A Frenchman known for his incredible proficiency with the AWP and one time Major winner completed with the MVP award. It’s time to talk about Kenny ‘KennyS’ Schrub.
When asking a random CounterStrike player about a French AWPer, many would instantly name KennyS. Despite him being only 25 years of age, KennyS has been at the top of the French scene for a long time, most recently playing for G2 Esports, as he was benched a short while ago.
He started competing just a year before the release of CounterStrike Global Offensive, doing really well at local LANs and quickly competing in international LAN events in the form of Multiplay Insomnia 45, which he won with VeryGames as well as the following iteration.
The release of Global Offensive & teamhopping
Whilst KennyS was playing with VeryGames, they were doing really well in the last months of 1.6, yet with Global Offensive’s release they were doomed to be second. Is it because they weren’t good enough? Not really. It was mainly due to NiP being unbeatable on LAN at the release of the new Counter-Strike version. Getting second place at the first four LANs they attended, with NiP present, was actually really good.
The performance got slightly worse at the start of 2013 however, with more teams getting to grips with the new title. Despite this, KennyS and VeryGames were still able to take home another LAN title with Mad Catz Invitational: Birmingham going their way. Some slightly worse LAN results just after meant the end for our Legend at VeryGames, which turned into a frenzy of teamhopping for nearly a year before he could finally find an organisation he could stay at longer than just a few months.
During this time, he played two Majors, both of which didn’t really bring the success he wanted. He did however get second with Clan-Mystik at the Fragbite Masters Season 1 and as well at the European Championship 2013.
Stability in Titan eSports
After a long time of having short stays at different teams, KennyS finally got a more stable home. Titan eSports, a now discontinued organisation, picked him up yet had a lot of issues with the roster in the early phase. This was of course due to the volatile nature of the French scene, often swapping around players and creating new super teams.
The first Major KennyS played with Titan didn’t go all too well, ESL One: Cologne 2014 ended in a disappointing 9th-12th position, dropping out due to a 1-16 loss against Dignitas. He was able to win the DreamHack Invitational II just a month after though, taking the first and only big title during his time with the organisation.
The AWP nerf saga
KennyS was hurt deeply with the nerf Valve put out on his key weapon. In 2015, the AWP saw a significant reduction in movement speed when scoped, something used often by KennyS to put pressure whilst on the T-side. In interviews he stated he felt as if it was to directly nerf him and his playstyle, which was also a key factor in long-time Fnatic player Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksels’ success. The nerf made the weapon a more CT opted weapon, forcing players to play more passive.
French Dream Team
Late 2015, a new French powerhouse was born. KennyS joined up with Team EnVyUs and instantly struck gold. With a victory at the IEM Season X followed by a second place at the ESL One: Cologne 2015 Major, the way was paved for their own Major victory. This came just three months after the one in Cologne, with DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015 being the stage of the third Major of the year.
The group stage was smooth sailing, followed by a tougher bracket. Both Fnatic and G2 Esports fell to a 2-1 score, followed by a 2-0 against Natus Vincere, a team KennyS already beat in their group earlier on. Our Legend was also awarded the Major MVP by HLTV to add to this already remarkable achievement. The performance did grow more inconsistent afterwards though, getting only two more S-Tier wins with the organisation. This turned into a transfer to G2 Esports early 2017.
The G2 era and the next chapter
The rest of 2017 went quite well, but the year after was a struggle, barely getting any good finishes turned into a lot of roster swaps. The choice was made to turn into a more international team during 2019, which has been added to with the pick-up of the Kovač cousins. After a relatively decent season in 2020, KennyS was swapped out from the G2 roster and is allowed to explore his options. Where will he go next?
I want to start by thankin everyone who has been really positive and supportive with me. My motivation remains the same if not slightly stronger, I intend to keep playing CS and find the right place to keep on my journey. I’m grateful for ur support, thank you and I love y’all ❤️
— kennyS (@G2kennyS) March 4, 2021
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Image Credit: G2 Esports