(GotFrag) August 18, 2008 - When the news broke that Marcus ”zet” Sundström was dispatched from Complexity’s CS:Source team, it rippled across the Atlantic. The young star was coming home and Swedish fans were elated at the chance of seeing him play Counter-Strike 1.6 again. During the year that Sundström spent in North America as part of an unsuccessful Complexity campaign, the Swedish scene regained its hold of the international competitive CS scene. Fnatic took their consistent domination up a notch, and SK finally found the winning strategy after a couple of wobbly years. Both teams did it without the aid of their scene’s brightest star, at least according to its fans.

“Zet” is vocal, loud, outgoing and a vibrant competitor that inspires the imagination of those watching. That’s how stars are made. Sure, they are better players than most, and they can stand out when they have to, but the fan favorite has to have something more to offer the crowds. Sundström has that little something extra in abundance – and the gaming skills to back it up. However, he left the game at the end of 2006 after an extremely successful run with NiP, and now not far from 2009 the big question seems to be: what can he do now? And where would he do it?

SK is testing Fnatic’s limits with each event. The German team that opted for Scandinavian talent to represent their Counter-Strike division six years ago is back in the groove. In their “darker” years between 2006 and 2008, their struggles were overshadowed by inadequate leadership. The ship was turned around when they could finally add Dennis Wallenberg to the roster. His name can now be mentioned with the finest in-game leaders in the history of the game. He found a way to successfully make winners out of the vast talent at his disposal, talent that had struggled without the confidence and coherence needed to excel at the highest level. “Spawn” and “Robban” were also instrumental in rebuilding the brand and launching a credible campaign to dethrone Fnatic.

An interesting point of view that CS: 1.6 history buffs can appreciate.

The last time a team was able to consistently beat Fnatic, other than PGS / MYM’s brief dominance in 2007, was two years ago. Before “zet” traveled to the U.S. to try his hand at CS: Source, he was part of that team with “walle”, “Spawn” and “Robban”, thus creating an effective old school antidote to Fnatic’s new school stars. It seems probable for him to rejoin his comrades to replicate the success of old. But wait a minute – “zet” has been home for months now, and outside of him being presented as part of a glitch on the SK page, caught by Rakaka and other sites, there have been no announcements made.

Why not zet?

Could it be that the SK management is finally content with the way their team is performing? Are they still discussing contractual issues? – or is he not going to the German esport behemoth at all?

Fnatic’s team would probably look even more stacked with him in their midst than SK would. Ignoring the “Tentpole” for “Ins” swap a year and a half ago, Fnatic does not have the same pattern for changing lineups as we have grown accustomed to in electronic sports. They stick to their guns – and it works. The status of that team, with the amount of titles and first rate finishes they have amassed in their life span, should rival SK’s legendary five from 2003. Consistently winning in today’s environment is much, much more difficult.

No reason to add “zet” to an already extremely successful roster.

“Archi” or “ins” are the usual suspects when Fnatic fails to win an event, and speculation usually runs wild about who will get shafted. However, the team’s capability to bounce back should close the door on Sundström wearing the black and orange colors of Sam Matthew’s team anytime soon. Besides, it’s been months and months since he returned home, and he is still a free agent.

Something else on the horizon for zet?

Sundström played Source for over a year, winning every competition he entered, but it’s no big secret that his “big love” is Counter-Strike: 1.6. Still, would the merited Swede want to play with “lesser men”?

He has been since he came back home, attending BYOC’s in Sweden with friends and semi-elite players. That will get boring for someone used to shining at the highest level – he’ll have to find a home soon, quit professional gaming or look for other options – options that might look more realistic than him joining up with SK in 2008. In fact, his CGS career could very well continue. While his allegiance to “walle”, “Spawn” and “Robban” was covered earlier in this story, the strongest one perhaps is to Emil “Heaton” Christensen.

“Heaton” gave “zet” his big break when he took the virtually unknown Swede and trusted him to help rebuild NiP in early 2006. Whether that was choice talent scouting on the part of Christensen or just blind luck, it put the team on the path to regain its former might, and it did after “Heaton” decided to take a break that opened the door for “Spawn.” In 2008 “Heaton” is in a position to re-forge the pair’s successful relationship as he controls the fourth ranked European CGS team the Stockholm Magnetik.

Several sites reported on Christensen’s alleged attempts at adding Sundström for the 2008 season, attempts that allegedly failed as “zet” was supposedly deemed ineligible to play for the European regions, coming off the North American draft. If he can enjoy Source, Sundström seems poised to attend the 2009 European Combine event and will almost certainly be a shoe-in pick for one of the teams. Recognizing his 1.6 merits and status, “zet” would be a PR force to be reckoned with as “the” definitive star of European CS: Source teams – he would be the big fish in the small pond whereas the situation is opposite if should choose to continue BYOC’ing for 1.6.

It seems clear that no matter what the young Swede does next, attention will follow in his wake as he divulges where he will continue his illustrious career in electronic sports.