Mousesports has acquired Counter-Strike veteran Snax from Virtus Pro. This comes as a huge shock since Snax is considered to be one of the top performers on the Virtus Pro roster. Despite having a relatively weak few months in the past, Snax remains a very influential player on the server.

Janusz “Snax” Pogorzelski will replace Styko with immediate effect. Snax’s transition to Mousesports will see him playing for the team at ESL One Cologne 2018. The tournament starts on July 3rd and features some of the top teams in Counter-Strike. The Muosesports roster with Styko was already a playoffs contender for the tournament. With the roster change, there will definitely be an impact on their performance. Whether it is good or bad, only time can tell.

From now on, I am a mousesports player. I’m really happy to join a new team and I think we all needed a fresh start. Of cour,se I’m a bit sad that im leaving my 2nd home that is Virtus.pro, but sometimes you need to go forward and stop looking back. I hope this will be a good change for both sides and that my former mates at VP will wish me luck, as I wish them the best to get back to form and to be on the top again. Cheers to everyone out there, we will be great.

Snax

A lifeboat for Snax

The best Polish Counter-Strike team for a long time remained the dark horse in Counter-Strike. Despite winning IEM Katowice 2014 and several tournaments since there has been a downward progression for the team.

Intermittent strong performances followed by surprising losses to unknown teams earned the team two different nomenclatures. Fans called them Virtus Plow when they were dominating their opponents. But when the team had a surprising loss to a relatively weaker roster, Twitch chat would fill up with Virtus Throw callouts.

Of course, after a period of time, this became a meme in itself. But beneath all this ‘fan-logic’ was the inevitable downgrading of Virtus Pro. The roster simply did not have the firepower necessary to supplement their playstyle. The Virtus Pro team has been known to always surprise their opponents, with unexpected plays. They had a very aggressive and often confusing playstyle. But when the payers were in form and hitting their shots, Virtus Pro would look unbeatable. But when they would miss out on hitting their targets, they looked like a confused, out of sync team with no solid gameplan.

How does the move from the old guard to the ‘upcoming stars’ suit Snax?

There is a fundamental difference in playstyle, attitude, and history for the two parties here. On one hand, we have Snax, one of the most respected and ornamented players in Global Offensive. His individual play was at a peak despite being in a team which was floundering and definitely lacked results. In 2017, his form took a nosedive, but we still saw glimpses of the player and his decision making in critical situations.

But there are fundamental differences in Snax and that of the current Mousesports roster. Categorizing them into playstyle, Interpersonal relationships, and Team balance.

Playstyle

Snax has been the burning candle for Virtus Pro for quite some time. With most of his teammates failing around him, it often was left to Snax to salvage the round. In 2016, this led to some of the most amazing performances from the player. Snax was in the HLTV Top 20 for four years in a row from 2013-2016. This is just a small testament to the high individual skill of the player. But many of his personal standout performances were also highlighted by the rest of the Virtus Pro roster. It was quite similar to S1mple on Flipside, wherein he would be the star on the team. Since joining Na’Vi Simple has definitely become tame and less abrasive in his gameplay. This comes from joining a roster which is highly skilled and constantly performing.

This situation is aggravated in case of Snax. As he joins Mousesports there will be keen eyes analyzing his play and how he first within the roster. It might not be a simple player swap and Mousesports might see big changes in player roles within the team. How this impacts the performance of the team, their timings and synergy is something that only time can tell.

Interpersonal Relationships

Despite being active in Counter-Strike for so long, Janusz ‘Snax’ Pogorzelski is just 24 years old. He has a bright future ahead of him as he is still quite a few years away from the dreaded ’30 years’ in esports. However, he has achieved tremendous success and is one of the strongest players in the Polish / European scene.

The Mousesports team is a strong contender on the world stage. But they always remain a contender for titles. It is rare to see anyone call Mousesports a favorite to win a tournament, but they can never rule the roster out. The individual talent and the team chemistry developed between the players has enabled Mousesports to become a strong team. Despite not being paid enough ( for their success), the roster represents players hungry for success. With the likes of Oskar, Ropz on the team, the team has a bright future. But here is exactly where the biggest differences in the roster pop out. Snax might be a veteran in Counter-Strike, bu we also have a player like Ropz who hardly has any experience on the big stage. He has been with Mousesports for quite some time now and that definitely helps, but he is still a new player on the pro scene.

Team Balance

The team balance, something that was carefully cultivated in the previous roster is definitely going to take a hit. With a player of Snax’s stature joining the team, he will have some pull on what position he does want to play. Even if the team adjusts or Snax adjusts according to the team’s requirements, it still puts them in a suboptimal position. Changing one’s role and playstyle to suit the team’s requirements and vice versa is definitely going to impact the overall performance.

The big question here would be, how soon can Mousesports and Snax figure out their optimal playstyle. The sooner they can adjust and delve into their new roles, the better the team’s prospects look for the future.

Enabling the roster is a tough task in light of the vast differences

The marriage of the various players on the team with their egos, their playstyle, and their differing experience is something that will take time. It is going to be a tough challenge for their Ukrainian Coach Imbt to help the players get in the groove.

Oskar hails from the Czech Republic, which puts him at a disadvantage when it comes to professional esports. Despite their limitations and lack of experience, the players have enabled each other to grow. ChrisJ remains a constant on the team and he has helped form this roster, one which can now truly be a Major Title Winner. We still won’t call them favorites yet, but it would be very surprising to see this roster fail.

The Potential for the ‘International’ Mousesports team

The current trend amongst Counter-Strike teams seems to point towards a more International look. Faze Clan is the best example of a team dominant in the scene after assembling an International roster. With SK Gaming also adding a non-Brazilian player to their roster, international rosters are definitely trending.

Be it due to a trend or not, a team cannot let go of an opportunity to add Snax to their roster. The hurried negotiations which lasted just a week are an indication of how quick Mousesports was on the move. This roster change does make sense, but it also raises a few questions. While the potential for success and a possible Major victory is not out of reach, there is always an equal chance of the team falling apart.

We are glad to welcome Snax to our CS:GO roster after a very eventful week. Once we realized that Snax was open to leave the legendary Golden Five lineup and to join mousesports, he immediately became our number one priority. I would like to thank the Virtus.pro organization for the smooth negotiation process on short notice, which allows us to see Snax’ mousesports debut at ESL ONE Cologne next week.

Cengiz Tüylü, CEO of Mousesports

Faze Clan achieved their current status after repeated failures of putting together flashy, skilled players. Adding players individually skilled to one team is not always a sure shot success formula. In addition, this roster already has differences in terms of experience, achievements and personal egos.

What is the potential for Mousesports? They can definitely win FaceIT London Major where they are a Legends team. Let us know what you think of this move in comments below.