Author: Gabriele "DauD" Mantovani

With the transition to Counter-Strike 2 now well and truly completed, teams and players are facing a tough period of adaptation to the new game in all of its quirks and issues. The uncertainty surrounding the latest iteration of the Counter-Strike franchise, however, also represents a potential breakthrough for multiple young talents aiming to rise through their ranks. BLIX’s 20 Under 20 is our way of answering the age-old question: who will be the CS stars of tomorrow?Author’s Note: As this article focuses on upcoming talents and new faces within the scene, no players who are already established in tier-one,…

While MOUZ had established themselves as a threatening upset team under Christopher “dexter” Nong’s leadership, producing sporadic deep runs in the process, international success always evaded them and their big event title drought expanded to almost four years. This immediately changed with IGL Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek and Jimi “Jimpphat” Salo joining the squad in July, the signings immediately transforming MOUZ into an international contender and even securing a title at EPL Season 18. As the team were not phased by the transition to CS2, proving their run in Malta was not a flash in the pan, we have to ask…

With the transition to Counter-Strike 2 now well and truly completed, teams and players are facing a tough period of adaptation to the new game, in all of its quirks and issues. The uncertainty surrounding the latest iteration of the Counter-Strike franchise, however, also represents a potential breakthrough for multiple young talents aiming to rise through their ranks. BLIX’s 20 Under 20 is our way of answering the age-old question: who will be the CS stars of tomorrow?Writer’s Note: As this article focuses on upcoming talents and new faces within the scene, no players who are already established in tier-one,…

With MOUZ surprisingly securing the last Counter-Strike: Global Offensive big event crown, BLIX takes a look back at the Maltese event to find the main takeaways for the tier-one scene.MOUZ’s academy strategy pays offMOUZ came into ESL Pro League Season 18 on one of the longest tier-one LAN title droughts, with their last trophy coming all the way back at EPL Season 10 in December of 2019. Almost four years later, and with David “frozen” Čerňanský as the only surviving member of that Chris “ChrisJ” de Jong-led team, the German organization managed to complete an unlikely run to the title…

As Counter-Strike 2 debuts in Australia with the game’s first big event, IEM Sydney, BLIX goes over the top five players to watch at the tournament.After MOUZ secured the last Counter-Strike: Global Offensive big event at ESL Pro League Season 18, the scene is now ready to restart from a blank slate. While it’s unlikely the biggest favorites will falter, even if the new MR12 best-of-one matches give underdogs a chance to shine, starting off strongly might mean being able to establish oneself as a contender straight away. It’s also particularly fitting that Counter-Strike 2 will debut in Australia, a…

As the 18th season of ESL Pro League came to a close in Malta earlier last week, with MOUZ taking home the last CS:GO big event crown, BLIX takes a look at the best-performing players in each role.With Counter-Strike 2 releasing to the entirety of the player base mid-event, ESL Pro League Season 18 will go down in history as CS:GO’s last big event. Of the thirty-two teams congregating in Malta, MOUZ’s young international quintet was the last one standing, securing the organization’s fourth and final Big Event crown. With a plethora of impressive runs and an underdog taking the…

Team Liquid’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division had long been NA’s standout performer, even going as far as bringing the often mocked region to the top of the international scene in 2019. Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken’s departure at the tail end of 2020 ushered in a period of inconsistency and disappointment. Following different failed rosters, Liquid began opening its doors to South American and European imports. Nonetheless, few expected the organization to transition to a majority-European roster as they announced another overhaul of their roster in the Summer of 2023. After three events, however, the Markes “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis-led quintet has largely…

As the ESL Pro League Season 18 playoffs will see another team reach glory in Malta, BLIX goes over the leading candidates for the coveted trophy as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s time comes to a close.#3: NAVINAVI’s new international experiment has failed to hit the ground running over the last few months, scoring a win over G2 at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups before missing the playoffs with a top-eight finish at IEM Cologne and getting dominated by Vitality at Gamers8. While some have tried to downplay the mediocrity of these results, especially in light of the struggles of transitioning to…

Since its inception in 2009, Ukrainian organization Natus Vincere, also known as NAVI, has always fielded a CIS-based lineup for its Counter-Strike division. This changed in July of this year when they announced the signing of Finnish In-Game Leader Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, Lithuanian rifler Justinas “jL” Lekavicius and BLAST Paris Major star Mihai “iM” Ivan. Since then, the roster has struggled to hit the ground running despite its star-studded nature, leaving many to question the switch. As NAVI prepare to make their debut in ESL Pro League Season 18, BLIX takes a look back at their first two months together.NAVI’s…

After a strong showing at IEM Cologne, TheMongolz will be aiming to take a further step and usher in a new era for Asian CS.As TheMongolz have put Asian CS back on the map with their run to the Main Event at IEM Cologne, many ask themselves whether we’ll ever see an Asian team reach a consistent tier-one status, further than what the upset-happy TYLOO of years past could ever manage. A local scene that has shown substantial growth over the past few years is the Mongolian one, as many competitive rosters have been created thanks to a deep and…