Christoffer “Chr1zN” Storgaard is known as one of the best young leaders in the game of Counter-Strike. After helping his old team, OG, get to a big tournament called a Major, Chr1zN has now moved to a team called HEROIC. He hopes to help them become a top team again in 2026.
Even though his start as the team’s leader has been a bit bumpy because one player, Alimzhan “Alkaren” Bitimbay, had trouble with his travel papers, the team’s early results look good. They even made it to the playoffs of the BLAST Bounty tournament, showing they have a lot of promise for the year.
In our chat with Chr1zN, we talked about moving up from OG to a bigger team, how important players who use the AWP gun are in top-level teams, and why young players from Denmark might be better off joining teams with players from different countries instead of sticking to Danish teams.
Moving Up to a Bigger Team
When you look at the difference in team rankings between OG and HEROIC, it’s a pretty big jump. Does it feel like a big step forward in your career?
It certainly feels that way because I’ll be playing in different tournaments than I’m used to. For me, it’s just about getting used to a new setting and a different kind of pressure. So, it’s new and a step up, but it’s not something that bothers me or that I think about too much.
You mentioned it felt like the right time to leave OG. Was that mainly so you could play in these bigger events?
I was very happy at OG for the time I was there, but I also wanted to play on the biggest stages. So, when HEROIC came calling, it gave me the chance I was looking for. With the VRS system, it’s really hard to move up in the rankings, and you have to work very hard. So, I thought it was a good time for me to try something new.
There were quite a few player changes while you were at OG. HEROIC has also seen players come and go in the last couple of years. As a leader who wants to build a steady team and has to get used to new players often, do you think your time at OG will help you if more star players leave HEROIC?
Yes, you could say that. Coming from a training team, I got used to players being moved up or bought by other teams once they got good enough. I think from early on, I’ve had to switch players and teach new people my way of playing. So, for me, it’s just part of the game.
It’s not something we’re actively hoping for. We want to be the best team possible, but I know it can happen, and that’s okay.
How do you feel about the HEROIC team in general?
We haven’t had much time together, but I’m very impressed with everyone. Everyone is very skilled. I had my ideas about what to expect, and I can tell you they’ve been met.
There’s a lot of shooting power, and the players are also good at making sure I feel comfortable, while also not overstepping what they want to do. We’re finding a good mix right now, learning a lot about each other, and making sure everyone gets an equal say. I’ve really enjoyed my time so far.
How much does it help that you’ve worked with TOBIZ before?
It’s really nice, of course, but both me and TOBIZ have a lot of new ideas. It’s been two years since we last worked together, so while it feels familiar, it’s also very different. A lot of the important things we believe in are the same, so we agree on what the team needs, both in terms of personalities and how we treat each other. That’s something I’ve always liked about him.
– Chr1zN made his Major debut with HEROIC
Leading Players Who Use AWPs
When it comes to leading players who use the AWP gun, what do you think is the difference in how much they matter in top-level teams compared to lower-level teams?
I think playing at a higher level with the AWP, it’s harder to make the same big impact as in lower-level teams. This means it’s even more important to be good at putting the AWPer in the right spots, and also that they feel sure about how you’re playing.
In the last six months or more at OG, we had a player named nicoodoz, who used the AWP in a less common way, meaning he liked to use other guns a lot more. So for me, it’s about getting used to having a more traditional AWPer again. I need to make sure it works with how I want to play.
Of course, it’s very important in top-level teams that we try to put the AWP in a position to make a big difference. There was a recent report that showed AWPers’ scores have gone down a lot, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are still very important.
molodoy is different from that report because he gets so many of his kills with the AWP. Do you think we might see a change this year where teams focus more on AWPers again?
It’s hard to say. The way CS2 is still played, players with rifles have a lot of work to do. You see it on all the best teams; they all have three or four strong rifle players. So, I think it will still be necessary for big organizations to win trophies. If you don’t have the best rifle players in the world, it will just be too hard because of how the game is played.
So, I don’t think we’ll see a huge change where there’s more focus on AWPers, but I also think there aren’t enough good AWPers right now to really make this kind of change in how teams play.
The Problems with the VRS System
What are your thoughts on the VRS system?
There are still some problems with it. The main one is how many games you have to play. It’s good that you can be punished for playing badly and quickly drop in the rankings, but it’s too much. It’s really hard for a lower-level team to get into the top level without doing really well at a Major tournament or a big event after starting from an open tryout.
For me, the most recent team we’ve seen do that is PARIVISION, but I can’t really remember another team doing it. It’s not a closed group, but it still feels very much like one. There’s still work that needs to be done.
Do you think the game makers, Valve, should take over this system themselves? A lot of the work falls on HLTV, a website that tracks game stats.
Yes, I think most of the blame would be on Valve. I also think the value of games is wrong. You get a lot of points from playing at live events, called LANs. So, if I go to a LAN with some friends who have never played a HLTV game before, we still get full points. It’s very strange.
If you had to pick one thing that needs the biggest change, what would it be?
It would definitely be how points are given out for winning at LAN events. We see different teams play LANs in their own somewhat closed areas, and they get a lot of points from that. This puts them in a good spot to get invited to many events or play in tryouts where they can move up in the rankings.
The SAW-core team has been using this a lot, and I have nothing against them because they used the system as it was designed, but it’s still a problem.
Danish Teams vs. International Teams
You’ve been out of the Danish gaming scene for a while, so how do you see it? Six years ago, it was the best in the world, but now it’s not as good. Why do you think that happened?
It’s hard to say. We had a lot of good lower-level teams that just didn’t reach their full potential. We’ve also been missing some new young talent getting used to the game. There was a lot of using the same players over and over on teams, which also limited choices for people. There isn’t one right answer, but when the top Danish team, Astralis, is struggling, usually the whole chain of teams below them will also be struggling. I hope that Astralis will become steady again, and hopefully, that will help all the different teams.
Right now, if I could point out some promising young players, sirah is really good, and Tauson has also been playing very well on GamerLegion. There are a few out there who will make their mark in the next few years, so I’m not too worried about Danish Counter-Strike, but it’s definitely not what it used to be.
Many people forget that the two best Danish teams ever, Astralis and HEROIC, both had their best players also acting as their leaders. Do you think where we are now is a result of that? There are a lot of team players in Denmark, but not many star players.
In Denmark, a lot of our success came from the fact that we were really good at playing as a team. I think that maybe stopped some of the potential star players we could have had. But I also think the problem might be that we’ve had trouble using some of the younger players who were around; we haven’t tried to get them on better teams. sirah should have been on a higher team earlier.
Staehr was also a star player, but then he wasn’t when he joined Astralis, so maybe we have used some of them wrong, too. It’s tough because now we’re in a situation where we’re missing a lot of those star players.
You went out and played on a team with players from different countries. As someone from the UK Counter-Strike scene, it’s always been true for UK players that you’re better off leaving your home country’s scene. Do you think that’s now true for Denmark as well?
It depends on what you want to do. For example, if you want to be a star player, it will be fine to be on a Danish team because you’ll get the help you need. If you’re good enough, you’ll definitely still do well because someone will eventually pick you up.
For me, if you want to be a leader, it’s definitely better to get that experience playing with people from different countries if you can. It just opens up many more chances later on.
It’s been so long since I’ve played on a Danish team. Most of my real career has been on international teams, and I don’t think I would have changed that. I’m very happy with where I started and where I am now. Maybe in the future, I’d consider the Danish scene, but for most people, playing internationally is a good way to go because there are so many more options.
