When you think about the best AWPers in CS:GO, Kenny “kennyS” Schrub is always the first name that comes to mind. In 2014, kennyS hit a skill peak that has yet to be matched by any other professional player. At certain points in his career, kennyS has been the focal point of subpar teams, able to almost single-handedly carry his peers deep in tournaments. kennyS is not only one of the greatest French players of all time, he is easily the greatest AWPer in the history of CS:GO.
Early Struggles
kennyS began his career as a Counter-Strike: Source player, competing with VeryGames under the leadership of Kevin “Ex6TenZ“ Droolans. When the VeryGames organization switched over to CS:GO in 2012, they kept the same lineup. However, kennyS was removed in 2013 in favor of shox, who was making a strong case for himself in the French scene as one of the best players in the world.
As shox and Ex6TenZ became rivals to the seemingly unbeatable Ninjas in Pyjamas squad, kennyS was stuck on second-tier French lineups, trying to climb his way back to the top. He played for multiple French lineups, and his teammates included many of the premier French talent of players like aPEX, Happy, KQLY, and Maniac.
As he moved around the second tier scene, kennyS developed his AWPing skills, posting great numbers in official matches. Unfortunately, none of these teams found the same kind of success that his French peers in VeryGames did. The time he spent trying to make it back to an elite team was all just training for kennyS, as he would soon become the monster AWPer we all know him to be.
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After VeryGames became Titan, there was a brief period where the team could be considered among the best in the world. However, internal conflict caused shox to leave the team, which made way for kennyS.
The Highest Peak: KennyS in God Mode
After the first French Shuffle, kennyS found himself reuniting with Ex6TenZ on Titan. Ex6TenZ knew what he had in kennyS and built the team around kennyS’ superior AWP play. It was during this period where kennyS was arguably the most dominant player in CSGO history. kennyS hit a ceiling in the game that has never really been met since and was the solo hard carry for Titan.
While Titan was able to make deep runs and even win a few tournaments, kennyS alone was not enough. The other French side of LDLC/EnVyUs had more success. They even won a major, something that had eluded kennyS and Ex6TenZ up to that point. kennyS repeatedly dropped insane frag totals and created highlight after highlight, but it was never enough for Titan. The banning of KQLY from competitive play also hindered Titan, as did the AWP nerf. Regardless of tournament victories, it was almost unanimous during this period that kennyS was the best player in the world.
Finally Victorious
After multiple failures in majors for Titan and more internal turmoil among EnVyUs, a second French Shuffle occurred. This time it was shox who was booted along with SmithZz to make way for kennyS and aPEX on EnVyUs. While kennyS’ level wasn’t as high as it was on Titan, he was still a good player. His addition and the honeymoon period EnVyUs went through when he first joined made them very dangerous.
Many questioned the map pool of EnVyUs and how they would set up their roles, but in the first few months everything was clicking. It was the perfect storm for the team and they went on to finish second in the first major they played in together. However, kennyS himself was a massive disappointment and let the team down. His underperformance was probably the cause for EnVyUs losing that major final to their nemesis Fnatic.
kennyS knew he had let his team down, and at the following major he was a monster. He made it up to his team by putting on an MVP performance and carrying EnVyUs to a major championship at DreamHack Cluj-Napoca 2015. After a long career with its peaks and valleys, kennyS finally put on a superstar performance that won him a major title.
Hitting Another Low
Unfortunately for EnVyUs, their high did not last very long. After winning the major, the team’s problems all began to show. kioShiMa was eventually removed for DEVIL, but their problems continued. They tried multiple changes, including switching up IGLs and roles, but nothing worked.
EnVyUs spent most of 2016 as a subpar team failing to win anything significant or even make many deep runs in big tournaments. Towards the end, the team reverted back to the old Titan strategy of playing around kennyS. kennyS’ level did rise and he became one of the best AWPers in the world again. Unfortunately, he was the a great AWPer on a dead team. It became apparent towards the end of the year that the EnVyUs players were just playing out their contracts, and behind the scenes they were gearing up for a third French Shuffle.
KennyS: The Best Once Again?
While kennyS and EnVyUs were struggling, G2 was thriving under shox. They were highly competitive and won tournaments in 2016. But toward the end of 2016, G2 were having their own problems. It was obvious to everyone that there would be a third shuffle after the ELEAGUE Major at the start of 2017. The shuffle resulted in kennyS joining forces with shox, creating the French superteam as it is now.
While the team didn’t attend a tournament for months after forming, their first few tournaments did eventually show promise. The team showed improvement over time and went on to win DreamHack Tours 2017 and the EPL S5 Finals.
While shox was a superstar in 2016, he’s taken a backseat in the current lineup. Meanwhile, the team is based around kennyS as he is once again the best AWPer in the world. He has been the MVP of both G2 tournament victories. G2 is not without their flaws. The team is streaky, make questionable force-buys, and insist on using a expensive double AWP setup. But regardless of these issues, kennyS has been a consistent star and is back on top as one of the best players in the world.
