The tenth instalment of Valve sponsored majors will begin on January 22nd, in the United States. The major is being hosted by ELEAGUE, who made their Counter Strike debut in 2016, with their first two season of televised competition. The major is comprised very similarly to the last nine majors, with 16 of the world’s finest, battling for a 1 million dollar prize pool, with the victor taking the bulk of that and also the recognition as world champions.
The tournament roster features old gods, rising forces, and those that have been challenging the rule of top teams their entire career. The major will offer these teams the first chance of the new year to solidify their rule, dethrone the current champions, or impose the threat of dark horses. With the opportunity for success, there also comes the opportunity for disappointment; for many teams, the ELEAGUE major offers either the final chance to prove that they can continue existing in their current form, or the possibility of their weaknesses ripping them apart, leaving the opening months of 2017 to uncertainty.
Without further ado, the ELEAGUE major preview, presented by GosuGamers:
The Challengers
The following eight teams are those that qualified for the Major in December, who are ready to challenge the legends, in an attempt to claim their spots for the next major.
FaZe Clan (rain, aizy, allu, karrigan, kioShiMa)
Looking Back
FaZe Clan has emerged as the result of a project undergone in 2015, to create a multinational team that could compete at the highest level. The current roster’s core began 2016 with rough results, and little to show for the talent that was on their team. The moved through the first half of the year, finding little success, failing to make the playoffs at any tournament.
From 2016 into 2017
In October, FaZe made the roster change to remove Jkaem, use KioShima, and bring in Karrigan, who had recently been replaced by Astralis. Perhaps the greatest flaw of FaZe had always been the lack of a system, roles, and leadership, all of which can come from Karrigan, as he is an experienced and talented in-game leader. The improvements from bringing him in were nearly instantaneous, as they qualified for ELEAGUE right away, officially making it the first time the made it out of groups in over a year. After that, they achieved three semifinals finishes, showing strong play going into the new year.
The Major
With FaZe having the spike in performance at the end of last year, they are looking to come into the major with renewed strength and force. The key difference in the last month is that Karrigan has had time to practice with his team and build them up; their earlier success was predicated on small amounts of practice time, with the large amounts of events that took place in a row. With practice time, and the ability to organize his team Karrigan will look to enter the first major of 2017 as one of the best, showing that they are not the lost group of mercenaries as they once seemed. As it looks, FaZe has a solid chance to make it out of the groups, as they are especially dangerous in best-of-one games; all they need with the swiss system are three, before losing three. If they make it out of groups, the series play will arise as more of a challenge, but the unknowns with Karrigan’s new leadership leave much in the air about what is to be expected. FaZe will meet FlipSid3 in the first round of the major, where Karrigan and B1ade will test each other tactically, leaving the skilful play to their teammates.
Godsent (pronax, znajder, flusha, JW, Lekr0)
Looking Back
In 2016, Godsent was formed under the leadership of pronax, the leader of the greatest CSGO line-up of all time. Pronax was forming the team with four younger players, and znajder, who held some experience in the early Global Offensive years. However, not long after the formation of Godsent, there was the infamous shuffle that traded players between Fnatic and Godsent. The trade was controversial, because both teams became worse, not showing any truly incredible results.
From 2016 into 2017
Even after trading back KRiMZ, for Lekr0, the results have not changed much; in fact, the only result of note, after the trade, was the three best-of-one wins that got them through the major qualifier. The latter half of the year brought ruin to Godsent, giving little in the way of optimistic outlook for their 2017. They kicked off 2017 by failing to qualify for the DreamHack Vegas Close qualifier, being knocked out by a team with far less ability than those they will face at the major.
The Major
Expectations for Godsent are reasonably low, as their results do not prove that they will achieve anything of note. The trump card that they have, however, is flusha, who remains as one of the best Swedish players, and is also the best rated player in the world, when it comes to majors. His uncanny ability to pick apart enemy teams, while staying calm, proves to be useful when majors are concerned. Flusha is a good starting point for the team, but there must be more factors for Godsent to find success; JW must perform well, harnessing his non-traditional styled AWPing, and the youngster, Lekr0, must reach his potential, in order for Godsent to have any chance of making it out of the groups. If they make it out of groups, however, it is unlikely that they will have the strength to take the other teams in series play, leaving them with the highest expectations of making it to the quarters, and gaining legend status for the next major.
Mousesports (chrisJ, NiKo, denis, Spiidi, loWel)
Looking Back
When 2016 rolled around, mousesports was in a similar place that they are now, just a middling team, staying near the bottom of the top ten, but consistently having trouble moving higher in the rankings. The silverlining of 2016, despite being a mediocre year for mouse, is the emergence of NiKo, as one of the best players in the world. In the second third of the year, when coldzera was dominating the scene, the only player that seemed to have a chance at challenging his rule was NiKo, who took entire games over, with swift aim, intelligent play, and divisive destruction of his enemies. Despite his team suffering from poor results, NiKo carried the play, proving himself to be one of the most dangerous fraggers, also while in-game leading.
From 2016 to 2017
The latter half of the year has seen mouse impose more team play, but with a trade-off, that may not be worth it; NiKo’s early year dominance has fallen off, likely due to him attempting to reinvent his team, but in doing so, he has lost his identity as an individual, with only rare glimpses of the NikO that destroyed teams with just a deagle. Another note to make about mousesports leading into the latter half of the year is that they replaced Nex with Spanish player, loWel, who has proven to has some firepower to the team. Along with that, chrisJ has found a level of consistency that could create a great duo with NiKo, if he returns to his former glory. The end of 2016, however, brought more results that lacked the ability to make strong placements in tournaments, leaving them with realistically little to look forward to, heading into the major.
The Major
If mouse’s end of the year results are any indication for how they will perform at the major, they are likely going to be eliminated in the group stage, following suit with most of their tournament results of 2016, with very few exceptions. There are some recipes that could lead to partial success, but they have rarely been seen in this team. The pieces that must come together are the godlike plays of NiKo, solid AWPing from chrisJ, and steady fragging from loWel. The other two players must also carry their weight, but are not need to be relied on for much more than that, if the former three can perform at their desired levels. When considering the pieces that must all come together to create success for mouse, it is obvious that they are not very likely to make it out of the group stage of the major. If they do, there is even less chance that they will power through a series game over one of the top teams. Mouse will face Na’Vi in the first round of play, which could go one of two ways; either Na’Vi does not show up and finds themselves lost in individual play, or Na’Vi does show up and decimates them. The competition between the teams will likely come down to NiKo versus S1mple; if both bring their top level of gameplay, there teammates will be the defining factor.
North (MSL, k0nfig, RUBINO, cajunb, Magiskb0y)
Looking Back
North, formerly of Dignitas, was once a team that would float near the outer edges of the top ten, always living in the shadow of their Danish brothers, Astralis. This was the case in early and mid-2016, where North served as almost a breeding ground for players that might some day be destined to join the core that made up Astralis. This realization came to fruition in the middle of the year, when Astralis and North traded cajunb for Kjaerbye, who was the best player on North at the time. This was worrying, although cajunb is one of the best Danish players, with potential to take over entire maps. For that first half of the year, North did not manage to accomplish much, but still existed under the careful leadership of MSL, who is held in high regard in the CSGO scene. Soon after the acquisition of cajunb, there was another change made, to drop tenzki, and pick up Magiskb0y, a young, but rising star.
From 2016 into 2017
After Magisk joined the team, it was clear that MSL finally had a duo that he could work with, creating what could potentially become a world class team; that duo is k0nfig and Magiskb0y. Magisk has risen very quickly to becoming one of the most consistent and powerful fraggers in the world, while k0nfig can deliver high-impact, skilled play, picking apart enemy teams with just a few clicks of his mouse. This duo would come to peak at EPICENTER: Moscow, where the Danes would take the title over Virtus.Pro, who were the clear favourites. Epicenter would put the Danes on the map as one of the best, but their hype soon died out, as the rest of the year was under par, at best. Having not made it to another top four finish for the rest of 2016, it is safe to say that the Danes ended on a very low note, especially when compared to what they have the ability to do.
The Major
The Danish side of North has the ability to become the best in the world, or one of the best, with the skill and strategy to beat any team in the world. Many attributed the loss of form in the latter months of last year to oversaturation, not allowing North to have enough time to prepare and fix mistakes. They will be approaching the major as dangerous underdogs, hoping to prove that Epicenter was not a fluke and that they will emerge among the top teams in the world. With more than a month off to improve and fix mistakes, North will have run out of excuses if they place poorly at the major. The most realistic assessment of North, based on past results, is that they will almost surely make it out of the group stage, but there is a chance that upsets and bad draws through the swiss system might put them against opponents that can top them. The Danes will face off against Gambit in the first day of ELEAGUE, and in fact, the first game.
OpTic Gaming (NAF, RUSH, mixwell, tarik, stanislaw)
Looking Back
Throughout 2016, the hope in NA fell into the hands of more than one roster, being tossed between Cloud 9 and Team Liquid, until the end of the year, when it fell into the seemingly unlikely hands of OpTic. OpTic was, as described by Duncan Shields, a placeholder, in North America, during a period when both C9 and Liquid were weakened, and North America needed a number one team. OG spent most of 2016 sitting in the middle of the pack in North America, never truly becoming great, but also never becoming horrible. As the year went on, they made some changes, bringing in Spanish star, mixwell, who has shown himself as the best player on the team, capable of competing with some of the best in the year. The next move that OpTic made was to pick up Tarik, who had played for CLG. While Tarik never reached his true form in CLG, something clicked in OG, allowing him to take a step up in both performance and consistency, showing that he could become one of the best players in North America.
From 2016 into 2017
As the latter months of 2016 rolled in, Cloud 9 once again began dropping off, leaving a void in North America; it just so happened that as C9 fell, OpTic was rising, picking up their game, to a point when they would soon peak. They began showing promise around the time of ESL One New York, taking some surprise upset victories, but their true peak would not be for a couple more months, when they would win two tournaments, one of which being ELEAGUE Season two, and then placing second at the final tournament of the year, right behind the Danes of Astralis.
The Major
OpTic’s rise is similar to that of Astralis, but more surprising, in the sense that they have not always had the pieces to make a successful team on the world stage. They are coming into 2017 after a burst of form and high results, giving them hope for the upcoming major. If they continue their form from the last months of 2016, they have a good chance to make a decent run at the major, making themselves potential locks to get out of groups. As far as what comes after groups, OpTic may run into trouble in series play, as they will come up against teams that they have not face in best-of-threes, such as Na’Vi, Virtus.Pro, and North. OpTic have been dealt the unfortunate card of being placed against Virtus.Pro in the first round of the group stage, where they will either fall under the feet of the NA killers, or they will prove that they are beyond the reach of the dangerous Poles.
Team EnVyUs (Happy, NBK, kennyS, apEX, SIXER)
EnVyUs are among the group of once great teams that have fallen into disarray in the last year, have an abysmal 2016, leading to few top placements, and roster complications. In 2016, they released long-time member, kioShiMa, and then later replaced Kio’s replacement. Over the course of 2016, EnVy took two titles, neither of which are considered top tier tournaments, as they were both show matches of different kinds. In between such victories, EnVy found little success in other tournaments, often dropping out in groups, including last place at both majors of the year.
From 2016 into 2017
As 2016 continued on, EnVy picked up SIXER, providing a decently stable support player, while also seeing a rise in form from both apEX, and KennyS. As the latter third of the year came into sight, EnVy slowly rose to becoming a solid team, that had little risk of dropping below the top ten, carefully carried by the peaks of apEX, and consistency of Kenny. The rise of these two stars continued until the end of the year, yet their best placements were top four at a tier two event, and top four at the ECS finals. The steady trajectory of the French seems to have followed into 2017, with their victory at WESG, despite not fielding the best teams in the world.
The Major
EnVyus will enter the major, hoping to make a stand against the teams that replaced them at the top, and they will need their stars firing up, in order to do just that. If KennyS and apEX peak during the major, they are a duo that can match any other in the game, with apEX having the ability to take an entire game over when he reaches his top form, and Kenny becoming the best AWPer in the world when he peaks. The major in Atlanta will likely be the final hurrah of team EnVyUs, as there is a French shuffle rumoured to take place, once the major ends. Despite being their final chance to prove themselves as a five man unit, they will still hope to gain final grandeur and praise, hoping to make a deep run. Reasonably, EnVy could make it out of groups, but anything further seems unlikely. They will start the major against Team Liquid, a match-up where both teams are trying to prove that they can achieve status that they once held.
G2 Esports (shox, RPK, SmithZz, ScreaM, bodyy)
Looking Back
G2 began 2016 with hopes as emerging as the best French team in the world, and hoping to finally become one of the best teams in the world, on any stage. They began the year with mediocre results, leading to them bombing out of the first major of the year. They did, however achieve their final goal of becoming the best French team, as they rose, when the fall of EnVyUs was underway. In summer, they peaked, with a narrow loss in the EPL Season 3 finals, to take second place, then getting revenge shortly after, taking victory at ECS, over SK Gaming. Their peak lasted until the next major, where they drew the unlucky group of death, ultimately going out in last place once again.
From 2016 into 2017
After the second major, the gradual rise of EnVyUs seemed to run parallel with the gradual drop of G2, as they failed to make any more top placements, letting down the hype that surrounded their rise in the summer. The most important factor of their 2016 rise was the duo of shox and ScreaM, who both regained form of old, becoming the most dangerous partnership in the game for a time; if both players went off in a game, it was unlikely that their opponent would be able to top them, giving certain victory to the French. Another important factor was the pickup of bodyy, a young French player that has played well, providing a rock in the often streaky roster. As the year came to a close, however, the dangerous duo seemed to fizzle out, not bringing the team any more success leading into the new year.
The Major
G2 will enter the major with a veil of uncertainty surrounding them, as the rumoured French shuffle looms just beyond the stages of the major, giving this tournament unlikely importance, as they leave a legacy as a top team, with some of the players hoping to make a final showing that is worthy of a great roster. If G2 sees refreshed form, similar to that of the 2016 summer, they will likely gain legend status, but even that is uncertain. The key to success for the Frenchmen will be the rise of Shox and ScreaM, steady play from RPK, and consistent fragging from bodyy. G2 will face Fnatic in the first round of the swiss groups, where they will hope to crush the Swedes, and move swiftly to the playoffs. If G2 makes it to the playoffs, they will likely perform well in series play, but may fall short to some more steady teams, with more impressive map pools.
HellRaisers (ANGE1, STYKO, Zero, bondik, DeadFox)
Looking Back
HellRaisers has a similar history as that of FlipSid3, hailing from a similar region, holding some of the same players, and always falling short at the hands of the tier-one teams. They experienced a rough 2016, with roster changes and uncertainty that spanned most of the year, keeping them from achieving many important results. Last year did not bring any significant results to HellRaisers, but they still managed to never fall too far in the scene, always managing to beat out lower-tiered teams, protecting their important position at the steps of the top teams.
From 2016 into 2017
One ray of light in the last year of HellRaisers exists, which is the acquisition of DeadFox, a less experienced player from Hungary, who has shown promise in the latter half of the year, where he has emerged as an unlikely star within a team that desperately lacks fire power. Their year did end on a higher note, however, as they found success at the ELEAGUE major qualifier.
The Major
HellRaisers goes to the major with the highest hopes being to make it out of the group stage, which still seems like an unlikely feat for a team that has not won any significant games in quite some time. If they manage a lucky draw in the subsequent rounds of the swiss stage, they may be able to surprise favourites, gathering upset, just as they always have. They will face SK Gaming in the first round of the major, hoping to gather a swift upset against the weakened Brazilian side, then having to only win two more best-of-one wins. However, despite the small rays of hope in their major outlook, it is most likely that HellRaisers will be eliminated in the group stage, with the possibility of an upset or two.
Stay with Gosu for the latest news, streams, and information regarding the major
Images: Eleague Website, kioShiMa Twitter, G2 Twitter, GodSent Twitter, HellRaisers Twitter, North Twitter, OpTic Twitter
