

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Take a look at Xizt’s accomplishment in his 12-year long career.

RaidCall EMS One Spring 2013 Finals (NiP) 

ESEA Invite Season 13 Global Finals (NiP) 

ESEA Invite Season 14 Global Finals (NiP) 

FaZe

There have been various so-called "eras" throughout the history of Counter-Strike Global Offensive, with teams dominating the entire scene and looking almost unbeatable. The first era to be established in the history of CS:GO was by the Swedish Ninjas in Pyjamas. Managing an 87-0 win streak on LAN, they were dominating every single opponent that they faced along the way. The team consisted of five iconic Swedes, one of them being their IGL Richard "Xizt" Landström. 

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"Xizt" has just announced his retirement from being a professional CS:GO player. Throughout his career, he managed to create many beautiful moments and highlights for the fans of Counter Strike to enjoy and cherish. 

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Most notably he was a beast when competing alongside his fellow countrymen at NiP. Take a look at some of the greatest and most memorable moments from "Xizt" and his time at NiP in the following tribute video: 

Putting an end to a 12-year-old career, spanning across two games of Counter-Strike, is the iconic Swede Richard "Xizt" Landström. At the age of 30-years-old, he has decided to hang up his mouse and move on to new challenges in his life. Representing teams such as FaZe, Dignitas, and of course, the iconic NiP roster that was unbeatable at the time, he can put a stop to his CS:GO career with satisfaction and a smile on his face. 

After having his breakout within the CS franchise known as 1.6, "Xizt" moved on to CS:GO where he would become one of the most prominent IGL's to have played the game. With his Swedish teammates at Ninjas in Pyjamas (NiP), he managed to define the first era of professional CS:GO, leading his team to an 87-0 win streak on LAN. Whilst the rest of his career can be said to have been less fruitful than his time with NiP, he will still be the first IGL to have defined an era in CS:GO. 

In an interview with HLTV.org the now retired icon explains how he will look back at his years within the professional CS:GO scene with content and satisfaction: 

"I am very happy and satisfied with what I accomplished as a player. Being a part of the legendary NiP team and also doing it as an IGL isn't something I could have dreamt of when I was a kid. The game of CS has given me so much, not only in terms of winning tournaments, but I have grown so much as a person and I have got to experience the world by doing what I love."

What exactly the future holds for "Xizt" is yet to be determined, however, he is seemingly not ready to leave the game of Counter-Strike completely. In the interview, the Swede explains his openness to a new role within a Counter-Strike team: 

"I am open to the opportunity to coach, do analytical work or team management, preferably in CS:GO where my expertise is." He continues by saying: "Now that I have had time off to reflect and refuel, I am very motivated and willing to work my ass off to win tournaments again, but in a different role."

	30 days	90 days
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Xizt

Player stats

Articles mentioning Xizt

Heroic coach played first official match since 2020 as jabbi felt ill

Successful Heroic coach extends contract

Xizt: Swedish CS is in a pretty rough place right now

f0rest on the collapse of Swedish CS:GO: Players are not willing to grind and work together

f0rest: My motivation comes from me loving the game so God damn much

Xizt: I am very happy and satisfied with what I accomplished as a player

Best of Xizt: A tribute to an icon

The legendary Xizt announces retirement

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