Speaking exclusively to Dexerto, Counter-Strike caster, Jason ‘Moses’ O’Toole, has weighed in on Elias ‘Jamppi’ Olkkonen’s ban from Valve officiated events ahead of ENCE’s Semifinal appearance in BLAST Premier.
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After an account he previously owned received a Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) ban, Jamppi filed a lawsuit against the Counter-Strike developers for damages that reportedly prevented the Finnish star from joining OG Esports due to being prohibited from competing at Major tournaments.
As part of the lawsuit, Jamppi claimed for €266,092 in compensation and the removal of his permanent ban.
Moses on Jamppi’s impact for ENCE
In light of Valve’s response to Jamppi, Moses has given his two cents on the 18-year-old’s ban, as the ENCE squad are reaching new heights in BLAST Premier with the youngster on their starting lineup.
In terms of what Jamppi brings to Finnish roster, O’Toole contested that it’s his raw mechanical ability that is his most redeeming quality.
“Just in a most basic sense, what he brings to ENCE is an incredible amount of firepower — an incredible amount of talent and skill into this roster…”
Moses then touched on exactly why Jamppi could bring more consistency to ENCE’s lineup, comparing his raw ability to teammate, Jere “sergej” Salo.
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“If you look at it a little bit deeper… It feels like he’s the superstar in ENCE that sergej was supposed to be.”
Reflecting on sergej’s relatively inconsistent performances, Moses added that Jamppi could be the player that “provides the star power on a consistent basis.”
Moses on Jamppi’s VAC ban
Touching on Jamppi’s ongoing lawsuit against Valve, Moses explained why he believes Valve should consider lifting Jamppi’s permanent ban from Valve’s Major tournaments.
“I think this is maybe one of the final areas where Valve is really failing this community,” the commentator argued. “Even if the account is banned or it did actually happen, still like 14 at the time, this is a player who could bring so much to the Counter-Strike scene — this is a player who can contribute so much to the professional scene.
Moses then looked forward to how Jamppi’s permanent ban could impact the starting lineup as well as ENCE as an organization, delving into how the ban doesn’t simply start and end at the player and that there is a much more global impact.
“I think we deserve to have a player of Jamppi’s caliber, that we can see already, being able to make his mark on the history of Counter-Strike in the biggest events — in our world championships that Valve runs.”
After making his stance clear, Moses simply added that he hopes the issue gets resolved and that the hotshot is eventually allowed to compete at Majors, now that he is of age to do so.