valde joins OG - A different direction for the Danish star

OG have signed Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså as a welcome addition to its first-ever CS:GO squad, joining Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen , Mateusz "mantuu" Wilczewski, Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt and Issa "ISSAA" Murad.

After playing for Copenhagen Wolves and Heroic alongside gla1ve and Snappi, valde emerged as a promising Danish talent that could compete at the top tier. Heading into 2017, renowned AWPer Ladislav "GuardiaN" Kovacs named the young Dane as a potential breakout star for the upcoming year.

North were a fierce opponent in 2017 as the ex-Dignitas squad sat comfortably in the top five and bolstered their roster with Philip "aizy" Aistrup early in the year. By August, valde had entered the lions' den to replace Emil "Magisk" Reif.

On Denmark's second best roster, valde was given the chance to let everyone hear his roar.

A disappointing run the ELEAGUE Major Boston saw René "cajunb" Borg and Kristian "k0nfig" Wienecke removed from the roster, replaced by North Academy AWPer Daniel "mertz" Mertz and the surprise addition of Astralis' young talent Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye.

Poor results saw North's stability shaken, with roster moves constantly throughout 2018. This did not stop valde from sneaking into the HLTV Top 20 players list for that year.

A 1v5 Nuke ace clutch against NRG Esports without taking a single point of damage during the ECS Season 6 Finals was one of the best plays of 2018.

His experience under notable Danish IGLs and his own strong game knowledge enabled him to take the reins of North earlier this year as team captain and in-game leader.

OG is a new opportunity for valde. Able to bring the firepower and smart decision-making, his addition to the squad could be the strong reliable backbone that secures success in 2020.