ENCE shocked the CS:GO community in April 2020 as they acquired Elias ‘Jamppi’ Olkkonen for their roster. What’s bizarre about this transfer is that Jamppi is currently banned from any Valve sponsored tournaments. So why on earth did ENCE pick him up?
Jamppi was banned by Valve in December 2019, in an account sharing scandal that continues to this day. While there remains a slim chance that the ban is reversed and removed, Valve are known to be fairly rigid when it comes to banning accounts.
A move to OG was lined up for Jamppi in late 2019, before stories of his VAC-ban began to surface. This, for obvious reasons, prompted OG to look elsewhere. A ban from Valve-sponsored events means Jamppi cannot compete at Majors like ESL One: Rio De Janeiro, or 2021’s spring Major.
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The answer, essentially, is talent. An AWPer, Jamppi’s statistics actually come out on top of some of the best to have ever played CS:GO, like G2’s kennyS.
Here, we break down why ENCE would make such a bold roster move, fully knowing that, if they qualify for any upcoming Valve majors, one of their best players will not be able to attend.
What they intend to do if they make one of these tournaments remains to be seen but, going off the back of his performances recently, the move seems to be working so far.