ENCE has replaced Valdemar “valde” Vangså with former Endpoint CS:GO star Guy “Nertz” Iluz today following the team’s elimination from the IEM Katowice Play-in stage and after their failure to qualify for IEM Rio earlier this month.
Valde was removed from the active lineup on Tuesday, Feb. 14, less than six months after his arrival. ENCE cited “differences in playstyle,” saying that such differences are hard to fix and that it was easier to get a new player that already suits the team better. Nertz has been on the rise since last year, when he notably averaged a 1.19 rating at ESL Pro League season 16 in September 2022, according to HLTV, despite Endpoint’s subpar results in the tournament (1-4 record).
“We’ve had our eyes on Nertz for some time already, as his skills and potential are undeniable,” ENCE’s CS:GO head coach Eetu “sAw” Saha said in a statement to the organization’s website. “He seems to fit the team really well, both role-wise and in terms of personality. I’m excited to welcome Nertz to the team and start working hard to reach our full potential together!”
Nertz had been playing for Endpoint since November 2021 and grew considerably competing in an international team after spending most of his career in Israel’s domestic scene. The 23-year-old is the second Israeli rifler to play for ENCE in recent history and the organization will surely hope he follows the path of his countryman Lotan “Spinx” Giladi, who became one of the best players in the world in 2022 under ENCE and left to join Vitality in August.
The new ENCE player actually looked up to Spinx and Shahar “flameZ” Shushan while he was still playing in Israel. “After being in various Israeli lineups, NertZ was motivated to compete on an international playing field, especially after seeing the success of Spinx and flameZ,” ENCE said in a statement.
Nertz will debut under the ENCE banner at ESL Pro League season 17’s group D in March. Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, Paweł Dycha, Pavle “maden” Bošković, Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia, and Nertz will compete versus Team Liquid, Natus Vincere, Astralis, Team Spirit, forZe, Rare Atom, and ATK for one of the four spots in the playoffs.
