Former FlyQuest core reform as THUNDERdOWNUNDER; dexter to drop IGL duties

Seven months on after his departure from FlyQuest, Chris "dexter" Nong returns to competitive Counter-Strike 2 with new super team THUNDERdOWNUNDER — but this time he won't be donning the IGL cape.

THUNDERdOWNUNDER's squad was officially revealed on Oct. 14 via X/Twitter, with the ex-FlyQuest core of Alistair "aliStair" Johnston and Jay "Liazz" Tregillgas joining dexter. Finishing the new team is Rooster duo Tynan "TjP" Purtell and Tyson "asap" Paterson.

It'll be aliStair who will IGL for THUNDERdOWNUNDER, with the 27-year-old confirming to DFRAG he'll wear the captain's armband. AliStair had previously mentioned investing more time and effort into the leadership role while with SemperFi, but this time, he has the full backing of dexter who will support him in developing into OCE's next top captain.

Rumours of a new super team have been swirling for some time, but the mill kicked into overdrive following a post from the Rooster X account a day prior that included the full squad. "We condemn the doings of asap and TjP and are extremely saddened by this news," the Rooster post joked.

After leading OCE's premier team at both Grayhound Gaming and Renegades throughout the early 2020's, dexter made the leap across the pond to Europe and joined MOUZ in 2021.

While an offline trophy eluded him during his time on MOUZ, he oversaw the team's rise in the rankings, culminating in a top four finish at the IEM Rio Major in 2022. He returned to Australia after a failed stint in Fnatic two years later, leading the debut FlyQuest squad to OCE's first trophy since 2017 at ESL Challenger Atlanta.

In an interview with HLTV last May, and just weeks after he was surprisingly benched from FlyQuest, dexter hinted at both another solo excursion to Europe but also building a home team from scratch.

• Read more: Nettik in, dexter out: FlyQuest shifts direction after tumultuous 2025 season start

Evidently opting for the latter, the THUNDERdOWNUNDER project boasts some of OCE's most experienced players available. Fellow FlyQuest outcasts aliStair and Liazz link up with dexter once more; aliStair repped the SemperFi project for the better part of six months following his FlyQuest exit, while Liazz has been inactive since his departure in July.

Asap has long been touted as OCE's next-in-line for a FlyQuest call-up, but he'll instead get his chance alongside dexter and co. on THUNDERdOWNUNDER. TjP, meanwhile, will pack away the Rooster colours for the first time since joining the team in 2022 — ending a three-year stint for the Chooks.

In the interim, the squad will operate independently and without organisational support with the goal to reach a CS2 Major in 2026, but a partnership with an org in the future wouldn't be ruled out should the right partner approach.

THUNDERdOWNUNDER's squad is currently:

• Alistair "aliStair" Johnston (C)
• Christopher "dexter" Nong
• Jay "Liazz" Tregillgas
• Tyson "asap" Paterson
• Tynan "TjP" Purtell