Any fan of competitive computer games has heard the nickname s1mple. Now it is one of the most sought-after and high-class players on the market. Alexander Kostylev methodically walked towards his goal, bypassing the difficulties and challenges of fate. Let's take a look at s1mple's path and learn a little more about him.
Carier start
Alexander has repeatedly mentioned in an interview about his attraction to computer games since childhood. Not surprisingly, he quickly mastered the intricacies of CS and became a strong player. The first appearance on the professional stage took place in 2013.
During the year, Alexander managed to play for many teams: LAN DODGERS, A-Gaming, Courage Gaming. While playing for Courage Gaming, s1mple received a ban that could have ruined his career.
Ban on speeches
In February 2014, S1mple received a ban from the ESL tournament operator. The reason for the blocking was suspicions of using cheats and third-party software. ESL has banned a novice player from participating in their tournaments. Alexander was supposed to not appear at the ESL Championships for 2 years.
Such a blow could destroy s1mple's further esports fate, since the situation was resolved. Several esports organizations turned to ESL with a demand to remove all restrictions from Alexander and allow him to continue to delight fans with his game. After reviewing the situation, ESL removed the ban and S1mple continued to play.
First big organization and permanent reshuffles
After the incident with the ban, in September 2014 s1mple joined HellRaisers. This was Alexander's first experience of playing in a large esports organization. After 5 months of playing, S1mple left the team and moved to the FlipSid3 Tactics organization. In July 2015, the player announced his desire to take a break from the competitive scene. True, the pause was not long, and after a few days Alexander began performing for the Evolution team. But s1mple did not stay long in this team either, and a month later he became a free agent. Real recognition and first awards came with the player's move to North America
Team Liquid and global recognition
A breakthrough for Alexander in terms of his career was the transition to Team Liquid. It was this organization that allowed s1mple to open up to the maximum. With "liquid" Alexander took second place at ESL ONE: Cologne 2016. Also, s1mple received a "named" graffiti on the Cache map for his performance in Cologne. Despite good results and a successful performance with Team Liquid, Alexander left the team in the summer of 2016. In August, the player returned to Kiev, where he signed a contract with Na`Vi.
Na`Vi and individual awards
Having signed a contract with the black-and-yellows in August 2016, Alexander Kostylev plays in Na`Vi to this day. For 4 years of playing with the Ukrainian organization, s1mple received many awards and became the champion of more than one tournament. The most productive year was 2018, for which the player received 5 MVP awards. Also in the same year, S1mple was recognized as the best player according to HLTV.
At the moment, Alexander has 7 years of playing on the professional stage and dozens of awards. He has proven time and time again that he is one of the best players in the world and his game speaks for himself.
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