ENCE has announced the signing of Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen, setting up a six-man CS:GO roster in a bid to restore the level of performances seen early in 2019 during the Aleksib regime. Previously, Jamppi was rumoured as a potential pickup for OG and was considered a hot prospect, but a contentious VAC ban of an account related to him at the age of 14 means he cannot compete at Valve-sponsored events, limiting his options in competitive CS:GO.

The new ENCE CS:GO roster

In a surprise announcement, the Finnish organization has decided to expand its CS:GO roster to six players after a period of horrible results after Aleksib's removal which saw them slip out of the top 20 teams in the world. They signed Jamppi on a two-year contract on a free after his contract with SJ has expired. Though Jamppi cannot compete at ESL One: Road to Rio, he is expected to take xseveN's spot in the active lineup for other events.

Additionally, suNny was moved to IGL instead of allu, with ENCE's general manager stating that they "have to make steps towards further professionalizing the environment in a multitude of ways".

Who is Jamppi?

Elias "Jamppi" Olkkonen is a talented CS:GO prodigy who was on the radar of many top teams since the autumn of 2019, whose career was hampered by a VAC banned Steam account related to him, which led to a standard lifetime ban for any Valve-sanctioned CS:GO event. Jamppi has filed a lawsuit against Valve in March, claiming that the VAC-banned account received the penalty after it's been sold to a friend and that the ban was the reason he missed out on a chance to sign with OG. ENCE has also commented on the matter, stating that the lifetime ban is "far too steep" and that the CSPPA should "take his case seriously".

Photo credit: HLTV