amazingxkcd Profile Blog Joined September 2010 GRAND OLD AMERICA 15736 Posts Last Edited: 2017-08-10 08:53:20 #1



After the



To characterize this team as a collection of rejected players is almost an understatement. Looking at the team histories of these players is like staring into the abyss; avert thy eyes lest ye be sucked down into the pit that is North American Counter-Strike. Shahzam’s alone is an atrocity. In 2015, he has played competitive CS with 5 different lineups:

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http://wiki.teamliquid.net/counterstrike/Fragadelphia/5

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/counterstrike/Tempo_Storm

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/counterstrike/Sponsorless

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/counterstrike/Conquest http://wiki.teamliquid.net/counterstrike/Cloud9



All that said, this current line-up has shown amazing potential. At



This team played like they had something to prove. For their first LAN appearance, this was a great placing that validated their online success as not simply a fluke. Even in their losses to VP and mouz, they showed that they could compete with European talent on LAN, a feat few in North America could boast.



Unfortunately, their next offline showing wasn’t quite so hot. Disappointingly, they lost to both Cloud9 and compLexity at the



Going into the ESL ESEA Pro League Season 2 LAN Finals, this team has a lot of questions to answer. Can they manage to rise again to their high-water mark from CEVO or will they bust out in groups and fail to make a splash? Their



Without any prior matchup knowledge, their chances against fnatic look rather dubious given the stature of the European side, coming fresh off a win at Fragbite this past weekend. The one thing going for Conquest is that they’ve shown the ability to show up and surprise better teams on LAN. Still, losing the first series against fnatic is not the end, not in this group. Conquest’s real shot at proving their worth comes against nV and TL. Regardless of which team of the two they face first, they would likely have to go through the other in the decider match. To get the whole picture, one must look at both possible matchups.



Should Conquest play EnVyUs, they will surely still be the underdogs. However, given nV’s recent form and their captain’s comments on their poor state as a team in a



Should it come down to the more likely contest between the Conquest and Liquid however, the results look a bit more predictable given that Conquest have a



With the volatility of the NA scene and the lack of consistency in play among the teams, it would be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak year if an underdog like Conquest could manage to defend NA pride on home soil. No matter how the specific matchups within the group occur, they will have to go through at least one of the European teams to make it out, and what a storyline it would be if the rejects from North America manage to conquer a couple maps from a team like fnatic or nV.





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For a team only three months old, Conquest sure have made a name for themselves in the North American scene. Perhaps most astonishing about their nascent success is the manner in which they were formed. This team’s players were almost on their way out of the upper echelon of Counter-Strike, only to be signed by this newly-formed organization and revitalized.After the former Tempo Storm lineup was disbanded , both Shahzam and stanislaw were left out in the cold. NAF and daps were both former Team Liquid members that were dropped; they later joined eLevate with RUSH , only to see that team let go by their sponsor . Eventually, four of the five formed Sponsorless and made a splash big enough to attract attention, and today they play for ConquestTo characterize this team as a collection of rejected players is almost an understatement. Looking at the team histories of these players is like staring into the abyss; avert thy eyes lest ye be sucked down into the pit that is North American Counter-Strike. Shahzam’s alone is an atrocity. In 2015, he has played competitive CS with 5 different lineups:All that said, this current line-up has shown amazing potential. At CEVO Season 8 LAN Finals , they had a breakout performance, making it out of groups in a stacked tournament with some great map and series wins over more established teams. They 2-0’d Liquid behind standout play from NAF against his former team. They then beat Dignitas 2-1 to make it to semis where they lost a close 1-2 series against a hot mousesports team that had 2-0’d both Luminosity Gaming and Na’Vi.This team played like they had something to prove. For their first LAN appearance, this was a great placing that validated their online success as not simply a fluke. Even in their losses to VP and mouz, they showed that they could compete with European talent on LAN, a feat few in North America could boast.Unfortunately, their next offline showing wasn’t quite so hot. Disappointingly, they lost to both Cloud9 and compLexity at the iBUYPOWER Cup in November and were out of the tournament after only two best-of-1 series. Complaints about tournament structure aside, the team failed to capitalize on their previous success and show that they were among the best in NA.Going into the ESL ESEA Pro League Season 2 LAN Finals, this team has a lot of questions to answer. Can they manage to rise again to their high-water mark from CEVO or will they bust out in groups and fail to make a splash? Their group draw of Team Liquid, fnatic, and EnVyUs promises to be their toughest test yet. Nonetheless, there exists a possible reality where they make it out of groups and compete in the playoffs:Without any prior matchup knowledge, their chances against fnatic look rather dubious given the stature of the European side, coming fresh off a win at Fragbite this past weekend. The one thing going for Conquest is that they’ve shown the ability to show up and surprise better teams on LAN. Still, losing the first series against fnatic is not the end, not in this group. Conquest’s real shot at proving their worth comes against nV and TL. Regardless of which team of the two they face first, they would likely have to go through the other in the decider match. To get the whole picture, one must look at both possible matchups.Should Conquest play EnVyUs, they will surely still be the underdogs. However, given nV’s recent form and their captain’s comments on their poor state as a team in a recent ESL interview , the stage is set for a Conquest to make a statement as a team and give nV it’s second straight group-stage exit on LAN. At the least, this match-up is much more even than it would have been had this tournament happened a month ago.Should it come down to the more likely contest between the Conquest and Liquid however, the results look a bit more predictable given that Conquest have a 4-2 edge over their North American compatriots in the online and offline portions of CEVO and the online portion of the Pro League. The sample size may be small, but there is some logic as to why Conquest has an advantage, and it comes in the form of their AWP talent: Shahzam. Team Liquid lacks a top-flight sniper capable of dealing with the aggressive peeking from Khan.With the volatility of the NA scene and the lack of consistency in play among the teams, it would be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak year if an underdog like Conquest could manage to defend NA pride on home soil. No matter how the specific matchups within the group occur, they will have to go through at least one of the European teams to make it out, and what a storyline it would be if the rejects from North America manage toa couple maps from a team like fnatic or nV.Writer: Yamato Editor: Lichter Graphics: DearDave CSS: FO-nTTaX The world is burning and you rather be on this terrible website discussing video games and your shallow feelings