Fnatic’s CYPHER confirms he will not play StarLadder Budapest Major

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 24/10/2025

Fnatic’s Cai ‘CYPHER’ Watson has confirmed he will not be playing at the StarLadder Budapest Major with the organisation, despite a miracle qualifying run which saw the organisation reach the major.

The British entry rifler posted “confirmed not playing the major, kinda crazy to me to be honest, was a dream to qualify after not qualifying for 2 years, disappointed, but what can I do. Wish blameF and the rest the best for the future”

CYPHER’s Fnatic fairytale becomes a nightmare

CYPHER and Fnatic claimed the final PGL Budapest Major 2025 spot in dramatic fashion with victory at Fragadeplhia Blocktober.

Visa issues at ESL Pro League Season 22 meant Virtus.pro could not attend, opening up the opportunity for the winner of Frag to make the major.

In the end, Fnatic did it by the slimmest of margins, defeating 9ine 3-2 in the Grand Final of the American LAN.

At the time, the story felt like a fairytale for CYPHER, who had not attended a major since the BLAST Paris Major 2023, where he finished Top 8 with Into The Breach in a miracle run.

However, that fairytale quickly became a nightmare as CYPHER was benched in favour of Ukrainian, Mykyta ‘jackasmo’ Skyba, who had played with Fnatic’s former Passion UA pieces of Rodion ‘fear’ Smyk and Dmytro ‘jambo’ Semera.

jackasmo was initially confirmed only to be starting at CS Asia Championships, where Fnatic finished 5th-6th. Following that playoff run, Fnatic appear to have made a permanent decision, with CYPHER conveying the news.

CYPHER receives messages of support after Fnatic’s decision

CYPHER received support and commiseration from both the British Counter-Strike community and the Counter-Strike world as a whole.

Even the creator of Counter-Strike, Minh ‘Gooseman’ Le, sent CYPHER support, posting, “I really enjoyed watching you play in the qualifiers. Looking forward to seeing you play more in future tournaments!”

Judging by CYPHER’s replies, there appears to be little appetite to forgive Fnatic for the sudden change, with many finding it unfair.

For some, CYPHER’s news cemented that they would be “hatewatching” Fnatic from now on, and praying for their failure.

The news came across as particularly harsh to fans, as CYPHER often plays a very sacrificial role in the team, making space for his teammates and emphasising the team’s success.

That element of CYPHER’s game was emphasised by former teammate, Benjamin ‘blameF’ Bremer, who posted, “I just want to say that Cai is a world-class teammate who will do everything for the team, and in my opinion, is one of the best entry fraggers of tier2.”

He added, “He always showed up 100% ready and motivated for prac, and he took criticism like a complete professional. Thank you, Cai <3”

Darragh Harbinson, Senior Editor

Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.

All Posts By Darragh Harbinson