kaidus has stepped down from his role as demoman, caller, and leader of nerdRage due to his long-standing wrist and forearm injury. The team is now looking for a replacement for ETF2L Season 24, DreamHack Summer, and Insomnia58.
kaidus has been the driving force behind nerdRage since its creation in late 2014, leading the team for over a year. In that time he has chopped and changed players, turned Premiership debuts into star talents, and led the team to become the best in Europe. Throughout all of that era, and for many years before, he has had to balance playing and practising with managing a painful wrist injury which is exacerbated by gaming. kaidus has now made the decision to stop playing TF2 in order to alleviate his wrist from the strain and turn his full attention to treating the injury properly.
kaidus steps down from nerdRage, but plans to continue casting/analysis (picture by Ness "uberchain" Delacroix)
The injury, according to kaidus, is not any worse than it has been for years, but he now has other priorities which have forced his hand and made it necessary for him to quit nerdRage. He currently has no plans to return but remains hopeful he can make a significant recovery and potentially play at a later date. kaidus has indicated he will remain involved in the team in some capacity, though unsure as yet whether that will involve coaching his replacement, the team, or subbing from time to time.
nerdRage have already begun seeking a replacement, and earlier this week approached spudd of Perilous Gaming with an offer. He is reportedly considering the proposal, potentially leading to knock-on effects for the Premiership scene if Perilous have to make a replacement as well. No other names have been specifically mentioned for the spot.
kaidus explains why he has stepped back at this time:
I made the decision to stop playing on a team because I don't have the motivation to play with an arm injury any more. I would still play if it was easy, but for now I'm going to focus on other things and improving my physical condition. I will still cast and do analysis, but I have no plans to return to having a commitment to the game until my condition improves significantly.
Earlier this month, CS:GO stars olofmeister and Guardian announced they were unable to play at DreamHack Masters Malmö due to severe wrist injuries, with Guardian cleared at the last minute. A plethora of top-level players in almost every esports scene have suffered similar problems with their wrists in one form or another. This is an issue that demands to be taken seriously.
The nerdRage roster is now:
- Scout: Stark
- Scout: Hafficool
- Roamer: Drackk
- Pocket: kaptain
- Medic: Permzilla