Souma Profile Blog Joined May 2010 2nd Worst City in CA 8905 Posts Last Edited: 2015-05-14 05:08:03 #1



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ESL One Katowice 2015 is only a couple of days away, but our pre-event coverage is not over yet! Below you can find previews for every team making their way to Spodek, and newer fans of the scene should definitely give them a read. They're lengthy, but definitely worth it!Note: Mac users without permanently visible scrollbars, do note that you will be able to scroll down for every article.

Team LDLC (now Team EnVyUs), Fnatic took the time to recuperate at the end of 2014 and have come back into the new season as strong as ever. After a shaky reappearance at MLG X Games Aspen, they began to hit their stride with a dominating performance at Clutch Con, following it up with a win at IOS Pantamera against the best teams in the world and demolishing the competition in the online invitationals First Person Lover Challenge and King of Majors.



Commanding this strike force is Markus “pronax” Wallsten, the tactician in and out of the game. While some have criticized his Terrorist side strategies, recent performances have mostly put to rest any skepticism regarding the team’s ability to play offense. They have monstrous CT halves and are renowned for their immaculate Inferno play. Recently, Sean “sgares” Gares of Cloud9 said that Fnatic is a “different beast” compared to other top teams, and it shows in their gameplay. With the amount of tools at his disposal, pronax has weaved a masterful web of defense that not many teams can penetrate. Having multiple contingency plans when things go awry, Fnatic is able to be aggressive without being reckless, defensive while remaining tenacious.



A key piece to this puzzle is none other than Jesper “jw” Wecksell, the wunderkind sniper that can strike fear into the hearts of the strongest teams. What makes jw unique is how aggressive he can be with the AWP on the CT side. His unpredictable play by constantly changing positions keeps his opponents guessing and unable to set up comfortably on the Terrorist side. This factor alone makes Fnatic an extremely dangerous and frustrating team to play against as you are almost always under the threat of getting picked and starting the round off with a man down.



Of course, a team cannot succeed off a single star AWPer; there needs to be a backup plan for when jw misses a shot or pushes his luck a little too far. In that respect, Robin “flusha” Rönnquist and Freddy "KRiMZ” Johansson are there to pick up what is left after the chaos jw wreaks. You will undoubtedly see that flusha acts as a foil to jw, complementing him on the CT side by holding an angle and backing up the AWPer during his retreat, or at the very least being ready to trade kills. On the Terrorist side, he either lurks or acts as the first line of defense against aggressive players who are looking to flank the sniper and allows jw free reign to execute on whichever site pronax chooses.



While jw and flusha make up a dynamic duo, constantly switching positions and surprising the enemy, the B site is occupied by KRiMZ, a monstrous player in his own right and definitely a player to keep a keen eye on during the event. What makes KRiMZ an incredible asset to Fnatic is his reliability. While jw can carry the team to victory through his explosive picks early into a round, KRiMZ is a meticulous and sturdy player that has consistently shown that he can be relied upon to hold a bombsite and get enough kills so that his team will have an easier time during the retake. A deadly player that can stop a rush dead in its tracks, KRiMZ acts as the strong backbone of the entire team and has continued to perform even during the team’s worst moments.



Rounding out the team is Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer who joined Fnatic along with KRiMZ after their departure from LGB eSports. While the three other members had a system in place, olofmeister originally didn’t really have a solid role within the team. Being a great all-around player though, he has taken to being placed in various positions when the situation calls for it and can perform almost any role in the team to a certain degree. A strong rifler and sniper, you will see olofmeister try his hand at lurking during the Terrorist halves and trying to sneak past enemy lines to backstab them when they least expect it or working picks.



With these four members at his disposal, it is no wonder that pronax has seen a marked improvement in his team since the change in the summer of 2014. They haven’t been without their pitfalls though, as they face their toughest challenge against reigning champions Team EnvyUs, who took the Dreamhack Winter title last year under the LDLC flag. Having faced them time and time again online and offline, the two giants of the scene are creating an explosive rivalry that might soon eclipse the legacy of Ninjas in Pyjamas versus VeryGames. With the chance of being the only team in Global Offensive to have two majors under their belts at stake, Fnatic will not be pulling any punches should the two teams meet during the event.



The beauty of Fnatic’s lineup is that they have multiple contingency plans, which makes them a fearsome team to come up against, as they can recover and bounce back from a terrible half and take the entire match. A great example of this was during a match against Ninjas in Pyjamas on Mirage for the FACEIT League, whereby NiP had a monstrous 10-5 T side half. Fnatic had their backs against the wall with the score at 5-14 and yet they managed to grind round after round and chain incredible consecutive round wins to bring it to overtime and eventually close out the game 21-18. This is a particularly important match, even though NiP was playing with Aleksi “allu” Jalli as a stand-in and it was an online best of one, because it highlights Fnatic’s greatest strength as a team: The ability to rely on every single member on the team to pull their weight. KRiMZ, who is famously known for being the pillar and most consistent member of the team, faltered during the game, bottom fragging and having shaky aim. However, jw picked up the slack and went nuclear with increasingly daring plays on the Terrorist side, while pronax and flusha had clutch rounds to continue the momentum during their comeback.



Though Fnatic looks to be the strongest team going into this event, they still have their weaknesses. While they are renowned for their strong Inferno and Cache, Dust 2 is one of their weakest maps, most notably losing to iBUYPOWER during the FACEIT finals during their peak in 2014, as well as continually losing to nV. Being able to shut down jw early and discourage his flashy antics is yet another tactic teams have exploited to crack open the Fnatic defense, as preventing the high impact kills of jw allows teams at the very least the ability to enter into the site. Of course, if more than one of the players are underperforming, it becomes an incredibly hard game for Fnatic, though even at their lowest with both jw and flusha failing to perform, they put up an amazing series against NiP at MLG Aspen.



With the qualifiers over and the 16 teams locked in for the main event, Fnatic will be looking for yet another dream run for that Katowice trophy. Since the acquisition of both olofmeister and KRiMZ, Fnatic has had only a single finish outside the top four in the tournaments they’ve attended other than the forfeit at the last major. The Swedish side has had six first place finishes and a runner-up finish at Cologne. While their momentum was stopped for a moment during the latter half of 2014, they are looking back on form with a fantastic record as of late. Look for Fnatic to top their group with relative ease and advance to the bracket stage as the most feared team.



Fnatic is hungry for their second major title. An all-star team, with each member bringing something to the table, Fnatic is a force to be reckoned with, a different beast.





Written by Wunder Having to bow out of the last major after an explosive best of three against the French powerhouseTeam LDLC (nowTeam EnVyUs),Fnatic took the time to recuperate at the end of 2014 and have come back into the new season as strong as ever. After a shaky reappearance at MLG X Games Aspen, they began to hit their stride with a dominating performance at Clutch Con, following it up with a win at IOS Pantamera against the best teams in the world and demolishing the competition in the online invitationals First Person Lover Challenge and King of Majors.Commanding this strike force isMarkus “pronax” Wallsten, the tactician in and out of the game. While some have criticized his Terrorist side strategies, recent performances have mostly put to rest any skepticism regarding the team’s ability to play offense. They have monstrous CT halves and are renowned for their immaculate Inferno play. Recently,Sean “sgares” Gares ofCloud9 said that Fnatic is a “different beast” compared to other top teams, and it shows in their gameplay. With the amount of tools at his disposal, pronax has weaved a masterful web of defense that not many teams can penetrate. Having multiple contingency plans when things go awry, Fnatic is able to be aggressive without being reckless, defensive while remaining tenacious.A key piece to this puzzle is none other thanJesper “jw” Wecksell, the wunderkind sniper that can strike fear into the hearts of the strongest teams. What makes jw unique is how aggressive he can be with the AWP on the CT side. His unpredictable play by constantly changing positions keeps his opponents guessing and unable to set up comfortably on the Terrorist side. This factor alone makes Fnatic an extremely dangerous and frustrating team to play against as you are almost always under the threat of getting picked and starting the round off with a man down.Of course, a team cannot succeed off a single star AWPer; there needs to be a backup plan for when jw misses a shot or pushes his luck a little too far. In that respect,Robin “flusha” Rönnquist andFreddy "KRiMZ” Johansson are there to pick up what is left after the chaos jw wreaks. You will undoubtedly see that flusha acts as a foil to jw, complementing him on the CT side by holding an angle and backing up the AWPer during his retreat, or at the very least being ready to trade kills. On the Terrorist side, he either lurks or acts as the first line of defense against aggressive players who are looking to flank the sniper and allows jw free reign to execute on whichever site pronax chooses.While jw and flusha make up a dynamic duo, constantly switching positions and surprising the enemy, the B site is occupied by KRiMZ, a monstrous player in his own right and definitely a player to keep a keen eye on during the event. What makes KRiMZ an incredible asset to Fnatic is his reliability. While jw can carry the team to victory through his explosive picks early into a round, KRiMZ is a meticulous and sturdy player that has consistently shown that he can be relied upon to hold a bombsite and get enough kills so that his team will have an easier time during the retake. A deadly player that can stop a rush dead in its tracks, KRiMZ acts as the strong backbone of the entire team and has continued to perform even during the team’s worst moments.Rounding out the team isOlof “olofmeister” Kajbjer who joined Fnatic along with KRiMZ after their departure from LGB eSports. While the three other members had a system in place, olofmeister originally didn’t really have a solid role within the team. Being a great all-around player though, he has taken to being placed in various positions when the situation calls for it and can perform almost any role in the team to a certain degree. A strong rifler and sniper, you will see olofmeister try his hand at lurking during the Terrorist halves and trying to sneak past enemy lines to backstab them when they least expect it or working picks.With these four members at his disposal, it is no wonder that pronax has seen a marked improvement in his team since the change in the summer of 2014. They haven’t been without their pitfalls though, as they face their toughest challenge against reigning champions Team EnvyUs, who took the Dreamhack Winter title last year under the LDLC flag. Having faced them time and time again online and offline, the two giants of the scene are creating an explosive rivalry that might soon eclipse the legacy ofNinjas in Pyjamas versusVeryGames. With the chance of being the only team in Global Offensive to have two majors under their belts at stake, Fnatic will not be pulling any punches should the two teams meet during the event.The beauty of Fnatic’s lineup is that they have multiple contingency plans, which makes them a fearsome team to come up against, as they can recover and bounce back from a terrible half and take the entire match. A great example of this was during a match against Ninjas in Pyjamas on Mirage for the FACEIT League, whereby NiP had a monstrous 10-5 T side half. Fnatic had their backs against the wall with the score at 5-14 and yet they managed to grind round after round and chain incredible consecutive round wins to bring it to overtime and eventually close out the game 21-18. This is a particularly important match, even though NiP was playing withAleksi “allu” Jalli as a stand-in and it was an online best of one, because it highlights Fnatic’s greatest strength as a team: The ability to rely on every single member on the team to pull their weight. KRiMZ, who is famously known for being the pillar and most consistent member of the team, faltered during the game, bottom fragging and having shaky aim. However, jw picked up the slack and went nuclear with increasingly daring plays on the Terrorist side, while pronax and flusha had clutch rounds to continue the momentum during their comeback.Though Fnatic looks to be the strongest team going into this event, they still have their weaknesses. While they are renowned for their strong Inferno and Cache, Dust 2 is one of their weakest maps, most notably losing to iBUYPOWER during the FACEIT finals during their peak in 2014, as well as continually losing to nV. Being able to shut down jw early and discourage his flashy antics is yet another tactic teams have exploited to crack open the Fnatic defense, as preventing the high impact kills of jw allows teams at the very least the ability to enter into the site. Of course, if more than one of the players are underperforming, it becomes an incredibly hard game for Fnatic, though even at their lowest with both jw and flusha failing to perform, they put up an amazing series against NiP at MLG Aspen.With the qualifiers over and the 16 teams locked in for the main event, Fnatic will be looking for yet another dream run for that Katowice trophy. Since the acquisition of both olofmeister and KRiMZ, Fnatic has had only a single finish outside the top four in the tournaments they’ve attended other than the forfeit at the last major. The Swedish side has had six first place finishes and a runner-up finish at Cologne. While their momentum was stopped for a moment during the latter half of 2014, they are looking back on form with a fantastic record as of late. Look for Fnatic to top their group with relative ease and advance to the bracket stage as the most feared team.Fnatic is hungry for their second major title. An all-star team, with each member bringing something to the table, Fnatic is a force to be reckoned with, a different beast. Natus Vincere is looking to make a big splash at their first LAN of 2015. With Daniil “Zeus” Teslenko once again leading the team into the fray, the men of Na'Vi are under pressure to start the year off with a big result. This Na'Vi lineup has been together for over a year and has shown time and time again that they can go toe to toe with, and even take down, some of the strongest teams in the world. Na'Vi is well-known for their star fraggers, Ioann “Edward” Sukhariev and Ladislav “Guardian” Kovacs, who anchor the team with their consistent and solid play. Alongside them, riflers Denis “seized” Konstin and Sergey “starix” Ischuk round out the squad to create a force to be reckoned within the European scene. Guardian serves as the team's primary AWPer, grabbing entry frags and setting the tempo for Na'Vi's executions. In turn, Guardian's Counter-Terrorist AWP play is known to shut down Terrorist executions all on its own. Edward, another entry fragger, is a consistently solid rifler who can perform explosively at any point and has often been the star player on LAN. Recent showings from the veteran starix have fallen under heavy criticism, with streaky, inconsistent performances characterizing his play in the last few months. Nevertheless, starix has shown his ability to play at a top level and will no doubt be looking to bring his best game to the table at Katowice. Seized, like Edward, has been proven himself a more-than-competent rifler and lurker, but typically plays a more reserved and team-oriented style. Finally, Zeus will be calling for the squad in Poland and will likely be under extreme scrutiny for the event, as Na'Vi has run into a number of problems revolving around their in-game leading lately.



Across 2014, the team placed consistently, as would be expected from a lineup of Na'Vi's caliber, but often fell just short of first place. Na'Vi took home second place in four offline events throughout the year, two of which were losses to Ninjas in Pyjamas. However, Na'Vi has shown they have the ability to play above their usual level to take out the likes of NiP, as they did earlier in 2014 at the Starladder Season IX LAN finals with a 3-0 victory over the Swedes. Seized released a vlog on January 19th, 2015 in which he outlined the new training regiment for Na'Vi, including their team discussions, warming up with deathmatch, practicing 2v2, and, of course, team scrimmages. The primary reason for his video, though, was to announce that he would be taking over as the in-game leader of Na'Vi for the foreseeable future. However, on January 26, no more than a week after this announcement, a tweet from Zeus revealed that he reclaimed his role as the team's captain.



In-game leaders arguably become the most important players in high-level Counter-Strike. With the weight of assessing a round and making on-the-fly decisions, the pressure for them to perform is much greater than it is on most. In the time the team has been together, Na'Vi has swapped between in-game leaders multiple times, shifting the role from Zeus to seized and back more than once. These sporadic changes between captains have led many to believe there is a sense of indecisiveness within Na'Vi. When seized was serving as their strat caller, Na'Vi felt the need to approach the game from a new angle. Now that Zeus has become captain again, fans are going to expect a return to the old Na'Vi. This year in Katowice, Zeus has the responsibility of pushing his team past their previous level of consistency so they can take home first. For an underperforming starix however, there may be bigger changes on the horizon.



Starix posted a vlog last month wherein he discussed his future on the team as a player with the possibility of moving to a coach or manager role depending on his performance at Katowice. Though his results and stats across much of 2014 were mostly comparable to that of his teammates, starix rarely played a noteworthy game. After the last few months of consistently falling to the bottom of the scoreboard, however, starix's play has become a real concern for the team. All of this pressure could place an unnecessary strain on him, which has the potential to greatly affect his performance. All said, Na'Vi has always been a team whose core strength lies in their team play. They may have the star fraggers, and they may have a man lagging behind, but they've never depended on any one player to win games.



On the Terrorist side, Na'Vi's team play and strategic approach has room to shine. While Guardian sets out to find picks with his AWP, the rest of the Na'Vi squad can be found pushing in pairs and scouting for knowledge on the opposing team's setups. Their strategies on this side begin to vary once a little reconnaissance is acquired, making sure they remain dynamic and unpredictable. Whether faking a push towards one site and rotating to the other, executing aggressive pushes, or simply playing patient and running the clock, Na'Vi always roll together as a team. A great example of this coordination came during their match against dAT Team on January 29. In round 20 on Mirage, Na'Vi executed an exemplary slow push up cat, smoking off connector and window, trusting each other's calls to safely push into B site and roll over their CIS rivals. Na'Vi's strategy relies heavily on map control and team coherence; they've never been the type of team to rely purely on aim or play for picks.



Na'Vi's Counter-Terrorist half has the team pushing the limits of their defensive roles and taking control of the round. They are not a team afraid to get aggressive and catch their enemies off guard. On Mirage, starix often plays an aggressive spot near A ramp to surprise his opponents in the case of an A execute, while on Dust 2, Guardian can be seen pushing catwalk to try and catch an aggressive pick in mid. The backbone of all their Counter-Terrorist side variations, however, lies in their safe, solid play which they are able to fall back on. Na'Vi is a team who knows how to use the clock to their advantage and play textbook Counter-Strike. While they may possess a strong and versatile site defense, the CIS-mixed squad struggles with retakes once their initial defense fails. Whether it's slow rotations or simply being outnumbered, Na'Vi seems to be unable to coordinate retakes on the fly.



Dust 2, Mirage, and Inferno are the most played by Na'Vi, and understandably so. These are the maps where Na'Vi looks most dominant and comfortable in their playstyle. On Dust 2, their Terrorist side is able to execute vicious mid-to-B rushes, capable of cracking the toughest Counter-Terrorist defenses. On Mirage, the team has consistently put up a dominant Counter-Terrorist side. However, as Inferno has become a point of contention for the best teams in the world, with Fnatic, Team EnVyUs and NiP all trying to prove that they are the best Inferno team, we might see Na'Vi avoiding it this time around depending on who they are playing.



Na'Vi has a tough road ahead of them, and problems surrounding their team's infrastructure are certainly not going to help things for them heading into Poland. Zeus is back in control after a brief hiatus from in-game leading, but will his calling be enough to push Na`Vi to their first grand final at a major? If there was ever a time for Na'Vi to step up and prove their worth as a tier-1 team, Katowice is that time.





Written by climax and Shooz29 CIS squadNatus Vincere is looking to make a big splash at their first LAN of 2015. WithDaniil “Zeus” Teslenko once again leading the team into the fray, the men of Na'Vi are under pressure to start the year off with a big result. This Na'Vi lineup has been together for over a year and has shown time and time again that they can go toe to toe with, and even take down, some of the strongest teams in the world. Na'Vi is well-known for their star fraggers,Ioann “Edward” Sukhariev andLadislav “Guardian” Kovacs, who anchor the team with their consistent and solid play. Alongside them, riflersDenis “seized” Konstin andSergey “starix” Ischuk round out the squad to create a force to be reckoned within the European scene. Guardian serves as the team's primary AWPer, grabbing entry frags and setting the tempo for Na'Vi's executions. In turn, Guardian's Counter-Terrorist AWP play is known to shut down Terrorist executions all on its own. Edward, another entry fragger, is a consistently solid rifler who can perform explosively at any point and has often been the star player on LAN. Recent showings from the veteran starix have fallen under heavy criticism, with streaky, inconsistent performances characterizing his play in the last few months. Nevertheless, starix has shown his ability to play at a top level and will no doubt be looking to bring his best game to the table at Katowice. Seized, like Edward, has been proven himself a more-than-competent rifler and lurker, but typically plays a more reserved and team-oriented style. Finally, Zeus will be calling for the squad in Poland and will likely be under extreme scrutiny for the event, as Na'Vi has run into a number of problems revolving around their in-game leading lately.Across 2014, the team placed consistently, as would be expected from a lineup of Na'Vi's caliber, but often fell just short of first place. Na'Vi took home second place in four offline events throughout the year, two of which were losses toNinjas in Pyjamas. However, Na'Vi has shown they have the ability to play above their usual level to take out the likes of NiP, as they did earlier in 2014 at the Starladder Season IX LAN finals with a 3-0 victory over the Swedes. Seized released a vlog on January 19th, 2015 in which he outlined the new training regiment for Na'Vi, including their team discussions, warming up with deathmatch, practicing 2v2, and, of course, team scrimmages. The primary reason for his video, though, was to announce that he would be taking over as the in-game leader of Na'Vi for the foreseeable future. However, on January 26, no more than a week after this announcement, a tweet from Zeus revealed that he reclaimed his role as the team's captain.In-game leaders arguably become the most important players in high-level Counter-Strike. With the weight of assessing a round and making on-the-fly decisions, the pressure for them to perform is much greater than it is on most. In the time the team has been together, Na'Vi has swapped between in-game leaders multiple times, shifting the role from Zeus to seized and back more than once. These sporadic changes between captains have led many to believe there is a sense of indecisiveness within Na'Vi. When seized was serving as their strat caller, Na'Vi felt the need to approach the game from a new angle. Now that Zeus has become captain again, fans are going to expect a return to the old Na'Vi. This year in Katowice, Zeus has the responsibility of pushing his team past their previous level of consistency so they can take home first. For an underperforming starix however, there may be bigger changes on the horizon.Starix posted a vlog last month wherein he discussed his future on the team as a player with the possibility of moving to a coach or manager role depending on his performance at Katowice. Though his results and stats across much of 2014 were mostly comparable to that of his teammates, starix rarely played a noteworthy game. After the last few months of consistently falling to the bottom of the scoreboard, however, starix's play has become a real concern for the team. All of this pressure could place an unnecessary strain on him, which has the potential to greatly affect his performance. All said, Na'Vi has always been a team whose core strength lies in their team play. They may have the star fraggers, and they may have a man lagging behind, but they've never depended on any one player to win games.On the Terrorist side, Na'Vi's team play and strategic approach has room to shine. While Guardian sets out to find picks with his AWP, the rest of the Na'Vi squad can be found pushing in pairs and scouting for knowledge on the opposing team's setups. Their strategies on this side begin to vary once a little reconnaissance is acquired, making sure they remain dynamic and unpredictable. Whether faking a push towards one site and rotating to the other, executing aggressive pushes, or simply playing patient and running the clock, Na'Vi always roll together as a team. A great example of this coordination came during their match against dAT Team on January 29. In round 20 on Mirage, Na'Vi executed an exemplary slow push up cat, smoking off connector and window, trusting each other's calls to safely push into B site and roll over their CIS rivals. Na'Vi's strategy relies heavily on map control and team coherence; they've never been the type of team to rely purely on aim or play for picks.Na'Vi's Counter-Terrorist half has the team pushing the limits of their defensive roles and taking control of the round. They are not a team afraid to get aggressive and catch their enemies off guard. On Mirage, starix often plays an aggressive spot near A ramp to surprise his opponents in the case of an A execute, while on Dust 2, Guardian can be seen pushing catwalk to try and catch an aggressive pick in mid. The backbone of all their Counter-Terrorist side variations, however, lies in their safe, solid play which they are able to fall back on. Na'Vi is a team who knows how to use the clock to their advantage and play textbook Counter-Strike. While they may possess a strong and versatile site defense, the CIS-mixed squad struggles with retakes once their initial defense fails. Whether it's slow rotations or simply being outnumbered, Na'Vi seems to be unable to coordinate retakes on the fly.Dust 2, Mirage, and Inferno are the most played by Na'Vi, and understandably so. These are the maps where Na'Vi looks most dominant and comfortable in their playstyle. On Dust 2, their Terrorist side is able to execute vicious mid-to-B rushes, capable of cracking the toughest Counter-Terrorist defenses. On Mirage, the team has consistently put up a dominant Counter-Terrorist side. However, as Inferno has become a point of contention for the best teams in the world, withFnatic,Team EnVyUs and NiP all trying to prove that they are the best Inferno team, we might see Na'Vi avoiding it this time around depending on who they are playing.Na'Vi has a tough road ahead of them, and problems surrounding their team's infrastructure are certainly not going to help things for them heading into Poland. Zeus is back in control after a brief hiatus from in-game leading, but will his calling be enough to push Na`Vi to their first grand final at a major? If there was ever a time for Na'Vi to step up and prove their worth as a tier-1 team, Katowice is that time. 3DMAX and Team Dignitas. They arrive in the Silesian Metropolis as a notable upset waiting to happen.



The lack of information regarding the team will likely be one of the keys to their tournament run. Vox Eminor has only played four games of Counter-Strike against non-Australian opponents since last year's ESL One Cologne, and the insularity of the Australian scene makes them a difficult opponent to plan for. The Aussies play a very rowdy game befitting of their country, and their style of fast-paced rounds is at odds with the current meta. The fact that their players are only part time, juggling practice between work and school, adds another layer to their enigmatic veil, but it could come back to haunt them. Their captain and emotional rock, Chad “SPUNJ” Buchill, must bring his team together to bridge this apparent gap in experience and use their element of surprise wisely.



Riflers Aaron “AZR” Ward and Justin “jks” Savage are relied on to explode with entry frags and push the element of surprise to the fullest. Azad “topguN” Orami’s solid playstyle lets him play as another rifler and the secondary AWPer. Luke “Havok” Paton picks up the main AWP role when picks are needed, but he is rarely seen with the AWP when playing Terrorist side. The Australian team is energetic with SPUNJ always hyping up his team with his constant yelling and high fives between won rounds. The captain’s emotional side allows him to keep the morale high for the team, shows his passion for the game and his teammates, and can be very entertaining for viewers.



Vox Eminor favors the utilization of fast executes and set plays on the Terrorist side, eschewing the usage of an AWPer to generate picks to roll on. This allows them to push the momentum to their speed and allow them to play in the chaotically controlled environment where they truly shine. Although they can handle a rush down style of gameplay, Vox is still solid when playing a more common playstyle. The pick and roll is still a part of their playbook as the team’s talented aimer, AZR, displayed on Inferno at the ESL One Katowice Offline Qualifiers against Dignitas. Vox’s Terrorist plays are coordinated, swift, and deadly, which allows them to use their greatest strengths which lie in their usage of smokes and flashes.



AWP plays are rarely seen when Vox is on the Terrorist side, but when they land on the Counter-Terrorist side, Havoc wields the AWP to hold bomb sites. Between the two sides, their Counter-Terrorist side is the weaker of the two. AZR and jks have a tendency to push up too aggressively and get picked off early in the round. Vox does not rely on a single star player but on the team as a whole. Once they are at a man disadvantage, Vox tends to fall apart and are unable to recover.



They land in Katowice for their greatest challenge yet: Vox Eminor will have a very difficult group stage ahead of them after being drawn with Swedish powerhouse Fnatic and the CIS teams FlipSid3 Tactics and Natus Vincere. Their chances of escaping this group will likely rest on their ability to contain the enemy AWPers (GuardiaN, jw and WorldEdit) and forcing close engagements. Their strong aim and quick execution should help them steal a few points, but their mettle will be tested when they are forced to grind out rounds once their speed is interrupted.





Written by amazingxkcd and climax Vox Eminor—to many, the darkhorse of the tournament—is an Australian team that will once again be Oceania's sole representative at ESL One Katowice. While many have already written them off, the team showed very strong games during the offline qualifiers against the likes of3DMAX andTeam Dignitas. They arrive in the Silesian Metropolis as a notable upset waiting to happen.The lack of information regarding the team will likely be one of the keys to their tournament run. Vox Eminor has only played four games of Counter-Strike against non-Australian opponents since last year's ESL One Cologne, and the insularity of the Australian scene makes them a difficult opponent to plan for. The Aussies play a very rowdy game befitting of their country, and their style of fast-paced rounds is at odds with the current meta. The fact that their players are only part time, juggling practice between work and school, adds another layer to their enigmatic veil, but it could come back to haunt them. Their captain and emotional rock,Chad “SPUNJ” Buchill, must bring his team together to bridge this apparent gap in experience and use their element of surprise wisely.RiflersAaron “AZR” Ward andJustin “jks” Savage are relied on to explode with entry frags and push the element of surprise to the fullest.Azad “topguN” Orami’s solid playstyle lets him play as another rifler and the secondary AWPer.Luke “Havok” Paton picks up the main AWP role when picks are needed, but he is rarely seen with the AWP when playing Terrorist side. The Australian team is energetic with SPUNJ always hyping up his team with his constant yelling and high fives between won rounds. The captain’s emotional side allows him to keep the morale high for the team, shows his passion for the game and his teammates, and can be very entertaining for viewers.Vox Eminor favors the utilization of fast executes and set plays on the Terrorist side, eschewing the usage of an AWPer to generate picks to roll on. This allows them to push the momentum to their speed and allow them to play in the chaotically controlled environment where they truly shine. Although they can handle a rush down style of gameplay, Vox is still solid when playing a more common playstyle. The pick and roll is still a part of their playbook as the team’s talented aimer, AZR, displayed on Inferno at the ESL One Katowice Offline Qualifiers against Dignitas. Vox’s Terrorist plays are coordinated, swift, and deadly, which allows them to use their greatest strengths which lie in their usage of smokes and flashes.AWP plays are rarely seen when Vox is on the Terrorist side, but when they land on the Counter-Terrorist side, Havoc wields the AWP to hold bomb sites. Between the two sides, their Counter-Terrorist side is the weaker of the two. AZR and jks have a tendency to push up too aggressively and get picked off early in the round. Vox does not rely on a single star player but on the team as a whole. Once they are at a man disadvantage, Vox tends to fall apart and are unable to recover.They land in Katowice for their greatest challenge yet: Vox Eminor will have a very difficult group stage ahead of them after being drawn with Swedish powerhouseFnatic and the CIS teamsFlipSid3 Tactics andNatus Vincere. Their chances of escaping this group will likely rest on their ability to contain the enemy AWPers (GuardiaN, jw and WorldEdit) and forcing close engagements. Their strong aim and quick execution should help them steal a few points, but their mettle will be tested when they are forced to grind out rounds once their speed is interrupted. FlipSid3 Tactics is booming with individual talent and the team is looking to prove themselves at ESL One Katowice 2015. The current lineup, formerly known as dAT Team, were making waves in online leagues before they were picked up by Flipsid3 on February 1st. Even predating dAT, four of the members played on Courage Gaming until they left and rebranded themselves as Hashtag. FlipSid3 is led by Andrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy who has shown his prowess as an in-game leader with the varying strategies he provides for the team and the understanding of each of his teammate’s strengths. A legend in the Counter-Strike 1.6 community, Yegor “markeloff” Markelov plays the entry fragger role and was known for his AWPing back on Natus Vincere, but on FlipSid3 he mainly plays as a rifler which really shows his versatility as a player. The role of primary AWPer is taken by Georgi “WorldEdit” Yaskin, a solid player who can hold any position and angle if he’s got the big green gun in hand. Vladyslav “bondik” Nechyporchuk, another rifler for FlipSid3, tends to fly under the radar due to his teammates’ flashy and outstanding plays, but is vital to the team because of his ability to switch between aggressive and passive playstyles in a heartbeat, causing the team’s opponents to play with caution. The last member of the team is Aleksander “s1mple” Kostyliev, who is given a lot of praise from fans due to his consistently impressive plays and versatility playing as a rifler and secondary AWPer.



FlipSid3 has an intimidating presence when playing together, but past mistakes hold one of the members back—s1mple is just over half way through a two-year-long ESL Wire anti-cheat ban. The ban on s1mple’s account bars him from competing in any ESL events, so, at least for this year, he’ll have to cheer his team on from the sidelines. However, FlipSid3 was able to pick up Vadim “DavCost” Vasilyev as a strong stand-in for the squad and still poses a real underdog threat at Katowice.



FlipSid3 is in constant competition, engaged in online leagues such as FACEIT and Starladder. They run their official lineup with s1mple playing, but they haven’t disclosed how often DavCost has played with the team recently. Professional teams play on a daily basis, and changing out a member, even if only for one tournament, could have a serious effect on FlipSid3’s performance. This was a cause of concern for many spectators since s1mple is such a fan favorite. However, it seems that DavCost is unfazed by any naysayers and has shown he can play solid Counter-Strike no matter the situation. At the offline qualifiers, DavCost was able to hold bombsites alone and synergize with the team for rotations and retakes. He was even able to get picks with dropped AWPs and scouts, which really fills the hole that s1mple is leaving. S1mple is a key player in the FlipSid3 lineup, but DavCost might just be the second-best fit for their roster.



With WorldEdit, markeloff, and DavCost all on one team, spectators should not be shocked to see a triple AWP setup out of FlipSid3 on the Counter-Terrorist side. In previous matches on Mirage, DavCost would go to the B bombsite, markeloff would go to the A bombsite, and WorldEdit would go middle window, all equipped with AWPs. The resulting lockdown was nothing short of intense. FlipSid3 has shown that their Counter-Terrorist side’s strength is taking map control and not letting their opponents get an inch back. WorldEdit’s AWP plays and markeloff’s incredible aim has shown that they are able to hold even the most vicious pushes. This allows bondik and B1ad3 to push up in a more aggressive fashion to take over the map and close out any options for the enemy. They tend to force their opponent’s hand, luring them into risky plays or even flat-out mistakes which can lead to an easy round for FlipSid3. A large credit to this playstyle should be given to their captain and mastermind, B1ad3.



B1ad3’s in-game leadership on the Counter-Terrorist side is solid and scary enough, but shines the brightest on the Terrorist side. Even serving as a coach for HellRaisers, B1ad3’s game sense and knowledge is an incredible asset to the team. He is able to set up strategies that allow the team to really shine and even puts them in situations which may push them to the limits, but he does so with full confidence. He trusts WorldEdit to get picks while receiving info from bondik holding an angle across the map, all the while setting up markeloff to get important entry frags that allow the team to group up and overrun sites. B1ad3 depends on his team and his team believes in his strategies. Another player to watch on the Terrorist side is bondik. He employs a much more aggressive style on the Terrorist side which allows him to steal some of the limelight away from his teammates. He can be seen pushing up towards the enemy and getting a few entry frags, or when the team is down in numbers, he will lurk around and grab some frags to even the score. He may not wield the AWP as much as his other teammates, but is able to take on any other rifler in a one-versus-one situation.



FlipSid3’s playstyle is a rather dynamic one overall, but the team’s map choices have been fairly static. They look the most comfortable on Mirage but are able to perform on Inferno and Dust 2 fairly well. With a stable roster, a team is able to diversify their map pool and expand the breadth of strategies on each map, but having DavCost as a substitute might hold them back in that regard. It is difficult to say whether B1ad3 will be planning to change their preferred maps due to one player not playing with them, but it may very well come into play during the veto process. This will all come down to how much boot camping, if any, occurs with DavCost.



FlipSid3 Tactics looked strong at the offline qualifiers, ending the run with a 2-1 finish after defeating both Team Liquid and PiTER, but falling to LGB eSports. They now find themselves thrown into Group A against two goliaths, Na`Vi and Fnatic. With Vox Eminor rounding out the group, some underdog predictions may hold true on day one. If FlipSid3 wants to push through the groups, they need to improve on their overall execution when retaking sites. Whether it’s B1ad3’s duty to make clutch calls or time for other members to step up, their overall coordination for retaking sites is lacking. Although s1mple will not be attending, B1ad3 and the team are looking to take a top spot against the Legends and show that theirs is a name to be considered when a discussion of tier-1 teams arises.





Written by climax FlipSid3 Tactics is booming with individual talent and the team is looking to prove themselves at ESL One Katowice 2015. The current lineup, formerly known asdAT Team, were making waves in online leagues before they were picked up by Flipsid3 on February 1st. Even predating dAT, four of the members played onCourage Gaming until they left and rebranded themselves asHashtag. FlipSid3 is led byAndrey “B1ad3” Gorodenskiy who has shown his prowess as an in-game leader with the varying strategies he provides for the team and the understanding of each of his teammate’s strengths. A legend in the Counter-Strike 1.6 community,Yegor “markeloff” Markelov plays the entry fragger role and was known for his AWPing back onNatus Vincere, but on FlipSid3 he mainly plays as a rifler which really shows his versatility as a player. The role of primary AWPer is taken byGeorgi “WorldEdit” Yaskin, a solid player who can hold any position and angle if he’s got the big green gun in hand.Vladyslav “bondik” Nechyporchuk, another rifler for FlipSid3, tends to fly under the radar due to his teammates’ flashy and outstanding plays, but is vital to the team because of his ability to switch between aggressive and passive playstyles in a heartbeat, causing the team’s opponents to play with caution. The last member of the team isAleksander “s1mple” Kostyliev, who is given a lot of praise from fans due to his consistently impressive plays and versatility playing as a rifler and secondary AWPer.FlipSid3 has an intimidating presence when playing together, but past mistakes hold one of the members back—s1mple is just over half way through a two-year-long ESL Wire anti-cheat ban. The ban on s1mple’s account bars him from competing in any ESL events, so, at least for this year, he’ll have to cheer his team on from the sidelines. However, FlipSid3 was able to pick upVadim “DavCost” Vasilyev as a strong stand-in for the squad and still poses a real underdog threat at Katowice.FlipSid3 is in constant competition, engaged in online leagues such as FACEIT and Starladder. They run their official lineup with s1mple playing, but they haven’t disclosed how often DavCost has played with the team recently. Professional teams play on a daily basis, and changing out a member, even if only for one tournament, could have a serious effect on FlipSid3’s performance. This was a cause of concern for many spectators since s1mple is such a fan favorite. However, it seems that DavCost is unfazed by any naysayers and has shown he can play solid Counter-Strike no matter the situation. At the offline qualifiers, DavCost was able to hold bombsites alone and synergize with the team for rotations and retakes. He was even able to get picks with dropped AWPs and scouts, which really fills the hole that s1mple is leaving. S1mple is a key player in the FlipSid3 lineup, but DavCost might just be the second-best fit for their roster.With WorldEdit, markeloff, and DavCost all on one team, spectators should not be shocked to see a triple AWP setup out of FlipSid3 on the Counter-Terrorist side. In previous matches on Mirage, DavCost would go to the B bombsite, markeloff would go to the A bombsite, and WorldEdit would go middle window, all equipped with AWPs. The resulting lockdown was nothing short of intense. FlipSid3 has shown that their Counter-Terrorist side’s strength is taking map control and not letting their opponents get an inch back. WorldEdit’s AWP plays and markeloff’s incredible aim has shown that they are able to hold even the most vicious pushes. This allows bondik and B1ad3 to push up in a more aggressive fashion to take over the map and close out any options for the enemy. They tend to force their opponent’s hand, luring them into risky plays or even flat-out mistakes which can lead to an easy round for FlipSid3. A large credit to this playstyle should be given to their captain and mastermind, B1ad3.B1ad3’s in-game leadership on the Counter-Terrorist side is solid and scary enough, but shines the brightest on the Terrorist side. Even serving as a coach forHellRaisers, B1ad3’s game sense and knowledge is an incredible asset to the team. He is able to set up strategies that allow the team to really shine and even puts them in situations which may push them to the limits, but he does so with full confidence. He trusts WorldEdit to get picks while receiving info from bondik holding an angle across the map, all the while setting up markeloff to get important entry frags that allow the team to group up and overrun sites. B1ad3 depends on his team and his team believes in his strategies. Another player to watch on the Terrorist side is bondik. He employs a much more aggressive style on the Terrorist side which allows him to steal some of the limelight away from his teammates. He can be seen pushing up towards the enemy and getting a few entry frags, or when the team is down in numbers, he will lurk around and grab some frags to even the score. He may not wield the AWP as much as his other teammates, but is able to take on any other rifler in a one-versus-one situation.FlipSid3’s playstyle is a rather dynamic one overall, but the team’s map choices have been fairly static. They look the most comfortable on Mirage but are able to perform on Inferno and Dust 2 fairly well. With a stable roster, a team is able to diversify their map pool and expand the breadth of strategies on each map, but having DavCost as a substitute might hold them back in that regard. It is difficult to say whether B1ad3 will be planning to change their preferred maps due to one player not playing with them, but it may very well come into play during the veto process. This will all come down to how much boot camping, if any, occurs with DavCost.FlipSid3 Tactics looked strong at the offline qualifiers, ending the run with a 2-1 finish after defeating bothTeam Liquid andPiTER, but falling toLGB eSports. They now find themselves thrown into Group A against two goliaths, Na`Vi andFnatic. WithVox Eminor rounding out the group, some underdog predictions may hold true on day one. If FlipSid3 wants to push through the groups, they need to improve on their overall execution when retaking sites. Whether it’s B1ad3’s duty to make clutch calls or time for other members to step up, their overall coordination for retaking sites is lacking. Although s1mple will not be attending, B1ad3 and the team are looking to take a top spot against the Legends and show that theirs is a name to be considered when a discussion of tier-1 teams arises. Team LDLC. An organization with a successful history in Call of Duty, nV locked their eyes on the French team following their two championship runs at DreamHack Winter and MLG Aspen after defeating Ninjas in Pyjamas both times in the finals.



nV is currently a top-two team, constantly vying with Fnatic for the top spot in every fan's personal rankings. Their recent flub at IOS Pantamera, in which they barely scraped out of groups only to fall to Fnatic, and their disappointing showing during King of Majors has left many wondering whether or not one can confidently say they are better than the Swedes, however.



The team, led by two-time MVP Vincent "Happy" Cervoni, is loaded from top to bottom with capable fraggers. After a period of inconsistency following the French shuffle of last year, Richard "shox" Papillon has been gradually working himself back into the form that shot him into stardom during his tenure with Titan, putting up remarkable numbers during MLG Aspen. shox showed a glimpse of his old self as he powered his way through the entire HellRaisers team during a Starseries group stage match, posting 30 kills in only 19 rounds on Dust 2. If that same shox finds his way to Katowice, there may be no stopping the French prodigy, but his recent struggles against Fnatic puts that notion in flux.



Lining up behind the two superstars are Nathan "NBK" Schmitt, Edouard "SmithZz" Dubourdeaux, and Fabien "kioShiMa" Fiey. NBK and SmithZz, two players who previously donned the Titan tag alongside shox, have displayed a form similar to that of which made Titan arguably the best team in the world for a time. Unfortunately, much like in the past, the two are unable to maintain a consistency on par with shox and now Happy, but NBK has been atoning for his periodic lackluster games with equally blazing performances (and shotgun frags). kioShiMa is a player who has begun to take the crucial steps necessary to put his mark on the world, slowly becoming a premier entry fragger alongside his teammate shox, but his consistency is also of worry as he posted a negative kills-to-death ratio in 13 of his past 20 games and often shows a weak CT side against the best teams.



nV is infamous for their strong eco plays, and the nerf to the CZ-75 has failed to slow them down. Under the reins of Happy, the team is able to power their way onto a site with a barrage of smokes, flashes, and Tec-9s (plus one trusty CZ-75 from Happy) as Terrorists. For their CT ecos, they are the masters of holding close angles and will rarely be seen forcing duels at a distance. They are more likely to secure a kill from behind as Happy and his squad are adept at forming deadly crossfires and flanking the enemy.



Their Terrorist play is not only powerful but dynamic. Knowing exactly how to use the talent around him, Happy maneuvers his unit around the map to force trades wherever he can. The team, unlike most others, never fears to peek a deep position that is not smoked off, and can often be seen tossing a couple bodies around a corner to get a pick off a vulnerable Counter-Terrorist. Happy is a master at late-round calling, almost always providing his team with the best opportunity to take the round, and his fluid and oft-changing tactics keeps opponents guessing. While nV does emphasize trades, it is not uncommon to see the entire team barreling down on a site for a quick execute to take the enemy CTs off guard. Combined with Happy's penchant to not commit to a site even after an early pick or two, CTs may often find themselves entirely perplexed as nV regularly rotates between sites with the timer winding down. To top it off, the French wonders have been spotted from time to time walking (not running) straight into a site towards the end of the round, and without using a single smoke or flash that would consequently alert their opponents, they attempt to take the site with an unexpected entry and cause the opposing team to react that much later. While all of the above would be difficult without a roster as stacked as nV's, Happy deserves his fair share of credit for molding the team into the potent force it has become.



nV's best maps are currently Dust 2 and Cache, with SmithZz and shox being especially effective on the former. While they are certainly no slouches on Inferno, recently averaging around six rounds on their Terrorist side, they have nonetheless dropped it numerous times so far in 2015 to Fnatic, NiP, HR and Team SoloMid. The team rarely plays Nuke, losing to Fnatic--a team notorious for their subpar Nuke play--two times on the map at IOS Pantamera, and they have only played Mirage three times this year with impressive victories over NiP (twice) and Team Dignitas (then Copenhagen Wolves) after being destroyed by Fnatic and Titan on it late last year.



To succeed in Katowice, the year's first major, nV will need to improve their Counter-Terrorist play on Inferno as it may once again end up being one of the most-played maps. With a Terrorist side that can comfortably net them a healthy six rounds, the burden will be on their defense to shut things down. SmithZz and kioShiMa will need to hone their consistency, and if the rest can continue as they have, the team is bound for a deep run. nV has the definite edge over NiP, defeating the Ninjas in the last three LANs they attended and Starseries, but to triumph over Fnatic in a best of three, the entire team will need to be on form and show something innovative as the Swedes seem to have figured them out in recent matches.



nV's LAN record against Titan proves to be of concern as well, and inter-country matches can be difficult to predict, but the team widely known as "kennyS + Four" will have to demonstrate that they can in fact perform at a major. nV should have little trouble defeating the other two teams in their group, LGB eSports and PENTA Sports, as their overall skill level is enough to trample over any tier-2 teams.



In the bracket stage, TSM may put up a good fight after presenting a renewed light under the leadership of Finn "karrigan" Andersen, but so long as their star player, Nicolai "device" Reedtz, maintains his inability to perform on the big stage, nV will have no problem blowing off the Danes if they were to meet. A team that nV may have to be wary of, however, is Virtus.pro, the reigning Katowice champions. While VP remains a bundle of inconsistency, the potential of their talented roster, coupled with the support of their home crowd, could once again propel them to the top.



nV will also be required to refine their play on maps they do not play on often as their map pool is seemingly constricted with Inferno now a tossup for them against the top teams. Look for nV to use Overpass to their advantage as they have let the map through the veto process a handful of times in February, displaying sheer confidence in their ability to take the map if nothing else. It is also possible that the team will enter Katowice with an improved Mirage as a pocket pick as it caters well to the French squad’s flexible playstyle and raw aiming potential, and their recent demolition of the Ninjas on the map certainly bodes well for the team.



The stage is set for the boys in blue, and they possess all the essential pieces to be the first to secure back-to-back majors. The question laid before them is merely an age-old adage:



To win or not to win?





Written by Souma Team EnVyUs, established in 2007, broke into the world of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on February 1st after picking up what many considered to be the best team in the world,Team LDLC. An organization with a successful history in Call of Duty, nV locked their eyes on the French team following their two championship runs at DreamHack Winter and MLG Aspen after defeatingNinjas in Pyjamas both times in the finals.nV is currently a top-two team, constantly vying withFnatic for the top spot in every fan's personal rankings. Their recent flub at IOS Pantamera, in which they barely scraped out of groups only to fall to Fnatic, and their disappointing showing during King of Majors has left many wondering whether or not one can confidently say they are better than the Swedes, however.The team, led by two-time MVPVincent "Happy" Cervoni, is loaded from top to bottom with capable fraggers. After a period of inconsistency following the French shuffle of last year,Richard "shox" Papillon has been gradually working himself back into the form that shot him into stardom during his tenure withTitan, putting up remarkable numbers during MLG Aspen. shox showed a glimpse of his old self as he powered his way through the entireHellRaisers team during a Starseries group stage match, posting 30 kills in only 19 rounds on Dust 2. If that same shox finds his way to Katowice, there may be no stopping the French prodigy, but his recent struggles against Fnatic puts that notion in flux.Lining up behind the two superstars areNathan "NBK" Schmitt,Edouard "SmithZz" Dubourdeaux, andFabien "kioShiMa" Fiey. NBK and SmithZz, two players who previously donned the Titan tag alongside shox, have displayed a form similar to that of which made Titan arguably the best team in the world for a time. Unfortunately, much like in the past, the two are unable to maintain a consistency on par with shox and now Happy, but NBK has been atoning for his periodic lackluster games with equally blazing performances (and shotgun frags). kioShiMa is a player who has begun to take the crucial steps necessary to put his mark on the world, slowly becoming a premier entry fragger alongside his teammate shox, but his consistency is also of worry as he posted a negative kills-to-death ratio in 13 of his past 20 games and often shows a weak CT side against the best teams.nV is infamous for their strong eco plays, and the nerf to the CZ-75 has failed to slow them down. Under the reins of Happy, the team is able to power their way onto a site with a barrage of smokes, flashes, and Tec-9s (plus one trusty CZ-75 from Happy) as Terrorists. For their CT ecos, they are the masters of holding close angles and will rarely be seen forcing duels at a distance. They are more likely to secure a kill from behind as Happy and his squad are adept at forming deadly crossfires and flanking the enemy.Their Terrorist play is not only powerful but dynamic. Knowing exactly how to use the talent around him, Happy maneuvers his unit around the map to force trades wherever he can. The team, unlike most others, never fears to peek a deep position that is not smoked off, and can often be seen tossing a couple bodies around a corner to get a pick off a vulnerable Counter-Terrorist. Happy is a master at late-round calling, almost always providing his team with the best opportunity to take the round, and his fluid and oft-changing tactics keeps opponents guessing. While nV does emphasize trades, it is not uncommon to see the entire team barreling down on a site for a quick execute to take the enemy CTs off guard. Combined with Happy's penchant to not commit to a site even after an early pick or two, CTs may often find themselves entirely perplexed as nV regularly rotates between sites with the timer winding down. To top it off, the French wonders have been spotted from time to time walking (not running) straight into a site towards the end of the round, and without using a single smoke or flash that would consequently alert their opponents, they attempt to take the site with an unexpected entry and cause the opposing team to react that much later. While all of the above would be difficult without a roster as stacked as nV's, Happy deserves his fair share of credit for molding the team into the potent force it has become.nV's best maps are currently Dust 2 and Cache, with SmithZz and shox being especially effective on the former. While they are certainly no slouches on Inferno, recently averaging around six rounds on their Terrorist side, they have nonetheless dropped it numerous times so far in 2015 to Fnatic, NiP, HR andTeam SoloMid. The team rarely plays Nuke, losing to Fnatic--a team notorious for their subpar Nuke play--two times on the map at IOS Pantamera, and they have only played Mirage three times this year with impressive victories over NiP (twice) andTeam Dignitas (thenCopenhagen Wolves) after being destroyed by Fnatic and Titan on it late last year.To succeed in Katowice, the year's first major, nV will need to improve their Counter-Terrorist play on Inferno as it may once again end up being one of the most-played maps. With a Terrorist side that can comfortably net them a healthy six rounds, the burden will be on their defense to shut things down. SmithZz and kioShiMa will need to hone their consistency, and if the rest can continue as they have, the team is bound for a deep run. nV has the definite edge over NiP, defeating the Ninjas in the last three LANs they attended and Starseries, but to triumph over Fnatic in a best of three, the entire team will need to be on form and show something innovative as the Swedes seem to have figured them out in recent matches.nV's LAN record against Titan proves to be of concern as well, and inter-country matches can be difficult to predict, but the team widely known as "kennyS + Four" will have to demonstrate that they can in fact perform at a major. nV should have little trouble defeating the other two teams in their group,LGB eSports andPENTA Sports, as their overall skill level is enough to trample over any tier-2 teams.In the bracket stage, TSM may put up a good fight after presenting a renewed light under the leadership ofFinn "karrigan" Andersen, but so long as their star player,Nicolai "device" Reedtz, maintains his inability to perform on the big stage, nV will have no problem blowing off the Danes if they were to meet. A team that nV may have to be wary of, however, isVirtus.pro, the reigning Katowice champions. While VP remains a bundle of inconsistency, the potential of their talented roster, coupled with the support of their home crowd, could once again propel them to the top.nV will also be required to refine their play on maps they do not play on often as their map pool is seemingly constricted with Inferno now a tossup for them against the top teams. Look for nV to use Overpass to their advantage as they have let the map through the veto process a handful of times in February, displaying sheer confidence in their ability to take the map if nothing else. It is also possible that the team will enter Katowice with an improved Mirage as a pocket pick as it caters well to the French squad’s flexible playstyle and raw aiming potential, and their recent demolition of the Ninjas on the map certainly bodes well for the team.The stage is set for the boys in blue, and they possess all the essential pieces to be the first to secure back-to-back majors. The question laid before them is merely an age-old adage:To win or not to win? PENTA Sports will be entering Katowice as one of the eight Legends following their impressive, and somewhat surprising, performance at the last CS:GO Major, DreamHack Winter 2014. Long-standing members Kevin “kRYSTAL” Amend, Denis “denis” Howell and Timo “Spiidi” Richter will be looking to repeat this success and perhaps build upon it while star player Johannes “nex” Maget, who joined the team in late December 2014, and new addition Tobias “Troubley” Tabbert, will be looking for a taste of their teammates’ success. However, with the surprise departure of in-game leader Hendrik “strux1” Goetzendorff on February 24, the German team will have their work cut out for them even more than they did before. Before we can discuss PENTA in more detail, however, it is important to review the team’s DreamHack performance which shocked the world.



DreamHack Winter 2014 saw the German squad reach the quarter-final stage, secure Legend status along with a free pass for ESL One Katowice 2015 and reap the sticker money rewards that this entails. PENTA’s hopes looked slim coming into the event with a group consisting of themselves, Team Dignitas, iBUYPOWER and Copenhagen Wolves who entered as a late replacement for the disqualified Titan squad. The lineup, which at the time consisted of kRYSTAL, denis, Spiidi, Felix “fel1x” Zech and Robin “r0bs3n” Stephan, certainly went into the groups as the underdog who many saw as being there to merely “make up numbers.” However, after a phenomenal comeback against iBUYPOWER in the deciding match of the group, PENTA advanced to the playoff stage in second place behind Dignitas. The dream would come to an end in the quarter-final match against Virtus.pro, but the German team gave a strong account of themselves and cemented themselves as a team to be reckoned with on the international scene.



PENTA will be carrying the weight of a nation on their shoulders come March 12th as they are the only German hope after mousesports failed to qualify. This may come as little surprise to some as the team has continued their impressive international run into the New Year with a third place finish at the Acer A-Split Invitational in December and a fourth at ASUS ROG Winter 2015 in January, out-placing their German rivals in both LAN events. This consistency came in spite of the team changes that took place on December 29, 2014, where the somewhat shocking announcement was made that the team would be replacing fel1x and r0bs3n with Planetkey Dynamics members nex, who had already played as a stand-in for denis during PENTA’s successful Acer A-Split Invitational campaign, and veteran player strux1. Spiidi, speaking at the time, cited inconsistency and the lack of a true shot caller as the main reasons for breaking up the most successful German CS:GO team in history.



The addition of nex to the team should present PENTA with more in terms of raw fragging potential than ever before. In the eyes of many, the all-round rifler is the star of the team and the best player in Germany, and his statistics certainly do a lot to give weight to that argument. The 22-year-old boasts an impressive 1.18 kills-to-death ratio, only outdone domestically by new teammate Troubley at 1.19 and mousesports star Chris “chrisJ” de Jong at 1.22. Certainly, if recent performances are anything to go by, nex will be a man to watch out for at Katowice and his team will be relying on his continued good form if they wish to build on their recent success. Meanwhile, strux1 may have offered slightly less at first glance than the dominant nex, but the in-game leader and secondary AWPer was, in truth, the brains behind the whole operation. If the recent victories over HellRaisers and Virtus.pro in the group stage at ASUS ROG Winter were anything to go by, the two newest additions to PENTA had given the team an edge against the elite teams that was missing previously. However, the team looked weak in the best-of-three stages against similar competition, perhaps suggesting a lack of team cohesion--something that was confirmed when strux1 shocked the community by announcing his departure from the team, stating that there were great differences between the rest of the team and himself. Replacing strux1 will be Troubley. Fresh from a short and relatively unsuccessful stint in mousesports, Troubley will be looking to prove that he is still one of the best players in Germany. The opportunity to compete at a major tournament will surely be all the motivation the 22-year-old rifle specialist will need to bring his best to this PENTA roster. The big question is who will take on the role of in-game leader after the loss of strux1? Troubley has shot-called previously in the Planetkey Dynamics team that included his new PENTA teammate, nex, and statements from the PENTA Sports manager suggest that he could be taking the role within his new team. Whether this could affect Troubley’s in-game performance is difficult to assess but should be answered fairly quickly during the group stages; it is unlikely that he will stray too far from the framework that strux1 set in place with such a short amount of time.



Of the heroic DreamHack Winter 2014 lineup, three still remain. Spiidi is the captain of the team and a solid rifler who most often takes the role of lurker. The 19-year-old has tasted a huge amount of success at such an early stage in his career and will be looking to build upon that with another strong showing at Katowice. 20-year-old denis plays as an all-rounder within the team; the rifler will often be seen swapping entry fragging duties with nex and he can also be pretty handy with the AWP when he picks it up. kRYSTAL can be the biggest x-factor in the lineup as the 21-year-old is the team’s main AWPer and has the potential to shut down any map when he is at his best. The former Counter-Strike: Source professional has shown signs of brilliance with the sniper rifle in CS:GO, most notably on Mirage, but also comes under regular criticism from the community for not being the most consistent of players and has been known to miss some “easy” shots. However, it is undoubtable that when kRYSTAL is playing at his best, he can compete with the best AWPers in the world, something he will have to do if the team is to find success at the major. Of all the players on PENTA, it could well be kRYSTAL that is the deciding factor between a win and a loss when it comes to crunch time as his picks and entry kills can change the entire outcome of a game. If the team is unable to work together and did not choose the correct individual to lead the team, they could be in serious trouble.



Analysing PENTA’s ability on individual maps is fairly difficult as they did not play a great deal of matches with their recent lineup. However, Cache, Dust 2 and Mirage were the team’s most played maps and were arguably their best with the previous roster. Statistics suggest that they are also strong on Inferno despite the 0-16 loss that they suffered against Titan at ASUS ROG Winter. PENTA often goes for very standard setups on the Terrorist side, working areas of the map to try to gain a pick and then deciding on their strategy after this. The key for the team will be to lock down their Counter-Terrorist sides as they often perform above expectations on the attacking team, a characteristic that could be pivotal given the current CT meta. On their bread-and-butter map, Mirage, kRYSTAL will often be seen mixing up his positions on the CT side with his AWP which can cause a nuisance for any team when he is performing at his best. PENTA is known for the squad’s innovative boosts and link-ups, especially on the CT side of Cache. Innovation at Katowice will be important if the Germans want to keep the elite teams on their toes. Their 0-3 record on Overpass suggests that this is a map that they should avoid at all costs and highlights how important the veto phase could be; a perceived victory in the map-veto stage can be just the mental edge that a team requires and may allow a relatively new lineup such as PENTA to avoid maps that they have not put the same level of practice into.



Despite the apparent strengthening of the roster in the fragging department and their recent form at LAN events, the odds will once again be stacked against PENTA when Katowice kicks off in March. If the team wishes to hold on to their Legend status they will have to be on top form at what promises to be the most competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major to date. Losing the tactical mind of strux1 could be a massive blow and the team will have to work together to create new strategies if they are to overcome some of the most talented teams on Earth; all five players will have to perform at the top of their game. PENTA was drawn into Group B for Katowice along with Titan, LGB eSports and DreamHack Winter champions Team EnVyUs; they will have a tough time advancing but could certainly pull an upset win against one of the favoured teams and escape from the group stages once again.





Written by RSDtv PENTA Sports will be entering Katowice as one of the eight Legends following their impressive, and somewhat surprising, performance at the last CS:GO Major, DreamHack Winter 2014. Long-standing membersKevin “kRYSTAL” Amend,Denis “denis” Howell andTimo “Spiidi” Richter will be looking to repeat this success and perhaps build upon it while star playerJohannes “nex” Maget, who joined the team in late December 2014, and new additionTobias “Troubley” Tabbert, will be looking for a taste of their teammates’ success. However, with the surprise departure of in-game leaderHendrik “strux1” Goetzendorff on February 24, the German team will have their work cut out for them even more than they did before. Before we can discuss PENTA in more detail, however, it is important to review the team’s DreamHack performance which shocked the world.DreamHack Winter 2014 saw the German squad reach the quarter-final stage, secure Legend status along with a free pass for ESL One Katowice 2015 and reap the sticker money rewards that this entails. PENTA’s hopes looked slim coming into the event with a group consisting of themselves,Team Dignitas,iBUYPOWER andCopenhagen Wolves who entered as a late replacement for the disqualifiedTitan squad. The lineup, which at the time consisted of kRYSTAL, denis, Spiidi,Felix “fel1x” Zech andRobin “r0bs3n” Stephan, certainly went into the groups as the underdog who many saw as being there to merely “make up numbers.” However, after a phenomenal comeback against iBUYPOWER in the deciding match of the group, PENTA advanced to the playoff stage in second place behind Dignitas. The dream would come to an end in the quarter-final match againstVirtus.pro, but the German team gave a strong account of themselves and cemented themselves as a team to be reckoned with on the international scene.PENTA will be carrying the weight of a nation on their shoulders come March 12th as they are the only German hope aftermousesports failed to qualify. This may come as little surprise to some as the team has continued their impressive international run into the New Year with a third place finish at the Acer A-Split Invitational in December and a fourth at ASUS ROG Winter 2015 in January, out-placing their German rivals in both LAN events. This consistency came in spite of the team changes that took place on December 29, 2014, where the somewhat shocking announcement was made that the team would be replacing fel1x and r0bs3n withPlanetkey Dynamics members nex, who had already played as a stand-in for denis during PENTA’s successful Acer A-Split Invitational campaign, and veteran player strux1. Spiidi, speaking at the time, cited inconsistency and the lack of a true shot caller as the main reasons for breaking up the most successful German CS:GO team in history.The addition of nex to the team should present PENTA with more in terms of raw fragging potential than ever before. In the eyes of many, the all-round rifler is the star of the team and the best player in Germany, and his statistics certainly do a lot to give weight to that argument. The 22-year-old boasts an impressive 1.18 kills-to-death ratio, only outdone domestically by new teammate Troubley at 1.19 and mousesports starChris “chrisJ” de Jong at 1.22. Certainly, if recent performances are anything to go by, nex will be a man to watch out for at Katowice and his team will be relying on his continued good form if they wish to build on their recent success. Meanwhile, strux1 may have offered slightly less at first glance than the dominant nex, but the in-game leader and secondary AWPer was, in truth, the brains behind the whole operation. If the recent victories overHellRaisers and Virtus.pro in the group stage at ASUS ROG Winter were anything to go by, the two newest additions to PENTA had given the team an edge against the elite teams that was missing previously. However, the team looked weak in the best-of-three stages against similar competition, perhaps suggesting a lack of team cohesion--something that was confirmed when strux1 shocked the community by announcing his departure from the team, stating that there were great differences between the rest of the team and himself. Replacing strux1 will be Troubley. Fresh from a short and relatively unsuccessful stint in mousesports, Troubley will be looking to prove that he is still one of the best players in Germany. The opportunity to compete at a major tournament will surely be all the motivation the 22-year-old rifle specialist will need to bring his best to this PENTA roster. The big question is who will take on the role of in-game leader after the loss of strux1? Troubley has shot-called previously in thePlanetkey Dynamics team that included his new PENTA teammate, nex, and statements from the PENTA Sports manager suggest that he could be taking the role within his new team. Whether this could affect Troubley’s in-game performance is difficult to assess but should be answered fairly quickly during the group stages; it is unlikely that he will stray too far from the framework that strux1 set in place with such a short amount of time.Of the heroic DreamHack Winter 2014 lineup, three still remain. Spiidi is the captain of the team and a solid rifler who most often takes the role of lurker. The 19-year-old has tasted a huge amount of success at such an early stage in his career and will be looking to build upon that with another strong showing at Katowice. 20-year-old denis plays as an all-rounder within the team; the rifler will often be seen swapping entry fragging duties with nex and he can also be pretty handy with the AWP when he picks it up. kRYSTAL can be the biggest x-factor in the lineup as the 21-year-old is the team’s main AWPer and has the potential to shut down any map when he is at his best. The former Counter-Strike: Source professional has shown signs of brilliance with the sniper rifle in CS:GO, most notably on Mirage, but also comes under regular criticism from the community for not being the most consistent of players and has been known to miss some “easy” shots. However, it is undoubtable that when kRYSTAL is playing at his best, he can compete with the best AWPers in the world, something he will have to do if the team is to find success at the major. Of all the players on PENTA, it could well be kRYSTAL that is the deciding factor between a win and a loss when it comes to crunch time as his picks and entry kills can change the entire outcome of a game. If the team is unable to work together and did not choose the correct individual to lead the team, they could be in serious trouble.Analysing PENTA’s ability on individual maps is fairly difficult as they did not play a great deal of matches with their recent lineup. However, Cache, Dust 2 and Mirage were the team’s most played maps and were arguably their best with the previous roster. Statistics suggest that they are also strong on Inferno despite the 0-16 loss that they suffered againstTitan at ASUS ROG Winter. PENTA often goes for very standard setups on the Terrorist side, working areas of the map to try to gain a pick and then deciding on their strategy after this. The key for the team will be to lock down their Counter-Terrorist sides as they often perform above expectations on the attacking team, a characteristic that could be pivotal given the current CT meta. On their bread-and-butter map, Mirage, kRYSTAL will often be seen mixing up his positions on the CT side with his AWP which can cause a nuisance for any team when he is performing at his best. PENTA is known for the squad’s innovative boosts and link-ups, especially on the CT side of Cache. Innovation at Katowice will be important if the Germans want to keep the elite teams on their toes. Their 0-3 record on Overpass suggests that this is a map that they should avoid at all costs and highlights how important the veto phase could be; a perceived victory in the map-veto stage can be just the mental edge that a team requires and may allow a relatively new lineup such as PENTA to avoid maps that they have not put the same level of practice into.Despite the apparent strengthening of the roster in the fragging department and their recent form at LAN events, the odds will once again be stacked against PENTA when Katowice kicks off in March. If the team wishes to hold on to their Legend status they will have to be on top form at what promises to be the most competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive major to date. Losing the tactical mind of strux1 could be a massive blow and the team will have to work together to create new strategies if they are to overcome some of the most talented teams on Earth; all five players will have to perform at the top of their game. PENTA was drawn into Group B for Katowice along with Titan,LGB eSports and DreamHack Winter championsTeam EnVyUs; they will have a tough time advancing but could certainly pull an upset win against one of the favoured teams and escape from the group stages once again. London Conspiracy. Fans of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recalled the pinnacle of the LGB that once triumphed over Fnatic to make it to the semi-finals of EMS One Katowice. For the Norwegian CS:GO scene, this was a big step forward.



Three of the members on the current LGB squad are no strangers to being on the top team in Norway. Ruben "RUBINO" Villarroel, Håvard "rain" Nygaard and Pål "Polly" Kammen form a trio that has consistently found themselves as the best Norway has to offer, with RUBINO and Polly doing so since the heydays of H2k. Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad is a relatively new and inexperienced player in professional CS:GO, while the last member of the team and in-game leader, Morten "zEVES" Vollan, had a short tenure with Swedish lineups such as Lemondogs and AliGon before making his way back to Norway.



The only appearance by a Norwegian team in a major to date was London Conspiracy's during ESL One Cologne, in which they dropped out of the group stage after an abrupt 0-2 outing. In short, Norway has yet to win a single map on the biggest stage CS:GO has had to offer. The current LGB roster will be looking to make history as the first lineup to do so, but the task before them is arduous.



The team as a whole is, quite frankly, wondrously mediocre. The 20-year-old rain has proven to be one of the best raw talents to represent the Norwegian scene, but he, similarly to the rest of his team, is far from consistent. Statistically speaking, every player on the team, with the exception of in-game leader zEVES, is firmly middle-of-the-pack, and it is difficult to say whether the team could make the strides necessary to consistently battle with tier-1 teams.



The team prides itself in a very team-oriented playstyle, opting to execute onto sites with at least four members with RUBINO as the main lurker when necessary. Rain and jkaem serve as the team's main riflers as Polly acts as the team's primary AWPer. While the Norwegians have shown the ability to adapt and switch up their tactics against other tier-2 teams, and have occasionally displayed brilliant executions on both their Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist sides, the strings seemingly fall apart when they are faced with a team of a higher caliber. The LGB that faces a team such as Property or FlipSid3 Tactics is almost nowhere to be seen when facing off against a team of Fnatic's or even Titan's caliber. They become slow to adapt, predictable, and all-around sloppy, and one must wonder if they are lacking the correct mentality to take their game to the next level.



The team seems to favor Inferno and Cache, playing those maps the most and even securing their spot at Katowice's main event with Inferno wins over Copenhagen Wolves and FlipSid3, and even upsetting (an albeit slumping) Virtus.pro on Cache at IOS Pantamera. They also managed to defeat Team SoloMid in overtime on Mirage during a recent FACEIT match and put up a showing on their Terrorist side against Natus Vincere on the same map. Their map pool seems wholly restricted to those three maps, however, as their showings on Dust 2 have been less than stellar.



With that said, LGB does have an actual shot at making it out of Group B, let alone securing Norway's first map at a major. Grouped with Team EnVyUS, PENTA Sports and Titan, the Norwegians will be battling the Germans in their first match, a team that lost their in-game leader merely weeks before the tournament and a team right around their level. If LGB can channel the usual form that allows them to run over other tier-2 teams, they certainly have a strong possibility of taking down PENTA. Were that to happen, LGB could potentially upset Kévin "Ex6TenZ" Droolans' team either in the winners match or decider match (depending on whether Titan defeats nV/PENTA) if the Belgian leader somehow miraculously, for the third straight time at a major, ends up choking in the group stage (don't bet on it though). LGB has little to no chance in toppling nV, a team that could purely out-skill the Norwegians without breaking a sweat, so their chances will mainly lie in defeating PENTA and Titan.



Whatever the result, we all know who the true winner is: the polar bear.





Written by Souma At the end of December 2014, the previously heralded organization, LGB eSports, made its way back into CS:GO by scooping up what was thenLondon Conspiracy. Fans of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive recalled the pinnacle of the LGB that once triumphed overFnatic to make it to the semi-finals of EMS One Katowice. For the Norwegian CS:GO scene, this was a big step forward.Three of the members on the current LGB squad are no strangers to being on the top team in Norway.Ruben "RUBINO" Villarroel,Håvard "rain" Nygaard andPål "Polly" Kammen form a trio that has consistently found themselves as the best Norway has to offer, with RUBINO and Polly doing so since the heydays ofH2k.Joakim "jkaem" Myrbostad is a relatively new and inexperienced player in professional CS:GO, while the last member of the team and in-game leader,Morten "zEVES" Vollan, had a short tenure with Swedish lineups such asLemondogs andAliGon before making his way back to Norway.The only appearance by a Norwegian team in a major to date was London Conspiracy's during ESL One Cologne, in which they dropped out of the group stage after an abrupt 0-2 outing. In short, Norway has yet to win a single map on the biggest stage CS:GO has had to offer. The current LGB roster will be looking to make history as the first lineup to do so, but the task before them is arduous.The team as a whole is, quite frankly, wondrously mediocre. The 20-year-old rain has proven to be one of the best raw talents to represent the Norwegian scene, but he, similarly to the rest of his team, is far from consistent. Statistically speaking, every player on the team, with the exception of in-game leader zEVES, is firmly middle-of-the-pack, and it is difficult to say whether the team could make the strides necessary to consistently battle with tier-1 teams.The team prides itself in a very team-oriented playstyle, opting to execute onto sites with at least four members with RUBINO as the main lurker when necessary. Rain and jkaem serve as the team's main riflers as Polly acts as the team's primary AWPer. While the Norwegians have shown the ability to adapt and switch up their tactics against other tier-2 teams, and have occasionally displayed brilliant executions on both their Terrorist and Counter-Terrorist sides, the strings seemingly fall apart when they are faced with a team of a higher caliber. The LGB that faces a team such asProperty orFlipSid3 Tactics is almost nowhere to be seen when facing off against a team ofFnatic's or evenTitan's caliber. They become slow to adapt, predictable, and all-around sloppy, and one must wonder if they are lacking the correct mentality to take their game to the next level.The team seems to favor Inferno and Cache, playing those maps the most and even securing their spot at Katowice's main event with Inferno wins overCopenhagen Wolves and FlipSid3, and even upsetting (an albeit slumping)Virtus.pro on Cache at IOS Pantamera. They also managed to defeatTeam SoloMid in overtime on Mirage during a recent FACEIT match and put up a showing on their Terrorist side againstNatus Vincere on the same map. Their map pool seems wholly restricted to those three maps, however, as their showings on Dust 2 have been less than stellar.With that said, LGB does have an actual shot at making it out of Group B, let alone securing Norway's first map at a major. Grouped withTeam EnVyUS,PENTA Sports and Titan, the Norwegians will be battling the Germans in their first match, a team that lost their in-game leader merely weeks before the tournament and a team right around their level. If LGB can channel the usual form that allows them to run over other tier-2 teams, they certainly have a strong possibility of taking down PENTA. Were that to happen, LGB could potentially upsetKévin "Ex6TenZ" Droolans' team either in the winners match or decider match (depending on whether Titan defeats nV/PENTA) if the Belgian leader somehow miraculously, for the third straight time at a major, ends up choking in the group stage (don't bet on it though). LGB has little to no chance in toppling nV, a team that could purely out-skill the Norwegians without breaking a sweat, so their chances will mainly lie in defeating PENTA and Titan.Whatever the result, we all know who the true winner is: the polar bear. Ninjas in Pyjamas, Fnatic, and Team EnVyUs all dominate conversations about the upcoming major. This attention is of course rightfully due as those are, almost inarguably, the top three teams in the world. Perhaps the team most people are forgetting to mention, however, are the Frenchmen in Titan. With a reinvigorated lineup, and with Cédric "RpK" Guipouy settled comfortably into Global Offensive, Titan is looking to be in top form. After facing months of hardship, Kevin "Ex6TenZ" Droolans's Titan is a team fighting tooth and nail for the glory it once knew.



After the November VAC ban of Hovik “KQLY” Tovmassian, many suspected another French shuffle was imminent. Adil “ScreaM” Benrlitom, who was replaced by KQLY in Titan, played his role as a wildcard during the uncertainty, but remained with a now-defunct Epsilon. At the same time, EnVyUs (former LDLC) was looking stable as ever, and had no incentive to participate in a roster change. Amidst the chaos in the French scene, December's ESEA LAN served only to disappoint hopeful Titan fans. Competing with Jeremy “ioRek” Vuillermet, the team's manager, as their temporary fifth man, the team placed below their standards and not once seemed to be comfortable in their play, save for Kenny “KennyS” Schrub. At this point, many were questioning the future of Titan as a world-class team, as well as the future for the French scene as a whole. After an arduous month-long period without a fifth, however, Titan chose to take a chance and resurrect a Counter-Strike: Source legend in RpK.



Even with their new arrival, Titan was not out of the ditch yet. RpK had never picked up CS:GO as a competitive title and had only a few hundred hours on record at the time he joined the team. His first appearances with the team were shaky at best. Awkward movement and unnatural gun control marred what appeared to be a still-sharp game sense, which shined through his rusty mechanics as a sign of clear potential. Though many saw what they perceived as Titan's downfall in these months, the Frenchmen's results at ASUS ROG Winter began to stifle doubters and raise the hopes of fans who had persevered. RpK's hours in Global Offensive had clearly paid off and he had shed most of the major signs of rust and discomfort in his play. After a successful group stage run pushed them to the brackets, Titan faced the Germans in PENTA Sports for their spot in the grand finals. After a nail-biting victory in the first map, Titan proceeded to deliver a rare 16-0 trouncing on Inferno, taking the series handily at 2-0. The grand finals against NiP played out similarly, but not in favor of the French,. Titan lost the series 0-2 but took the first map to all 30 rounds. Overall, ASUS ROG showed great things for the future of a Titan who had lost their way in the latter half of 2014.



Only a week later, during another successful run at Inferno Online Pantamera, the French five showed the extent of the potential in their lineup--beautiful, cohesive play throughout, only falling to the Swedish elite in Fnatic during a narrow grand finals series. Pantamera was not only a second solid run for a young lineup, but was also proof that ASUS ROG was no fluke. The new Titan was here to stay. In the month or so since Pantamera, Titan has further pushed itself in competition against tier one teams, solidifying the squad's place as a true contender for the title at ESL One. That said, Titan is not quite as consistent as the world's top three or even top five. They've proven they can beat the likes of EnVyUs and NiP, even in series play, but still struggle against Fnatic and Virtus.pro. Additionally, the new Titan has a tendency to drop a map or series unexpectedly—losses to teams like Gamers2, Property, dAT, etc. It's not only widespread inconsistency, but perhaps a mental facet of their game which could use some tightening up. On the stage at Katowice, however, the stakes are high and every map matters.



Most of the teams below the top five have a notable x-factor to their game, typically a player who is charged and can make high-impact plays at any moment. In that regard, well, it's no secret that kennyS has been Titan's star player since the initial French shuffle. Perhaps no player across 2014 had bigger and more consistent game impact than kennyS. So far in 2015, his individual game is just as impressive—a daring, aggressive style of play, full of highlight reel flick shots and unbelievable clutches. KennyS is a major threat to any team or player in the world. However, across his career, he's had a certain penchant for playing on teams that clearly don't deserve him. The politics of the French scene, both before and after the shuffle, have kept the world's best AWPer out of a top team for a shockingly long time. With Titan playing the way they have been in 2015, though, kennyS may finally have a team foundation capable of supporting his raw talent.



Also worthy of note is the performances out of Dan “apEX” Madesclaire in the last few months. He had been a solid, consistent rifler for much of his career in Global Offensive, but now apEX seems to be playing out of skin during key matches in 2015. He shares with many other entry fraggers this volatile energy in his play, allowing him to shut down pushes with perfect, precise headshots or to run into a site and open the round with two savage entry kills. When he's on his game, apEX commands the map in such an untouchable fashion. Paired with kennyS's AWP and commanded by the mind of Ex6TenZ, we may see an extremely deadly force in the form of these two impact fraggers come game day, but nagging inconsistency issues may hinder the powerful rifler once more.



Conversely, many teams also have a player with a propensity to underperform and break down under pressure. On this end of the spectrum lies Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez. A consistent dead weight for the team, Maniac rarely makes important plays for Titan and seems to lose battles wherever he goes. There are certainly games where he holds his own, but anything more than that is almost unheard of from Maniac in 2015. Maniac's role as a support player in Titan doesn't lend itself to multi-frags and intense play—and that's fine, it doesn't have to. But whenever he's put into a scenario where he has to fight or rely on his aim, Maniac crumbles and fails to hold his ground. Consistently bottoming the scoreboard in 2015 matches, Maniac is perhaps the biggest factor that could hold Titan back. If he plays his role and can stay on point, however, Titan will be well-rounded and tough to stop.



Fans of the French organization will have much to look forward to in Katowice, and that for many is a treat long overdue. The final quarter of 2014 was filled with controversy and uncertainty for Titan, leaving hopes shattered and fans dejected. It took them a considerable amount of time, but we're finally seeing Titan play to their level and prove that picking up RpK was the right choice. In their current form, Titan has a great shot to make it out of groups at ESL One, where they will face their French rivals in nV, PENTA, and LGB eSports, but Ex6TenZ's history at majors proves ominous. Once in the bracket stage, however, the French five will pose a real threat to the Legends on their thrones.





Written by Shooz29

With the final list of participants for ESL One being rounded out by the eight teams from the LAN qualifier in February, much of the buzz around Katowice is about the big name teams—Ninjas in Pyjamas,Fnatic, andTeam EnVyUs all dominate conversations about the upcoming major. This attention is of course rightfully due as