There are few regions as talented at the top level as the French scene. Consisting of top-level individual players, the French have always been a contender to form the best team. But somehow, they always manage to fall short. We have seen several versions of French Counter-Strike teams and yet very few have managed to dominate the scene.

The only time a French team in Global Offensive could actually be considered a contender for the top spot was in 2014. The former LDLC roster comprising of Happy, Shox, Kioshima, NBK, and Smithzz was one of the most successful French CS GO rosters of all time.

The French Scene Has All The Right Ingredients

Counter-Strike players from France have always been considered to be some of the best players in the scene. We have had eras where Counter-Strike players dominate all other teams. But the teams have been either very inconsistent or have failed to ensure wins in important tournaments.

While we have seen French teams show glimpses of excellence against some teams they have not performed where it mattered. The big tournaments still have an absence of French teams winning trophies and that is a cause for concern.

But regardless of these facts, the French players do have the skill, talent, and temperament to create a world-class team. They have Ex6tenz, one of the most respected In Game Leaders in Counter-Strike Global Offensive. The IGL who has been credited for several turnarounds over the years is well respected even in North America. It is to be noted that he has never played for a North American based team in the past.

We also have flashy and high skilled players such as KennyS, Shox, Apex in the French scene. These players have repeatedly proved themselves on an individual level in the past. The Peak form of KennyS is one of the deadliest playstyles with an AWP. He can single-handedly open up bomb sites for his team and provide a huge advantage to the roster.

With the likes of Shox, Apex, RPK it is really surprising to see the French teams repeatedly fail to create a world-class team.

The French Discord

The biggest problem in the French scene has always been the attitude of the French players. While we have seen superstar French teams formed in the past, they have always been fragile. The players’ egos and their inability to solve problems within the team result in frequent roster changes.

The French players tend to give up very easily in the face of defeat. The French players have a tendency not to work as hard when they lose matches. They tend to give up easily, which despite their exceptional talent is something that can be the only way for their success.

I’m going to say something that I’ve been thinking for a long time. I think the French scene lacks really hard working, dedicated players. There are too few. When we see the other teams. For example, SK got eliminated. Later the same day, they were already in practice. I never saw that with a French team. There were always French players who didn’t want to play, etc.

Apex

In a recent interview on Flickshot.fr, Apex even goes to the extent of criticising Shox’s In-Game Leadership. Ofcourse this was a reply to Ex6tenz potential comeback in the professional scene. But it did not go down well with Shox, who was quick on the Twitter reply.

The reply points to various points of miscommunication within the team in the past. The French players usually know what is wrong with the team. From lack of leadership to ego clashes, there are several problems within the team. However, they are not really problems that do not have a solution. They can be solved if the players make efforts to solve them.

In their attempt to create the best team in the French scene, the players have attempted several combinations. Initially, we saw several teams with Ex6tenz leading the players, but later we saw the best-skilled players band together. The

Ex6tenz

Kevin “Ex6TenZ” Droolans is the obvious solution for the French scene. The In-Game Leader puts in a lot of hard work and efforts into developing his gameplay and helping the team. He has repeatedly put in a lot of effort and sacrificed his own position within the round to help the team. As he mentioned in an interview, he enabled KennyS on Titan in order to help the team produce better results.

He is out of Team LDLC and that paves the way for a new French team. With Shox no longer active on G2, there are strong rumors about a new French team involving the two players. Of course as with any French shuffle, there will be several rumors before the final team is announced. But with the new look on the French scene now, we might see Ex6tenz return to prominence.

It’s been a long time since we had prodigies like Shox, NBK or KennyS. I’m sorry for players like hadji, Devo or amanek, they are good players but they don’t have the talent like NBK or Shox have or integrated as quickly within their team. I think we have a good pool of players, but that we’re lacking that little gem. Well we know there is one coming up, ZywOo.

Apex

Ofcourse the veteran Leader has learned from his past mistakes and his knowledge of what went wrong is going to propel him to do things the right way. But what is the right way? Do the French players themselves know the ‘correct’ route? Is making a superstar team the correct option? Or should they include new players in the top teams? Where is KennyS, one of the best players with the AWP?

Are the stars the only options?

We have song the laurels of the superstar French players. But despite their best efforts at creating a dominant French roster, they have failed. So this brings up the question, is it time to look elsewhere? Are the French superstars not enough? Or are they too much?

It is obvious that the current French Superteam, G2 is a failed attempt. They have shown us glimpses of their potential, but the team has failed to produce results. For an organization which paid as much as it did for the French roster, this has been a downright disaster.

On the other hand, we saw the progress that Ex6tenz made with his LDLC roster. Comprising of no-names on the roster, LDLC carved a place for themselves in the French scene. Led by the veteran In Game Leader, the team was able to achieve a lot of success by their standards.

Superstar teams are not always the solution to poor performance. Over the course of Counter-Strike, Superstar teams have only shown us failed attempts. Ofcourse the former Faze clan roster is an exception as it performed really well with Olofmeister on the roster. But even this team was unable to secure the Major Title for themselves.

Maybe it’s time for the French to consider mixing up their players. To1nou and XYZ have been really putting up great numbers for their team. If they are provided the experience and guidance of veteran players they can definitely improve their performance.

KennyS – The Forgotten God

KennyS was one of the original prodigies in the French scene. He burst onto the scene and his AWP was one of the most feared weapons in the game. The entire Titan roster was formed to play with him and successfully at that. They were one of the only teams which could repeatedly defeat the strongest team of the time, Fnatic.

Under Ex6tenz’s guidance and with KennyS AWP, Titan was a team to be feared. They did not, however, place well in Majors which is one of the biggest problems in Ex6tenz’s career. Without a Major Legends spot for Ex6tenz, the French scene grew weaker and they lost their dominance in the scene.

With the lack of new ‘prodigies’ in the scene, the French scene needs KennyS to return to his old form. If KennyS returns to anywhere near his old performance, he would be one of the most valuable assets in Counter-Strike.

But his performance has been stumbling downwards ever since his peaks of 2014. He would consistently post numbers of around 1.3-1.4 KDA, however as we can see his recent performances are nowhere near those numbers.

Ofcourse such insane numbers are almost impossible to maintain for any player. His weakest forms have all been above 1.0 and that is exactly the signs of a great player. KennyS still remains extremely valuable despite the various shortcomings in the French scene. He has to be a part of any future successful French team.

The French Balance

The French players should give up their current playstyle which relies heavily on the players’ individual performance. We have seen the power of sheer firepower, but that has not helped the French teams in the past few months. LDLC was a success in 2014 due to the firepower, but the latest French teams have been nothing but a failure.

It is time for the French players to show up maturity and create a more balanced team. They have enough talent in the French scene to make up two, maybe three really talented teams. Integrating the young, new talent on these teams is what is going to make the teams lethal.We have seen top Counter-Strike players change their role and position on a team to accommodate new players. Get_Right and F0rest famously come to mind as they transitioned between the versions of Counter-Strike. They were even more successful in their new roles, which proves that a role change could be just what is required.

The French players have a lot of talent amongst them, however, they also have a lot of drawbacks. Be it internal ego, or the inability to get along with each other, the French scene has always been affected by factors outside of the game. Match Losses do not help things, as the scene is extremely volatile and has seen several shuffles in the past few years.

Role Change

A potential Role change for the French teams would probably do them more good. To be fair, there is nothing to lose for the French scene as their teams are not even considered top tier teams right now.

The KennyS of 2014 can make a comeback with the right amount of team support. His playstyle was severely impaired by the various changes to the AWP, but he still remains one of the most talented AWPers in the scene.

A big part of their performance is their confidence in themselves. Players like Apex, Shox rely heavily on their confidence to be able to make good plays. The aggressive and carefree playstyle has served them well in the past. But if they are looking to change things, as is must from their recent results the French need to develop better thought out strategies. Ex6tenz forms a crucial part of the potential changes to the French scene as he still remains one of the best In game leaders. His proximity to the players and their attitudes is what makes him a crucial aspect of any future roster shuffle. He commands the respect of the French players and that is indeed a rare thing to see in the volatile French scene.

The French scene has a lot of potential, but the players need to figure out the best recipe for success. We can only hope that the new teams to be formed this year will be more successful than past attempts.