The StarSeries I league Season 5 is already down to the last four teams. A tournament which does not have the top two Counter-Strike teams in attendance is already seeing intense competition amongst the rest of the lineup. This tournament’s story is not about watching Astralis and Faze Clan race to the finals, but it’s a narrative of the other teams scrambling to secure their position.

The four remaining teams at Starladder are Natus Vincere, Mousesports, NRG and North Gaming. The final four teams are quite surprising especially when it comes to the team rankings. Na’Vi and Mousesports are within the top five of Counter-Strike teams. But North is ranked #11 while NRG is ranked #21. The winner of this tournament gains glory and the title of a winner. Let’s take a look at the two teams best situated to win the tournament. The two teams are playing in the second semi-final, Na’Vi & Mousesports.

Natus Vincere – Led by the S1mple things

Natus Vincere is currently ranked 3rd in the HLTV power rankings. But as we look past their rankings we see a team that is currently positioned around S1mple. The CIS team has a rich history of being a very tactical-oriented team with a focus on strategies and gameplay. Traditionally they have not relied too much on individual firepower.

However, the current iteration of the team requires high-level performances by S1mple and Electronic. A discussion about the current Na’Vi roster is not as complete without a proper discussion about S1mple. Even in cases where the team falters and loses their matches, S1mple remains the best player on the server.

s1mple already out of the galaxy with his numbers for the series#StarSeriesS5 — Thorin (@Thooorin) June 2, 2018

Now, this is not something out of the ordinary. Historically we have always seen one or two players stand out amongst their peers in the best teams in the world. Fnatic had Olofmeister, NIP had Get_Right, SK had Coldzera, Fallen, Fer etc. Each team in the top five always has one or more players perform at a much higher level than their peers.

Ofcourse no team compares to S1mple’s performance difference with his peers. Na’Vi is a team that picked up the player when he was known to be extremely rash and arrogant. But the team’s veterans have moulded him into being a team player and working for the team. Instances of S1mple playing according to the position of the teammates, something really basic at the highest levels inspire confidence in his personal performance being at a high level.

But Na’Vi is not only about S1mple

But Na’Vi is not really made up of only S1mple. Granted he is by far their best performer, but the team has several other talented individuals on the roster. Electronic is one such young performer who has also shown a lot of promise with his individual performance. He might not reach the same levels as S1mple but has been consistently good since his time on Na’Vi.

Zeus is obviously the weak link in the Na’Vi roster. The veteran strategist, however, is known for his ability to turn his team around and ensure a good team environment. Zeus’ ability to constantly communicate with his teammates and ensure a high level coordination amongst them is what makes him one of the best leaders in Counter Strike. Of course, with any other IGL in Counter Strike, Zeus also suffers from a singular focus to making the team better. This of course, comes at his own performance.

Flamie is yet another strong member on the team. After SK Gaming’s failed attempt to get Flamie and S1mple to their roster a few months ago, Flamie is a player in hot demand. The Na’Vi roster is an integration of all the players and their synergy together. The CIS squad has a great coordination and synergy with each other. But the lack of individual firepower on the part of certain members on the team is what hurts the team and prevents them from breaking into the top two.



Mousesports & the need to get back to winning ways

Mousesports has always been a team just shy of the top 3 rankings. The team which has been extremely strong in the last half of 2017 went through a slump in 2018. The players’ inability to maintain their current form through the first half of 2018 has definitely hurt the team.

They were the finalists in the previous edition of Starseries. They lost to Na’Vi in the finals, and this match is going to be a repeat of the same. But ever since that tournament, we have seen the team barely able to reach the playoffs of big tournaments. At this tournament, however, ChrisJ and Oskar are definitely carrying the weight of the team on their shoulders. The Mousesports roster relies on the trio of Sunny, Styko and Ropz. These three are the star performers on the team and are responsible for many of their victories.

Styko might not be the flashiest player on the roster but his ability to lock-down certain sections of the region is well known. His mobility within the map might be sub-par, but the player has been great in his personal capacity. Ofcourse the team also relies on Oskar and Ropz a mixture of a veteran and a youngster.

Oskar has been phenomenal with the AWP , especially in their match against NIP. The veteran player took some time to warm up in the series against NIP, but the subsequent maps showed how much of an impact the player has on the Mousesports roster.

Both the team are winners

The playoff brackets were very confusing to many. It propagated an imbalanced final no matter the outcome of individual matches. The fact that we are seeing the #3 and #4 ranked teams on one side of the semi-final represents the lopsided playoff scenario.

But as we reflect back onto the tournament, we can clearly see how the teams maintained their ranks and position in the tournament. Whichever team wins this semifinal has the best chance to win the tournament and add another trophy to their name. It can be Na’Vi managing to hold on to their title or Mousesports can be back to winning ways once again. You can watch the match live on Twitch at 1500 EEST.