Author: Pedro Romero

For all the talk about Nigma Galaxy and how there was going to be tougher competition for them to overcome in the 2023 ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals, by the end of the event, they remained on top of women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, defeating NAVI Javelins 2-0 in the grand finals to capture their third straight league title.Looking at the other side of the story, NAVI Javelins, despite falling once again to Nigma in another Impact grand finals, did so with a slightly different team compared to the roster who competed in Katowice 2023. In March, they brought in…

After nearly two years, Nigma Galaxy parted ways with head coach Ricardo “JTR” Júnior in April 2023, finishing the most successful coaching stint in the ESL Impact League’s history. Filling in his place is Latvian player-turned-coach Reinis “hyskee” GrÄ«nbergs, who officially joined the team in late May ahead of the ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals.While there was a growing sense among the community that the gap between NGX and the rest of the field was closing, the reigning champions showed in Dallas, Texas they remain at the top of their game, going 6-0 across all their matches in the…

As the only orgless team to compete in the ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals, North America’s Shimmer had a tough road ahead of them. Not only did they have to face the two of the world’s best teams from the outset, they had to do so with little practice reps under their belt.In an interview with BLIX following the team’s first match against Nigma Galaxy, Shimmer’s Lisa “lisa” Nguyen explained the rocky road the team endured in the leadup to the event in Dallas, Texas. On top of already being an independent team in a region like North America,…

The ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals have not just been the final proving ground for players looking to become the absolute best in women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The event has also allowed fans to watch their favorite players at a closer level.Furthermore, it can provide a special opportunity for those who helped significantly cultivate certain players’ careers, such as Joe Dasta, the father of FlyQuest RED’s Marissa “madss” Dasta.Since the Season 1 Finals, where madss appeared as a member of the North American Please Send Help team, Joe has been one of the single biggest supporters of his daughter…

A new top team has emerged in Brazilian women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene. With the decline of FURIA Esports Female, B4 Esports has risen to take the top spot in the region on the back of an undefeated regular season and a semifinal run at ESL Impact Katowice 2023.Following the team’s day one win over Black Dragons Female match, BLIX caught up with B4’s Nadjila “poppins” Sanchez on the team’s form heading into Dallas for the Season 3 Finals, her emergence as a top prospect in the women’s CS scene in 2023, her parents’ support towards her pro career, and…

Two months after the end of Counter Logic Gaming and its Red women’s esports branch, its former women’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team was picked up by FlyQuest for the ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals.Now known as FlyQuest RED, the team is competing in the highest level of women’s CS once again as one of two North American hometown representatives.During FlyQuest RED’s series against 9 Pandas Fearless, BLIX talked to FlyQuest President and Chief Gaming Officer Christopher “PapaSmithy” Smith about what the process was like in signing the ex-CLG Red team prior to the Season 3 Finals.Entering CS with FlyQuestPedro…

FaZe Clan suffered a heartbreaking exit at IEM Dallas 2023, losing to ENCE in the semifinals 2-1 off a memorable third map that spanned for nearly 60 rounds in total.Seemingly every ounce of both teams’ energy was used to decide the winner, which ultimately became ENCE; they would go on to win the entire tournament. Whereas for FaZe, they now begin focusing on competing in BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023, taking place in Washington, D.C. from June 7 to 11.One day after FaZe’s semifinal loss to ENCE, BLIX talked to FaZe’s coach Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström, about how the team fared…

After finishing second in their respective group at IEM Dallas 2023, Astralis’ journey towards lifting the title in North America came to an end after they fell 2-0 to MOUZ in the quarterfinals.Despite their early exit in the playoffs, for Astralis, who came off of a 17-20th finish in ESL Pro League Season 17 and a 12-14th finish in the Paris Major European RMR, it was a cause for optimism for their development as the return of dev1ce propped them to snatch a win over Cloud9 and have a close tie against MOUZ that featured a 20-22 loss in Inferno.Following…

Despite all expectations, MOUZ made their way to the IEM Dallas 2023 grand finals after taking down the likes of Heroic and Astralis during the Playoffs. That put them in a position where they could win their first S-Tier event since July 2019, where they won the Starladder Europe Minor Championship – Berlin.Unfortunately, a 0-2 loss to ENCE in the Grand-final continued their search for more silverware in CS. Even so, the team managed to leave the event on a high note as the 2023 calendar year reaches the halfway point.Following the series against ENCE, BLIX spoke with MOUZ IGL…

HSG opened their ESL Impact League Season 3 Finals run in Dallas, Texas, with a 16-6 loss to NAVI Javelins in the opening match of Group A. As the sole Asian representative in the event, which featured a past semifinal finish in the Season 2 Finals, the team brought in Brazilian player Olga “olga” Rodrigues as their newest member ahead of the Season 3 Finals.Following the match against NAVI, olga talked to BLIX for an interview about what it’s like being with HSG, how it has been preparing for the Season 3 Finals, and more.Experience in DallasPedro Romero, BLIX: It’s…