amazingxkcd Profile Blog Joined September 2010 GRAND OLD AMERICA 15736 Posts Last Edited: 2016-08-24 21:00:17 #1







EnVyUs & FaZe: Ending the fall



While these two teams should not struggle to make it back to the circle of sixteen, they will still have to tread carefully in this qualifier. It’s more stacked than ever and nearly every match is a dangerous fight against bloodthirsty underdogs.



If anything, it’s especially EnVyUs that should really focus on getting back in shape. The recent months have been rather quiet and underwhelming for the boys in blue, with DreamHack Malmö being their sole LAN appearance and noteworthy result. Aside from that, their only official matches were in the ESL Pro League and in the ECS League, and they struggled quite mightily in both. With a 3-5 score in series in the ECS, and not a single map won in the ESL Pro League, their record is bleak as both league wrapped up the online portion.



Not making it to the ESL Pro League Finals, and barely missing the offline playoffs that determined the last two european spots for the ECS finals, EnVyUs kept on tanking their ranking. Hence it is important that they exercise great caution to not falter at these qualifiers if they want to retain at least some of their reputation as a top team. Otherwise, it would be another step missed, and an even further down fall for the not so long ago great Frenchmen.



The story of FaZe in the past months is pretty much the exact opposite of EnVy’s one. Like EnVy, their only LAN was in Malmö, but they crashed really hard in the group stage, going down 0-2 at the hand of VP and EnVy. At least, they bounced back in the following weeks with decent online showings in the Pro League, for a 7-3 combined score including wins against Fnatic and EnVy, and in the ECS with an average 5-5 series score, but with wins against Fnatic and G2. They also notably traded blows with Ninjas in Pyjamas, including a monstrous 59 rounds game that went the Ninja’s way in the end. If FaZe doesn’t look yet like a top tier contender again, at least they are on the right path to slowly but surely ascend, especially with the work of Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström slowly starting to bear fruits.



For longstanding rosters, their results at majors is quite telling of their evolution. Both these teams had it rough recently, and have been degrading from their past form and achievements of late 2015. Failing to advance here would only confirm that the poor results at MLG Columbus, and before, were only the premise of a more long-term fall.



G2: Moving on



Faze and Envy are not the only favorites going into this qualifier. Indeed, there’s another team, no stranger of these qualifiers, that has been on the rise so far in 2016: G2 Esports. The cursed frenchmen that has failed to make it out of group at every single major they attended so far, no matter the lineup. While they looked relatively good Virtus Pro singlehandedly barring them the access. G2 felt that radical changes were needed. After the major they removed Kévin “Ex6tenZ” Droolans, one of the founding players of the Titan lineup. Following the footsteps of their compatriots at EnVyUs, they recruited another talented player from LDLC.White, Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro -- incidentally playing a part in the shutdown of both LDLC teams in the process.



Then, was Ex6tenZ the problem? This new blend delivers in ways they never did before. It’s hard not to be convinced when looking at the record of G2 since the change. Even with a slow start as expected post-roster change, G2 has been getting better and better, week after week. And soon was forgotten the 0-2 result in the groups at Malmö, quickly proceeded by a second place finish to Luminosity at the ESL Pro League Finals; a nail-biting series that went to five games and multiple overtimes. G2 then stringed 4 consecutive 2-0 series wins in the ECS. The victims? Fnatic, Dignitas, VP, and NiP. And just recently, they rampaged through their E-League group, scoring a perfect 8-0. G2 fumbled a bit in the group finals against NiP, losing 0-2 to the Swedes whom they 2-0’ed earlier.



G2 has never looked this good, and they made it to every major of 2015. Even with the format change, they are definitely expected to reach Cologne.



Dignitas: Looking for redemption



Team Dignitas will be hungrier than ever going into this qualifier. With the breakout performances of Markus “Kjærbye” Kjærbye, Dignitas came as a favorite to the MLG Columbus qualifier, and crashed hard in a group that seems all but a lock for them and Gambit to take. Instead, they surprisingly lost to both Renegades and Cloud9. This time, they’ll want to make up for it. They’ve broke down their issues and fixed some key aspects of their teamplay and preparation, especially their flawed and overconfident approach to matchups that favorite them. They’ve hired a coach, Casper “ruggah” Due, to help with the in-game leading and relieve pressure off from Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen. Overall, it looks like this time should be their time.



Except something came up. All of a sudden, their star player was gone. Astralis picked up Kjaerbye, trading René “cajunb” Borg to Dignitas. They lost the fire of the youth and received the veteran outcast. While it may hinder the team, given the little time to work around the roster change, cajunb can still be an anchor for Dignitas on his own. The qualifier will show if there was enough time for Dignitas to prepare and if their efforts will reap dividends.



Mousesports & HellRaisers: The one man armies



The last two teams that will represent Europe have had different stories recently, but still share a common structure: being heavily centered around one star player. HellRaisers boast one of the most promising AWPers of the european subtop, Tomáš “Oskar” Šťastný. Mousesports have one of the best players in the world, Nikola “NiKo” Kovač. One just need to hear the “NiKosports” and “OskarRaisers” memes that are sometimes used to understand that this is how these teams work.



Mousesports has been able to find their way through to the major for a couple of times now, and they’re usually confident coming into this qualifier. (In)famous for their often disappointing LAN performance, failing to replicate online successes, they still showed up at DreamHack Malmö. They reached the playoffs easily, where they lost to GODSENT 1-2. One could notice that for once, NiKo wasn’t carrying mouz alone, but received a welcome helping hand from Johannes “nex” Maget and Timo “Spiidi” Richter. This demonstrates that Mouz is at ease in group stages, especially with Bo1 matches; in longer series, it becomes harder for them to make a difference. Fortunately, the swiss system means they’ll play nothing but Bo1, meaning that NiKo and friends shouldn’t have a hard time to qualify once again.



HellRaisers, on the other hand, has yet to make a major with any of the lineups it sported for over a year now. Last time was Katowice 2015, and only Kirill “ANGE1 “ Karasiow remains from that era. Each of their attempts to qualify have been halted mere inches away. The recent months have been quite indecisive for HellRaisers; one could argue that it’s been the case for a long time now. They did some damage at CEVO Season 9, notably taking down VP, but lost to SK Gaming. Other than that, they’ve played in the minor and the StarLadder i-League Invitational, where they got demolished by VP and Na’Vi. On the bright side, their win of ESEA Premier season 21 granted them a spot in the ESL Pro League. All in all, HellRaisers remains to serve as gatekeepers into the echelon of elite counter-strike. The recent arrival of Vladyslav “bondik” Nеchуроrchuk , replacing Emil “kUcheR” Akhundov, is a definite upgrade. They still have to outperform their EU brethren, and the playing field is quite packed at this qualifier.



Once again, Oskar will have to go big if they want to go past the big guns.

While these two teams should not struggle to make it back to the circle of sixteen, they will still have to tread carefully in this qualifier. It’s more stacked than ever and nearly every match is a dangerous fight against bloodthirsty underdogs.If anything, it’s especiallyEnVyUs that should really focus on getting back in shape. The recent months have been rather quiet and underwhelming for the boys in blue, with DreamHack Malmö being their sole LAN appearance and noteworthy result. Aside from that, their only official matches were in the ESL Pro League and in the ECS League, and they struggled quite mightily in both. With a 3-5 score in series in the ECS, and not a single map won in the ESL Pro League, their record is bleak as both league wrapped up the online portion.Not making it to the ESL Pro League Finals, and barely missing the offline playoffs that determined the last two european spots for the ECS finals, EnVyUs kept on tanking their ranking. Hence it is important that they exercise great caution to not falter at these qualifiers if they want to retain at least some of their reputation as a top team. Otherwise, it would be another step missed, and an even further down fall for the not so long ago great Frenchmen.The story ofFaZe in the past months is pretty much the exact opposite of EnVy’s one. Like EnVy, their only LAN was in Malmö, but they crashed really hard in the group stage, going down 0-2 at the hand of VP and EnVy. At least, they bounced back in the following weeks with decent online showings in the Pro League, for a 7-3 combined score including wins againstFnatic and EnVy, and in the ECS with an average 5-5 series score, but with wins against Fnatic andG2. They also notably traded blows withNinjas in Pyjamas, including a monstrous 59 rounds game that went the Ninja’s way in the end. If FaZe doesn’t look yet like a top tier contender again, at least they are on the right path to slowly but surely ascend, especially with the work ofRobert “RobbaN” Dahlström slowly starting to bear fruits.For longstanding rosters, their results at majors is quite telling of their evolution. Both these teams had it rough recently, and have been degrading from their past form and achievements of late 2015. Failing to advance here would only confirm that the poor results at MLG Columbus, and before, were only the premise of a more long-term fall.Faze and Envy are not the only favorites going into this qualifier. Indeed, there’s another team, no stranger of these qualifiers, that has been on the rise so far in 2016:G2 Esports. The cursed frenchmen that has failed to make it out of group at every single major they attended so far, no matter the lineup. While they looked relatively good going into Columbus , this was not enough as they hit the wall of the playoffs once more;Virtus Pro singlehandedly barring them the access. G2 felt that radical changes were needed. After the major they removedKévin “Ex6tenZ” Droolans, one of the founding players of theTitan lineup. Following the footsteps of their compatriots at EnVyUs, they recruited another talented player fromLDLC.White, Alexandre “bodyy” Pianaro -- incidentally playing a part in the shutdown of both LDLC teams in the process.Then, was Ex6tenZ the problem? This new blend delivers in ways they never did before. It’s hard not to be convinced when looking at the record of G2 since the change. Even with a slow start as expected post-roster change, G2 has been getting better and better, week after week. And soon was forgotten the 0-2 result in the groups at Malmö, quickly proceeded by a second place finish toLuminosity at the ESL Pro League Finals; a nail-biting series that went to five games and multiple overtimes. G2 then stringed 4 consecutive 2-0 series wins in the ECS. The victims?Fnatic,Dignitas,VP, andNiP. And just recently, they rampaged through their E-League group, scoring a perfect 8-0. G2 fumbled a bit in the group finals against NiP, losing 0-2 to the Swedes whom they 2-0’ed earlier.G2 has never looked this good, and they made it to every major of 2015. Even with the format change, they are definitely expected to reach Cologne.Team Dignitas will be hungrier than ever going into this qualifier. With the breakout performances ofMarkus “Kjærbye” Kjærbye, Dignitas came as a favorite to the MLG Columbus qualifier, and crashed hard in a group that seems all but a lock for them and Gambit to take. Instead, they surprisingly lost to bothRenegades andCloud9. This time, they’ll want to make up for it. They’ve broke down their issues and fixed some key aspects of their teamplay and preparation, especially their flawed and overconfident approach to matchups that favorite them. They’ve hired a coach,Casper “ruggah” Due, to help with the in-game leading and relieve pressure off from Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen. Overall, it looks like this time should be their time.Except something came up. All of a sudden, their star player was gone.Astralis picked up Kjaerbye, tradingRené “cajunb” Borg to Dignitas. They lost the fire of the youth and received the veteran outcast. While it may hinder the team, given the little time to work around the roster change, cajunb can still be an anchor for Dignitas on his own. The qualifier will show if there was enough time for Dignitas to prepare and if their efforts will reap dividends.The last two teams that will represent Europe have had different stories recently, but still share a common structure: being heavily centered around one star player.HellRaisers boast one of the most promising AWPers of the european subtop,Tomáš “Oskar” Šťastný.Mousesports have one of the best players in the world,Nikola “NiKo” Kovač. One just need to hear the “NiKosports” and “OskarRaisers” memes that are sometimes used to understand that this is how these teams work.Mousesports has been able to find their way through to the major for a couple of times now, and they’re usually confident coming into this qualifier. (In)famous for their often disappointing LAN performance, failing to replicate online successes, they still showed up at DreamHack Malmö. They reached the playoffs easily, where they lost to GODSENT 1-2. One could notice that for once, NiKo wasn’t carrying mouz alone, but received a welcome helping hand fromJohannes “nex” Maget andTimo “Spiidi” Richter. This demonstrates that Mouz is at ease in group stages, especially with Bo1 matches; in longer series, it becomes harder for them to make a difference. Fortunately, the swiss system means they’ll play nothing but Bo1, meaning that NiKo and friends shouldn’t have a hard time to qualify once again.HellRaisers, on the other hand, has yet to make a major with any of the lineups it sported for over a year now. Last time was Katowice 2015, and onlyKirill “ANGE1 “ Karasiow remains from that era. Each of their attempts to qualify have been halted mere inches away. The recent months have been quite indecisive for HellRaisers; one could argue that it’s been the case for a long time now. They did some damage at CEVO Season 9, notably taking down VP, but lost toSK Gaming. Other than that, they’ve played in the minor and the StarLadder i-League Invitational, where they got demolished by VP andNa’Vi. On the bright side, their win of ESEA Premier season 21 granted them a spot in the ESL Pro League. All in all, HellRaisers remains to serve as gatekeepers into the echelon of elite counter-strike. The recent arrival ofVladyslav “bondik” Nеchуроrchuk , replacingEmil “kUcheR” Akhundov, is a definite upgrade. They still have to outperform their EU brethren, and the playing field is quite packed at this qualifier.Once again, Oskar will have to go big if they want to go past the big guns.

Cloud 9 - Climbing Back to the Top



For years, Cloud9 solidly sat on top of NA CS. From their time as Complexity, n0thing’s squad of Reddit favorites had been the only North American team to consistently take Europe to task. Flashy plays populated Twitter after every match, with C9’s stock rising with each successive top 8 appearance. However, in early 2015, the team began to drop off. Within months, star Lurker Hiko had departed, along with dreamboat SeanGares, sending C9 into a soul-searching tailspin.



Almost a year -- and four players -- later, C9 have finally begun to regain their footing. After a much maligned announcement, the young FPL Stewie2K was brought on board to serve as the team’s primary rifler. For the first few months, worries were confirmed. Stewie was young, brash, reckless, emotional. Rapid tilts put C9 on the backfoot and slipping off the edge. Despite this, management kept the greenhorn talent aboard, backing the team with the addition of Slemmy as IGL and 1.6 star Irukandji as coach.



The structure has worked wonders, with the once great American hopes swinging upward in recent weeks. In ECS, C9 finished with an impressive 8-1 set record, only dropping a single set to MLG champions Luminosity. At Dreamhack Austin, the crowd favorites walked home with a 3rd place finish in their first LAN appearance with Slemmy. Most recently, C9 took second place in their ELeague group, with a dominating 2-0 performance against Team Liquid and a close set against Luminosity.



Immortals - The Next Generation

Recently acquired by Immortals, the former Tempo Storm lineup are more than just young CS talent. These 5 upstarts represent the next generation in turning Brazil into a top tier CS powerhouse for years to come.



Handpicked by Fallen over a year ago, Immortals have been groomed to be monsters of CS. Largely former 1.6 players, they were slow to come onto the GO scene, but since their arrival, it’s been a rapid ascent to the top.



The Brazilians work as a unit, led by twin brothers Hen1 and Lucas1, focusing on 3 or 4 man executes onto site. This constant grouping results in a tradeoff between lessened overall map control and complete domination of the areas that they do move on to. As a result of this, IMT have been forced to develop a style which works with limited information. Unfortunately, keen teams have been able to exploit this herd movement with well timed smokes and flashes to effectively disarm Immortals as they walk into well placed ambushes. In addition, Immortals seem to lack the clutch factor of other top teams. At the MLG Minor, Immortals failed to produce in 1vX situations multiple times.

Despite this weakness, Immortals look promising going into the qualifier. The team have, as a whole, developed a strong game sense and are picking up on ambushes rapidly MLG saw the introduction of more splits into the playbook, allowing the Brazilians to exert greater map control and more easily establish a backup plan. Though they still lack clutch presence, these shortcomings are made up for by their strong team discipline.



OpTic - Finding the Foothold

OpTic is a team comprised by many veterans of North American CS. Cobbled together from the remnants of several T2 teams, OpTic have managed to collate all of the top talent of the middle tier, finding themselves with a roster capable of breaking into the top echelon of NA CS. Until that point, OpTic found themselves sitting at the top of the second tier, dominating their competition. A second place finish at the Americas Minor secured them their spot this weekend, demonstrating that they are among the best that NA has to offer.



Given its reputation as an all-star team, it’s not surprising that each of OpTic’s members are capable of putting up chart topping performances in any given game. Recently, in ECS they clawed their way to a fourth place finish in the North American division, most notably defeating Team Liquid 2-0. Though they fell in their E-League appearance, the American squad put up several strong rounds, with notable performances from Mixwell and Stanislaw.



As OpTic continue to grow, they have begun to address certain weaknesses with T side executes and reading rotations. With this pattern of refinement continuing, OpTic are poised to take their spot firmly in the top tier of North America.



Splyce - The Mayonnaise of CS



They’re good. They’re pretty bland, but they’re ok. The team is filled with a group of talented players who simply need more experience under their belt to become a top competitive team. The past few months have seen Splyce put up some strong performances, but it’s still not enough to guarantee them victories on LAN against T1 teams.

For years,Cloud9 solidly sat on top of NA CS. From their time as Complexity, n0thing’s squad of Reddit favorites had been the only North American team to consistently take Europe to task. Flashy plays populated Twitter after every match, with C9’s stock rising with each successive top 8 appearance. However, in early 2015, the team began to drop off. Within months, star Lurker Hiko had departed, along with dreamboat SeanGares, sending C9 into a soul-searching tailspin.Almost a year -- and four players -- later, C9 have finally begun to regain their footing. After a much maligned announcement, the young FPL Stewie2K was brought on board to serve as the team’s primary rifler. For the first few months, worries were confirmed. Stewie was young, brash, reckless, emotional. Rapid tilts put C9 on the backfoot and slipping off the edge. Despite this, management kept the greenhorn talent aboard, backing the team with the addition of Slemmy as IGL and 1.6 star Irukandji as coach.The structure has worked wonders, with the once great American hopes swinging upward in recent weeks. In ECS, C9 finished with an impressive 8-1 set record, only dropping a single set to MLG champions Luminosity. At Dreamhack Austin, the crowd favorites walked home with a 3rd place finish in their first LAN appearance with Slemmy. Most recently, C9 took second place in their ELeague group, with a dominating 2-0 performance against Team Liquid and a close set against Luminosity.Recently acquired by Immortals, the former Tempo Storm lineup are more than just young CS talent. These 5 upstarts represent the next generation in turning Brazil into a top tier CS powerhouse for years to come.Handpicked by Fallen over a year ago, Immortals have been groomed to be monsters of CS. Largely former 1.6 players, they were slow to come onto the GO scene, but since their arrival, it’s been a rapid ascent to the top.The Brazilians work as a unit, led by twin brothers Hen1 and Lucas1, focusing on 3 or 4 man executes onto site. This constant grouping results in a tradeoff between lessened overall map control and complete domination of the areas that they do move on to. As a result of this, IMT have been forced to develop a style which works with limited information. Unfortunately, keen teams have been able to exploit this herd movement with well timed smokes and flashes to effectively disarm Immortals as they walk into well placed ambushes. In addition, Immortals seem to lack the clutch factor of other top teams. At the MLG Minor, Immortals failed to produce in 1vX situations multiple times.Despite this weakness, Immortals look promising going into the qualifier. The team have, as a whole, developed a strong game sense and are picking up on ambushes rapidly MLG saw the introduction of more splits into the playbook, allowing the Brazilians to exert greater map control and more easily establish a backup plan. Though they still lack clutch presence, these shortcomings are made up for by their strong team discipline.OpTic is a team comprised by many veterans of North American CS. Cobbled together from the remnants of several T2 teams, OpTic have managed to collate all of the top talent of the middle tier, finding themselves with a roster capable of breaking into the top echelon of NA CS. Until that point, OpTic found themselves sitting at the top of the second tier, dominating their competition. A second place finish at the Americas Minor secured them their spot this weekend, demonstrating that they are among the best that NA has to offer.Given its reputation as an all-star team, it’s not surprising that each of OpTic’s members are capable of putting up chart topping performances in any given game. Recently, in ECS they clawed their way to a fourth place finish in the North American division, most notably defeating Team Liquid 2-0. Though they fell in their E-League appearance, the American squad put up several strong rounds, with notable performances from Mixwell and Stanislaw.As OpTic continue to grow, they have begun to address certain weaknesses with T side executes and reading rotations. With this pattern of refinement continuing, OpTic are poised to take their spot firmly in the top tier of North America.They’re good. They’re pretty bland, but they’re ok. The team is filled with a group of talented players who simply need more experience under their belt to become a top competitive team. The past few months have seen Splyce put up some strong performances, but it’s still not enough to guarantee them victories on LAN against T1 teams.

Beasts from the East



Tyloo hasn’t played against Western teams since April; due to visa snafus, they missed out on an opportunity to play in E-League. However, one cannot forget their performance at Dreamhack Malmo winning 2 - 1 against Luminosity. Against Na’VI they would do very well in the all important pistol rounds but then falter in the rifle rounds. Despite this, Tyloo are a team that could challenge their western counterparts..



Individually, Tyloo have very skilled players. Ke “Mo” Liu, when he doesn’t have an awp,is a very consistent rifler. He always tops the scoreboard regardless of how well the map is going. He’s also considered one of the best awper in the region. Another big fragger is HaoWen “somebody” Xu whom has been steadily improving every match. Overall, the team has great teamwork and are very patient with scouting out their opponents for information. They also have great eco strategies.



Tyloo certainly has their weaknesses. Their poor economy management tops that list. They always forcebuy whenever they can, even if it does not make economical sense. These weak buys doesn’t allow them to use their minimal amount of grenades effectively. Their opponents can easily predict what firepower Tyloo will have. Coupled with passive play, the Chinese team does not adjust well to aggressive teams.



Against G2, Tyloo will have to quite the challenge with a team that is rapidly gaining their footing. Tyloo is certainly at a disadvantage with the amount of matches played on each map. They will need to avoid Train and be cautious of Nuke which they currently have the least amount of playtime on and a losing record. Their strongest maps are Mirage and Cache which G2 have middling success on. However, if they can play Cobblestone and make adjustments to their force buy strategy they may eke out a win.



Even if they lose against G2, they do have a solid map pool to work with against other teams. They will need to rely more on their T side and use that momentum in order to clinch a map. If Tyloo are placed on the CT side it can easily go out of Tyloo’s control.



Fury from Down Under



As of 2016, Renegades have had a very poor showing in international tournaments. They lose against teams that on paper they should beat and placed second in their region’s minor championships. In E-League, they managed to mentally break Liquid and got swept by C9 to finish third in their group.



Renegades is way more of a momentum-driven team compared to others. If the rounds are going in their favor, very little can stop them. However,when the match is slipping out of their control, they are unable to adjust and carry out adjustments.



Justin “jks” Savage has been performing well in his last 5 maps. However, he cannot carry Yaman “yam” Ergeneko nor Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill. Even when they do get kills, it’s not for the rounds that matter. The team itself have some depth but haven’t really shown it.



Against Flipsid3, Renegades have a very shallow map pool against them. Their worst maps are Train, Overpass and Dust2 plus they have not played any official matches on Nuke. Flipsid3’s worst map by far would be Dust2 which they can easily just ban along with Renegade’s best map of Cobblestone.



Compared to their other pool mates, Splyce are coming in with the worst map pool with having a losing record on all but Mirage and Dust2. :ru:Team Empire have had very little international tournament experience which could play to Renegades advantage however, there isn’t nearly as much resources on the Russian team. Renegades have as much of a chance getting through as Splyce does especially with the likes of EnVyUS and Immortals.



Tyloo hasn’t played against Western teams since April; due to visa snafus, they missed out on an opportunity to play in E-League. However, one cannot forget their performance at Dreamhack Malmo winning 2 - 1 againstLuminosity. Against Na’VI they would do very well in the all important pistol rounds but then falter in the rifle rounds. Despite this, Tyloo are a team that could challenge their western counterparts..Individually, Tyloo have very skilled players.Ke “Mo” Liu, when he doesn’t have an awp,is a very consistent rifler. He always tops the scoreboard regardless of how well the map is going. He’s also considered one of the best awper in the region. Another big fragger isHaoWen “somebody” Xu whom has been steadily improving every match. Overall, the team has great teamwork and are very patient with scouting out their opponents for information. They also have great eco strategies.Tyloo certainly has their weaknesses. Their poor economy management tops that list. They always forcebuy whenever they can, even if it does not make economical sense. These weak buys doesn’t allow them to use their minimal amount of grenades effectively. Their opponents can easily predict what firepower Tyloo will have. Coupled with passive play, the Chinese team does not adjust well to aggressive teams.AgainstG2, Tyloo will have to quite the challenge with a team that is rapidly gaining their footing. Tyloo is certainly at a disadvantage with the amount of matches played on each map. They will need to avoid Train and be cautious of Nuke which they currently have the least amount of playtime on and a losing record. Their strongest maps are Mirage and Cache which G2 have middling success on. However, if they can play Cobblestone and make adjustments to their force buy strategy they may eke out a win.Even if they lose against G2, they do have a solid map pool to work with against other teams. They will need to rely more on their T side and use that momentum in order to clinch a map. If Tyloo are placed on the CT side it can easily go out of Tyloo’s control.As of 2016,Renegades have had a very poor showing in international tournaments. They lose against teams that on paper they should beat and placed second in their region’s minor championships. In E-League, they managed to mentally break Liquid and got swept by C9 to finish third in their group.Renegades is way more of a momentum-driven team compared to others. If the rounds are going in their favor, very little can stop them. However,when the match is slipping out of their control, they are unable to adjust and carry out adjustments.Justin “jks” Savage has been performing well in his last 5 maps. However, he cannot carryYaman “yam” Ergeneko norChad “SPUNJ” Burchill. Even when they do get kills, it’s not for the rounds that matter. The team itself have some depth but haven’t really shown it.AgainstFlipsid3, Renegades have a very shallow map pool against them. Their worst maps are Train, Overpass and Dust2 plus they have not played any official matches on Nuke. Flipsid3’s worst map by far would be Dust2 which they can easily just ban along with Renegade’s best map of Cobblestone.Compared to their other pool mates,Splyce are coming in with the worst map pool with having a losing record on all but Mirage and Dust2. :ru:Team Empire have had very little international tournament experience which could play to Renegades advantage however, there isn’t nearly as much resources on the Russian team. Renegades have as much of a chance getting through as Splyce does especially with the likes ofEnVyUS andImmortals.

Swiss Cheese and Vodka

The period post-Columbus has been a tumultuous time for Counter-Strike; multiple roster changes by multiple teams, legal dramas, and more.



Overshadowed by all the recent news & events, ESL One Cologne has slowly been encroaching upon us. The Major qualifiers for Cologne 2016 are this week! And there’s a new format! Swiss format, what’s that? Wait a minute, this isn’t fair to the European teams! How are teams supposed to counter-strat? But but but, my map pool!!!



Antics aside, there will be four CIS teams in the qualifier, Flipsid3, Gambit, Team Empire and Fluffy Gangsters. Unfortunately for the commonwealth teams, this is the one major qualifiers that has the deck stacked against them.



Vacation Tactics

Everybody knows Flipsid3 Tactics, a perennial mainstay in the region, represented by Yegor “markeloff” Marelov and his fellow cohorts. Each year, the rumblings from the longtime fans of the legendary AWPer get a little bit quieter as the younger players on his team steal the spotlight.



After losing Vladyslav “bondik” Nechyporchuk to HellRaisers, markeloff acquired a new disciple in Jan “wayLander” Rahkonen, the hope of Finland and an all-around fantastic player. He lead the charge for the Gambit’s cinderella run at MLG Columbus, and needs to give that same spark of ignition to this stagnating CIS squad.



Let’s be frank here: this is the toughest major qualifiers we’ve ever seen. Almost all of the teams competing in this qualifiers could very well have advanced easily in their current form at previous qualifiers. The swiss format contributes towards the difficulty of this major qualifier. No longer can teams just advance with targeted anti-strats; they actually need to develop a solid map pool. Oh, the horror of having to develop new maps!



And that itself is damning for Flipsid3. They have historically managed to qualify for the major, then chill in their groups, taking the succulent sticker money home while failing to advance from the group stages. Their lackluster showings needs to change asap; this very well could be the first major that they do not qualify for in a very long time. No longer can they barely coast by the qualification process and collect their paychecks.



Flipsid3 has to grind it out for that major spot. Andrey “Blad3” Gorodensky has to whip his team into shape. Everyone has to amp up their output to qualify. Flipsid3 will have to play at a level that they never did before. That level of play has to hold through numerous matches. Flipsid3 has never proven that they had elevated their play yet. One major qualifier isn’t going to change that.



Flipsid3 Tactics will not qualify for the major.



CIS Sex Gods

Gambit reminds me of the good old times: Quality vintage adult films, frag movies with proper music, gaming for paltry prize pools in dingy basements, and just enjoying life as it is. None of that professionalism esports nonsense. None of that manufactured teamwork, complicated strategies, and tactics that would fail college freshmen and all ESEA open players. Just 5 sex gods, comfortable sweatpants and hoodies, and good old classic CS.



Lead by the epitome of the sex imagery, Sex God Dosia -- stop!









Contain yourselves, ladies!





Let’s take a serious moment of reprise. Have you ever seen anyone this good at Counter-Strike and immediately draw the emotions of awe such as this man? I think not. Not even the sexiest IGL, Dmitry “hooch” Bogdanov, could hold a candle to him.



Oh, sorry about that folks. I got sidetracked. It happens.



Back to the topic at hand, we examine the strongest trait of Gambit. They just play Counter-Strike. None of their tactics are difficult to memorize, nor execute. They instead rely on their raw aim to keep other teams in check with basic smokes and teamwork. The thunder cracking flicks from Rustem “mou” Tlepov heralds the quick draw mechanics of Dosia and Dauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev. The young gun Ivan “spaze” Obrezhan will have much to prove as he replaces wayLander’s inconsistent flashes of brilliance with required stability.



Surprisingly, the new swiss format actually helps the men in red. They have no strong map, yet none of their maps are particularly weak either. Due to the simplistic nature of their playstyle, they have similar expectations towards each map. This new format emphasizes the importance of having the stamina to play on all the maps rather than having a clinch grouping of maps. An astute observation that separates Gambit from the rest of the field.



Gambit’s oath to “keep it real” will be their strong suit coming to the qualifiers in Poland. They’re straight shooters with upper management written all over them.



They will qualify.



Gang of Pandas?

Fluffy Gangsters.



Let’s pause for a moment and conjure imagery that the name Fluffy Gangsters inspires. Jigglypuffs rocking Tommys, donning Fedoras? Obese gangbangers hustling oreos and poptarts at the street corner? Animated pillows forming alliances to revolt against the crushing human head?



Whatever it may be, Fluffy Gangsters is a brand new CIS organization that bolsters new blood onto the scene. Despite the cool logo -- Fluffy Gangster stickers would be awesome, no doubt -- there’s not much to give them credit for. Outside of them winning the CIS minor championships, they have yet to put up any notable results in online leagues. In the recent qualifiers for numerous events, they have dropped out early to better teams. Not a good sign for the upstarts coming into the major qualifiers.



Their map pool doesn’t leave much to draw from. They have yet to play a single cache or nuke game in the last three months. I suspect that they ban cache out whenever they can, and nuke is too new for any team to have history on it. Their best maps are Dust2 and Mirage. Even then, it’s hard to give Fluffy Gangsters kudos since their wins only come from fellow tier 2-3 CIS teams. They have yet to score victories against a tier 1.5-1 team. The roster needs time to level up, provided they stay together long enough to reap said benefits; it’s still too early for them to expect any results at the major qualifiers.



For Fluffy Gangsters to win a single map is already a minor miracle. The best they can do is gain international experience and grow.



Team Empire - Late to the game



For CIS fans and fans of Dota2 and Starcraft, Team Empire is a household name. For them to enter the Counter-Strike scene this late is disappointing. Nevertheless, Team Empire has a Counter-Strike team, and by God are they going to the major qualifiers.



Looking at the roster, there’s only one player that sticks out: Emil “kucher” Akhundov. Kucher provides the sorely needed experience to the squad, yet is still an underachieving known quantity. In his 2 year tenure with HellRaisers, kucher has failed to make any notable impact. His gameplay is mired with inconsistency and mediocrity. Perhaps joining Team Empire will give him a breath of fresh air and inspire him to lead this team to victory and the major spot.



I doubt it.



The roster is too new to the scene and has not developed the experience required to compete with the best. That being said, they had a respectable run through ESEA Premier season 21, so they are well on their way. Regardless, it is no match for playing against tier 1 teams regularly. Team Empire needs experience. This major qualifiers will be the best place for them to gain said experience. As with Fluffy Gangsters, any map win are spoilers.



They won’t advance.

The period post-Columbus has been a tumultuous time for Counter-Strike; multiple roster changes by multiple teams, legal dramas, and more.Overshadowed by all the recent news & events, ESL One Cologne has slowly been encroaching upon us. The Major qualifiers for Cologne 2016 are this week! And there’s a new format! Swiss format, what’s that? Wait a minute, this isn’t fair to the European teams! How are teams supposed to counter-strat? But but but, my map pool!!!Antics aside, there will be four CIS teams in the qualifier,Flipsid3,Gambit,Team Empire andFluffy Gangsters. Unfortunately for the commonwealth teams, this is the one major qualifiers that has the deck stacked against them.Everybody knowsFlipsid3 Tactics, a perennial mainstay in the region, represented byYegor “markeloff” Marelov and his fellow cohorts. Each year, the rumblings from the longtime fans of the legendary AWPer get a little bit quieter as the younger players on his team steal the spotlight.After losingVladyslav “bondik” Nechyporchuk toHellRaisers, markeloff acquired a new disciple inJan “wayLander” Rahkonen, the hope of Finland and an all-around fantastic player. He lead the charge for the Gambit’s cinderella run at MLG Columbus, and needs to give that same spark of ignition to this stagnating CIS squad.Let’s be frank here: this is the toughest major qualifiers we’ve ever seen. Almost all of the teams competing in this qualifiers could very well have advanced easily in their current form at previous qualifiers. The swiss format contributes towards the difficulty of this major qualifier. No longer can teams just advance with targeted anti-strats; they actually need to develop a solid map pool. Oh, the horror of having to develop new maps!And that itself is damning for Flipsid3. They have historically managed to qualify for the major, then chill in their groups, taking the succulent sticker money home while failing to advance from the group stages. Their lackluster showings needs to change asap; this very well could be the first major that they do not qualify for in a very long time. No longer can they barely coast by the qualification process and collect their paychecks.Flipsid3 has to grind it out for that major spot.Andrey “Blad3” Gorodensky has to whip his team into shape. Everyone has to amp up their output to qualify. Flipsid3 will have to play at a level that they never did before. That level of play has to hold through numerous matches. Flipsid3 has never proven that they had elevated their play yet. One major qualifier isn’t going to change that.Flipsid3 Tactics will not qualify for the major.Gambit reminds me of the good old times: Quality vintage adult films, frag movies with proper music, gaming for paltry prize pools in dingy basements, and just enjoying life as it is. None of that professionalism esports nonsense. None of that manufactured teamwork, complicated strategies, and tactics that would fail college freshmen and all ESEA open players. Just 5 sex gods, comfortable sweatpants and hoodies, and good old classic CS.Lead by the epitome of the sex imagery,Sex God Dosia -- stop!Let’s take a serious moment of reprise. Have you ever seen anyone this good at Counter-Strike and immediately draw the emotions of awe such as this man? I think not. Not even the sexiest IGL,Dmitry “hooch” Bogdanov, could hold a candle to him.Oh, sorry about that folks. I got sidetracked. It happens.Back to the topic at hand, we examine the strongest trait of Gambit. They just play Counter-Strike. None of their tactics are difficult to memorize, nor execute. They instead rely on their raw aim to keep other teams in check with basic smokes and teamwork. The thunder cracking flicks fromRustem “mou” Tlepov heralds the quick draw mechanics of Dosia andDauren “AdreN” Kystaubayev. The young gunIvan “spaze” Obrezhan will have much to prove as he replaces wayLander’s inconsistent flashes of brilliance with required stability.Surprisingly, the new swiss format actually helps the men in red. They have no strong map, yet none of their maps are particularly weak either. Due to the simplistic nature of their playstyle, they have similar expectations towards each map. This new format emphasizes the importance of having the stamina to play on all the maps rather than having a clinch grouping of maps. An astute observation that separates Gambit from the rest of the field.Gambit’s oath to “keep it real” will be their strong suit coming to the qualifiers in Poland. They’re straight shooters with upper management written all over them.They will qualify.Fluffy Gangsters.Let’s pause for a moment and conjure imagery that the name Fluffy Gangsters inspires. Jigglypuffs rocking Tommys, donning Fedoras? Obese gangbangers hustling oreos and poptarts at the street corner? Animated pillows forming alliances to revolt against the crushing human head?Whatever it may be, Fluffy Gangsters is a brand new CIS organization that bolsters new blood onto the scene. Despite the cool logo -- Fluffy Gangster stickers would be awesome, no doubt -- there’s not much to give them credit for. Outside of them winning the CIS minor championships, they have yet to put up any notable results in online leagues. In the recent qualifiers for numerous events, they have dropped out early to better teams. Not a good sign for the upstarts coming into the major qualifiers.Their map pool doesn’t leave much to draw from. They have yet to play a single cache or nuke game in the last three months. I suspect that they ban cache out whenever they can, and nuke is too new for any team to have history on it. Their best maps are Dust2 and Mirage. Even then, it’s hard to give Fluffy Gangsters kudos since their wins only come from fellow tier 2-3 CIS teams. They have yet to score victories against a tier 1.5-1 team. The roster needs time to level up, provided they stay together long enough to reap said benefits; it’s still too early for them to expect any results at the major qualifiers.For Fluffy Gangsters to win a single map is already a minor miracle. The best they can do is gain international experience and grow.For CIS fans and fans of Dota2 and Starcraft,Team Empire is a household name. For them to enter the Counter-Strike scene this late is disappointing. Nevertheless, Team Empire has a Counter-Strike team, and by God are they going to the major qualifiers.Looking at the roster, there’s only one player that sticks out:Emil “kucher” Akhundov. Kucher provides the sorely needed experience to the squad, yet is still an underachieving known quantity. In his 2 year tenure withHellRaisers, kucher has failed to make any notable impact. His gameplay is mired with inconsistency and mediocrity. Perhaps joining Team Empire will give him a breath of fresh air and inspire him to lead this team to victory and the major spot.I doubt it.The roster is too new to the scene and has not developed the experience required to compete with the best. That being said, they had a respectable run through ESEA Premier season 21, so they are well on their way. Regardless, it is no match for playing against tier 1 teams regularly. Team Empire needs experience. This major qualifiers will be the best place for them to gain said experience. As with Fluffy Gangsters, any map win are spoilers.They won’t advance.





Peanuts, Akasha, Amazingxkcd

Editors: Yamato

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Writers: Ragnarork Editors: Amazingxkcd CSS: FO-nTTaX Graphics: DearDave The world is burning and you rather be on this terrible website discussing video games and your shallow feelings