The annual rAge expo is upon us, and this year marks the 9th consecutive year that VS Gaming has hosted a major tournament at the expo. Returning to the main expo floor will be the VS Gaming Masters Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Championships featuring eight of South Africa top organizations battling it out for R550 000 and the prestigious title of VS Gaming Masters Champion.

The event, which starts Friday, is expected to see over 35,000 people visiting the expo floor and getting a taste of competitive gaming action.

The eight teams have played throughout the year in the Masters Ladder, including the VS Gaming Masters split which took place in Johannesburg in July. These are the among the best teams in the country, and the weekend is shaping up to be a CS:GO spectacle, and these are the teams.

Damage Control

Taking the first seed is Damage Control, a team who are slowly becoming part of the infrastructure at the Ticket Pro Dome. Damage Control are one of South Africa’s oldest competing organizations and have retained the same core roster for over ten years. They’ve been a consistent force throughout South Africa’s young CS:GO competitive history, and are coming into the competition as favourites to take home their first title in CS:GO.

Roster:

• Manager: Alastair ‘Lag Beast’ Bearman
• Captain: Harry ‘inciN’ Apostoleris

• Player: Riaan ‘style’ van Niekerk

• Player: Jannie ‘HellHound’ van Niekerk

• Player: Tyrone ‘Explicit’ Lautre

• Player: Christopher ‘Apocalypse’ Lautre

XTC Gaming

XTC, or Xperts@Total.Chaos, boast a roster ripe with FPS talent. The team has undergone a number of changes throughout the year as they strive to field a roster fit for claiming their rightful place in South Africa. They’ve struggled somewhat throughout the competitive year, but show moments of promise which have increased in frequency throughout the year. They’ve nabbed the second seed for the Masters, and remain a strong contender for the Championship.

Roster:

• Coach: Gareth ‘UndacuvA’ Scott

• In Game Leader: Johan ‘xiN’ Willemse

• Lurker: Chris ‘CricK’ Davies

• Entry Fragger: Chris ‘VikinG’ de Witt

• Entry Fragger: Richard ‘maniaq’ Brown

• Player: Rikus ‘ZipZipZA’ Klue

EXDEE Gaming

Exdee were formed after the dissolving of Carbon Esports last year. While some players went to other organizations, coach and owner Dan “Spoof” Van Wyk reformed the team under Exdee Gaming and put forward a formidable roster. Their ability to catch top teams off guard have made them an unpredictable opponent in many competitions, and this makes for exciting games featuring the team. They’re essentially the “dark horse” of the competition and a team worth following.

Roster:

• Manager: DeWet ‘RidditZ’ Lombard

• In Game Leader: Connor ‘King’ Laming

• Lurker: Daniel ‘Spoof’ van Wyk

• Entry Fragger: Josh ‘bLazE’ Trent Saunders

• Entry Fragger: Jandre ‘makmuR’ van Vuuren

• Entry Fragger: Damon ‘Thabo’ Lionel Osborn

Veneration Esports

Veneration have had a trying year in CS:GO. They’ve struggled with roster issues and have changed up players for almost every competition. The roster instability left a lot of questions regarding their ability and performances in competition, but their latest roster is one to be wary of.

Roster:

• Manager: Alex ‘XaXas’ van der Merwe

• Player: Aaron ‘Slowye’ van der Walt

• Player: Tiaan ‘TJI’ Rheeder

• Player: Jaun ‘Zeo’ Niewoudt

• Player: Kevin ‘Light’ Kruger

• Player: Brad ‘Bananaz’ Altona

Aperture Gaming

Aperture Gaming has always been a stable team in South African CS:GO. They’ve too suffered from a number of roster changes, but have always impressed with their abilities. Like Exdee, ApG has the ability to bust the competition wide open and have in the past proved their capability of toppling teams who are slightly above them. Their seeding in fifth isn’t a true representation of their strength and will be a team to watch at the Masters.

Roster:

• Manager: Theuns ‘Alpha Renji’ Louw

• Captain: Nelson ‘Kaspar0v’ Camargo

• Player: George ‘Backstabber’ Reynolds

• Player: Matthew ‘KruciFieR’ Rae

• Player: Cahil ‘SchizzY’ Henry - Leyte

• Player: Dylan ‘Dyvo’ Vorster

Ventus Gaming

Ventus is one of the newer lineups in the Masters and also went through a short change up after the previous Masters in July. The team is captained by one of the veterans in the CS:GO scene and it’s hard to truly predict the outcome of this team. They’ve acquired a few new names in the CS:GO scene, as well as bringing in some old-school CS:GO talent. As one of the older organizations in South Africa, Ventus is also aching for a Championship.

Roster:

• Manager: Pieter ‘Cyrus’ Venter

• In Game Leader: Dillon ‘uNreal’ Jost

• Lurker: Gavin ‘RushMeplz’ Nelson

• Support: Matthew ‘DffiaNt’ Morris

• Entry Fragger: Gregory ‘Orator’ Maselle

• Sniper: John-T ‘Fekwene’ Nelson

White Rabbit Gaming

It’s a big surprise, to me, that White Rabbit Gaming are sitting at seventh. The WRG side has shown promise in tournaments, but their roster which performed admirably at the VS Gaming Masters in July has received a few changes. It’s unclear how the new roster will feature on LAN, but they retain a strong core lineup of three players who have competed together for the entirety of the competitive year.

Roster:

• Manager: Alwyn ‘SwiTch’ Venter

• In Game Leader: Nicholas ‘CiNNe’ Farrant

• Lurker: Matthew ‘SyNoPTiCaL’ Hill

• Support: Eden ‘Hulkies’ de Allende

• Sniper: Sean ‘PuFFy’ Hedenskog

• Entry Fragger: Gareth ‘FreakY’ Glanville

Pulse Gaming

Last, but not least, we have Pulse Gaming, one of the newest additions to the Masters Program. The Pulse roster is a fresh one, and it includes players who have competed in other teams throughout the year. There’s not much to be said about Pulse other than their impressive roster. How they will fair on LAN will be determined within the early matches of the competition.

Roster:

• Manager: Chris ‘Chriscuz’ Cousins

• Captain: Roche ‘Zaviv’ De Jager

• Entry Fragger: Keagan ‘pEx’ Altenroxel

• Sniper: Kyle ‘PaCmAn10154’ Swart

• Lurker: Dean ‘KazimiR’ Flemming

• Support: Sharon ‘ShazZ’ Waison