Sean Gares and messioso land managerial roles at 100 Thieves

Counter-Strike Editor

Publish Date: November 12, 2025

Messioso and Sean Gares have joined 100 Thieves

Sean Gares, a former CS:GO player and VALORANT coach/caster, and Graham “messioso” Pitt, former Complexity’s Counter-Strike Manager, have joined 100 Thieves as Head of FPS and Head of CS Operations, respectively, on November 12th.

The appointment of Sean and messioso follows 100 Thieves’ return to Counter-Strike esports. The Californian organization struck a partnership with crypto gambling casino Roobet that made returning to Counter-Strike viable. The organization has been away from CS since 2020, when it released its Australian roster amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The arrivals of Sean and messioso see 100 Thieves build a strong foundation for its upcoming roster. Sean is a renowned tactician across Counter-Strike and VALORANT, having led a competitive North American CS:GO roster under Cloud9 back in 2014 and 2015, before becoming a VALORANT caster in 2020, and a head coach in 2022. He’s no stranger to 100 Thieves either, as he was their VALORANT coach.

As for messioso, he’s a self-described “Swiss army knife” who served as a Specialist League Operations at ESL and Director of Esports Operations at RFRSH before becoming North’s Head of Esports Operations and, most recently, the CS Manager for Complexity. He’s also known as one of the few people in the CS scene who can interpret Valve’s language and understand the intricacies of the Valve Regional Standings (VRS), the official ranking for CS2 esports.

While messioso became a free agent last September, when Complexity sold four players to Passion UA and left CS, Sean has been exploring his options since he left his General Manager of Tactical FPS at Shopify Rebellion in June.

messioso have joined 100 Thieves as its Head of CS Operations

messioso (photo) and Sean Gares will be the brains behind 100 Thieves in Counter-Strike. Credit: Sebastian Pandelache | © PGL

In an official announcement video, 100 Thieves states that it wants to compete at Majors and win tournaments, and not be just another organization participating in CS2 esports.

The talks between 100 Thieves and Roobet started months ago, and both parties agreed to build a top-tier caliber CS2 team.

As far as the 100 Thieves roster goes, which reportedly includes Håvard “rain” Nygaard, messioso and Sean Gares agreed that 100 Thieves must have a mix between youngsters and veterans.

Sean Gares:

We’ve looked at a lot of cores in the top 30. There are a lot of moving parts, but we could also build from scratch. We’re open to it all and sending as many feelers as possible.

Messioso:

We want to get the best possible players that suit us. The one thing I don’t want to do is buy a core, and then find out we need to replace two players within the first two months.

You can get to a certain level with young kids, but you need at least one experienced veteran. I would like two. Young players need guidance and leadership from the older experienced players, while the older ones get some drive to grind.

All that we know so far about 100 Thieves’ future CS roster is that rain is most likely involved, which could see him step up to the IGL role for the first time in his career. This is a possibility that rain himself admitted after FaZe Clan placed him on the bench in September.

As per the announcement video above, 100 Thieves will start building the roster with the IGL and head coach. The team will base itself in Europe, where most CS2 tournaments take place, and Roobet and 100 Thieves are building a training facility in Serbia.

The next 100 Thieves’ Counter-Strike announcement will be a player announcement, according to messioso. Although 100 Thieves will only compete in CS2 in 2026, it’s better to complete its roster as soon as possible to secure tournament invitations.