The Last Champion: The Story of apEX
The apex… Reaching the highest point of one’s career is a euphoric feeling that is unmatched by any other moment in your life
For Team Vitality's Dan “apEX “ Madesclare, reaching the peak of winning a Counter-Strike major is a feat that many professional CS players dream of.
Yet, what makes reaching the top such a double-edged sword is the next question that begins to surface as the initial highs of reaching the top fade away.
Will I ever feel this again?
Team Vitality in-game leader apEX experienced both the highs and lows of what it means to be a professional Counter-Strike player. From sleeping under his desk at LAN tournaments to experiencing his first Counter-Strike paycheck, each and every moment has taught apEX a valuable lesson.
Throughout his illustrious 17-year professional career, apEX has experienced many championship wins throughout his career across several esports teams, such as Team LDLC, Titan, Envy, G2 Esports, and Team Vitality. Yet, it is the losses that helped him transform from an emotional player into a passionate leader.
This, is The Grind.
apEX and Team Vitality will look to defend their throne as the Counter-Strike Major champions next month at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. The first Counter-Strike 2 major will take place from March 17, 2024 to March 31, 2024 where one of 24 teams will be crowned the games first major champion.
Sage got his start in esports as a volunteer writer in 2016 for esports organization, Dignitas. Since then, he has continued to work on his craft as a journalist and reporter for a number of established esports publications, such as esports.gg, Unikrn, Akshon Esports, Howla, The Player’s Lobby, Nerd Street Gamers, and most recently Dot Esports. Now, as a member of Esports Illustrated’s content team, Sage’s primary duties are centered around creating groundbreaking written and video content about the esports industry that impacts the community in a meaningful way. Sage graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Informatics. There, he was a member of the Rutgers Esports Executive Board, both as the head of the fighting game community and a videographer/photographer for the Content team.