"CS is in my blood." ISSAA explained why he left for VALORANT and returned to CS

The 27-year-old Jordanian esports player Issa "ISSAA" Murad, currently a member of the team JiJieHao, explained why he decided to switch from CS:GO to VALORANT in 2021. In an interview with HLTV.org, Murad stated that at the time, there were fewer tournaments in Riot Games' discipline, allowing him to balance his career with his university studies.

"I had a lot of thoughts in my head. It was during COVID, and deep down, I wanted to finish university. If you are from the Middle East, it's important to complete your education; it's a good weapon for your future.

So, I decided I wanted to finish university, and I knew that VALORANT didn't have as many tournaments as CS, so I could play the game, earn income, and try to finish university at the same time. I realised that if I stayed in CS and played at the highest level, I wouldn't be able to do both simultaneously. Constant travelling, and many tournaments, so that was my main reason.

I played VALORANT for about 9-10 months. It wasn't bad, but my main goal was university, and I finally finished it in those two years with excellent grades, and I'm happy with that. I have no regrets."

ISSAA also added that he doesn't regret his switch to VALORANT, as it allowed him to complete his studies, but he always wanted to return to Counter-Strike.

"I always had the desire to return to CS in my mind. Deep down, I wanted to come back. After I finished university, I saw that CS2 was coming out and told myself: 'Okay, this is for me.' When I posted about it on Twitter, I said I wanted to receive offers only for CS because this game is in my blood.

[Is there a chance you'll return to VALORANT in the future?] I don't know what God has planned for me, but I, as ISSAA, I don't think it will happen because I enjoy CS much more than VALORANT, having tried both games. CS requires more game sense because VALORANT is much easier in some situations. In VALORANT, some abilities can help you play – for example, you have a Sentinel who can place a stone behind you, so you don't have to worry about flanking. But in CS, you always have to rely on communication to prevent the enemy from flanking, and you can play timing much better in CS than in VALORANT."

ISSAA competed in CS from 2016 to 2021. During this time, he earned over $200,000 in prize money. Throughout his career, he played for teams such as Eternal Fire, OG, HellRaisers, and others.