Misfits returns to full strength after roster issues led to a disappointing Americas minor.
Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan is set to return to the Misfits starting lineup after spending some time on substitute’s bench. His replacement, Skyler "Relyks" Weaver, will return to a reserve position within the squad.
The news comes on the back of a disappointing showing at the PGL Americas Minor last weekend. Misfits were forced to play without in-game leader, Sean "seang@res" Gares who was getting married. But things got worse when Shahzam was dropped from the starting lineup over an alleged disagreement about pre-tournament preparation. The decision was made by team coach Luis "peacemaker" Tadeu just a few days before the tournament.
Caio "zqkS" Fonseca, a relatively unknown Brazilian player, filled the gap but the team struggled all the way through the event. Whether it was a lack of cohesion or a drop in overall talent, Misfits were eliminated without winning a map. They lost to CLG before being eliminated 2-0 at the hands of Pain Gaming. For a team that performed so well at Dreamhack just a month ago, the disappointment must have stung.
But with Shahzam returning to the team and Sean Gares successfully wed, Misfits is looking to get back on track. Relyks will return to his substitute role, while zqkS will return to Brazil. In a brief press release, Misfits said that they “extend our thanks to Caio “zqk” Fonseca for temporarily standing in.”
Misfits team now looks like this again:
Sean "seang@res" Gares
Hunter "SicK" Mims
Shahzeb "ShahZaM" Khan
France David "devoduvek" Dobrosavljevic
François "AmaNEk" Delaunay
Skyler "Relyks" Weaver (standin)
The return of Shahzam is a big boon for the Misfits team. He is a key figure for the team and was a huge part of their unexpected recent success. With a 1.16 HLTV rating, he is clearly a talismanic figure for the his team. Despite only finishing 3rd at the tournament, Shahzam was rated 4th best player in the tournament, ahead of several players who went all the way to the final.
Misfits have no major fixtures set for the coming weeks, which gives them plenty of time to reintegrate their star player. With the opportunity to qualify for the PGL Krakow Major now gone, there is potentially a long summer break before Misfits get to play another meaningful game. With the band back together, though, it’s likely that the team’s well respected in game leader will have the team well drilled by the time the likes of Pro League start back up again. After his honeymoon, of course.
