Ksharp’s Deagle Was an AWP and He Was Top 5-10 Mechanically! - Reflections with Rambo 1/2 - CS 1.6

Use code THORIN at http://gamersupps.gg/?afmc=THORIN for 10% off an order of GamerSupps' delicious energy formula.
► Join the Scrilluminati to get exclusive perks and support this channel:   / thooorin  
► Check out a previous CS Reflections here:    • Storm Was Aim Training Before It Was ...  

Ronald "Rambo" Kim, former star of Team3D and coach of compLexity and currently an educational content creator, is the star of the 421st Episode of 'Reflections'. This is episode one of two about Rambo's career.

Rambo is one of the best North American Counter-Strike players in history as well as one of the most decorated. From almost the beginning of the competitive scene he was a top talent and playing for the best teams and notably on LAN, as he lived in the Texas area which was an early esports hub for CS.

When the X3 (Xtreme3) super-team was formed they quickly dominated the NA LAN scene. Winning the Speakeasy CPL, CPL Invite tournament and numerous online league seasons they were not just on top of their region but many were touting them as potentially the best team in the world. The big showdown came at CPL Winter 2001, often cited as the first CS major, where X3 made it all the way to the final only to lose to Sweden's NiP, famously boasting serial winners HeatoN and Potti.

The following year X3 dissolved and Rambo, Ksharp and Bullseye formed Team3D along with new manager Torbull. After a rough first CPL they reunited with former 3D team-mate moto and added other top talents. This new look Team3D would win CPL Winter 2002, getting revenge on the former NiP players along the way.

Despite a strong third place finish at CPL Summer 2003, one of the biggest prizes in history at the time, 3D would often underperform at CPLs from there on out. WCG, a kind of unofficial olympics, became a key battleground for Rambo and his teams. In 2003 3D won the silver medal, but in 2004 and 2005 they would take home the gold. Though 2004 was played in Condition Zero and 2005 in Source.

2006 was a revival year for 3D in other competitions, seeing them make deep LAN finishes a number of times, but at the end of the year Rambo moved to rivals compLexity to compete in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS). coL were the best Source team but the format was multi-game and their franchise was unable to win the organisation championship.

Rambo essentially retired from professional player after CGS died and would return in CS:GO as a coach. With coL his high point was getting them to the FACEIT London major in 2018 and a surprise top eight finish. The following year he would work with Cloud9's international project for a while.

Rambo now produces educational content around Counter-Strike, in line with the guide he wrote with me back in the 2000s. You can find his content at this website:
https://www.fpscoach.com/

In part one, Rambo talks about the early days in NA CS, famous team-mates like Ksharp and method, playing in some memorable major finals and how good he was at his peak.

This interview was recorded on the 24th of July, 2024.

► Time-line of topics discussed:
00:00 20+ years later
01:23 Early days
02:52 Family response
04:34 Being located in Texas
06:44 Being an up and comer
08:51 LAN experience
10:17 How good was he early on?
11:17 Difference in how good people were on LAN
13:39 Ksharp
20:20 BigDog
22:16 X3 vs. NiP at CPL Winter 2001
26:00 Chameleon a.k.a. Porter
27:42 moto as in-game leader
30:23 Facing poor LAN results for the first time
32:23 Cutting people ruthlessly
33:49 Mentality vs. European teams
35:36 Winning CPL Winter 2002
36:13 What if Team3D didn't win that CPL?
38:17 Bullseye
39:50 Harder times for Team3D
41:33 WCG 2004
43:21 Representing the USA
44:40 Reconnecting to Korean heritage
45:39 Did players in CAL-invite cheat?
46:54 Were 3D elitists?
49:20 compLexity
50:21 Volcano
51:54 method
55:44 WCG 2005
57:25 3D revival in 2006
58:40 Dominator
1:00:14 Iconic meme moments
1:01:20 Did he think he was the best player in his mind?

The Art of CS guides:
https://mega.nz/file/tjsTjbjC#SzndYzG...

Subscribe this channel to get access to perks:
   / @thooorin  

► Check out bite-sized Thorin on my new clips channel:
   / thorinclips  

► Follow me on social media:
  / thorin  
  / thooorin  
  / thooorinofficial  

► My written content:
https://iamesports.substack.com/

► You can discuss this content at my Discord server:
  / discord  

► This video was kindly supported by:
Ahmed Hadjou
Matt, Pugnatio, Rajcula
Adam Tomlin
Animosity
Jensen Goh
Tosh
touken_

Special thanks go out to JerCkysMiNi0n.

#Rambo #Ksharp #Thorin