OpTic Gaming Parts Ways with HiKo
Just a month after being traded from Team Liquid to OpTic Gaming, one of North America’s most experienced players in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) will be seeking a new team again.
According to a tweet from reporter Jarek “DeKay” Lewis, OpTic Gaming is letting go of Spencer “HiKo” Martin due to his poor performances at DreamHack Masters Las Vegas and IEM Katowice.
Rumors started circulating when HiKo announced on Twitter that he would be attending gaming expo PAX East on the same day as the team’s ESL Pro League matches. Coach Luis “peacemaker” Tadeu filled in for him but was not successful as OpTic lost both games.
The decision to part ways with HiKo is the latest setback for the OpTic roster this year.
Just three months ago, OpTic was considered one of the best teams in the world after defeating Astralis at the ELEAGUE Season 2 grand finals and making it to an international LAN final at the Esports Championship Series. However, their hopes for success were dashed during the $1 million ELEAGUE Major when they were eliminated with a 0-3 record.
Shortly after that disappointment, OpTic lost their in-game leader, Peter “stanislaw” Jarguz, who joined Team Liquid. This led to a trade between the two organizations and HiKo joined OpTic on a temporary basis, ending his nearly two-year stint with Team Liquid.
HiKo is known for his clutch plays and was once considered one of North America’s best CS:GO players. In 2016, he was part of the Team Liquid roster that became the first North American team to reach the grand finals of a Valve Major.