The former CS:GO player Ardis “ardiis” Savarenieks is considered one of the greatest talents in the new shooter Valorant and has already won several tournaments. Allegedly, the professional team G2 Esports was interested in signing him. However, a stupid action could jeopardize that: He was previously in contact with cheat developers during his CS:GO days.
How good is ardiis? The Lithuanian player ardiis announced in April 2020 that he would end his career in CS:GO and switch to Valorant.
In the emerging e-sport scene of Valorant, ardiis is achieving great success. According to Inven, ardiis played in 10 different events and won 9 of them, most of them with the team Fish123. Among the events he won were prestigious tournaments like Twitch Rivals.
In short: He is damn good in Valorant. One can say that, although in Valorant the ranked system still has to start.
After his recent successes, it was even rumored that the largest EU team of LoL, G2 Esports, is planning to sign ardiis for their new Valorant team. He had already joined an e-sports agency a few weeks ago.
Everything seemed to indicate that a great professional career awaited the Lithuanian, who now lives in Liverpool.
Anti-Cheat group wants to prevent professional career
These are the allegations: On June 15, a statement from a group called “Anti-Cheat Police Department” was released. They accused ardiis of two things:
- Firstly, he is alleged to be involved in discussions about “match-fixing”, which means intentionally manipulating games to cash in on betting sites by betting on the underdog (via youtube)
- Secondly, ardiis is said to have contacted two cheat developers. He allegedly discussed “match-fixing” with them and planned to smuggle a cheater into the team (via youtube)
These allegations were supported by video clips.
The group “Anti-Cheat Police Department” also accuses ardiis of having a “dark” past as a cheater even in CS:GO.
The group aimed with their statement to prevent ardiis from signing a professional contract with G2 Esports after his victory at Twitch Rivals.
Ardiis believes cheaters want to take revenge on him
This is what ardiis says himself: In a statement, he says he has never engaged in match-fixing or cheated in any game – nor will he ever do so.
The player admits, however, that he was involved in such discussions and had listened to suggestions about manipulating matches. This was months before Valorant was even announced. Back then he was still playing CS:GO and was in serious financial trouble. He is not proud of having taken part in those discussions. However, nothing ever came of it.
When Valorant started, he warned his agent that a team of cheat coders planned to infiltrate Valorant. But the security system of Riot Games, Vanguard, detected and banned the cheaters. He himself had nothing to do with the cheaters.
According to ardiis, he is now in the spotlight due to his successful play with Fish123. They are “the best team in Europe” with a 100% win rate in the best-of-three format.
He believes that this “team of coders” is behind the leaks. They believe ardiis has exposed them and blackmailed Riot, and that the accusations against him are now their revenge. They want to sabotage his career.
ardiis says he is ready to cooperate with Valorant to prove his innocence.
Professionals with a bad image are intolerable for teams
The background: For ardiis, it is important to “clear his name” if he wants to have a chance to be picked up by a top team. Because for a team like G2 Esports, it is not only crucial to have strong players, but also that these players do not bring any damage to their reputation.
Match-fixing and cheating are things that can immediately end a professional’s career. Even the mere thought of such things can haunt a professional for years – as ardiis is now painfully realizing.
Player says: Riot would have confirmed his innocence
Update June 24: The player has made another statement. According to his own account, he has contacted Riot Games (via 1pv.fr).
They are said to have conducted an investigation and explained to him that they found nothing serious.
So far, Riot Games has not disputed the report, and it seems to be generally recognized as accurate.
Therefore, ardiis is likely able to continue his professional career. Allegedly, he is receiving some offers.
Some prominent players from CS:GO have left Valve’s shooter to seek their luck in Valorant. For example, the player Swag switched long before Valorant even appeared.
Swag had ruined his career in CS:GO. He was also involved in a match-fixing scandal:
CS:GO ace quits to become the best player in Riot’s new shooter
