aliStair returns to FlyQuest as AWPer and IGL

FlyQuest have brought Alistair “aliStair” Johnston back to their active CS2 roster, with the 28-year-old returning not only as the team’s primary AWPer but also as its new in-game leader. The move was announced on September 2 and fills the permanent vacancy created by João “story” Vieira’s departure during the summer break.

The leadership change is just as significant as the signing itself. Joshua “INS” Potter, who had called for FlyQuest since replacing Christopher “dexter” Nong as captain in March 2025, will relinquish the IGL duties and return his focus to rifling. aliStair therefore arrives as both the solution to FlyQuest’s AWP search and the centerpiece of another adjustment to the team’s tactical hierarchy.

There was no waiting period for the new lineup. aliStair made his return in FlyQuest’s opening match of the IEM Beijing 2026 Asia Closed Qualifier, where the Australian side defeated NEXVOID 2-0. FlyQuest are set to face Rare Atom later on September 2 in the upper-bracket semi-final.

Quick Summary

 

What Changed?

FlyQuest’s change addresses two positions at once.

aliStair has returned to the organization after originally being benched in December 2024 and leaving FlyQuest in January 2025. This time, he will take responsibility for both the AWP and in-game leadership.

The permanent AWP position had been vacant since story was removed from FlyQuest’s active lineup on July 2. The Portuguese sniper transferred to SAW the following day as part of the organization’s rebuild around several members of its successful 2024 core. FlyQuest did not publicly attribute story’s exit to a specific performance, role, or internal issue.

Sean “Gratisfaction” Kaiwai subsequently stood in at the DFRAG HyperX Nationals while FlyQuest searched for a permanent sniper. With Gratisfaction, the team won the regional event without dropping a series, beating Ground Zero 2-0 in the final. He was always presented as a temporary solution rather than FlyQuest’s new full-time fifth.

aliStair now takes that open slot and simultaneously replaces INS as the caller.

Previous Roster vs New Roster

FlyQuest before the summer change

FlyQuest entered the IEM Cologne Major 2026 with:

• Justin “jks” Savage
• Joshua “INS” Potter — IGL
• Declan “Vexite” Portelli
• Corey “nettik” Browne
• João “story” Vieira — AWPer
• Aaron “AZR” Ward — coach

story left the active lineup after the Major, leaving FlyQuest with four permanent players. Gratisfaction then filled the AWP position temporarily at DFRAG.

Updated FlyQuest roster

• Justin “jks” Savage
• Alistair “aliStair” Johnston — IGL / AWPer
• Joshua “INS” Potter
• Declan “Vexite” Portelli
• Corey “nettik” Browne
• Aaron “AZR” Ward — coach

HLTV currently lists FlyQuest at No. 48 in its world ranking and No. 51 in the Valve ranking.

Who Is aliStair?

aliStair is one of the most experienced active players in Australian Counter-Strike and is already deeply familiar with the core he is rejoining.

The 28-year-old spent years alongside INS and Vexite across the Grayhound/FlyQuest lineage before being benched at the end of 2024. His previous FlyQuest stint ended after the Shanghai Major, where the Australians started the Opening Stage 2-0 but eventually exited with a 2-3 record.

FlyQuest replaced him with Romanian AWPer Iulian “regali” Harjău, who remained the team’s sniper throughout 2025. aliStair, meanwhile, joined SemperFi in March 2025 and spent roughly six months with the organization before becoming a free agent.

He resurfaced with THUNDER dOWNUNDER in October 2025 alongside several other established Australian names and helped the team qualify for the IEM Cologne Major 2026. His run there included an upset victory over MIBR before THUNDER dOWNUNDER were eliminated by FlyQuest themselves. aliStair posted a 1.03 rating in that 0-2 Australian derby.

THUNDER dOWNUNDER recorded his departure on August 27, less than a week before his FlyQuest return.

Why Did story Leave FlyQuest?

FlyQuest announced on July 2 that story was no longer part of the active lineup after six months with the team. At the time, no detailed internal reason was made public.

His departure quickly developed into a transfer rather than a prolonged bench spell. On July 3, SAW officially unveiled story as part of a new Portuguese lineup that also reunited him with Christopher “MUTiRiS” Fernandes and Michel “ewjerkz” Pinto, members of the broader Portuguese project associated with SAW’s breakthrough period.

story finished his FlyQuest stint with a 1.10 average rating. He helped the team reach Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major but struggled once there, recording a 0.86 rating across FlyQuest’s final four maps. Those numbers provide competitive context, but FlyQuest did not publicly state that individual performance was the reason for his departure.

Why aliStair’s Return Matters

The most interesting aspect of the signing is that FlyQuest have not simply replaced one AWPer with another.

They have reorganized their leadership structure around the position.

FlyQuest’s previous two permanent snipers both produced stronger raw numbers than aliStair did during his first stint with the organization. regali averaged a 1.11 rating during his time with FlyQuest, while story posted 1.10. aliStair averaged 1.02 in his previous FlyQuest run.

That makes the reasoning behind this version of the lineup broader than AWP firepower alone. aliStair is being asked to combine sniping with calling, while INS is released from a role he assumed after dexter’s benching in March 2025.

For FlyQuest, the potential upside is structural. Instead of signing another specialist AWPer and keeping INS as IGL, the team has concentrated the two responsibilities in one player and given INS more room to concentrate on his individual game.

Whether that trade-off works will depend heavily on aliStair’s ability to deliver enough impact with the AWP while managing the demands of leadership.

Role Changes and Tactical Impact

The confirmed role change is straightforward: aliStair is now the primary AWPer and IGL, while INS is no longer the captain.

FlyQuest have not publicly detailed how their individual T-side responsibilities or CT positions will be reorganized, so assigning additional changes would be premature.

There are nevertheless several competitive questions the new setup creates.

First is the burden on aliStair. Combining primary AWPing and calling is one of the most demanding configurations in professional Counter-Strike. His individual numbers therefore should not be judged in isolation from the amount of information and decision-making he will now handle.

Second is what the change does for INS. Before becoming IGL in 2025, he had spent years primarily concentrating on his rifling responsibilities. Removing the calling workload could give FlyQuest another player with more attention available for his own positioning, utility and mid-round decisions.

Finally, AZR remains an important part of the equation. Since becoming FlyQuest’s permanent head coach in October 2025, the former Renegades and 100 Thieves captain has already overseen significant structural and positional adjustments. INS said during the Budapest Major that AZR had brought more discipline and structure into the team.

aliStair therefore does not enter a team without an established tactical framework behind him.

How FlyQuest Got Here

FlyQuest’s AWP position has been unusually fluid since the end of 2024.

aliStair was benched following the Shanghai Major, and FlyQuest moved outside Oceania for his replacement by signing regali at the end of December 2024.

The following March brought another major change. dexter was benched after a difficult start to 2025, nettik joined the lineup, and INS took over as IGL.

FlyQuest continued rebuilding during the summer by replacing Liazz with jks, bringing the decorated Australian rifler home after his periods with Complexity, G2 and Liquid.

AZR then joined as head coach later in 2025. regali was benched in January 2026 and eventually left the organization in April, with story replacing him as FlyQuest’s primary AWPer.

Six months later, story returned to SAW.

FlyQuest responded by briefly turning to Gratisfaction before settling on a familiar name as the long-term replacement: the same AWPer they had removed less than two years earlier.

Recent Form

FlyQuest’s 2026 season has contained another strong Major qualification run without the international breakthrough the roster is still chasing.

At the IEM Cologne Major, they progressed from Stage 1 with a 3-2 record. FlyQuest defeated SINNERS, THUNDER dOWNUNDER and Liquid, with losses to GamerLegion and NRG. Their run ended quickly in Stage 2, however, as defeats to 9z, Legacy and paiN produced a 0-3 exit and a 15th-16th place finish in that stage.

Their first event after story’s departure was far less demanding but ended with a trophy. Using Gratisfaction as a stand-in, FlyQuest swept through the DFRAG HyperX Nationals in Brisbane and defeated Ground Zero 2-0 in the final.

The aliStair version of the team then began with another 2-0, this time against NEXVOID in the opening round of the IEM Beijing Asia Closed Qualifier.

The next matches will provide a more useful early indication of how the new leadership structure functions against stronger Asian opposition.

Player History and Connections

aliStair’s return is a reunion with two players in particular.

He has extensive history with both INS and Vexite, having shared the Australian core that competed under Grayhound and later FlyQuest. The trio were part of FlyQuest’s first CS2 lineup when the organization entered Counter-Strike in March 2024.

His relationship with the current version of the team also has a recent competitive twist. Only three months before returning, aliStair was sitting on the opposite side of the server at the IEM Cologne Major, representing THUNDER dOWNUNDER as FlyQuest eliminated his team 2-0.

jks and nettik were not part of FlyQuest during aliStair’s original tenure, meaning the returning AWPer is joining a roster that is familiar without simply recreating his old lineup.

Interesting Facts

• FlyQuest have returned to an Australian primary AWPer after using European snipers regali and story from the end of 2024 through the first half of 2026.
• aliStair’s first official match back was played on the same day his return was announced, ending in a 2-0 victory over NEXVOID.
• INS had been FlyQuest’s IGL since March 2025, when he replaced dexter as captain.
• aliStair faced FlyQuest at the IEM Cologne Major only three months before rejoining, losing 0-2 with THUNDER dOWNUNDER.
• FlyQuest won their only tournament between story’s departure and aliStair’s signing, taking the DFRAG HyperX Nationals with Gratisfaction standing in.

What Does the New FlyQuest Roster Look Like?

FlyQuest now have a complete five-man roster again, and the team have preserved the rifling core of jks, INS, Vexite and nettik.

That gives aliStair a very different supporting cast from the one he left at the end of 2024. jks adds extensive tier-one experience, nettik has developed into an established member of the lineup, and AZR has replaced erkaSt behind the team. Only INS and Vexite remain alongside aliStair from his previous FlyQuest starting five.

The biggest uncertainty is obvious: FlyQuest have exchanged the higher recent individual AWP production supplied by regali and story for a player who is also expected to run the team tactically.

If aliStair can provide stable AWPing while giving the four riflers a system in which they can consistently contribute, the roster has a clear functional logic. If his individual level drops too far under the additional IGL workload, FlyQuest may struggle to generate enough impact from the most expensive weapon on the server.

That is the central competitive question surrounding this roster, rather than whether aliStair can simply reproduce the statistics of the two snipers who preceded him.

When Did the New Roster Debut?

The lineup has already made its first appearance.

FlyQuest defeated NEXVOID 2-0 on September 2 in the opening round of the IEM Beijing 2026 Asia Closed Qualifier. The eight-team online tournament runs from September 2-4 in a double-elimination best-of-three format, with the winner earning a place at IEM Beijing 2026.

Their next opponent is Rare Atom in the upper-bracket semi-final later on September 2.

That means aliStair has been given virtually no competitive grace period: qualification for a $500,000-ranked main event is immediately on the line.

What Comes Next?

The IEM Beijing qualifier is the immediate test.

FlyQuest need to determine whether the aliStair-led setup can translate smoothly from regional opposition into matches against the stronger teams competing for Asia’s single qualification place. Rare Atom are the first step, while TYLOO and Lynn Vision are among the other notable teams in the bracket.

Beyond the qualifier, the key issue will be the division of leadership between aliStair, coach AZR and the experienced players around them. INS has spent roughly a year and a half developing as a caller; FlyQuest now need to convert the removal of that responsibility into greater value from him as a rifler without destabilizing the structure they built under AZR.

For aliStair, meanwhile, the move represents a markedly different job from his first FlyQuest stint. He has returned to the AWP, but this time the team is also his to call.

FAQ

What is FlyQuest’s current CS2 roster?

FlyQuest currently field jks, aliStair, INS, Vexite and nettik, with AZR as head coach.

Who joined FlyQuest?

Alistair “aliStair” Johnston rejoined FlyQuest on September 2, 2026. He will serve as both primary AWPer and in-game leader.

Who did aliStair replace?

He fills the permanent AWP slot most recently held by story, who left FlyQuest in July and joined SAW. Gratisfaction had temporarily stood in after story’s departure.

Who is FlyQuest’s IGL?

aliStair is now FlyQuest’s IGL. INS previously held the role from March 2025 until aliStair’s return.

Who is FlyQuest’s AWPer?

aliStair is FlyQuest’s primary AWPer. He succeeds story, who was preceded by regali.

When did aliStair play his first match back?

He returned to official action on September 2 against NEXVOID, helping FlyQuest win the series 2-0 in the IEM Beijing 2026 Asia Closed Qualifier.