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 ever-growing talent pool. Among these quintets, will the new TheMongolz side manage to establish itself as a contender, or did their Cologne run hide issues impossible to fix?
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The origins of TheMongolz: Mongolia’s first foray into international CS:GO
The Mongolian scene hasn’t always been at the forefront of Asian Counter-Strike. In the first years of the game’s lifespan, various Australian representatives dominated the Asian qualifiers. Everything changed in 2015, when Valve first introduced the now well-known LAN Qualifier, before fully implementing its regional qualifying system at ESL One Cologne in October. The first Mongolian sides in the Major qualification system did not impress, however, and a local organization known as TheMongolz featuring the current quintet’s coach Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat, couldn’t secure a single map.
A handful of roster changes later, the team came into the Asian Minor at IEM Taipei 2016 without being considered anything more than a stepping stone for the Australians and the Chinese sides. It was a mixture of luck and skill that took the Mongolian outfit to the top: Reddit users discovered a VAC Ban linked to TYLOO’s Quanqing “â qzâ ” Wu, which led to their disqualification from the event, and TheMongolz proceeded to dominate the Australian sides to secure a spot at the MLG Columbus Main Qualifier. Unfortunately, the fairytale would not see a happy ending, as TheMongolz failed to obtain US visas and subsequently missed out on the Columbus Major.
The Dark Ages of Mongolian CS and the Rise of IHC
Mongolian Counter-Strike was now on the map thanks to a single representative, but TheMongolz would routinely fall to Japanese and Korean opposition in qualifiers as new blood mixed with an era of dominance for TYLOO and Renegades. As the rest of the scene progressed Mongolian CS would become dormant, with a series of lesser teams developing young talent, but they would also see their first Major appearance in 2019 in the form of Australia-based Erdenetsogt “erkaSt” Gantulga.
As COVID developed into a global pandemic, Mongolia saw the birth of a new generation of contenders, and a project that took advantage of this talent was Checkmate, formed in 2020 around IGL Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren. Checkmate started developing young, unproven prospects such as Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold and Baatarkhuu “Bart4k” Batbold, led by new coach maaRaa. To compete with the region’s best, the organization signed AWPer Yesuntumur “nin9” Gantulga and experienced rifler Bat-Enkh “kabal” Batbayar from Renewal. The quintet was soon completed by Tengis ‘sk0r’ Batjargal, one of the most exciting prospects in the region.
AWPer nin9 was a key part of IHC’s rise, but also its weakest link (Image Credits: PGL | Joao Ferreira)The rest is now Asian CS history: the roster was acquired by IHC Esports and dominated the Asia-Pacific RMR for the PGL Major in Antwerp over Renegades and TYLOO, becoming the first Mongolian team to attend a Major six years after TheMongolz. IHC rapidly became an elite side in Asia but failed to establish their dominance and soon replaced nin9 with D13’s ANNIHILATION, a change which ushered in another jump in quality for the Mongolian side. IHC stormed through the qualifying process for IEM Rio, securing their second consecutive Major appearance, and attended LANs at IEM Katowice and Pro League, where they took high-level scalps in FURIA and Cloud9.
The team then experienced a period of uncertainty in the lead-up to the BLAST Paris Major, as sk0r was allegedly removed from the active lineup by the organization due to a contract dispute. The rest of the quintet chose to leave IHC soon after, appearing at the Asian RMR under the legendary TheMongolz tag with sixth man Bart4k as a permanent replacement for kabal and former teammate Chinguun “â hastekaâ ” Bayarmaa over sk0r.
TheMongolz at IEM Cologne: a real contender or a flash in the pan?
Disappointing results drove the team to look back at its roots, the deep talent pool Mongolia had developed before and during the Pandemic era. The team removed Bart4k and ANNIHILATION, choosing to replace them with talent unproven even in the regional scene: AWPer Usukhbayar “â 910â ” Banzragch, and 16-year-old rifler Ayush “â mzinhoâ ” Batbold, Bart4k’s younger brother. The choice immediately paid off, as TheMongolz beat Into The Breach and FURIA at IEM Cologne while recording very narrow losses to MOUZ, Heroic and GamerLegion.
16-year-old mzinho had little competitive experience before joining TheMongolz (Image Credits: ESL | Stephanie Lindgren)Starting with their strengths, we have to mention the IGL and cornerstone of the project, bLitz. The 22-year-old Mongolian is the longest-standing member of the project starting in 2020, and has shown to be a decisive influence in his team’s rise to the top. His individual skill cannot be disputed, and while he might not be as flashy as sk0r or Techno4K, his consistency against big names has been remarkable, as shown by his 1.16 HLTV rating at IEM Cologne. It’s not a coincidence that, unlike many other IGLs, he occupies high-impact positions such as mid on Mirage and B rotator on Overpass, where his CT side proactivity can shine.
bLitz and coach maaRaa should, however, be first and foremost praised for the system they created. Unlike the first iteration of IHC, which was heavily default-based and shocked unfamiliar observers for its European approach to utility and map control, TheMongolz’s T sides are committed to early gunfights and attempt to overwhelm sites with superior numbers. bLitz now only sporadically slows down his team’s approach to the sites, especially when TheMongolz manages to secure a man advantage, to punish information plays. However, this T-side style also means trouble for the Mongolians when they are unable to punish CT side aggression, like on Overpass in their match against Heroic.
After sk0r’s departure, the star rifler of the team is Techno4K, who occupies most of the proactive positions not taken by bLitz, together with key anchor roles such as Ramp on Nuke. The 18-year-old has refined his already excellent mechanical skills and is mainly a pack player, creating space in the early round in tandem with hasteka or mzinho and focusing on trading during executes. While his talent is undeniable, Techno is still incredibly inconsistent, and his ability to be the one to drag his team across the line has been questioned, heavily influencing the effectiveness of the Mongolians’ T-side halves.
Techno4k is the second-longest standing member of TheMongolz’s core after IGL bLitz (Image Credits: ESL | Adela Szjnader)New recruit mzinho was employed in a variety of roles, taking on lurking duties in some of TheMongolz’s more passive defaults, such as in Apartments on Inferno and A Ramp on Mirage, but playing together with Techno or bLitz in more aggressive setups and usually joining the pack for the final execute. While his first international outing has been disappointing from an individual perspective, mzinho still showed solid protocols for his age, proficiency in clutch situations, and a tendency to hype up his team, which IHC sorely missed. It’s still too early to judge whether his willingness to take opening fights on the T side is part of a wider strategy or a sign of issues with overextending.
AWPer 910 was the true highlight of TheMongolz’s campaign in Cologne, proving right away that he was able to keep up with more experienced snipers in his matchups against MOUZ and GamerLegion. A good mix of aggression, composure, and excellent mechanical ability is only spoiled by a lack of much-needed mid-round initiative on the defensive side. 910 demonstrated remarkable composure in clutch situations, particularly when his confidence soars, but his performance tended to fluctuate and he often was unable to get his head back in the game during tougher matches.
Finally, hasteka is the weak link of the project. The 25-year-old veteran was set to be TheMongolz’s new IGL, freeing up bLitz in the process, but the change was reverted during the team’s preparation for Cologne. This left hasteka without a true identity in the team, as the Mongolian became the team’s dedicated space creator on both the T and CT side. Unfortunately, his mechanics are not up to scratch, and his decision-making has raised equal criticism. hasteka recorded an abysmal 20% opening duel win rate on the T side, with significantly better stats on defense, and the lack of a true opener often left TheMongolz toothless.
A potential roster change and the lack of international opportunities
While it’s hard to judge a team off a single international event, it’s important to look at TheMongolz through the lens of a quintet aiming to dominate Asian Counter-Strike. For this purpose, and as also proven by lackluster results in the team’s first online openings, the Mongolians will need a higher level of firepower. Replacing hasteka with a high-impact aggressive rifler who can create space on the T side, freeing up either mzinho or Techno for more standard lurk roles, would give TheMongolz more options to contend with an ever-rising international skill ceiling.
While the new look TheMongolz have impressed, they lack the firepower shown by IHC, especially at the regional level (Image Credits: ESL | Adela Sznajder)Seeing as sk0r has now joined TyLoo, and erkaSt has been on a decline ever since joining the international NKT project, the main choice for this course of action would be Munkhbold ‘Senzu’ Azbayar. The 16-year-old ticks all the boxes, being the new upcoming Mongolian star after sk0r and, most importantly, performing admirably in a shaky NKT roster.
Unfortunately, the youngster was involved in a large controversy earlier this year when information surfaced about his gambling and even losing his teammates’ skins. Even if he’ll ever be back in the professional scene, it’s hard to imagine TheMongolz paying a buyout without the support of an organization.
A similar case can be made for his replacement in NKT, Enkhbat ‘xerolte’ Munkhtogtokh, a former teammate of sk0r and ANNIHILATION in D13. While xerolte lacks the pure individual talent of Senzu, who had been shining even before joining NKT against some of the top teams in the region, he represents a consistent aggressive presence in the server who can hold his own weight. Once again, however, his contract would be the main obstacle, especially as he is still in the team’s starting lineup. The last option would be Davaasuren ‘Fury5k’ Ganbaatar, a free agent after his time in Eruption. The 24-year-old has proven to be a competent entry-fragger at the regional level, but international CS is a different beast.
Whether TheMongolz make changes or not, the form they’ve shown in Cologne will be necessary to contend for the few spots available to Asian teams. The quintet already missed out on a Pro League S18 spot with the previous roster, and the lack of a second Major in 2023 will leave them without a key objective in the second half of the year after the release of CS2. There will still be chances to evaluate the self-proclaimed ‘best team in Asia’, as TheMongolz are scheduled to take part in ESL Challenger League APAC Season 46, starting on August 15th.
