Ghost Gaming initially joined CS in 2017 and gained recognition in 2018-2019 with a roster that featured notable players like Joshua “steel” Nissan, Ryan “freakazoid” Abadir, and Kenneth “koosta” Suen. The team briefly reached 15th in the world rankings in early 2019, following an impressive run at iBUYPOWER Masters, where they secured two victories over FaZe, taking down stars like Nikola “Niko” Kovač and Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács.
However, Ghost Gaming decided to disband their roster in 2019 due to a mix of competitive struggles and roster changes. While the team had some respectable performances, they failed to secure major tournament victories. The departure of players like koosta also weakened the roster, forcing them to exit the CS:GO scene and shift their focus to other esports titles, including Fortnite, PUBG, Rocket League, and Gears of War.
The organization’s return to CS comes with a lineup lead by Emmalee "EMUHLEET" Garrido, a veteran AWPer and in-game leader who has been competing since 2014. She spent most of her career with Dignitas fe, where she won the Intel Challenge Katowice 2019.
Joining her are two former EG Gold players: Kiki "PiggyKiki" Long and Tilde "7licious" Byström. PiggyKiki previously attended two ESL Impact League LAN finals, while 7licious performed impressively with a 1.16 rating during her time with EG Gold, narrowly missing out on LAN finals in season 3 and 4.
The roster is rounded out by Elena “Ellie” Garland and Mira “mira” Luna, both experienced in ESL Impact competitions. Ellie primarily played with Karma, while mira has represented teams such as Tsunami Sirens, Limitless Angels, and Lumen fe.
Coaching the team is David "Xp3" Garrido, a seasoned CS veteran who began his career in 1.6 back in 2005. In recent years, he has focused on coaching women’s teams, including Karma and Blue Otter Karma.
What did the players say?
EMUHLEET expressed her excitement about joining Ghost Gaming on X, saying: “Blessed for this opportunity with @GhostGaming and happy they are back in Counterstrike! We have a lot of work to do and my team is motivated more than ever. I will do everything in my power to get us a trophy soon.”
mira also shared her gratitude over X, stating: “Truly grateful for the opportunity, going to make every second of this count!”
