Machinegun’s peak in CS:GO came in 2016 with The MongolZ, notably winning IEM Taipei and subsequently playing for Splyce in North America.
MONGOLIA – Enkhtaivan “Machinegun” Lkhagva has decided to leave professional CS:GO behind, calling an end to his lengthy career, which began in 2015. Additional information provided by TomorrowLAN’s LemonFox revealed that Machinegun has hung up the mouse since early this month, six days after the team brought in D13’s Yalalt “yAmi” Oyunbileg.
The 32-year-old rifler will be best remembered for his 2015-2017 tenure with the original The MongolZ lineup, during which he helped lead the Mongolian squad to first-place finishes at IEM Taipei 2016 and made three Asia Minor appearances between 2016 to 2018.
ALSO READ: TYLOO bring on LETN1 as coach
In 2016, with a reputation as one of the scene’s heavy hitters, he became the first prominent Asian player to be acquired by a North American team – way back before Hansel “BnTeT” Ferdinand’s move to Gen.G or even to TYLOO. Despite a very brief stay with Splyce (now MAD Lions), in which he won the ZOTAC 10 Year Anniversary World Cup in Hong Kong, he had demonstrated the possibility of teams importing foreign players barring language barriers, therefore expanding the talent pool from which Asian teams may choose.
Following the disbandment of the historic The MongolZ lineup that he rejoined after his time in Splyce, Machinegun began to cross borders again to play with Jakarta-based Rex Regum Qeon in 2018, with the team most notably winning the IESPL TBOF League. After finding domestic success in Indonesia, he returned to Mongolia but ultimately could never achieve the same heights that many anticipated.
ALSO READ: The Mongolz announce CS:GO return featuring Machinegun, Tsogoo, ncl
In the last year of his career, Machinegun played in The MongolZ along with former teammates that had worn the same jersey in 2016, Tsog “Tsogoo” Mashbat, and Bold “ncl” Batsukh. In just a short time following its inception, the team were able to finish fourth in ESL Challenger League APAC Season 40, beating Team NKT and CatEvil in the process before being knocked out by regional rivals IHC Esports in Lower Bracket Round 3.
Some of Machinegun’s most notable achievements as a player in CS:GO include:
2016:
- 1st – E-Frag Rising Stars Asia
- 1st – Intel Extreme Masters X – Taipei
- 1st – E-Frag Rising Stars – Promotional Cup SEA
- 3rd – World Cyber Arena 2016 – Southeast Asian Qualifier
- 1st – ZOTAC 10 Year Anniversary World Cup
- 13th – ESL Pro League Season 4 – North America
- 11-12th – Intel Extreme Masters X – World Championship
- 5-6th – Asia Minor Championship – Cologne 2016
2017:
- 2nd – Razer Rising Stars Season 1: South-East Asia
- 3rd – World Cyber Arena 2017 – Asia-Pacific
- 11-12th – Intel Extreme Masters XII – Oakland
- 5-6th – Asia Minor Championship – Kraków 2017
- 7-8th – Asia Minor Championship – Boston 2018
2018:
- 3rd – XINHUA Electronic Sports Conference
- 1st – IESPL TBOF
2019:
- 2nd – Indonesia Esports Games 2018
- 3rd – SEA Summit 2019
2021:
- 2nd – ESEA Season 38 Open APAC
2022:
- 4th – ESL Challenger League APAC Season 40
To replace Machinegun, The MongolZ have acquired Yalalt “yAmi” Oyunbileg from D13 Esports.
As such, The MongolZ’s lineup is now:
- ?? Tsog “Tsogoo” Mashbat
- ?? Bold “ncl” Batsukh
- ?? Yalalt “yAmi” Oyunbileg
- ?? Telmen “MagnumZ” Khurelkhuu
- ?? Temuulen “starDUST” Erdenebayr
- ?? Ganbileg “Noks” Erdenebold (Coach)
For more insights on the Asian CS:GO scene and upcoming content like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. Don’t forget to follow CSGO2ASIA on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube.
Cover photo courtesy of HLTV
