NRG have been given another chance at qualifying for the PGL CS2 Copenhagen Major as they’ll replace Rocket in the American RMR. The organizers announced the news shortly after a Rocket player was found cheating and his team admitted to breaking rules in the closed qualifier.
PGL revealed NRG will be replacing team Rocket on Feb. 22, three days after the latter’s player Damian “EMIYA” Boulware was banned on FACEIT for cheating. Around the same time, EMIYA’s teammates, Ahmed “ayy” Mahmoud and Matthew “nero” Seymour, claimed their coach was illegally communicating with the team during matches in the RMR’s closed qualifier, which is forbidden in the event’s rulebook.
When EMIYA’s ban and both ayy and nero’s confessions came to light, the CS2 community expected Rocket to be disqualified from the American RMR. At the same time, many fans anticipated NRG would replace them, with the team losing to Rocket in a 2-2 matchup in the closed qualifier.
This will now give NRG a chance at redemption. The organization returned to the Counter-Strike scene in November 2023 with a star-studded North American roster featuring former Team Liquid AWPer and coach, oSee and daps, respectively. Three other notable North American individuals—Brehze, HexT, and FaNg—round out the lineup.
Since returning to the scene, NRG have failed to post any successful results. Aside from failing to qualify for the Copenhagen Major’s RMR, they also fell short in the IEM Chengdu 2024 qualifiers. But with a second chance at making it to the Major, they have an opportunity to turn their season around.
The American RMR will begin on March 1 in Monterrey, Mexico. The five best teams will book their spots in the Danish Major.
