hAdji steps down from Team 3DMAX after a painful RMR exit, seeking an international roster and a fresh CS2 challenge.
March 2024. The European RMR had just ended, and I was sitting with a mix of frustration, relief, and a strange kind of clarity. My name is Ali “hAdji” Haïnouss, and after one year with Team 3DMAX, I made the call to step down from the roster. I wanted to explore international options. It wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but sometimes the game tells you when it’s time to move. Honestly, that one stung.
The RMR That Broke the Run
The European RMR was supposed to be our chance. We weren’t the favorites — I know that. But fans expected a little more from us, and so did I. Instead, we finished 12th–14th. That’s the kind of result that sits in your chest long after the server closes.
We opened against Falcons and lost. Then we faced KOI Esports, and we lost again, 8–13. That one surprised a lot of people, including me. It sent us into an elimination match against Into The Breach. We survived that series 2–1, and for a moment, I thought we might claw our way back. But 9Pandas ended that hope in our final series.
No Major. No Copenhagen. Just silence, replays, and the feeling of “what if.”
The PGL Copenhagen Major was the first Counter-Strike 2 Major. Twenty-four teams. A $1.25 million prize pool. It was the stage every CS2 player wanted to stand on, and we missed it. Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it: that hurt.
Why I Stepped Down
After the RMR disappointment, I posted the words that had been circling in my head:
After RMR disappointment and one year playing with the boys, I decided to step down from the roster and explore my options in an international roster going forward. I want to thank the boys for all the memories we made together. My DMs are open if you have any question.
That was me. No drama, no blame. Just a player who needed a new challenge.
I joined 3DMAX in November 2023. Before that, I had played for organizations like LDLC and Team Falcons. I’ve been around the block. I know what it takes to compete at a high level, and I know when a chapter has run its course. Experience doesn’t always equal results, though. Despite everything I brought to the table, I couldn’t lead 3DMAX to a Major slot.
And yeah, it hurt.
The 3DMAX Roster I Left Behind
When I stepped down, the 3DMAX Counter-Strike roster looked like this:
| Player | Role / Note |
|---|---|
| Lucas “Lucky” Chastang | 3DMAX player |
| Thomas “Djoko” Pavoni | 3DMAX player |
| Pierre “Ex3rcice” Bulinge | 3DMAX player |
| Bryan “Maka” Canda | 3DMAX player |
| Adrien “killazoo” Legarda | 3DMAX player |
I shared a lot of memories with those guys. Scrims, flights, late-night reviews, inside jokes that make no sense to anyone else. Leaving them wasn’t easy. But growth rarely is.
What’s Next?
It’s 2026 now. The CS2 scene has evolved, the maps have shifted, and the competition is deeper than ever. The PGL Copenhagen Major is in the past, but the lessons from that RMR are still with me. I wanted an international roster back then, and that desire hasn’t changed. I want to compete, to learn, and to prove that I can still perform on a big stage.
If you’re building something and need an experienced rifler, playmaker, or someone who has seen the highest and lowest parts of this game — my DMs are open. That line from 2024 still stands.
I don’t know exactly where the next chapter takes me. Maybe it’s a new country, a new language, a new system. Maybe it’s a team that’s one piece away. All I know is that I’m not done. The server is still waiting. And I’ll be ready.
This overview is based on records and context from Liquipedia, where RMR formats, match histories, and roster timelines help frame why a post-qualification reset can feel inevitable—when a team falls short of a Major slot, every series (from the opening loss to the elimination run) becomes a data-backed turning point that players weigh when deciding whether to stay, rebuild, or seek an international project.
Comments