Author: Sam "AN1MO" McKenzie
Cloud9âs run at the IEM Rio 2022 Major was an interesting one. After starting the Challengers Stage by going 0-2, they eliminated home favorites Imperial, and it was all seemingly uphill from there.The Legends Stage saw them sweep a clean 3-0 advancement, with wins against tournament favorites FaZe and CIS rivals NAVI as part of that run. It might have seemed a lesser achievement at the time, but a 2-0 victory against eventual runners-up Heroic was also impressive.As they entered the Champions Stage, it was quietly beginning to seem like their time in Rio may be a coming of age…
When OG entered CS:GO in December 2019, there were high expectations for the organization. Fresh off of winning their second Dota 2 International in as many years, the Red Bull-backed organization promised to bring a new elite squad to Valveâs other flagship esport.It feels slightly odd to say that almost three years later and with an entirely different roster, OG finally played their first Major in CS:GO at IEM Rio 2022. That Major also ended in disappointment, with the team failing to make it out of the Challengers Stage after losing to Fnatic, FURIA, and Vitality.Despite their underwhelming Major, OG…
2022 will most likely end up being quite a forgettable year for CS:GO. With giants underperforming in G2 and Astralis and far smaller teams like ENCE taking much of the plaudits for the first half of the year, the scene felt as if it was in a transitional state for much of the year.Many of those teams have since figured themselves out and look far better, but thatâs not to say there isnât a chance for further upgrades. Itâs those potential upgrades that weâll be taking a look at in this article.There will be one notable exclusion, however, in Heroic.…