Spanish Counter-Strike and Valorant Legend Mixwell officially retires from active competition
Last night was a shocker for the Spanish Counter-Strike and Valorant community. After actively competing for over a decade, Óscar “mixwell” Cañellas has officially retired from active competition.
Mixwell’s decision comes after a rough year of Valorant with Team Heretics. The decision marks the end of a ten-year-long illustrious career. Let’s take a moment and commemorate Padre’s career.
The Trailblazer:
Mixwell started his tactical FPS career with Counter-Strike: Source. He transitioned CS:GO shortly after and served multiple t2 rosters. His first big break came with the Spanish Epsilon roster and later with X6tence.
While mixwell’s talent was undeniable, the Spanish rosters failed to secure significant results. He spent multiple years jumping from roster to roster before ending up on the North American Optic Gaming roster.
With the NA Optic roster, mixwell reached great heights. Alongside NAF, Rush, Tarik and Stanislaw, he became the first Spanish player to win an S-tier event and qualify for a Counter-Strike major.
The Downfall of mixwell:
Unfortunately, the team broke apart, and the replacements could not reach the same level as the previous Optic core. During the same time, Shox had been on a break, and mixwell joined G2 Esports on trial.
With G2 Esports, mixwell struggled. He was later replaced by shox. After the move in 2018, he spent most of his time on Movistar Riders.
He was part of the July 2019 Cloud9 roster alongside TenZ, but the roster did not succeed and was benched in December 2019 and later dropped in 2020.
The Padre - mixwell comebacks with a bang:
After leaving the Cloud9 roster in February 2020, mixwell spent his time streaming on Twitch. When a new FPS hit the market, Mixwell used his reach to teach his viewers Valorant. This earned him a new name, The Padre, a father to Spanish Valorant.
With the new FPS came a new opportunity. Mixwell once again returned to G2 Esports. G2 Esports dominated Valorant in 2020. Unfortunately, they could not secure the Riot-sponsored First Strike Europe.
In 2021, G2 Esports struggled to achieve significant results. They placed second in the VCT EMEA Challengers III 2021 to secure VCT Masters Berlin 2021. They had a strong rivalry with Sentinels in Berlin. Unfortunately, they could only secure a 3rd-4th finish at Berlin.
2022 was equally unstable for G2 Esports. They placed 2nd at VCT EMEA Challengers 1 and secured VCT Masters Reykjavik 2022 but were eliminated in the first round of playoffs.
Mixwell's Tumultuous 2023:
For the VCT EMEA, Mixwell was picked up by Team Heretics. At the inaugural VCT LOCK//IN, Heretics lost to Evil Geniuses. Despite the team’s best efforts, Team Heretics struggled in the regular season. They lost their opening game in the VCT EMEA LCQ 2023 and were eliminated. The team had high expectations for themselves. Unfortunately, the team failed to stand up to these expectations.
After almost a decade and some struggling years, it was certain Mixwell needed a break. Especially after a disappointing year, it was hard for mixwell to continue on the path of a professional. Last night, Mixwell posted a YouTube video explaining and announcing his decision.
Team Heretics also bid farewell to the Padre.
After an illustrious career, mixwell’s decision to step back from competition is not surprising. Mixwell will continue streaming as he waits for the following career stages.
Team Heretics’ future player is yet to be announced. You can follow Team Heretics Twitter for more information on the move.
Featured Image Credits: Hara Amorós / Riot Games
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