SHiPZ Sidelined as Team 500 Shuffles Lineup

The Bulgarian outfit bench the rifler to address the team’s recent slump in form 

500 have announced a change to their starting lineup, with Georgi “SHiPZ” Grigorov moving to the bench and their coach Denis “Grashog” Hristov stepping in to take his place on the main roster. The decision comes shortly after their unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the BLAST Paris Major through the Europe RMR B.

🔺Our player @SHiPZCSGO is being moved from the active roster to the bench.

🔺Our coach @Grashog, being a great and capable player himself, will fill the slot while we evaluate our options.

🔺We would like to thank Georgi for all the highlights he's given us!

— 500 (@500esports) April 29, 2023

Why Did 500 Bench SHiPZ?

The replacement of Georgi “SHiPZ” Grigorov with coach Denis “Grashog” Hristov is a temporary measure, according to the organization, as they plan to evaluate their options before making any long-term decisions.

Georgi “SHiPZ” Grigorov was one of the members of the ex-SKADE roster that 500 picked up in October last year when the Curaçaoan organization decided to make their foray into the world of CSGO.

The new-look 500 team hit the ground running, starting their journey with a bang by clinching back-to-back EPIC GOCL seasons. They followed this up with an impressive playoff run at the Elisa Masters Espoo, where they secured wins over the likes of Astralis and Complexity.

Despite their reputation as a formidable force in the tier two CSGO scene, the Bulgarian squad couldn't seem to find their footing and maintain a consistent level of performance. This trend persisted well into the early stages of 2023.

500 had their ups and downs, but they still succeeded in making it to the European RMRs for Paris Major 2023. While they were able to pick up a win over Spirit at the RMR, 500's dreams of making it to the Paris Major were cut short by losses to Heroic, BIG, and ENCE.

After the RMR, 500's form took a turn for the worse, with the team struggling to find their footing and posting a lackluster 8-14 match record throughout March and April, culminating in their demotion from ESL Challenger League to ESEA Advanced.

Benched in @CSGO500, best of luck to the organization and the players :)) If you are interested reach my agent @AshyTheAgent.

— Georgi Grigorov (@SHiPZCSGO) April 29, 2023

In light of the announcement, SHiPZ took to Twitter to send his regards to the organization and players and provide the contact information of his agent so that interested parties can reach out. 

500 Current Roster

Denislav “⁠dennyslaw⁠” Dimitrov (Bulgaria)

Nikolay “⁠niki1⁠” Pantaleev (Bulgaria)

Ivan “⁠Patrick⁠” Ivanov (Bulgaria)

Aleks “⁠Rainwaker⁠” Petrov (Bulgaria)

Denis “⁠Grashog⁠” Hristov (Bulgaria, coach, stand-in)

Georgi “⁠SHiPZ⁠” Grigorov (Bulgaria, benched)