Aussie sniper aliStair will ride the pine for FlyQuest for the foreseeable future.
The long-standing Australian core at FlyQuest have been broken up with Alistair "aliStair" Johnston benched following the CS2 Shanghai Major. The 26-year-old AWPer remains open to squads and committed to the esport.
He, alongside Joshua "INS" Potter and Jay "Liazz" Tregillgas, formed one of the oldest cores in Aussie CS history. Now, FlyQuest are on the hunt for a new sniper — and they're expected to explore options outside of Oceania.
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aliStair's departure comes following rollercoaster 2024 season
AliStair's benching was announced by the organization on Dec. 19. The Aussie AWPer responded shortly after, stating on X/Twitter that today's exit from the starting lineup was not the end for him in CS2. "I truly believe exiting this year I have the best mentality I've ever had and a better outlook on how I should approach competition," he said.
Team manager Chris "GoMeZ" Orfanellis heaped praise on aliStair. "In my 10+ year career, Ali will probably go down as the best teammate I've had the pleasure of managing," he said. "The guy has a heart of a lion."
It's the first change for FlyQuest since the American organization picked up the former Grayhound roster in March and comes after a volatile 2024 season. At times FlyQuest looked well below their peers on the international stage with immediate exits at multiple tier one tournaments.
AliStair's form was questionable at best during the first two thirds of FlyQuest's CS2 season. He proved himself the best AWPer in the region at home events but struggled to leave a mark on the big stage, averaging below 0.9 rating at every international event the team attended.
There was marked improvement in aliStair's game as the season closed out. He was instrumental in the team's win at ESL Challenger Atlanta, bringing a trophy Down Under for the first time since Renegades in 2017. His form held at the Shanghai Major where FlyQuest came one game short of the Elimination Stage, recording wins over Complexity and BIG.
According to HLTV, FlyQuest are looking overseas and won't restrict their next pick-up to the OCE region. It would be difficult to replace aliStair with another from home. He is widely regarded the best sniper in Australia and his ferocity both on and off the server will be missed.
Stay tuned to esports.gg for more CS2 news and updates.
