In competition, we are not only defined by what we do, but by the rivals we play against. NiP had VeryGames and they pushed NiP to the very limits before finally overtaking them. Fnatic had LDLC/EnVyUs and later on TSM. Among the great teams, there is a special kinship and relationship that forms between those who battle for the heights of the world. Among the various squads that have battled for the top, there is one rivalry in particular that ended up defining the Luminosity Squad. Their battle against Fnatic from the end of 2015 to early 2016 forged them to become the legendary lineup that won the Majors. In the modern day, that relationship may be repeating as Liquid continue to challenge Astralis for the top of CS:GO.

Before Luminosity and the Brazilians took over the world, they were a team on the rise. At the FACEIT Stage 3 Finals in the dying days of November 2015, they made a change in their lineup as they added Epitacio “TACO” de Melo and Lincoln “fnx” Lau. With the core of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, Marcelo “coldzera” David, and Fernando “fer” Alvarenga, they were to make their international debut. In their first map ever, they played against Fnatic. The Fnatic lineup of that time was: Olof “olofmeister” Kajbjer, Dennis “dennis” Edman, Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson, Jesper “JW” Wecksell, and Robin “flusha” Ronnquist.

LG went 0-16 on Dust2 against Fnatic. However, they were able to make it back through the tournament and challenge them again in the finals where they eventually lost 1-2. For Luminosity, that was the tournament that changed everything. It propelled them from a top 10 team to a world contender. TACO became the fourth core member of the squad. FalleN came to a revelation as he changed his style of in-game leading based on what had happened at that tournament. Finally, it also forced Luminosity Gaming to fight against a rival that continually beat them in the early stages of their formation.

The two teams played twice more. Once in the semifinals of StarLadder i-League XIV where Fnatic were just barely able to close it out 2-1. The third map of that game was on inferno where Fnatic managed to eke out the victory 16-14. The third time they played was in the IEM Katowice finals of 2016. It was a bo5 series where Fnatic won 3-0, but two of the three maps went into overtime. What was especially notable at the time was that Luminosity went 12-3 on the CT-side of Overpass in the first half and Fnatic made an impossible comeback to force overtime and then win the map.

In retrospect, I believe that the one-sided rivalry between Luminosity and Fnatic at that time shaped the Brazilians into what they’d eventually become. While the only tangible effect was Fnatic scaring them off of playing Dust2 for months, I think the games themselves gave a challenge to the Brazilians that they had never faced. Luminosity had multiple advantages against Fnatic in the head-to-head. They had a better AWPer, better tactics, and a much more consistent style. Despite those advantages, they were unable to beat that Fnatic squad during that time period. There are some reasons we can point to. Many of the Fnatic players, particularly olofmeister were in incredible individual form. Their teamplay was instinctual and they still had a hangover effect from having Markus “pronax” Wallsten being their in-game leader. So they still had some of the tactics and structure that was leftover from his time as the in-game leader.

More than anything else though, they were clutch. That Fnatic won six LANs in a row during that time period, but nearly all of them were off the back of heroic individual and team plays. The community started to call them Sith Lords not only because of their own status as villains in the scene, but also because of how their games often gave hope to their opponents before inexplicably snuffing it out. This was a squad that had complete confidence in winning any map regardless of what the scoreline, money situation, or momentum was like.

That was the challenge that Luminosity had to face. It was one where it was uncertain that they could break through at the time. Luminosity had also lost the finals to Na`Vi at DreamHack Leipzig and for a brief period of time that no one remembers, they looked to be one of those potential silver surfer teams that racked up second places instead of golden medals. All of that changed when they won the MLG Columbus Major as both Fnatic and Na`Vi collapsed at the event due to player injuries.

By winning the Major, Luminosity crowned themselves the best team in the world, but the question still lingered. What would have happened if Olofmeister or Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovacs hadn’t been injured. What would have happened if they had met at the peak of their powers. Those hypothetical matchups never happened, but what we can say is that the Brazilian players eventually became an even greater force than that particular Fnatic lineup. Not only did they have all of the advantages that I spoke of before, but they also emulated the incredible clutch and composure that had characterized Fnatic. Whether through confrontation or osmosis, I believe that Luminosity did learn some critical lessons in those losses against Fnatic early on and took those lessons to eventually be renowned as the clutchest team in CS:GO history through their various iterations.

In the modern age, I believe that there is a rivalry that mirrors this one through nine of the ten players are different. Astralis and Team Liquid have played against each other throughout all of 2018. The Astralis lineup of: Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz, Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen, Andreas “Xyp9x” Hojsleth, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander, and Emil “Magisk” Reif have created the Age of Astralis. They have dominated the circuit with seven tournament victories over half an year. One of those titles has been the Major and this team’s level of consistency has been incredible.

Through all of those runs, the team they have played the most has been Liquid. The roster of: TACO, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella, Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski, Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken, and Keith “NAF” Markovic have played Astralis the most of any team on LAN. They have played at:

DreamHack Marseille Group stages 1 bo3

2x ESL Proleague Finals – 1 bo3 in groups, 1 bo5 finals

2x ECS Season 5 Finals – 1 bo1 in groups, 1 bo3 finals

2x ELeague Premier 2018 – 1 bo3 in groups, 1 bo3 finals

2x FACEIT Major London – 1 bo1 in groups, 1 bo3 in semifinals

IEM Chicago – 1 bo5 finals

In total the two teams have faced each other for a total of ten times if you include the bo1 games. They have played each other for a total of eight times if you only include the bo3+ series. Among those, they have faced each other in the finals four times. Outside of the one bo1 victory in the group stages at the Major, Liquid have lost every single encounter.

In many ways, Liquid’s eternal struggle against Astralis is starting to define who they are in a similar way that Luminosity struggle against Fnatic came to define them. Liquid as a team is the best lineup that NA has ever produced. They have incredible skill across the board, a dynamic five rifle setup, and a tactical structure that enables their players across the board. However when compared to Astralis, they have similar, but lesser strengths. Astralis can run the rifle setup as well, but dev1ce is also the best AWPer in the game. Nitr0 has acquitted himself well to the role of in-game leader, but gla1ve is the best tactical leader the game has ever seen. TACO has proven himself multiple times over as a great role player, but Xyp9x is the greatest support player in CS:GO history.

Perhaps that is the biggest difference between the Fnatic/Luminosity dynamic and the Astralis/Liquid dynamic. In the case of Fnatic/Luminosity, they had some asymmetrical strengths that they could play into. Astralis have similar strengths to Liquid except better. On top of that, the Fnatic that Luminosity played against collapsed within months after Olofmeister was injured and was arguably starting to run on fumes even before he left. This Astralis lineup is in the midst of extending their era and creating one of the greatest runs in CS:GO history.

That makes it all the harder for Liquid to get the better of Astralis. On top of that, Liquid like that early form of Luminosity hasn’t been able to get over the hump of becoming champions. Luminosity were unable to do it until they broke through at the MLG Columbus Major. Liquid have yet to do it, even in tournaments where Astralis weren’t in attendance.

So when I look at the two situations, I wonder how exactly Astralis is going to end up defining Liquid as a team going forward. I believe that it is the challenges competitors face and how they try to overcome them that ends up defining the future history of teams and players. Luminosity forged themselves to become champions, winners, and created one of the clutchest core of players we’ve ever seen in CS:GO history. We are now in the midst of Liquid’s eternal battle against Astralis. The question for them is how will they let this define them? Will they be broken by Astralis or will the continued attempts to take down Astralis forge them into Champions? After all, Astralis a few years ago was in the exact same position that Liquid is right now. They tried and failed multiple times to break through only to fail. However each time, they picked it back up and tried again. For Liquid, this is their crucible. The gauntlet of pressure that can either break them or make them the champions of tomorrow.

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