Recently unbanned players in CSGO and where they landed

CS:GO
April 20, 2021
Jordan Ashley

CS GO has gone through a bit of a weird patch in recent months when it comes to cheating. A series of match fixing allegations have escalated pretty far. However, last week they’ve announced the loosening of some rules about players who are caught cheating. Players with VAC bans are now allowed to return to the game, but the decision doesn’t concern any of the major scandals for CSGO.

The change brings some players with a big following back to the game, and sets a nice precedent for a degree of forgiveness. The decision though, might have arrived several years too late. CSGO has been out for quite a long time at this point. It is one of the best established esports games. However, what comes along with this longevity is building up a backlog of players who have made a mistake or two.

Lets look at some notable un-bans and how the decision impacts their professional careers.

Do VAC Ban Changes impact anyone important?

The Valve VAC ban changes only affect long-term players, and those with smaller offences. This doesn’t cover major incidents like match fixing, just minor things. Up until now these were lifetime bans that were handed out. The rule change hasn’t handed out complete forgiveness, but it has instituted a timer on these bans. They now expire after five years have passed. After that time, the players will be able to compete once again.

The change is officially to reflect CS GO’s age. It has now been out for eight years, instituting a timer makes a lot more sense. However, the change has had a wider positive effect on the community. Many banned players have been attempting to gain access again since their original bans stretched out for so long.

This included a few pro players, but maybe none more prominently than former ENCE AWPer Elias “Jamppi” Olkkonen. The player ended up progressing through lawsuits in an attempt to play the game again. Eventually he switched to Valorant. However, it now looks like he can come back to CSGO once again.

Other notable examples are Patryk “paTiTek” Fabrowski, Saif “Sayf” Jibraeel and Vinicius “vsm” Moreira.

Sayf much like Jamppi, has found a home in Valorant as a member of Guild Esports. It’s highly unlikely either him or Jamppi are even considering returning to CSGO anytime soon. But they will at least lose the VAC banned aura over their head.

The biggest benefit of this decision could impact VSM’s career the most. The player is still pretty active in CS:GO circles. He was loaned to mibr by Detona recently and is actively seeking a team this spring. With CBCS Elite League Season 1 just around the corner, we might see VSM sign with either INTZ or Isurus or even move to the active roster of Detona.

Players like these three who were banned for fairly minor reasons could feel vindicated by the Valve VAC ban changes. The decision has definitely been greeted positively by the community.

Are the VAC un-bans a sign of something more sinister?

While the move has largely been welcomed, some have seen a bit more sinister motive behind things. Some fans think it might be because of the increased amount of retiring players, and the amount of bans already handed out. Adding a time limit helps to get some well-known and skilled players back in the game, at a time when they’re quite needed. While this argument has some merit, a five year time period is hardly lenient. This change was a long-time coming, and Valve’s explanation of longevity being the reason behind it is probably true.

The Valve VAC ban changes at least offer a path to redemption for pros that make mistakes in their youth. It’s also good that the change doesn’t touch major offences for those guilty match fixing or outright cheating at LAN events. This is probably for the best. Moving to recognize a difference between different rule breaking behavior is a good sign of CSGO’s cooperation with the community.

With some big name players potentially re-entering CS GO, fans will have to see if they end up playing with any well-known org. They could have the potential to cause some different results in upcoming tournaments. The full list of banned and un-banned players courtesy of Liquipedia can be found here.

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