Chaos Esports Replace Josh “Steel” Nissan with Edgar “MarKE” Maldonado

After finishing 3rd-4th at the ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online – North America, Chaos Esports has made the decision to sign Edgar “MarKE” Maldonado, a move that will see the Mexican replace Josh “Steel” Nissan on their CS:GO roster. Having been with the team since November 2019, Steel had helped Chaos in winning the WESG 2019 North America and ESEA Season 34: Premier Division – North America during his time, however he has made the decision to retire at the age of 30.

Why Chaos Added MarKE to their CS:GO Roster

MarKE had previously been competing for Ze Pug Godz, where he won the ESEA Cash Cup – North America: Summer 2020 #2 with the American team. With Steel having made the decision to focus on streaming and content creation in the world of Valorant, Chaos had significant shoes to fill, however the arrival of MarKE is certainly an exciting one. The 22-year-old has made a name for himself at swole Patrol and Ze Pug Gods to date, having come up against Chaos of late, an encounter where MarKE finished with 58.2 averaged damage per round and a -22 K/D ratio. MarKE also held the lowest ADR at Ze Pug Gods for an extended period.

Chaos was originally formed in 2015 to compete in Dota 2, however they moved into CS:GO in 2018 following the purchase of Swedish team Enjoy. They then entered the North American scene a year later after acquiring Ben’s Anime Team. Following the end of his ban as part of the iBP match-fixing scandal in 2014, Steel helped to turn around the fortunes of Chaos, which included a victory over rivals MIBR and a 3rd-4th finish at the ESL One Cologne 2020 Online.

Can Chaos Continue Their Recent Form Without Steel?

Steel helped Chaos in becoming one of the most feared CS:GO teams around, however the fact that coach Matthew “mCe” Elmore had to substitute him for Valve-organised events was certainly a negative factor. With MarKE having now come into the ranks, fans are already questioning whether the team can continue to compete at the highest level, with much potentially centering around the performances of Anthony “vanity” Malaspina, who will now take over as their in-game leader. The Chaos roster is made up by Erick “Xeppa” Bach, Jonathan “Jonji” Carey and Nathan “leaf” Orf, with the trio having all arrived on the team this summer.