The first big international LAN with a traditional format is set to start next week and fans are excited. Not only we will see the new squads of NRG and Hellraisers in action for the first time offline, but there’s many questions to be answered there.

So, which teams are the ones coming with the more interesting storylines? Take a look below at our selection of teams to watch.

North on the road to beat their inconsistency

North followed a more-or-less 2017 with an extremely disappointing 2018. Now, things aren’t looking much better for them, but at least they keep showing signs that they can reach a top 10 level.

Coming to StarSeries 7, North is coming with some impressive results to back them. The Danes were able to qualify to ECS Season VII Finals on week 2 and also won ICE Challenge. Beating Vitality and Na’Vi respectively isn’t a small feat.

However, North issues keep showing in their games. CadiaN decision-making capability is way below of what one would expect from an in-game leader. Aizy still isn’t reliable enough and the team needs him to perform if they want to win.

Gade and Kjaerbye aren’t prime examples of consistency, either. So, with all those problems, North is coming to StarSeries Season 7 with one clear objective – prove that not making a roster change was the right decision.

After all, the season for roster moves are coming to a close and North hasn’t done any moves. Either they start performing now and build a base for their future here, or they will have a painful season ahead of them.

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Renegades as one of the favorites after the Major

One of the surprises of Katowice 2019 certainly was the Aussie squad under the Renegades banner. The team managed to book a Legend spot for the first time in their region history and they are looking to keep this train going.

Better yet, coming to StarSeries VII, their most dangerous opponents are Na’Vi, ENCE and NRG. Renegades know that they have chances against every one of these, and winning here would be a major feat.

More importantly than taking the trophy, it would prove that their run at IEM Katowice wasn’t a fluke. It would prove that Renegades stepped up and its coming for the best.

The pressure is on though. This roster is probably the most successful squad in Australia professional CS scene history. Can they break the line, and consistently achieve top four, and book big LAN tournaments to their name? That’s what we want to discover.

HellRaisers brought back two old friends that can help them step up massively

Starring for the first time in years under the HellRaisers banner is ‘oskar’ and ‘lmbt’. Joining as the main star and coach, respectively, those two learned a lot from their time in Mousesports and are ready to take HR to the next level.

However, not everything is looking that brightly for the Eastern Europe powerhouse. Their recent results in online matches are abysmal as they look for a permanent fifth player. Oskar, who was Mouz star for some time last year is performing pretty badly, too.

Coming for this LAN, there’s a lot on stake for HR. Is their online results sign of anything? While an initial struggle is expected due to the adaptation needed, oskar shouldn’t perform badly like he is currently. ISSAA also hasn’t been very consistent either.

Moreover, ANGE1 is being closely watched by Na’Vi as Zeus retirement is getting closer. Given the hype that bringing oskar to his old team generated, and having one of the best players from the Eastern CSGO region built a big expectation over him.

HellRaisers can’t repeat their online results here, that’s for sure. ANGE1 needs to make oskar work as soon as he can and bring the best out of his team.

NRG, starring Tarik

After getting removing ‘fugLy’ from their roster and adding Tarik, NRG online results have been pretty much what was expected from them. They were able to qualify for the ECS Season VII Finals and are overall decent.

Still, the real challenge starts here. NRG is coming to StarSeries with their heads-up as one of the favorites and they know that a top four placement would be a minimum for a team of their caliber.

What the team should be aware of is possible role conflicts. fugLy was a more supportive player with TariK needs space as he is a playmaker. Fans are curious to see how ‘daps’ will adapt his team to this new formation.

Daps can’t forget that they are very prone to fall to underdogs traps either though. Given this adaptation period after adding a player that can cause role issues, teams like NiP and TyLoo are especially dangerous.

How NRG will balance all this is what fans want to see. Should the fail to do this now, they might want to redraw their entire gameplan to welcome Tarik better.

StarSeries VII is ENCE’s to lose

After a disappointing week of online games, ENCE has shown this weekend that they aren’t looking to fall into the Major finalists’ curse. During BLAST São Paulo, we saw the Finnish squad being able to go head-to-head with Astralis and Liquid in BO1s.

Now, going in a tournament with a more familiar format, and without Astralis and Liquid, ENCE can show what they’re made of. If there was any doubt left that their Major run was a fluke, it’s time to dismiss those doubts now.

Still, ENCE’s biggest threat will be Na’Vi. While ENCE won over the CIS powerhouse in the Major, Na’Vi sure is looking for a payback. Thus, ‘Aleksib’ must prepare his roster and bring surprises to this tournament.

Even with Na’Vi eager for revenge, ENCE must know though that this trophy is theirs to take. They have the right mentality and all their players are looking pretty good individually while the opposition isn’t as a sharp as them.

StarSeries Season 7 will be starting shortly!

Which teams are your favorites? Can North break their inconsistency? What HellRaisers can do to impress? Will NRG surprise with Tarik? What about ENCE and Renegades as the favorites? Let us know your opinion below!