Is Amouranth a Distraction to Wildcard's Shanghai Major Run
Counter-Strike 2's Shanghai Major is in full swing, and fans are watching with anticipation as the strongest teams battle for the coveted Valve-sponsored title. This year, one team has taken the tournament by storm: Wildcard Gaming, co-owned by controversial streamer Amouranth, has upset the brackets with a winning streak and qualified just a year after being founded.
As Wildcard's popularity skyrockets, players are expressing concern that being known as 'Amouranth's team' is overshadowing their success. Here's everything we know about the situation, Wildcard Gaming and Amouranth's response.
Who is Amouranth?
Kaitlyn "Amouranth" Siragusa is a 31-year-old streamer, adult model, entrepreneur and influencer. She is known for her Twitch presence, and her channel has over 6 million subscribers. On Twitch, Amouranth is heavily associated with ASMR and adult-themed content. Amouranth also has an Instagram account with 705,000 followers. She previously had YouTube vlog and ASMR channels, but both were terminated by the platform.
Amouranth has also spoken openly on her personal Twitter account about leveraging her success from Twitch and other platforms to create a unique investment portfolio for a content creator. She made headlines in 2022 by purchasing multiple gas stations and discussing their earning potential on social media.
As of 2023, Amouranth moved to rival streaming site Kick and primarily streams there. According to Wildcard Gaming, Amouranth has over 14 million followers collectively on all platforms.
What is Wildcard Gaming?
Wildcard Gaming is an American esports organization founded in 201 by Ben Merritt, John Griffin and Thomas Wolf. Based in Houston, its philosophy is "a highly analytical approach to team building which has led to global success whilst building teams within a sustainable framework." The organization currently hosts two teams that compete in Rainbow Six Siege and Counter-Strike 2. Wildcard began its Rainbow Six Siege team shortly after being founded, but its Counter-Strike 2 team only began operating in 2023.
In Rainbow Six Siege, Wildcard has won two 2020 A-tier Major tournaments. The team also released in-game themed skins as an official collaboration.
Wildcard's current Counter-Strike 2 roster contains five signed players, one coach (vinS) and one stand-in. According to Liquipedia, the team has already attained 99,000 USD in winnings over its one-year lifespan.
Wildcard Gaming's Counter-Strike Roster:
- stanislaw
- JBa
- Sonic
- susp
- phzy
- vinS (Coach)
- fr3nd (Stand-In)
The organization's popularity has rapidly expanded throughout 2024, especially as it attained significant Counter-Strike 2 wins. Wildcard Gaming has defeated teams including NRG and FlyQuest. The team has also won and placed in multiple North American qualifiers, ESL Challenger events and A-tier tourneys.
Amouranth Joins Wildcard as a Co-Owner
GO WILDCARD https://t.co/7YRHybRbtX
— Amouranth (@Amouranth) September 17, 2024
In June 2024, Wildcard revealed an unexpected collaboration: Amouranth joined the team as a co-owner. In an official post on the Wildcard Gaming Website, the team announced that "she will take a significant ownership stake in the organization" and "take a vested interest in growing the organization’s popularity throughout the North American region".
Wildcard's founder and co-owner John Griffin noted:
Kaitlyn is not just a massive personality, she is an incredibly smart business woman. She is thoughtful and calculated, just as we are. Her impact on our organization will be immediate.
- John Griffin
The statement emphasizes that Amouranth's entrepreneurship knowledge, online influence and large network were major factors in the decision. The organization also expressed a desire to rebrand, expand its social media presence and grow nationally.
Amouranth confirmed the news on her own social platforms, responding to a post on X.com by saying "GO WILDCARD!" She has continued to show support throughout 2024. On June 25, Amouranth even filmed a promotion for Wildcard's Rainbow Six Siege collaboration.
As an owner of Wildcard, I’m telling you to go buy my new skins.
— Amouranth (@Amouranth) June 25, 2024
Out now in Rainbow Six Siege.
This is not a request. @Wildcard_GG #StackTheDeck pic.twitter.com/pOGYHRsJ8e
Wildcard Gaming Enters the 2024 Shanghai Major
,Since entering the Counter-Strike 2 esports world, Wildcard Gaming has rapidly shot to success. The North American team qualified for the 2024 Shanghai Major after a string of A-tier competition wins and placements. Wildcard's winning streak hasn't ended yet — on December 2, 2024, they defeated Virtus Pro in a surprise upset and eliminated them from the tournament.
Wildcard's level of accomplishment in Counter-Strike 2 after just one year of operation is unprecedented. After a period of relative obscurity, the organization is drawing international attention. Esports fans are asking: where in the world did Wildcard come from?
Counter-Strike Controversy: Wildcard Players vs. Amouranth
Or you could just say Wildcard…
— Sonic (@Sonic_cs) December 2, 2024
As Counter-Strike 2 fans research Wildcard Gaming, they inevitably encounter information about Amouranth's co-ownership. Amouranth's connection to adult content has also created uncertainty as her follower base interacts with dedicated esports fans for the first time.
On December 2 2024, esports website Dexerto posted on X.com stating "Amouranth's org Wildcard just knocked legendary team Virtus Pro out of the CS2 Shanghai Major." One of Wildcard's players, Aran "Sonic" Groesbeek replied to the post and expressed irritation with the team's association with Amouranth, saying "Or you could just say Wildcard...".
That is called a reply tweet or reply
— Amouranth (@Amouranth) December 3, 2024
It doesn’t mean it was edited. But gj for revealing how clueless you are
Maybe you and him should stay off social media if thats his ignorant you are
Sonic alleges that Dexerto edited the original post, which only referred to Wildcard as 'Amouranth's team' and did not mention the org by name. Screenshots from X.com users support Sonic's allegation that Wildcard was not originally mentioned, though Amouranth clarifies that Dexerto changed the post's wording in a reply instead of editing.
Many Wildcard fans detailed their frustration with the beef, noting that it overshadows Wildcard's success in Shanghai and criticizing Amouranth's interactions with the org's players. X.com denizen @naHLTVuser writes, "I'm not even 100% on sonics side he should've rephrased his tweet but amoranth is [criticizing] her own players while they're at the most important event."
Amouranth's Response
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you 🤨
— Amouranth (@Amouranth) December 3, 2024
I cheered the team on at Dreamhack when the majority of folks were sitting on the m80 side. Journos dropping my name to reach a wider audience is part of my value add. https://t.co/MAyFHTIqmA
Amouranth replied to Sonic just an hour later, saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." In her response, she notes that she's been a long-time Wildcard fan and "cheered the team on at Dreamhack when the majority of folks were sitting on the m80 side." Amouranth adds that her association with the team is a "value add" and contributes to reaching a wider audience.
Sonic acknowledged Amouranth's statement but reaffirmed his position, saying, "You didn’t see their post before they edited it, they didn’t even mention wildcard." However, he did note that "It wasn’t a jab at you so don’t take it as such."
Amouranth also responded to additional comments from other X.com users who showed frustration at the outlet's wording and Amouranth's overall Wildcard involvement. When one user accused her of being 'chronically online', she replied "have you seen my streamed hours? I do 13+ a day."
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