Souma Profile Blog Joined May 2010 2nd Worst City in CA 8905 Posts #1

WHAT WENT WRONG? ESL One Katowice 2015WHAT WENT WRONG?











ESL One Katowice 2015 witnessed the breaking of multiple records, the scene's first two-time major champions, and well-regarded point-of-view streams that continue to supply the community with entertainment. It was glorious. It was intense. It was Counter-Strike.



The end of an event, however, especially one of Katowice's scale, typically signals the beginning of a period of reflection. For some teams, there is a lot more to ponder than for others. In our first recap, we take a look at the bottom four teams of the tournament and ask the pivotal question: What went wrong?











FLIPSID3 TACTICS













FlipSid3 Tactics’ abysmal showing in the group stage can be summed up by the number four: the total round wins they earned on two maps. They showed several weaknesses in their short tournament, and it’s difficult to find anything to compliment after such a debacle. The most glaring was the absence of Aleksander “s1mple” Kostylev, and the team’s preparation with their stand-in Vadim “DavCost” Vasilyev was not satisfactory to fill his shoes. That may have contributed to their lack of communication and strategy, but there can be no excuses; FlipSid3’s last place looked entirely deserved.







During their match against Natus Vincere, their miscoordination led them into slaughters as they walked into very easy shots one by one. They rarely adjusted their strategy on the Terrorist side and tried to rush Na’Vi without discretion, stubbornly sticking to the same plan even as their opponents reorganized. Vlаdуslаv “bondik” Nеchуроrchuk claimed some great kills during their CT-side pistol round, yet their aim came up short throughout most of the game. The decision to let Mirage, arguably Na`Vi’s best map, through the veto phase was questionable from the beginning, and FlipSid3 paid dearly for the choice. FlipSid3 Tactics’ abysmal showing in the group stage can be summed up by the number four: the total round wins they earned on two maps. They showed several weaknesses in their short tournament, and it’s difficult to find anything to compliment after such a debacle. The most glaring was the absence ofAleksander “s1mple” Kostylev, and the team’s preparation with their stand-inVadim “DavCost” Vasilyev was not satisfactory to fill his shoes. That may have contributed to their lack of communication and strategy, but there can be no excuses; FlipSid3’s last place looked entirely deserved.During their match againstNatus Vincere, their miscoordination led them into slaughters as they walked into very easy shots one by one. They rarely adjusted their strategy on the Terrorist side and tried to rush Na’Vi without discretion, stubbornly sticking to the same plan even as their opponents reorganized.Vlаdуslаv “bondik” Nеchуроrchuk claimed some great kills during their CT-side pistol round, yet their aim came up short throughout most of the game. The decision to let Mirage, arguably Na`Vi’s best map, through the veto phase was questionable from the beginning, and FlipSid3 paid dearly for the choice.

Their tactical rigidity was once again their bane on Cache as the team continued to use confounding strategies. In the third round, Justin “jks” Savage defended the B bombsite by himself against three F3 members. Even when they provided decent smokes, they did not take advantage of the cover to reposition. They also placed themselves in odd locations that did not benefit their strategy nor purpose, and they failed to force their opponents into unfavorable situations. For most of the first half, Azad “topguN” Orami occupied the same spot in site A, but F3 neglected to adapt and push topguN to take riskier cover. Overall, the team did not utilize their grenades effectively in their games and lacked the composure to capitalize on their advantages.



"It was painful to watch, wasn't it? Now imagine how we feel right now." — Yegor "markeloff" Markelov



Andrey “Blad3” Gorodensky commented that teamwork was one of their strengths, but their performance left many doubts regarding that assertion. The scoreline and overall team effort were uncharacteristic of a team of F3’s caliber and there is much to work on after this tournament. While the unfortunate absence of s1mple did not help, the team should have found a way to play to their strengths regardless. The ability to overcome adversity is an important trait for any would-be champion, and FlipSid3’s dry strategies and disorganization cannot be blamed purely on the absence of their star.



Written by Akasha Their tactical rigidity was once again their bane on Cache as the team continued to use confounding strategies. In the third round,Justin “jks” Savage defended the B bombsite by himself against three F3 members. Even when they provided decent smokes, they did not take advantage of the cover to reposition. They also placed themselves in odd locations that did not benefit their strategy nor purpose, and they failed to force their opponents into unfavorable situations. For most of the first half,Azad “topguN” Orami occupied the same spot in site A, but F3 neglected to adapt and push topguN to take riskier cover. Overall, the team did not utilize their grenades effectively in their games and lacked the composure to capitalize on their advantages.Andrey “Blad3” Gorodensky commented that teamwork was one of their strengths, but their performance left many doubts regarding that assertion. The scoreline and overall team effort were uncharacteristic of a team of F3’s caliber and there is much to work on after this tournament. While the unfortunate absence of s1mple did not help, the team should have found a way to play to their strengths regardless. The ability to overcome adversity is an important trait for any would-be champion, and FlipSid3’s dry strategies and disorganization cannot be blamed purely on the absence of their star.







































TITAN







Though they cooled off after their hot streak during late 2014, Titan remained a formidable team in the European scene. After a few upsets in online leagues leading up to ESL One Katowice and top-two performances at ASUS ROG and IOS Pantamera, Titan was poised for a strong performance on LAN; however, the Frenchmen were quickly pushed aside, and in-game leader Kévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans experienced his shocking third straight elimination during a major's group phase as Titan bottomed Group B.



Their troubles began with the map selection. In an unexpected turn of events, the widely unpopular map, Cobblestone, was randomly selected to be the map in their match against French rivals Team EnVyUs. Titan’s inexperience on the map showed as poor map control and executions on their Terrorist side supplied nV ample opportunity to scout and seamlessly rotate. In addition, indecision allowed Richard “shox” Papillon and Vincent “Happy” Cervoni to secure clean picks that acquired their team some leeway with their aggressive plays. Titan was pressed to make things happen on their Counter-Terrorist side, and so they did until missed shots—including crucial misses from Kenny “kennyS” Schrub during the final two rounds—eventually curbed the ill-fated comeback. Much unlike the usual Titan, Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez found himself topping the scoreboard for his team, while Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, a player who Titan absolutely needed to perform, came in last with a negative score of 17-23. Thus began Titan’s journey down the slippery slope after a devastating 14-16 defeat. "That was the worst moment of my career so far... It's hard to be optimistic." — Dan "apEX" Madesclaire



Squared off against PENTA Sports in their elimination match, Titan yet again started with the odds stacked against them. Cache, arguably PENTA’s best map, was somehow left on the table. Despite this disadvantage, Titan has always had a penchant for fighting uphill battles. Yet as the rounds ticked away, it became apparent that this was just too steep a climb. KennyS continued his slide and was unable to handle the pressure. His AWP shots rarely connected, his aim with the Tec-9 was subpar, and he ended the match with an abysmal 0.77 kills-to-death ratio. However, Kenny was not the sole point of failure; the entire Titan team floundered on the grand stage. Despite strong entry frags and good pick offs, Titan never carried the momentum within rounds. Failures to capitalize on early kills led to consistent pressure plays from PENTA who simply played their hearts out. Titan’s misery was compounded by Kevin “kRYSTAL” Amend’s AWPing and Denis “denis” Howell’s incredible 28 kills in only 20 rounds, hinting that Titan may never have had a chance to begin with—at least not on Cache—as the French squad found themselves crushed 4-16.



A question Ex6TenZ will need to ask himself is whether his results in his last three major appearances are the consequence of an unfortunate coincidence or if his leadership will require some long and deep introspection to recover (all signs point to the latter). Ex6TenZ has proven before that he has the mind to rival the best, but something is direly lacking. apEX’s poor performance dealt a fatal blow to the team as he bottom fragged in both matches. He definitely has the skill and has displayed it on the big stage before, but the elusive entry fragger may be experiencing a mental hurdle. Whatever the case, Titan is back to the drawing board, as there is not a single facet of their game that does not need improvement.



Written by peanuts Though they cooled off after their hot streak during late 2014,Titan remained a formidable team in the European scene. After a few upsets in online leagues leading up to ESL One Katowice and top-two performances at ASUS ROG and IOS Pantamera, Titan was poised for a strong performance on LAN; however, the Frenchmen were quickly pushed aside, and in-game leaderKévin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans experienced his shocking third straight elimination during a major's group phase as Titan bottomed Group B.Their troubles began with the map selection. In an unexpected turn of events, the widely unpopular map, Cobblestone, was randomly selected to be the map in their match against French rivalsTeam EnVyUs. Titan’s inexperience on the map showed as poor map control and executions on their Terrorist side supplied nV ample opportunity to scout and seamlessly rotate. In addition, indecision allowedRichard “shox” Papillon andVincent “Happy” Cervoni to secure clean picks that acquired their team some leeway with their aggressive plays. Titan was pressed to make things happen on their Counter-Terrorist side, and so they did until missed shots—including crucial misses fromKenny “kennyS” Schrub during the final two rounds—eventually curbed the ill-fated comeback. Much unlike the usual Titan,Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez found himself topping the scoreboard for his team, whileDan “apEX” Madesclaire, a player who Titan absolutely needed to perform, came in last with a negative score of 17-23. Thus began Titan’s journey down the slippery slope after a devastating 14-16 defeat.Squared off againstPENTA Sports in their elimination match, Titan yet again started with the odds stacked against them. Cache, arguably PENTA’s best map, was somehow left on the table. Despite this disadvantage, Titan has always had a penchant for fighting uphill battles. Yet as the rounds ticked away, it became apparent that this was just too steep a climb. KennyS continued his slide and was unable to handle the pressure. His AWP shots rarely connected, his aim with the Tec-9 was subpar, and he ended the match with an abysmal 0.77 kills-to-death ratio. However, Kenny was not the sole point of failure; the entire Titan team floundered on the grand stage. Despite strong entry frags and good pick offs, Titan never carried the momentum within rounds. Failures to capitalize on early kills led to consistent pressure plays from PENTA who simply played their hearts out. Titan’s misery was compounded byKevin “kRYSTAL” Amend’s AWPing andDenis “denis” Howell’s incredible 28 kills in only 20 rounds, hinting that Titan may never have had a chance to begin with—at least not on Cache—as the French squad found themselves crushed 4-16.A question Ex6TenZ will need to ask himself is whether his results in his last three major appearances are the consequence of an unfortunate coincidence or if his leadership will require some long and deep introspection to recover (all signs point to the latter). Ex6TenZ has proven before that he has the mind to rival the best, but something is direly lacking. apEX’s poor performance dealt a fatal blow to the team as he bottom fragged in both matches. He definitely has the skill and has displayed it on the big stage before, but the elusive entry fragger may be experiencing a mental hurdle. Whatever the case, Titan is back to the drawing board, as there is not a single facet of their game that does not need improvement.



















HELLRAISERS













HellRaisers came into this major on shaky ground. With a roster shuffle and the loss of their coach, it isn’t much of a surprise that Kirill “ANGE1” Karasiow’s CIS side failed to produce any strong results this time around. While they have been traditionally known for causing upsets against top-tier teams, it was unfortunately HellRaisers themselves who got upset by the invading teams from the Americas. Up against Counter Logic Gaming on Nuke and Keyd Stars on Inferno, HellRaisers simply didn’t live up to their name. As mentioned in the preview for Katowice HellRaisers came into this major on shaky ground. With a roster shuffle and the loss of their coach, it isn’t much of a surprise thatKirill “ANGE1” Karasiow’s CIS side failed to produce any strong results this time around. While they have been traditionally known for causing upsets against top-tier teams, it was unfortunately HellRaisers themselves who got upset by the invading teams from the Americas. Up againstCounter Logic Gaming on Nuke andKeyd Stars on Inferno, HellRaisers simply didn’t live up to their name.









The CIS team’s first game against the North American squad of CLG started off well, winning the pistol and carrying the momentum forward to a 13-2 half. For all intents and purposes, this was a fantastic CT side, but once you scratch the surface one can start to unravel HellRaiser’s weaknesses quickly. Though the final scoreline for the half was 13-2, it has to be noted that after they lost their first round to bring the score to 11-1, they had to immediately eco. What this essentially means is that CLG was on the brink of dismantling HellRaisers’ economy almost every round, and the strong CT half can be attributed to individual clutch play, rather than an overarching sturdy defense.



"Firstly we are sorry for playing terribly. You trusted, and we failed... I'll make some conclusions considering my own mistakes, players' mistakes and we will fix them." — Kiril "ANGE1" Karasiow



This is important to note, because it brings to light HellRaisers’ biggest strength: Their individual firepower. However, with it comes their biggest weakness, namely their consistency. This results in explosive individual plays that can allow them to clutch rounds that not many other teams can, but it also causes them to lose games that they should never lose simply because not enough players are on form. With no tactics or strategy to fall back on, the team crumbles and folds in on itself. This is a critical point because although they had a decent CT side on Inferno, going 10-5 against Brazilians Keyd Stars, if Mihail “Dosia” Stolyarov or Egor “flamie” Vasilyev are unable to play lights out and secure frags left and right, they end up dead in the water on their Terrorist side. As such, they only managed a total of two rounds as Terrorists against Keyd and consequently dropped the match—and their hopes—with a 12-16 score.



ANGE1 seems to have been hit the hardest in this drought, barely cracking a 1.0 KDR on CT-side Nuke and ending the match with a score of 12-24. He needs to truly consider what the goal of his team is and whether he wants to double down on the HellRaisers name or pivot and start preparing better and utilizing these strong players the right way. Another player who had a rollercoaster of an event is Emil “kucher” Akhundov, who top fragged on Nuke but subsequently went into the Keyd Stars game and bombed out at the bottom. Having to pick up the AWP again after the departure of Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev, he has continually struggled to find his footing since. With a disappointing end to this major, HellRaisers should take the time now to truly analyze what went wrong and what changes should be made, whether it be further roster changes with flamie refusing to re-sign with the team, refining roles and tactics from within, or both.



Written by Wunder The CIS team’s first game against the North American squad of CLG started off well, winning the pistol and carrying the momentum forward to a 13-2 half. For all intents and purposes, this was a fantastic CT side, but once you scratch the surface one can start to unravel HellRaiser’s weaknesses quickly. Though the final scoreline for the half was 13-2, it has to be noted that after they lost their first round to bring the score to 11-1, they had to immediately eco. What this essentially means is that CLG was on the brink of dismantling HellRaisers’ economy almost every round, and the strong CT half can be attributed to individual clutch play, rather than an overarching sturdy defense.This is important to note, because it brings to light HellRaisers’ biggest strength: Their individual firepower. However, with it comes their biggest weakness, namely their consistency. This results in explosive individual plays that can allow them to clutch rounds that not many other teams can, but it also causes them to lose games that they should never lose simply because not enough players are on form. With no tactics or strategy to fall back on, the team crumbles and folds in on itself. This is a critical point because although they had a decent CT side on Inferno, going 10-5 against Brazilians Keyd Stars, ifMihail “Dosia” Stolyarov orEgor “flamie” Vasilyev are unable to play lights out and secure frags left and right, they end up dead in the water on their Terrorist side. As such, they only managed a total of two rounds as Terrorists against Keyd and consequently dropped the match—and their hopes—with a 12-16 score.ANGE1 seems to have been hit the hardest in this drought, barely cracking a 1.0 KDR on CT-side Nuke and ending the match with a score of 12-24. He needs to truly consider what the goal of his team is and whether he wants to double down on the HellRaisers name or pivot and start preparing better and utilizing these strong players the right way. Another player who had a rollercoaster of an event isEmil “kucher” Akhundov, who top fragged on Nuke but subsequently went into the Keyd Stars game and bombed out at the bottom. Having to pick up the AWP again after the departure ofAlexander “s1mple” Kostylev, he has continually struggled to find his footing since. With a disappointing end to this major, HellRaisers should take the time now to truly analyze what went wrong and what changes should be made, whether it be further roster changes with flamie refusing to re-sign with the team, refining roles and tactics from within, or both.























































3DMAX







Finnish squad 3DMAX fell short in their group at ESL One Katowice 2015. Expectations were set lower due to the loss of star AWPer Aleksi “allu” Jalli to Ninjas in Pyjamas, but the team pulled themselves together to try and make a good showing. Unfortunately, after being drawn into the toughest group alongside Virtus.pro, Team Solomid and Cloud9, they inevitably lost to VP 5-16 and TSM 10-16. "Bad performance from us, but it was good experience. Time to chill and aim for the future." — Mikko "xartE" Välimaa



Taneli “disturbed” Veikkola and Jesse “KHRN” Grandell were swift enough to break into a site and plant the bomb during several rounds, but their biggest downfall as a team was their inability to hold the site and stop the retake. On several occasions, 3DMAX tried to set up positions to cover all areas of concern for a retake on the A site, but overaggressive peeking and poor communication eventually cost them precious points. It snowballed throughout the whole half; even though 3DMAX had an even or higher man count, the remaining team members would make one mistake and lose the round. Up against fan favorites Virtus.pro on Overpass, 3DMAX looked plainly outclassed as they were repeatedly stopped at long A with an AWP or cornered in construction. The Finnish squad struggled throughout the whole match and only managed to squeak a few close wins by out-aiming their opponent. 3DMAX’s Terrorist side was more impressive on Nuke.Taneli “disturbed” Veikkola andJesse “KHRN” Grandell were swift enough to break into a site and plant the bomb during several rounds, but their biggest downfall as a team was their inability to hold the site and stop the retake. On several occasions, 3DMAX tried to set up positions to cover all areas of concern for a retake on the A site, but overaggressive peeking and poor communication eventually cost them precious points. It snowballed throughout the whole half; even though 3DMAX had an even or higher man count, the remaining team members would make one mistake and lose the round.

Their Counter-Terrorist side showed a little bit more promise against TSM on Nuke, naturally. They handled two-pronged attacks and all-out rushes well. The team set the pace with Mikko “xartE” Valimaa’s incredibly consistent aim and Tom “stonde” Glad’s AWP picks grabbing the man advantage. Despite their efforts, the team was unable to recover from their T-side deficit and five rounds were enough for TSM to snag the victory at 16-10. Their lack of momentum was an issue in their earlier match against Virtus.pro as well. They were picked apart and quickly dismantled as they struggled to fight back, purely out-skilled by the Poles. With only three round wins on their Terrorist half, their CT side came to an abrupt end after a 2-4 score.



Even though expectations were tempered for the team entering Katowice, 3DMAX’s performance was still a disappointment. However, this experience should provide them with the information necessary to come back stronger at their next LAN. They looked uncertain on Overpass, and their captain Joona “natu” Leppanen needs to brainstorm more strategies. They looked unprepared on the map and could not slow down VP’s dominance on the Terrorist side. They looked much better on Nuke, but their over-aggressive mentality cost them the game. The players peeked when they should have waited for their opponents to gamble and make a mistake. However, the Finnish team should not beat themselves up over their losses because their deficiencies are easily rectifiable. If they can use this tournament as a learning experience, we should see them continue to improve their rank in Europe’s hierarchy.



Written by climax Their Counter-Terrorist side showed a little bit more promise against TSM on Nuke, naturally. They handled two-pronged attacks and all-out rushes well. The team set the pace withMikko “xartE” Valimaa’s incredibly consistent aim andTom “stonde” Glad’s AWP picks grabbing the man advantage. Despite their efforts, the team was unable to recover from their T-side deficit and five rounds were enough for TSM to snag the victory at 16-10. Their lack of momentum was an issue in their earlier match against Virtus.pro as well. They were picked apart and quickly dismantled as they struggled to fight back, purely out-skilled by the Poles. With only three round wins on their Terrorist half, their CT side came to an abrupt end after a 2-4 score.Even though expectations were tempered for the team entering Katowice, 3DMAX’s performance was still a disappointment. However, this experience should provide them with the information necessary to come back stronger at their next LAN. They looked uncertain on Overpass, and their captainJoona “natu” Leppanen needs to brainstorm more strategies. They looked unprepared on the map and could not slow down VP’s dominance on the Terrorist side. They looked much better on Nuke, but their over-aggressive mentality cost them the game. The players peeked when they should have waited for their opponents to gamble and make a mistake. However, the Finnish team should not beat themselves up over their losses because their deficiencies are easily rectifiable. If they can use this tournament as a learning experience, we should see them continue to improve their rank in Europe’s hierarchy.

Finnish squad3DMAX fell short in their group at ESL One Katowice 2015. Expectations were set lower due to the loss of star AWPerAleksi “allu” Jalli toNinjas in Pyjamas, but the team pulled themselves together to try and make a good showing. Unfortunately, after being drawn into the toughest group alongsideVirtus.pro,Team Solomid andCloud9, they inevitably lost to VP 5-16 and TSM 10-16. Writer