BC.Game has completed the acquisition of SAW’s Portuguese core. Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes, Adones “krazy” Nobre, and António “aragornN” Barbosa will join Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and Denis “electroNic” Sharipov, bringing their VRS ranking points and invites in tow. The signing finally provides s1mple with a pathway back to elite competition, with the team already above the VRS cutoff for an IEM Kraków 2026 invite.
BC.Game’s shock signing of s1mple put the roster on many people’s radar, and for a while it looked like the team might make steady progress through the tier-2 circuit. But after a few months where s1mple largely held up his side of the superstar bargain, the team’s lack of results sapped the Ukrainian’s motivations once more.
electroNic was brought in, with the team hoping to reprise the highly explosive partnership that once fueled NAVI’s all-conquering lineups. Unfortunately, it was a few years too late with that dream, as electroNic’s stock had plummeted after disastrous stints at Cloud9 and Virtus.pro, with Cloud9 exiting CS altogether following his time there. With rumors floating around of s1mple’s contract possibly being short in length, many expected the CS:GO GOAT to simply bow out from the team and look for greener pastures.
Related—NAVI’s B1ad3: ‘ElectroNic’s potential as an IGL is much higher than Boombl4’s’
But when reports surfaced about BC.Game negotiating with HEROIC to sign that core, a s1mple-led LAN-ready roster was suddenly on the menu. While the HEROIC deal itself did not materialize, the SAW core offers a similar proposition for the team, despite the names being less internationally known.
“Excited to represent BC.Game. Can’t wait to share server with s1mple and electroNic.”—MUTiRiS
MUTiRiS, 33, has been a stalwart of Portuguese Counter-Strike since the 1.6 days. And as the IGL, he’ll have his work cut out, trying to earn s1mple’s buy-in. Tactically though, he has proven his chops before at IEM Cologne 2024 where SAW made a surprising semifinals that earned many of their members lucrative contracts elsewhere.
krazy and aragornN, who complete the SAW core, only stepped into tier-1 six months ago when SAW returned to a full Portuguese lineup. aragornN in particular stands out with his 1.13 rating across the last three months, but his ability to perform against elite opposition remains unproven. Furthermore, the lack of a coach, following Luka “emi” Vuković’s departure, adds further uncertainty to an already question-filled project.
At a minimum though, IEM Kraków 2026 represents s1mple’s first legitimate tier-1 opportunity since the Austin Major, where he powered FaZe’s fledgling roster to a top 8 finish. Beginning Jan. 27, BC.Game will compete against the world’s best for $1.25 million—a chance for the GOAT to prove he can still compete at the highest level, just as Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut inches ever closer to his throne.
FURIA provides an encouraging precedent: their mix of CIS stars Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis and Danil “molodoy” Golubenko with a Brazilian Portuguese-speaking core has proven successful, with the team currently ranked second globally. With SAW’s 22nd ranking, BC.Game should be aiming to match that level of success in the tier-1.5 circuit with s1mple serving as the primary powerhouse. But regardless of result, fans can look forward to having one of Counter-Strike’s most electrifying superstars back in the server.
