Report: Wildcard set to promote fr3nd from academy team

Dust2.us has learned from multiple sources that Wildcard are set to unveil Sebastian "fr3nd" Kuśmierz as the team's new AWPer, with the Wildcard Academy player replacing Love "phzy" Smidebrant in the pivotal role.

fr3nd's addition to the roster alongside the long-awaited debut of Jaxon "Peeping" Cornwell will restore Wildcard to full strength after the shock decision to bench phzy and IGL Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz on July 1st.

fr3nd has been on Wildcard Academy's books since January 2025, joining the academy team after previously standing in for the main squad at ESL Challenger Atlanta 2024 in place of phzy. Prior to joining Wildcard Academy, fr3nd represented a number of Polish teams including ENTERPRISE, ThunderFlash, PACT, and HONORIS during the past three years.

During his time with the academy side fr3nd has maintained a strong 1.16 rating over 68 maps, albeit against teams outside of HLTV's Top 50 ranking. As such, fr3nd will need to prove that he can maintain this level against the caliber of opposition Wildcard exists to face in the latter half of the year.

fr3nd is expected to make his debut with Wildcard at FISSURE Playground #1 in Belgrade on July 15th, where the Polish AWPer will have the opportunity to prove himself against the tier two and tier three teams in attendance.

In Belgrade, Wildcard will need to field Aran "Sonic" Groesbeek in order to retain the team's VRS points and eligibility for the Serbian LAN, however Dust2.us expects the player to exit the lineup in the near future.

With fr3nd set to join the team, Wildcard's lineup is expected to consist of:

• Joshua "JBa" Barutt

• Tim "susp" Ångström

• Aran "Sonic" Groesbeek

• Jaxon "Peeping" Cornwell

• Sebastian "fr3nd" Kuśmierz

• Vincent "vinS" Jozefiak (Coach)

• Love "phzy" Smidebrant (Inactive)

• Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz (Inactive)

Wildcard declined to comment on the move when Dust2.us reached out to the organization ahead of publication.