Despite an unsuccessful time on G2 Esports, Mixwell has plenty of cards to play in a wide open market.

Photo Credit: DreamHack & Adela Sznajder

Oscar “mixwell” Canellas is easily the biggest talent to come out of the Spanish CS:GO scene. Appearing almost out of nowhere in 2016, mixwell got his first chance at the big time in North America as part of OpTic Gaming. Since then, he has shown that he’s capable of being a star player at the highest level both on the AWP and rifle.

Had it been Counter Strike 1.6, mixwell might have been floating around in smaller Spanish teams forever, and we would not have been able to see him play on the big stage. Luckily for him, CS:GO has seen a rise of international European and North American teams have the resources to import rising talents. When you combine that with his supposed ability to speak French, mixwell should have plenty of future options. It also has to be considered a massive advantage that he already has experience playing in a variety team environments. Mixwell has played in everything from a Spanish team, to a North American team, to a European mix team and most recently a French team. Having lived in North America should also be an advantage, considering that many players have a lot of difficulties adjusting to that environment.

His time in G2 Esports didn’t necessarily increase his stock value. But it has to be said that he was in a very difficult scenario. Communicating in a different language than you are used to, and adjusting to a new team culture can be difficult in and of itself, but the G2 Esports team had plenty of factors going against it. Nathan “NBK” Schmitt was almost completely new to the in-game leading role and integrating a new player into his system is not something he has experience with. The organization did not seem totally committed to the team either, and they were ready to go with a different lineup in case the “NBK project” did not work out.

On top of that, according to mixwell himself, Dan “apEX” Madesclaire and Kenny “kennyS” Schrub were considered the star players of the team, leaving the other players to fill in the gaps. While mixwell is a versatile player, he is certainly at his best when the rest of his team sets him up to succeed, like they did during a lot of his time in OpTic Gaming.

Back to America?

One of mixwell’s options is to return to North America. According to an interview from earlier this year, mixwell said he would only come back to North America to play for a team aiming to win tournaments. While teams like Renegades and NRG Esports could use a player of his caliber, they do not necessarily fit that description. Even with NRG Esports reaching the final at the most recent StarSeries, we have yet to see if they can follow up on their successful run.

﻿The two teams in North America with the right pieces to win a tournament anytime soon are Cloud9 and Team Liquid. While the latter could perhaps use a better AWPer, Team Liquid is not looking like a team ready to make roster changes.

Cloud9 on the other hand is in the middle of changing the team. Mixwell does not fit the bill to replace the recently benched Pujan “FNS” Mehta, but it is still possible to find a spot for him on the team. Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham has been struggling ever since his overperformance at the ELEAGUE Boston Major, and if the team is looking for a new AWPer, mixwell could be an ideal replacement. On Cloud9 he would be reunited with his former OpTic Gaming teammates, Tarik “tarik” Celik and Will “RUSH” Wierzba, making it even easier to integrate him into the lineup. And with the rumor of NBK or apEX replacing FNS, mixwell would reunite with yet another former teammate. Although the longevity of having tarik as the in-game leader comes into question, adding mixwell and NBK or apEX would give Cloud9 more than enough firepower to win championships.

Staying in Europe?

With the rise of international squads in European CS:GO, staying in Europe is also a viable option for mixwell. When you think about international rosters, the names that immediately come to mind are FaZe Clan and Mousesports. Two teams that most likely will not make roster changes anytime soon.

Beyond that, the next international roster in Europe is HellRaisers. A team that has been on the rise in 2018. HellRaisers already have a deadly star duo in the form of Özgur “woxic” Eker and Issa “ISSAA” Samir, but adding mixwell could turn the deadly duo into a trio. At the same time, you would have an incredible double AWP setup with woxic and mixwell. Something that most teams would not be able to compete with. On a lower level, there are other international rosters like Imperial and Tempo Storm that mixwell should also be able to join.

The final option would be to stay in the French scene. While some people are of the opinion that nobody should stay in the French scene, we still have to consider the option. Now that G2 Esports have announced their new lineup with Richard “shox” Papillon, Kevin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans and company, players like NBK and apEX are left without a spot on a starting lineup. If you include some of the EnVyUs and LDLC players, the pieces to form a second and even a third French team are certainly there. But with the lack of in-game leaders, it is difficult to predict where the French scene will go from here. And with the constant drama, internal conflicts and underperformances, it’s probably not something that mixwell should want any part of.

With the minors rapidly approaching, mixwell has to find a team sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he might have to sit out until after the FACEIT Major in September.

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