ESL One New York is the first Major post the FaceIT London Major. This tournament will see a prize pool of $250,000 and have Eight teams in attendance. The tournament venue is the Barclay’s Center which has a seating capacity of 19,000.

The teams are divided into two groups of four teams each. Each group follows a double elimination format. All the matches will be Best of Three matches ensuring that the best teams move forward. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Playoffs.

You can check out the detailed preview for Group A here. Group B is obviously the tougher group amongst the two. There is a lot of competition and either of the four teams will be able to make it to the Playoffs.

Faze Clan

For the better part of the first half in 2018, Faze Clan was the only team that could potentially challenge Astralis. Unfortunately for them, Olofmeister had to take a break due to personal issues. Despite his absence, Faze continued to perform with stand-ins and several ‘new’ rosters. The players were alright with changing roles in order to accommodate new replacements for Olofmeister. Over a period of time, Faze played with Cromen and Xizt and still managed to have a decent result at tournaments.

However, when Olofmeister returned to the team, Faze looked burnt out. Despite Olofmeister putting up really strong performances, the remaining four players on the roster simply were unable to do so. Their inability to reach their personal average performance saw Faze Clan underperforming at the Major. They were unable to get past Astralis in the quarterfinals of the CS: GO Major.

For Faze Clan, the biggest problem is getting all their players online. They don’t even need to reach their peak performances. But as a team Faze Clan requires their players to have their average performances to potentially pose a threat to the top teams. Faze has never been a very strategy oriented roster. Despite having Karrigan on their team, they rely excessively on individual firepower.

When their performance sees a dip in form, the loopholes in this roster become evident. As we saw during the Major, despite having a strong Olofmeister the team did not look strong. They draw their strength from individual performances and having just one player performing is not enough.

Faze Clan will need Rain, Guardian and Niko to step up their performance post the Major. Without an upswing in their individual performance, this roster is in danger of not staying together. They have a lot of potentials, but converting this potential to actual results is a totally different matter.

Team Liquid

Liquid had a decent chance of reaching the finals of the FaceIT London Major. But an unfortunate draw meant that Team liquid had to compete against Astralis in the semifinals itself.

The match was a very one-sided affair especially as Team Liquid was no match for Astralis. However, this is not something that should be held against Team liquid. After all, almost all the teams that faced Astralis were unable to make it past single digits.

However, Team Liquid has established itself as one of the best North American teams. They have a steady mix of a star AWPer, excellent upcoming talent as well as experienced In-Game Leadership. This team has one of the best balance amongst players and skill-set in the scene right now. But in order to be a top class team, they need to show consistent results. Team liquid’s performance at the Major is definitely something that will alert other teams.

Twistzz, in particular, has been exceptionally good in London. The player has a very high skill ceiling and is not afraid to make bold plays. Sometimes they backfire, but for the most part, he is always at an advantage. Backing him up is the In-Game leader who is always calling out amazing strategies customised to their opponents. As we head into the next season of Counter-Strike, it is important for this team to be able to have a better map pool.

Right now, their map pool is quite predictable and that makes them a weak target for teams with a stronger map pool. Team Liquid also had many things going for them during the major, and with time we expect things to cool down a bit. This team has potential, but they need much better synergy and coordination. The players often seem to be on different pages about the overall strategy. Without the smooth functioning of this roster, as it is, Team Liquid will have trouble at ESL One New York 2018.



NRG esports

NRG rose to fame during the IEM Sydney tournament. The CS: GO roster has some amazing talent on their roster with the likes of Cerq and Fugly. Cerq, in particular, has seen a lot of praise from various analysts and players for his skill.

However, NRG has not shown us any effective performances despite having talented individuals on their roster. They did win IEM Shanghai, but that tournament did not feature most of the top teams in attendance. NRG remains a top tier 2 team, but their transition into being a Tier one team is going to be tough. The team lacks sound strategies and tactics. When put up against the top teams, NRG does not have the requisite skill set to overcome their lack of tactics.

NRG is placed in Group B along with teams like G2, Faze Clan and Team Liquid. This group is obviously the tougher out of the two groups. NRG’s chances of making it past the Group stage does look bleak at ESL One New York 2018.



G2 Esports

This team is the only hope for French Counter-Strike. The team came into existence after a desire for Ex6tenz’s leadership. The IGL has shown tremendous success in the past, especially with Titan. However, after a string of poor results, Ex6tenz was cast out from the top of the French scene.

Their return under Ex6tenz wings definitely calls for a very detailed and focused approach to the team’s lack of tactical approach. The team needs to be able to have good tactics in order to compete at the highest level. However, under Ex6tenz this team requires time, they have not had much success with their current roster.

They recently made a roster change which will bring about a lot of focus on the broader sense of the game. G2 was unable to make it to the New Legends stage, a placement that would have raised hopes for the team. But despite having such a talented roster, G2’s inability to make it into the top does raise questions about the viability of the team and its players.



Ex6tenz will work on the roster and ensure they have a sound style of play. The problems with the current team are manifold. They lack the form on their players as well as an understanding of their playstyle. We do witness individual skill but that is not enough even at a Tier 2 level. With Ex6tenz back on the team, we can expect more detailed strategies and complex tactics. But for ESL One New York, it is just too early for the team to show much of a change. For them, this tournament would be a success if they can make it into the playoffs.

With the calibre of players on their roster, this is definitely possible. But they will still be the underdogs compared to the likes of Faze Clan and Team Liquid.

Final Thoughts

Group B is full of teams who have the potential to make it deep in the tournament. Faze Clan and Team Liquid are favourites to win the entire event. Even G2 esports, which does not have much in terms of results does have the potential to make it deep based on their skill.

The outcome of this group will be crucial to understanding the team’s true placements in this event. A good showing in the Group stage could mean the setup for a fantastic season. The Grou Stage matches are all Best of Three matches and hence it will put all teams to the test.

ESL One New York commences on the 26th of September 2018. The tournament is a part of the Intel Grand Slam. Follow Livescore for ESL One New York