Following a period of trialing a number of prospective IGLs, sources with knowledge of the situation have told Rush B Media that Israeli organization Team Finest is closing in on a deal to sign former Fnatic IGL Maikil “Golden” Selim barring any last-minute roadblocks between the two parties, as initially reported by Rafael Ferreira. Additionally, the organization is in the final stages of signing former MOUZ assistant coach Colin “koi” Thor as the team’s new head coach.
The addition of the duo follows a breakout year for the international lineup in the tier two scene, with the organization hitting its stride after a number of abortive attempts to assemble a winning international roster throughout 2021. After cutting a squad helmed by former FATE Esports player Ivan “Rock1nG” Stratiev, Team Finest went back to the drawing board, eventually settling on a squad helmed by Robin “robiin” Sjögren and later former Team One coach João “righi” Righi.
This squad quickly found results at the tier-two level, winning ESEA Advanced Season 38 before later claiming a top-eight finish in ESEA Premier Season 39. Importantly though, the team played playoffs without robiin for an undisclosed reason, instead, fielding benched player Igor “lollipop21k” Sołodkov in his place while Rasmus “kreaz” Johansson took up ad-hoc IGLing duties for the team. robiin was released quickly thereafter from the team alongside righi, with the Brazilian coach reportedly being targeted by 00 Nation to be a part of their refreshed lineup, according to Draft5.
Golden’s expected move to Team Finest comes after nearly five months on Fnatic’s bench following the organization’s decision to transition to a British core helmed by Alex “ALEX” McMeekin. Golden’s second outing with Fnatic marked the lowest point in the player’s career, seeing his stock tank among pundits after Fnatic fell to 38th in the world on HLTV’s world rankings following a disastrous 2021. Despite this, Team Finest is likely banking on his immense experience as an IGL will help to elevate a young team that may be more receptive to his ideas about the game.
koi meanwhile returns to the European scene after being swept away by MOUZ’s whole cloth overhaul of their squad following the departure of their Estonian phenom Robin “ropz” Kool. Despite his limited experience at the top of the game, Rush B Media knows that Team Finest was immediately receptive to his approach to the game and that he meshed well with Golden. koi is also the head coach of North American collegiate team Davenport Panthers, a role Rush B Media knows he will be fulfilling concurrently with his position with Team Finest.
With the addition of Golden and koi, Finest should head into the season with:
- Guy “anarkez” Trachtman
- Martin “mar” Kuyumdzhiev
- Rasmus “kreaz” Johansson
- Kristjan “shokz” Jakobson
- Maikil “Golden” Selim
- Colin “koi” Thor (Coach)
Team Finest’s new lineup will be making their debut on January 17th at 9 AM CET when they take on Esports Club Kyiv in one of the opening series of Pinnacle Winter Series 1.
