ANGE1 retires after 20 years in esports: From Counter-Strike to VALORANT

Kyrylo “ANGE1” Karasov has announced the end of his esports playing career, closing a chapter spanning 20 years and three esports titles. The Ukranian, who first made a name for himself in the world of Counter-Strike, became a familiar face after switching to VALORANT in 2020. ANGE1 has revealed he plans to begin a career as a VALORANT coach next season.

During his CS career from 2005 to 2020, ANGE1 competed in over 150 tournaments across Counter-Strike and CS:GO. ANGE1 was one of the CIS regions' longest-standing IGLs, and while not the flashiest player, his strategic mind was respected by his peers.

He is best remembered for his time as IGL of Hellraisers in CS:GO from 2014 to 2020. During that period he not only led Hellraisers to punch well above their weight, but shaped the early careers of many young talent. ANGE1 was responsible for bringing in 16-year old Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev into the Hellraisers line-up and giving him his first platform to shine.

Following the release of Riot Games' VALORANT in 2020, ANGE1 decided to switch game. Competing for FunPlus Phoenix, Ange1's switch paid off, with the Ukranian taking 1st place at VALORANT Masters Copenhagen 2022 followed by an impressive 4th place at VCT Champions 2022.

Yet, after a move to Natus Vincere in the winter of 2022, ANGE1 was never able to replicate his early VALORANT success. During his three years at Natus Vincere, the team struggled to thrive in the highly competitive EU region. Now, ANGE1 has made the call it is time to call it a day on competition and turn his attention to coaching.

"20 years of gaming comes to an end. After taking a small break, I understood that it takes too much focus and energy for me to compete on the highest level," said ANGE1 in a post on his Twitter/X.

"I truly did my best in the last 2 years, but expectation and reality unfortunately did not meet. I still believe in my vision of the game. And there are a lot of things I learnt during this long-ass career. So let's not be sad; one journey ends, and another one begins. Starting next season, I will try myself as a coach."

in response to his post, there was an outpouring of recognition and admiration for his playing career from both Counter-Strike and VALORANT professionals.

"Good luck on your next journey. It was a pleasure getting banged by your Jett!," said Boaster, Fnatic VALORANT's IGL. "Also, you'll take flawless win matchup on Ascent with you."

"Congratulations for such a good career brother," said apEX, Vitality CS2's IGL. "We fought a lot on cs until you chose to go on a newbie game coz you were washed… just kidding of course ❤️."

ANGE1 competed across two decades in Counter-Strike, CS:GO and VALORANT. The 35-year old won a total of $304,285 via EsportsEarnings.

ANGE1's 15-year career in Counter-Strike was already impressive, but to switch in his 30s to compete and succeed in VALORANT is a credit to his versatility and mindset.