If you spent any part of 2018 screaming at your monitor while Cloud9 made their miracle run in Boston, prepare for a massive dose of nostalgia. During a co-stream of IEM Atlanta 2026, Austin “Cooper” Abadir let the cat out of the bag regarding a new North American project.
And it could shake up the entire scene. We are looking at a reunion of the legendary trio: Jake “Stewie2K” Yip, Timothy “autimatic” Ta, and Tyler “Skadoodle” Latham.
The “leak” was actually blessed by Stewie2K himself. He appeared in Cooper’s Twitch chat to confirm the names and provide some context. Rounding out this blast from the past are Vincent “Brehze” Cayonte and Victor “Victor” Wong.
It is a roster that feels like a fever dream for fans of “Old NA” Counter-Strike.
Playing for Pride
The most interesting detail from Stewie’s chat appearance is the financial motivation — or lack thereof. He explicitly stated that the roster is forming as an orgless stack. His message to the fans was clear: they are doing this to show everyone they aren’t playing for the money.
This move comes at a time when North American CS2 is in a strange spot. While a few top orgs are holding the line, the tier-two scene has been a bit of a wilderness. Seeing three Major winners and two high-level veterans decide to just “play for the love of the game” is exactly the kind of energy the region needs right now.
The Inactive Factor
While the hype is real, the rust might be too. Skadoodle has been famously quiet on the competitive front for years. Victor hasn’t played professionally in Counter-Strike since leaving the VALORANT circuit back in 2020. Even Stewie and autimatic have had fluctuating levels of activity recently.
However, Brehze and autimatic have reportedly been grinding Faceit matches for months, and Stewie’s recent stints as a stand-in for teams like G2 showed he still has that “Smoke Criminal” spark. They might not be the favorites for a Major trophy next week, but they will certainly be the most-watched team in any qualifier they enter.
What Comes Next?
Because they are currently orgless, the team will likely have to take the long road through open qualifiers. This “VRS grind” is a rite of passage for any new stack, no matter how many trophies are on their mantle.
The community is already speculating about which organization might eventually pick them up if they show signs of life, but for now, they seem content to just be “the boys” again.
We might be eight years removed from the Boston Major, but the sight of Skadoodle with a green gun and Stewie pushing through a flashbang is still enough to make any NA fan hopeful. Let’s see if the old guard still has some magic left in the mousepad.