Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov Retires After 20 Years in Esports

Kyrylo "ANGE1" Karasov has officially announced the end of his 20-year career as a professional player. The news became known from the Ukrainian captain’s post on X.

The longest chapter of his journey in Counter-Strike was with HellRaisers (6.5 years), where he became the true face of the organization. Together with the team, ANGE1 achieved the following victories:

• Acer Predator Masters Season 1
• Europe Minor Championship – Columbus 2016
• Copenhagen Games 2016
• FCDB Cup 2017
• Bets.net Masters: Season 1
• CIS Minor Championship – London 2018

HellRaisers were also the last organization he represented in Counter-Strike. Later, Kyrylo switched to Valorant, where he spent almost 3 years under the 🇺🇦 NAVI banner, once again taking on the role of captain.

Despite announcing the end of his playing career, ANGE1 does not plan to completely leave esports. It is quite possible that soon we will see him in a new role — as a coach. And it cannot be ruled out that it might be with NAVI, and perhaps even back in Counter-Strike.

Community Reactions

Colleagues and friends of ANGE1 were quick to respond to his announcement:

apEX: "Congratulations for such a good career brother. We fought a lot on cs until you chose to go on a newbi game coz you were washed… just kidding of course"

gustavosacy: "20-year career is something to be proud of. Glad you're aiming to become a coach. Esports is still relatively new, and experienced people like you can bring a lot to a new player. Who knows, maybe I'll follow your path someday. Good luck with your future in Valorant"

James Banks: "You are a legend of multiple games and generations, always great to talk with and interview every time I had the chance! Best of luck dude!!!"

20 years in esports could not go unnoticed — during this time, ANGE1 became a true legend for both colleagues and rivals. It’s no surprise that the news of his retirement instantly sparked reactions from players and well-known figures on the scene, who left both warm words of support and light-hearted jokes in memory of their many years of competition.