(Photo: G2 Esports)

Once a month, I take questions on Twitter and respond to almost all of them in a multi-part series. Below are my answers to the third part of my Pre-Major mailbag. Read the second part here.

Do you think one of the swedish teams (NiP/Fnatic) will perform and do you think big already played enough with xantares to be a good team? — Kampffrosch (@Kampffr0sch) January 4, 2019

I don’t think BIG have had enough time with xantares yet. I haven’t seen or heard anything inspiring about Swedish teams behind the scenes but if I had to pick a team to perform, it would be Fnatic. I believe they could do some damage this year.

Besides being on loan to Envy, does Karrigan have any real prospects? — Tristan Jones (@YoursTrulyTJ33) January 4, 2019

I think he has a few of them. OpTic being the most likely in my opinion.

Status on pasha and/or neo? — Spaghetti Yeti (@SpaghettiYeti0) January 4, 2019

No real updates here. I think Pasha will stream and neo will eventually retire. Those are just my guesses though.

How much time before Cloud 9 throws in the towel on Golden? It could be said that him being gone is hindering their success — Slightly Above Average Bucks Fan (@AverageBucksFan) January 4, 2019

There is definitely a limited time span in which they’ll stay committed to Golden. I’m not sure what that length of time is though. My guess based on their recent sentiment is that they expect him back right after Katowice. If he still isn’t read I feel like things could get a bit dicey.

Besides the obvious answer of Astralis, who looks to have the most hope for winning the upcoming major? — N1tsuA (@N1tsuA_) January 4, 2019

My answer for this is probably Team Liquid. I’m not super high on teams that make changes prior to the Major but something tells me they will still perform extremely well.

Heard any rumours about NiP? Potentially about younger stars etc.? — Goplen (@goplen22) January 4, 2019

I haven’t heard a single thing regarding Swedish teams making changes. I also haven’t heard anyone talking about potential stars in the making from Sweden, so who knows.

do you think @G2esports is able to get in the quarterfinals? or wont they keep this roster for a long time in case they dont have success?! — JediMindTricks (@JxdiMindTricks) January 4, 2019

I picked them as my dark horse, so naturally I’ll say yes. I think they can do something similar to what compLexity did in London where they made top 8. I don’t think they’ll be under a ton of pressure which should help them play confident.

How do you get noticed by orgs and players apart from fpl? You won’t get noticed by playing mm all day either. If you recommend joining a small team where is a good place to do so? — Even Rennemo (@Ermo_CSGO) January 4, 2019

Trying to get into FPL is probably the most efficient way right now. I’m not particularly sure where the best place to look for a team is, but spending some time on one is definitely valuable. This has been asked numerous times on Reddit so do some searching there as well.

Would you know why is that teams resort to making roster changes before the major? — Impulse_LPV (@Luis_Perdo) January 4, 2019

Emotion and temptation. I think those are two large factors. Players are also impatient. It is much easier to blame poor performance on a recent roster change than actually taking responsibility. On top of that, Majors typically come after long seasons of online play that players consider a chore. When that finally ends, players write off their current roster or specific players. The choice then becomes: play the Major with a broken team or make a change while hoping for the best.

who do you think will replace zeus since he is supposed to retire this year — Sully (@Sully_1337) January 4, 2019

If Na’Vi replace him I can only expect a player like ange1 coming in for him. No one on Na’Vi should in-game lead so they need a like for like replacement for Zeus. s1mple has always had respect for ange1 so that makes the most sense in my opinion.

What players has faze tried to replace karrigan with? — MpK 🇸🇪 (@MpK_CS) January 4, 2019

As far as I know they never really offered anyone else this time around until they landed on AdreN. I know players Xantares and Coldzera have claimed to have received offers in the past but I’m not sure they were official/formal offers. I was told by numerous people that pronax was never considered despite what others said.

What are your thoughts on the coL roster for the Major and what would you predict for their future after the Major? — Skim (@SkimGaming) January 4, 2019

I don’t expect them to make it out of the top 24 teams. Cutting two players so close to the Major would have only helped if they recruited some superstars. I think they’ll be exposed by more talented and prepared teams. After the Major, I assume they’ll gun for Tarik to fill the spot n0thing is in right now. I’m not convinced he’ll take them up on it though. Other than that, I don’t know who they can get. If I am Jason Lake, I’m sending RUSH and autimatic blank checks and paying their buyouts.

do you think tarik could be a good fit for NRG if they were looking to make a change — Brady (@BNCutIer) January 4, 2019

Out of all the teams he could potentially join, I think NRG makes the most sense. They are a team with high upside that are one move way from doing some serious damage. Tarik could bring what they lack and get back to playing the style he enjoys.

What are some of most insane roster move rumours you’ve heard behind the scenes? — dollytf2 (@halifaxhoward23) January 4, 2019

Nothing insane has been mentioned recently. In the past, rumors like gla1ve or shox to FaZe for Karrigan in early 2018 were pretty wild.

Ill ask the same thing I asked last year: Which player do you think had the most disappointing/underwhelming 2018? — Anthony (@_Anth0ny_W) January 4, 2019

Fallen tops this list for me. I’m not entirely sure if it was his fault or if the whole dynamic of his rosters made his play suffer. Either way it was disappointing to see a player so legendary struggle as much as he did. Here is to hoping he can change that in 2019.

How long do you think Simple can maintain this form? And do you think he will win a major this year? — Jacob Trout (@JacobFishTrout) January 4, 2019

I think both are plausible and it is more likely he keeps his form than them winning a Major. They need to make a change that replaces Edward and/or Zeus. I’m tired of people making excuses for them to remain on the roster.

Did liquid try to get seangares? — Jadjadz (@Jadjadzz) January 4, 2019

As far as I know they didn’t ask him, but it is plausible. As far as I know they reached out to Adren immediately, so it’s equally as possible they didn’t even consider seangares.

do you think @valianceandco have a chance at the minor? — yeet (@GamerShotCunt) January 4, 2019

They have a chance but their group is the worst to try and get out of. I don’t see them escaping unfortunately.

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