







cs_summit is back with their third event, taking place yet again in Los Angeles, California. $150k is up for grabs for the eight teams attending, as well as a fun filled week of team posters and couch commentary in the summit house. BIG, G2, Heroic, Kinguin, OpTic, NRG, Ghost, and compLexity make up the lineup of teams in attendance. Without the pressure of having to face top teams like Astralis or Liquid, this should be a fun filled week of competitive play and anybody could be the winner. I will be breaking down which three teams you should be keeping a close eye on and what to expect during their time in Los Angeles.









compLexity

compLexity are just one of the three NA teams attending cs_summit 3 and are looking to rebound from their 15-16th place finish at StarSeries Season 6. A shocking finish after the teams 5th-8th place finish at the major, securing a spot as legends for the organization. Their run from the NA minor all the way to the actual major was the most successful moment this lineup has had since forming back in April. The NA minor ended with the team in 1st place, going 9-4 and taking out the favorites of the tournament, NRG. The main qualifier went just as well, only dropping a map to Astralis. Most impressive was their journey to secure a playoff spot at the major, beating BIG, G2, and Fnatic in Bo1’s before falling to MIBR. Both ShahZaM and stanislaw played out of their minds at all three stages, topping the scoreboards and carrying the team successfully through their victories.





Going into StarSeries the team was very hyped up, however they came out of the gates plummeting to their deaths. Losing to Gambit, newly formed Renegades, and a team they had just beaten at the Major, BIG. Everyone on the team posted some of their worst numbers since the formation of the roster, and it was clear that there was a lot of stress and dysfunction within the team. compLexity definitely aren't favorites coming into cs_summit 3, but they also have more than enough will and firepower to make a deep run in the event. Playing on home soil will give them a boost of confidence, and the team will of had more than enough time to work through whatever mental barriers prevented them from performing at their full potential at StarSeries.





compLexity’s first game will be a Bo3 against OpTic, a team they have only played three times since taking ShahZam and stanislaw from their grasp. Sadly all three of these have been losses, but since then the Danish team has struggled to perform. Their best performance being at StarSeries last week were coL failed to perform. It could be a sign of hope for them but either way I feel like the American team will have the advantage. They may have looked bad at StarSeries but they should've had more than enough time to regroup, and seeing how OpTic haven't been in the best shape either, I expect a 2-1 victory for them in their first game. As for ranking overall for the tournament, I don't think they will be making it any higher than 5th place.









Ghost

Since the addition of Jason 'neptune' Tran we have only seen them play in ESL Pro League Season 8. Obviously, the online leagues are much different for teams than playing a LAN event, but so far they have looked very impressive. Taking out NA favorites, MIBR and NRG in the first two days of the season. Continuing their dominance with 13 wins and just 3 losses in the first few weeks of gameplay. Not only securing themselves a spot in the LAN finals taking place in Denmark, but planting themselves solidly in 2nd place right behind MIBR. Everyone on the team has shown outstanding amounts of skill both individually and as a whole. This will be their first true test outside of online games for the young team, as well as a chance for them to prove they aren't just another NA one-hit wonder.





Seemingly following the footsteps of NRG, another NA team that dominated the last season of EPL despite being newly formed and considered one of the lesser teams apart of the league. They will be looking to make their first LAN event memorable, especially now that they have had time to practice and prepare with a full lineup. Their previous events where with pollo and KRYSTAL, two players that were never meant to be apart of the permanent plan and the results certainly showed it. Neptune obviously isn't the main fragging power or reason that the team is now successful, but he was definitely the missing piece they were looking for. He has fit into in game leader josh “steel” nissans game plan perfectly and has shown strength in his new role. The young 16 year old has a lot to learn, but it's clear the natural skill he possess and will be looking to perfect with the team.





Ghosts first game will be against NRG, a team I actually feel confident in saying they have a good chance of beating. At the very least they will be able to grab a map from their fellow NA rivals. We have only seen these two play twice, both ending as wins for Ghost during the current season of ESL Pro League. Despite Ghost taking both maps, it was a very close match up nonetheless. Each game ended with NRG getting 10+ rounds and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw that same type of neck and neck play here in Los Angeles between the two. The players on Ghost, besides Neptune, have all played LAN events before so there should be no issue with a lack of experience in the environment. If they are able to recreate the outstanding performances we have seen from them so far online, I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost ended up placing top three.









G2

G2 have looked less and less like a “superteam” in the French scene with each event that goes by, especially with teams like LDLC and Vitality on the rise. There is also now the rumored fact that kennyS has yet to come to a contract agreement with the team, creating even more stress not just for the organization but the roster as well. G2 had a fairly hard time at the major, placing 9th-11th just outside of a Legends spot. Barely beating HellRaisers and Cloud9 in OT games to keep themselves from going out with zero wins. Their T-side especially was horrendous and a few of the players even came out and said that they still did not have a map pool or solid set of strategies to play with. Even after several months of preparation, they had nothing to show for their time as a team. Luckily the online leagues have not gone as bad - well, at least ESL Pro League hasn't. ECS is a disaster, the team is currently 3-11 and looks to be heading towards relegation. As for EPL, they are sitting in sixth place but will need to win the rest of their games if they want to stay qualified for the LAN final.





Things have looked grim for the team as a whole. However, there is one player who has shined, and that is star rifler shox. There was lots of worry and doubt for the French veteran after the surgery on his wrist knocked him out of competitive play for several months, but so far shox has played out of his mind. Sadly his consistency hasn't been enough to claim any LAN trophies or at least top three finishes, but it has proven that he still has what it takes to be a star. Something that will be useful if this French roster fails completely. He has consistently finished LAN events shortly behind if not ahead of legendary AWPer kennyS. Even finishing as a top 20 player at the major. However, if G2 want to start winning, they need kennyS to put up more consistent numbers like shox has. Stellar performance or not, shox is not at a s1mple or NiKo level of being able to carry. He can not win games by himself and there is no way he will be able to start doing that in Los Angeles.





G2’s first game is definitely going to be a tough one, and with the looks of things I feel that it will be a loss. Ultimately resulting in them heading to the lower bracket, the Frenchies have already had a taste of losing to BIG at a LAN event and given the little progress they've shown I expect the same here. Given the teams that will most likely end up in the lower bracket, not all hope is lost for G2. They can definitely pull off a win against compLexity if they end up performing how they did at StarSeries. However OpTic may be a bit trickier. At the end of the day, they definitely have the potential to make a deep run in Los Angeles. However, it will require both shox and kennyS to be in tip-top shape, and having them both fragging on one map has been a rare commodity.