Author: Benjamin "esk1mo" Esgate
Attention is already locked on the next Counter-Strike campaign. 2022 offers so much potential due to the multitude of new rosters being created as well as the sheer amount of young and exciting talent breaking through into the upper echelon of the game.1. Natus Vincere will continue their dominance in early 2022Since Valeriy ‘b1t’ Vakhovskiy’s permanent inclusion in the Natus Vincere lineup in April of 2021, they have been on an immense run of form. Since the switch-up, the Na’Vi squad has won every single LAN tournament they have attended and a plethora of online events. This success netted them…
The first group of ESL Pro League Season 16 was action-packed and full of highly contested games. With the Summer break over, some teams continue to develop with their new lineups, and other teams look to build on their form from before the break. We’ve picked out six takeaways from Group A of ESL Pro League Season 16.Vitality look revitalized with their new Israeli additionThe Summer break saw Israeli rifle star Lotan “Spinx” Giladi join the French-Danish side of Vitality, replacing Kevin “misutaaa” Rabier on the starting lineup. The 21-year-old was one of the breakout stars for 2022 and looked…
Is any roster move other than the departure of In-Game leader Christopher ‘dexter’ Nong a mistake for MOUZ?MOUZ have been in some lackluster form as of late, and their Quarter Final appearance at IEM Cologne 2022 does not make up for the months of poor results the Australian In-Game leader has overseen.The German organization first entered the Counter-Strike franchise in 2002, and over the years, they have found lots of success and had some of the greatest players within their ranks. In Global Offensive, they have won some noteworthy trophies, like ESL One New York in 2018 and ESL Pro…
IEM Cologne 2022 was an action-packed tournament that brought an end to the first half of the year for Counter-Strike. With the summer break upon us, some teams can rest up feeling satisfied. However, certain teams do not have that luxury, and changes within their lineups may be imminent. We’ve picked out six winners and six losers from IEM Cologne 2022Winners: FaZe & Counter-Strike fans2021 was the year of Natus Vincere; they were incredibly dominant – winning the sole Major of the year and also taking home the million-dollar bonus for winning Season 3 of the Intel Grandslam. Heading into…
ORDER and MIBR join Complexity and paiN by heading home in last place at the IEM Cologne 2022 Play-InYesterday saw two teams from the Americas, Complexity and paiN, exit the IEM Cologne 2022 Play-In in last place. Two others joined them in the matches earlier this morning where ORDER took on Imperial and MIBR faced TYLOO. The veteran Brazilians on Imperial beat out the Australian side to stay alive in the tournament. They won the series through a reverse sweep after initially dropping ORDER’s pick of Inferno 8-16 and then winning Mirage 16-8. Their head-to-head concluded on Nuke and ended…
New rosters are off to a strong start, massive upsets, and big teams heading home early are the key stories to come out of the first day at the IEM Cologne 2022 Play-In.The IEM Cologne tournament began today, starting with the Play-In stage. This stage involves sixteen teams fighting for the main event’s eight remaining spots. The day kicked off with eight best-of-ones with elimination and qualifying games that followed. To recap, the first day of play…Solid starts for rosters with new additionsBoth Heroic and Spirit came into Germany with a new addition to their roster – rifle player Jakob…
No clear favorite, a tightly contested playoff stage, and eight unconfirmed teams are the key headlines heading into IEM Cologne 2022.IEM Cologne 2022 follows the Play-In segment held in Cologne, Germany. It will see sixteen teams compete for the trophy in the LANXESS Arena, known for having one of the biggest crowds in the entire Counter-Strike calendar.Eight teams await the Play-In teams in the main event. These include Natus Vincere, NIP, G2, and ENCE, who are in Group A, and FaZe, Liquid, Cloud9, and FURIA, who are in Group B. The remaining teams are decided through the Play-In stage, where…
New players, teams in and out of form, and only eight spots up for grabs at the main event are some key headlines heading into IEM Cologne 2022 Play-In.The Play-In segment of the famed competition held in Cologne, Germany, will see sixteen teams compete for eight remaining spots at the main event in a double-elimination playoff bracket.Eight teams await the Play-In teams in the main event. These include the world’s top-four ranked teams – FaZe, Natus Vincere, ENCE, and Cloud9. G2, FURIA, NIP, and Liquid are the remaining teams who have already netted a spot at the main event and…
In-game cosmetics make up a massive part of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ecosystem; they were integral to the initial growth of the Valve game. This was due to the growth of the trading scene and the economy Valve tends to build for its games. Skins or finishes were first introduced in the Arms Deal Update in 2013. These finishes are variants of the weapons in the game with different textures and colour schemes. With regards to knives, there are multiple different types of knives, ranging from the curves of the Karambit to the flamboyance of the Bayonet. Individual knives and…
The North American component of the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2022 allows a single team from the Americas to qualify for the main event – the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2022. These BLAST Premier Showdowns are famously incredibly cut-throat. There is a single bracket composed of eight teams, and all matches taking place are best-of-threes. The single-elimination qualifier begins on the twenty-seventh of April and runs until the first of May, with the North American portion taking place alongside the European segment – filling the two remaining spots at the main event.The BLAST Premier Spring Showdown for North America takes…