The Brazilian Counter-Strike scene is undergoing multiple changes right now. After months of poor performances and lack of results Made in Brazil is now possibly looking for a change. Last year, Mibr added two of the Cloud9 players, Tarik and Stewie2k. It was an International team formation with five former Major winners. There were high hopes for this team and its performance, however, they were unable to make an impact on the CS: GO scene.

Made in Brazil even added Janko “YNk” Paunović to their roster as a coach. His outside view was important to develop the team’s playstyle and give them an edge over their opponents. However, despite seeing a slight improvement in the team’s performance, they were never able to fully realise their potential. As outsiders, we don’t know the exact reason why this team could not work. There were many reasons contributing to their fall including language barriers, loss of form and lack of confidence.

Made In Brazil did not inspire confidence

On paper, this team looked as if it was the best team in the world. But the reality was very far from their potential skill. Despite having five former Major winners on the team, Made in Brazil was unable to win a single tournament of importance. In their few months in Counter-Strike Global Offensive, the team only won one tournament. MiBr won the Zotac Cup Masters 2018, but it was a Tier two event at best with no big teams in attendance.

Their recent performance did inspire some confidence. After the addition of Janko “YNk” Paunović, the team looked strong and ready to play at their peak level. However, for reasons unknown to us, the team could not win their matches. They did reach the Grand finals at the ECS Season 6 LAN finals, where they had an embarrassing loss to Astralis.

After multiple attempts and even adding a new coach to the team, MiBr was unable to provide any progress. There was no chance for the team to possibly continue with this roster and suddenly produce results. By now, the problems on the team had seeped into a much deeper level, one which would require tremendous efforts to surpass. Their roster change rumours is not a huge surprise to many. The timing of the roster change will be of extreme importance for the team. The next CS: GO Major is the IEM Katowice 2019 tournament taking place in February 2019.

Despite their poor performances, the MiBr roster is not at all bad. They are currently 4th in the HLTV rankings, but it does seem they are unable to make it into the Grand finals of big tournaments regularly.

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Potential Roster changes

Over the past few days, we have had multiple reports of changes coming to the Brazilian scene. With Stewie2k and Tarik potentially moving to North American teams, it might be time for an all Brazilian ‘MiBr’. The new roster [ at least from present leaks] does seem to be an All-Brazilian roster. It could be the next step for Fallen and co. to start winning tournaments once more. They definitely have the talent required to reach the top and it is high time someone challenged Astralis. There are two independent reports which put Zews, TACO and KnGV joining Team MiBr. They are unconfirmed and are subject to change. However, it makes the possibility of this new team an exciting topic to explore.

Team Liquid and MiBr to swap players

Made in Brazil and Team Liquid might be looking to swap Taco and Stewie2k according to ESPN reporter Jacob Wolf. The roster move is surprising for Team liquid to say the least. The team is regularly making it into the Playoffs of big tournaments. More often than not, they are often facing Astralis before they are eliminated from the event. This is actually quite good for North American fans, despite Team Liquid having a poor record against the Danes. Any roster move right now for Team liquid might signal their intention to become better. However, we all know how changing a team’s chemistry and roster can have a severe impact on their performance. One of the best examples in recent teams is Mousesoirts when they removed Styko from their team for Snax.

However, the second part of the ESPN report is what has the potential to improve MiBr’s results tremendously. According to Jacob Wolf, team Liquid coach Zeus might also be moving to MiBr. This change would grant MiBr with the much-needed chemistry and an inside perspective on their playstyle. Wilton ‘Zews’ Prado has a lot of experience with many members of the current MiBr roster. He was responsible for the team achieving their peak performances during 2016. When Fallen and co. were on Luminosity Gaming and later when they were on SK Gaming, Zews was instrumental in coaching the team.

This roster move makes a lot of sense for Noah Whinston’s MiBr. They will gain the services of a former player and their previous coach. This will solve much of the team chemistry and language problems. Whether the players can perform to the same level as before is a big question. However, it definitely raises hopes for the MiBr fans.

KnGv to Join Made in Brazil?

Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppe has had a very controversial career. After threatening another professional player at LAN, the player was let go of Immortals. Noah Whinston, the owner of Immortals also owns MiBr brand. DeKay from VPEsports reported that MiBr is in potential talks with ‘KnGV’ to join their team.

It is still not sure whether this can and will happen in the future. It would be a big step forward for KnGv and Noah Whinston as the two did not have an easy past. However, from the perspective of further improving the Mibr brand, Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppedoes make a lot of sense. There is little doubt of the player’s skill, the big concern remains about his temperament. He also needs to learn to adjust to his teammates and adapt to the roster.

The leak is not confirmed, but KnGV on MiBr would be a welcome addition. He will be about a big change to the team’s firepower and skill ceiling. Together with TACO, who has proven to be a crucial part for Team Liquid [ as we saw during their EPL season 8 LAN Finals ], they can make a very strong combination.

Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppe posted a public apology for his actions and behaviour in the past. With the new-look KngV apology, we might expect an official announcement very soon. It does pave the way for a lot of work on part of the MiBr management and the coach. However, it is definitely possible and a player of his talent should receive another chance.

Tarik and Ynk

Source tells me that compLexity has made an offer to MiBR for Tarik. Move is pending Tarik’s response. — Ryan (@RyanAtRBM) December 11, 2018

Meanwhile, there are sources saying that Tarik will potentially move to Complexity. This seems highly unlikely unless Complexity suddenly decides to spend a lot more on player acquisitions. It would be a step down for the player from Cloud9, MiBr and now to Complexity.

what about ynk — Zion Williamson 🇨🇦 (@yg6ix) December 11, 2018

With Zews potentially moving in for MiBr, it would mean the end of the road for Janko “YNk” Paunović as a coach. We might see him back on the analyst desk at big events. The former Professional player attempted to coach MiBr and help them develop into a strong team. He was unsuccessful in this attempt.

KNgV’s return to Top Tier CSGO: Attitude over Form

The biggest challenge for Vito to return to top-tier Counter-Strike will be his temperament. The player is notorious for his temper tantrums. Things reached a crescendo during his time on Team Immortals. The Death Threats coupled with the behaviour of the player on LAN definitely did not help matters. Multiple analysts, the tournament organiser Dreamhack as well as Immortals owner Noah Whinston condemned his behaviour. He further complicated matters when he decided to defy a direct order from Noah Whinston when he played for Immortals in an online match.

However, the player has since gone through a rough patch. Moving from one team to another, his individual performance definitely suffered. Of late, he has shown a surprising amount of improvement when it comes to his form. There is an uptick in his performance as we can see from September. It is definitely nowhere near the same as his 2016 form.

However, this improvement in his statistics coupled with the recent apology by the player provides some ray of hope for the Brazilian scene. KNgV recently made a public apology where he was sorry for his previous actions.

It is the first step for the player as he attempts to make a comeback to the top of the Counter-Strike. He personally apologized to FNS, Thoorin as well as several other community members. We don’t know whether this apology means a true transformation for the player. However, it definitely paves way for the player to be taken seriously by teams and fellow players. We hope to see him return to top form as he is a delight to watch in the server. Under the guidance of veterans like Fallen and possibly Zews, kNGv can blossom into a bright future for Brazilian Counter-Strike.

The Future of Made in Brazil

There are multiple problems plaguing the current MiBr roster. Poor language communication, lack of synergy and results definitely hurt the team. With a fully Brazilian roster, we expect the team to go back to their old style of play. The coordination and the chemistry on previous editions this team were the main reasons for their success. Their experiment with the two North American players failed and now its time to prove that they can dominate with a Brazilian roster.

The new roster has the right mixture of an excellent coach and the right amount of firepower. Zews has had experience with many players in the roster. He arrives alongside Taco, who has proven to be just the right amount of aggressiveness on Team Liquid. he might be one of the understatements in Team Liquid’s success. However, when it comes to his individual performance, he has not disappointed us with his firepower. The new roster changes are possibly important and necessary for the team to proceed further. The current roster looks stagnant with no signs of improvement. Sometimes coordination and synergy play a much bigger role than raw skill.

The IEM Katowice 2019 Major will take place from February 13th. If MiBr announces changes to their roster within this month, they will barely have a couple of months to show successful results. However, it only takes a few good matches to inspire confidence in a new team. If MiBr can find their footing and ensure strong gameplay and fundamentals, they can definitely be a surprise package at the Major. We will keep you updated with any news regarding their potential roster changes.

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