The Big One:

The victory at Dreamhack, in which the team steam rolled the competition en route to a stunning overall performance, really propelled the guys to their next level of fame. The forums were alive with discussions and questions about this surprising GoN team. As Fredrik "hibb" Isacsson recalls, it took more than just winning in practice to get recognized, and that is why he agrees that winning Dreamhack was the biggest step for the team.

“Well, we were known by the top players, they knew of our potential and we practiced against them daily, they knew us well,” said Isacsson. However, he went on to add, “But as has been said, we got pretty well known by the international community after winning Dreamhack.”

A Dream Come True:

Apart from the fact that they had just won their first major LAN tournament, the Gamers of the North also dispelled any of the swirling rumors which labeled them "online only". Allén recalls how things began to change soon after the Dreamhack event. He remembers the offers from the big name teams coming in, a situation that forced the team to disband and continue in separate directions.

"It wasn't directly after Dreamhack, but about 1 month after the event came the first one. Fnatic asked Archi if he was interested," he says. "Soon after RAW got into contact with us as well, and that's a long story."

The guys, who a couple months before were just a semi-elite clan considered to have shady play, were now moving on to populate the rosters of some of the top teams in Sweden.

"I knew some of the old fnatic players were interested in picking me up after CPL. But it came to me as a surprise when dsn came to me and asked if I was interested in joining a whole new fnatic with f0rest, tentpole & cArn," said Torgersen regarding his situation with Fnatic.

Torgersen goes on to describe how it felt to get such an offer from a world class organization, "I've been playing Counter-strike for a long time and it's always been my goal to reach the top. It felt great to finally have the work pay off and be able to compete in all events. It feels even better to know that you have a good chance in each event that you attend to take home the first prize."

While Torgersen had joined Fnatic, and Allén along with GoN teammate Fred "hyrule" Nilsson had joined RAW, Isacsson was still searching for his chance to move up the CS ladder. The opportunity arose quickly as things began to go sour with RAW. The organization decided to revamp its CS lineup, and Isacsson got the invitation to join up with the team along with none other than legendary Daniel "Hyper" Kuusisto.

If there is one thing that CS players strive for it is to eventually end up on a top caliber team, and to play along the most famous names in the community. For Isacsson, it was no different, as he recalls how Kuusisto was one of the players he admired when he first started getting competitive with Counter-Strike.

"It felt great! He was my favourite player back in 2003 and 2004. To be on the same team with a player you idolized is an awesome experience."

Despite RAW's failure to produce any strong performances, which led to the team's eventual demise, Isacsson still ended up playing for another one of Sweden's top teams in Meet Your Makers.

While Isacsson was with mYm and Torgersen continued his great play for Fnatic, Allén landed a spot with one of the most illustrious organizations in the world, when he was offered a chance to play with the famed SK organization.

"I received a surprising phone call from a guy on the SK management asking if I'd be interested in joining, and of course I was. That was it, and it was the first time I have been in contact with them, I didn't know any of the guys on the team personally."

The Future:

Although Fred "hyrule" Nilsson and Joel "deffe" Hedin have not yet shared the fame of their three former GoN teammates, it would not be surprising at all to see at least one of them pop up on a new powerhouse roster, as they are both extremely talented in their own right.

As for the other three guys from GoN, they have jumped from middle-tier team to world class players in under one year. They have surpassed all expectations that existed from the day their clan was first formed. Through confidence and amazing knowledge of the game, the players have claimed their deserving spots in international Counter-Strike.

If this story of success is even remotely similar to that of zEx in North America, this is just the beginning of fame for the three guys from that unknown team called GoN.

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