ENCE were one of the biggest stories of the previous decade in Counter-Strike. A purely Finnish lineup took them all the way to a Major final, but interpersonal friction inside the team broke that run and the organization never got back to that level. In the years that followed, the original Finnish soul faded as ENCE went down the international route – and this year, after a string of poor results, that chapter closed for good. Financially, there was no other way than going back to the roots.
From academy squad to full A-team
In the spring, ENCE cut the entire roster and, as a temporary solution, promoted their academy to A-team status. Apart from Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze the lineup is entirely Finnish, and the foreign in-game leader has a clear purpose: preparing young players for a future career in an international environment.
In June the young side got a symbolic boost when iconic sniper Aleksi “allu” Jalli took over as head coach, tying the new era directly to the most successful one.
Friday’s announcement turned the temporary setup into a long-term plan. The whole roster, coach allu included, continues in ENCE as a full A-team, with long-term contracts signed across the board. ENCE are well aware that economic reasons pushed them down a level, but backing academy talent is a healthier path than forcing together an international mix that can’t reach a Major and only drains the team’s budget.
Who is in the lineup
The five players average just 20.4 years of age:
- Henri “HENU” Ylilehto – at 24 the oldest of the group, a rifler who played for ENCE Academy back in the CS:GO era and returned to the scene of the crime after gaining experience elsewhere.
- Aleksi “millert” Lehtopuu – the main star of the roster, a sniper who has plenty to learn from allu.
- Joe “joeski” Holmes – joined in August from Young Ninjas and was officially confirmed with this announcement.
- Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze – the in-game leader and the only non-Finnish player in the squad.
Every player besides HENU is 19 or younger, which tells you exactly what ENCE are aiming at: development, consistency and building foundations instead of instant results. The full details are laid out in the organization’s official announcement.
What it means for you as a fan
Don’t expect ENCE to be fighting for trophies against the world’s best right away. This is a rebuild aimed at the next few years, and the interesting part will be watching how fast millert and the rest of the teenagers grow under a coach who has been through the biggest stages himself. The long-term contracts mean the project should get real time to mature.
If you want to follow where the competitive scene is heading, we cover it regularly – we have all of our Counter-Strike 2 news in one place, we wrote about the Shanghai Major announcement, and the Major race from a Czech perspective got its own article on SINNERS.
FAQ
The locked-in roster consists of Henri “HENU” Ylilehto, Aleksi “millert” Lehtopuu, Joe “joeski” Holmes, Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze and the rest of the promoted academy group, with Aleksi “allu” Jalli as head coach.
A series of poor results made the international route unsustainable, and for financial reasons the organization had to go back to its Finnish roots.
No. The former sniper returned to ENCE in June 2026 as head coach of the CS2 team, not as a player.
Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze is the in-game leader, and ENCE chose a foreign IGL specifically to prepare the young players for a future career in an international environment.
The average age is 20.4 years. HENU is the oldest at 24, while every other player is 19 or younger.