Taco to skip Paris Major, Steps Down for now

Epitacio "TACO" de Melo, a Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) player, has announced that he will not be participating in the upcoming BLAST.tv Paris Major Americas RMR or the Major itself, should his team, 00NATION, qualify. The announcement comes just after 00NATION made it to the playoffs of the ESL Pro League with a stand-in.

History:

TACO joined 00NATION in July 2022 as part of a revamped lineup after the team consistently failed to meet expectations and did not qualify for the PGL Major Antwerp. With TACO as in-game leader (IGL) alongside GODSENT teammates Bruno "latto" Rebelatto and Eduardo "dumau" Wolkmer, the team experienced an uptick in results, eventually reaching a peak of 12th in the world rankings.

However, the team has generally struggled to make an impact at international LAN events, and this trend only changed with the latest ESL Pro League group stage, in which TACO did not participate. Instead, academy prospect Leonardo "n9xtz" Santos filled his spot, and Marcelo "coldzera" David took over leadership duties. With this lineup, the team recovered from an 0-2 start to clinch a playoff berth, achieving a nail-biting 2-1 series win over Ninjas in Pyjamas.

It is not clear whether TACO will return to 00NATION's active roster. In his statement, TACO did not provide a clear reason for his decision, stating only that he is "taking care of [himself], improving, learning, so [he] can direct not only [his] life to the right place, but any decision that [he] will have to take in the future regarding [his] career." He was equally vague about his future, stating that it "is uncertain even to [him]self."

The Future:

Moving forward, 00NATION is expected to field the following roster:

• Marcelo "coldzera" David
• Eduardo "dumau" Wolkmer
• Bruno "latto" Rebelatto
• Leonardo "n9xtz" Santos, and
• Lucas "nqz" Soares
• with Olavo "chucky" Napoleão serving as coach.

TACO's decision to step back from competition may have an impact on 00NATION's performance in the upcoming events. However, the team has shown resilience in the face of adversity. As demonstrated by their recent playoff qualification in the ESL Pro League with a stand-in. The team will have to rely on their remaining members to step up and fill the void left by TACO's absence.

It is also unclear what TACO's future holds. As a well-respected player in the CS:GO community, he may be sought after by other teams. Or he may choose to take a break from competition altogether. Whatever his decision, TACO's contributions to the game will not be forgotten. And his impact on the Brazilian CS:GO scene will be felt for years to come.

Read his TwitLonger directly here.

Image Source: Dreamhack (at Dreamhack Masters Marseille 2018)