The IBuyPower Masters is the first big tournament of 2019 involving the big teams in Counter-Strike. The tournament has a prize pool of $200,000 but it involves some of the very best teams in the Counter-Strike scene. The list of attendees for the event include teams such as Astralis, Faze Clan, Fnatic amongst others.

The majority of the prize money, half of it, in fact, goes to the first place team at the event. The IBuyPower Masters IV assumes significance for most of the teams since it is the last event before the start of the CS: GO Major. After a lengthy player break over the holidays, we expect teams to come up with renewed enthusiasm. Teams will be able to come into the IBuyPower Masters IV with new strategies and map pools. This will provide them with a chance to possibly oust Astralis from the throne of Counter-Strike Global Offensive rankings.

The Format

IBuyPower Masters IV features a double elimination GSL format. The Group stages will see Best of One matches, which can mean the difference for most of the teams. Since losing two Best of Ones means that you are out of the tournament, the importance of the map veto and every map is accentuated in this tournament. It will not be a huge surprise to see Astralis, the best team in the world possibly out in the Groups due to the BO1 map system.

Cloud9

Cloud9 is one of the biggest North American organisations in esports. The winners of the Eleague Boston Major will look forth to renewing their enthusiasm and results in the NA CS: GO scene. They recently added Jordan “Zellsis” Montemurro to their team. He is on trial for the roster and we don’t know how well his synergy with the team develops. As we move into the IBuyPower Masters IV tournament, we will see the team in action for the very first time.

Cloud9’s team is relatively new and we do have high hopes for the team. But there is also a lot of pressure on multiple players to prove themselves in this tournament. Cloud9 is not expected to win IBuyPower Masters IV. In all probability, they should barely make it out of the Group stage. If they can reach the semifinals, it will be a very tough task for the team to potentially move to the finals. They are up against some of the best teams in the world in Counter-Strike. This tournament will be a glimpse of what they can do in the future.

Complexity Gaming.

Complexity Gaming is one more North American squad that has also made a recent roster change. The addition of N0thing to the team as a stand-in does present opportunities for the organisation to make it big in Counter-Strike. But we have not seen Complexity as being a strong team in CS: GO in the recent months. We saw their performance at the London FaceIT Major and that was a wonderful scene to see Jason Lake cheering for the team. However, since then, they have fallen off the grace and we don’t think they should have a very good opportunity to make it past the Group stages in this tournament. However, it will be a good chance for the team to understand their synergy and coordination.

If N0thing can find his groove with the rest of the team, we think that they can definitely make a huge impact in this event. However, there is a very low expectation from this team.

Team Liquid

The third North American team at the IBuyPower Masters is by far the favourite and strongest NA team right now. They have consistently battled it out against Astralis on multiple occasions. However, the recent period of roster changes has affected them the most. They brought in a lot of firepower in the form of Stewie2K. However, they had to let go of Zews and TACO. Zews has been with the organisation for a long time and has helped them develop and form this roster.

With the return of Eric “adreN” Hoag as the coach, it is bound to bring about playstyle changes in the team. There is a big difference in how Zews ran the team and how AdreN will be able to coach the current roster. With lots of firepower on this roster, it is evident that on paper they are a strong contender for the title. Maybe this time, they will be able to win over Astralis with ease? Only time will tell.

Astralis

Astralis is the best team in the world and it is not without doubt that they are the favourites to win this event. They come into opposition such as Faze Clan and Team Liquid. However, these are opponents which Astralis has managed to crush with relative ease in the past.

The Danis team is laying extra focus on ensuring that their roster has excellent coordination and synergy. As a team, they were recently spotted undergoing military training at their boot camp. The Astralis team has provided us with amazing Counter-Strike. However, after the holiday season, it will be a true test for the team. We expect most of the other teams to come prepared to face Astralis in this tournament. With the BO1 nature of the event, there is a high chance for an upset for Astralis.



Faze Clan

Considered to be the toughest team on paper, the reality is quite different for Faze Clan. The International team is unable to put forth a strong response when it comes to Astralis or even weaker teams at this moment. They have made roster changes and a coaching change on the team. The addition of AdreN and YNK to the roster provides the scope for long term improvement. However, these changes have been very recent [ in January 2019] and they have not had enough time to practise with each other.

The changes are with an intention to perform well at the Major. The IBuyPower Masters IV will be a step en route for the team. They have all the necessary components on the new roster. AdreN is a very experienced player and has played with some of the most experienced players in the CIS region. He provides a calm attitude and smoothness that the team requires.

Faze Clan is one of the favourites to win the IBuyPower Masters. However, with multiple players not in form and the novelty of the current lineup, their chances of success look grim.

Fnatic

The Fnatic CS: GO roster has been out of everyone’s minds for some time now. They won the PLG Grand Slam over Team G2 in mid-December. The performance of the team has seen significant improvements over the past month.

The team is not the best team in the world, but they have world class players on their roster. The team’s performance over the past month has seen a gradual increase in their performance. , it is not enough for the team to actually become a top tier team once more. Fnatic is a contender for this tournament although they have several other stronger teams before them. With the format of the tournament being as it is, the BO1 system has the potential for upsets. Fnatic’s performance will definitely show us a glimpse into the team’s performance in the Major. They are the x-factor in this event and many eyes will be on the Swedish roster.

Final Thoughts.

The IBuyPower definitely lacks some of the best teams in the world, but it also has a few. With Na’Vi, MiBr and Mousesports being absent from the event, it presents a chance for the other teams to step up their game. IBuyPower Masters IV starts on the 19th of January 2019 for a two day period. You can view all the matches live on Twitch here.