TL;DR
- Professional CS:GO player Smooya ragequit during a critical match round, assuming his team would lose
- Teammate Mopoz successfully clutched the round, forcing Smooya to reconnect for overtime victory
- The incident went viral, sparking debate about professional conduct and team dynamics in esports
- Despite initial lies about PC crash, Smooya later admitted fault and apologized publicly
- The case highlights importance of maintaining composure and trust in competitive gaming environments
The Dreamhack Masters Spring 2021 qualifiers presented a tense elimination scenario where professional conduct would be severely tested under pressure.
Nordavind and Movistar Riders clashed in the lower bracket with tournament survival at stake. The third map on Mirage developed into a tactical chess match where every round carried immense significance for both squads.
Nordavind established map control dominance during the second half, systematically constricting Movistar Riders’ strategic options and pushing them to match point.
Round 25 appeared decisively in Nordavind’s favor until Alejandro “mopoz” Cano executed a brilliant one-versus-three clutch situation. However, the match’s defining moment wasn’t this impressive individual play.
Owen “smooya” Butterfield prematurely disconnected from the competitive server, apparently convinced the round was already lost despite his teammate still being alive.
The 21-year-old AWPer fell during his B-site approach, transferring his valuable sniper rifle to Jesper “tenzki” Plougmann. His immediate server exit demonstrated clear lack of faith in mopoz’s clutch capabilities.
Following mopoz’s successful round salvage, tournament officials compelled smooya to reconnect, enabling Movistar Riders to force overtime and ultimately secure a dramatic 19-16 series victory.
smooya ragequits during Movistar Riders win
smooya’s reconnection occurred only after mopoz secured the round, but the damage to his professional reputation was instantaneous as clips spread across social media platforms.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community reactions divided between amusement at the situational irony and condemnation of the unprofessional behavior toward a teammate.
The British player initially claimed technical issues caused his disconnect, but this explanation was quickly disproven when footage revealed him typing “ggwp” in all-chat before exiting.
He’s human, he did it wrong and it won’t happen again, he learned about this situation and we don’t have anything bad towards him everyone in this world did it or where close to do it sometime, we fail and we learn https://t.co/6ILLCCPyrf
— mopoz (@AlejandroMopoz) March 7, 2021
Despite the public embarrassment, mopoz defended his teammate publicly, emphasizing the squad maintained positive internal relationships. smooya eventually confessed to the ragequit after undeniable video evidence circulated.
The Movistar Riders organization faced immediate competitive consequences despite their dramatic series victory. Cloud9 eliminated them from the tournament the following day, ending their Dreamhack Masters Spring 2021 aspirations.
smooya’s Twitlonger statement acknowledged personal growth efforts: “Please know that I am really working on all things to do with becoming a better person as well as professional. That’s all I can do and I will continue to do so while trying to maintain the mistakes to a minimum.”
He expressed frustration about perceived unequal scrutiny: “Of course, I’m not immune to bad judgment during situations but it sometimes feels like because of my past I get judged much harder on my actions.”
The incident raises important questions about emotional regulation in high-pressure esports environments and how organizations manage player conduct issues.
Action Checklist
- Implement pre-match mental preparation routines including breathing exercises and focus techniques
- Establish clear team communication protocols for clutch situations and round conclusions
- Develop emotional regulation strategies for high-pressure competitive moments
- Create post-match review processes that address both tactical performance and professional conduct
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