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GUIDES
Simple Radar
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It’s a ‘shock’ move for Virtus.pro.
Cloud9 have lost a star and still refuse to sign an AWPer, FURIA have finally cut one of their two IGLs and the Maltese sunshine blesses Counter-Strike again.
This one came out of absolutely nowhere - though that is kind of Virtus.pro’s signature move.
Not dissimilarly to that device to NIP move that seemed like an April fool’s joke, electronic just rocked up at Virtus.pro with no fanfare, no pre-warning, no foreshadowing.
But wow, what a move this is for VP.
All the talk was about who Cloud9 were going to sign instead of HObbit, or Ax1Le, but none of it about losing electronic to a rival. For VP, they’ve replaced arguably their weakest player, mir, with a genuine superstar.
At least in CS2, mir hasn’t really been the player VP wanted or thought they were getting - while electronic at his peak could be the change that makes this team a real, legitimate, bona fide championship-winning threat.
That’s if you get him at his peak level.
He’s been a little up and down in recent times, though some of that could be down to the changing Cloud9 team and the fluctuating form of players around him.
One does have to have some concerns about him constantly being at that level, but his peak level is certainly beyond what mir was bringing for the last few weeks.
Cloud9, in the meantime, have got a stand-in from their academy, a player called alpha.
Importantly, he’s not an AWPer. Still. They still have no AWPer.
They’re in Russia and can’t find an AWPer. It’s like being in New York and being unable to find pizza.
You won’t be able to see him in action at Pro League, though, as they dropped out with SAW stepping in. Speaking of which…
Most people associate Malta with coastal paradises and warm weather.
As true gamers, we don’t really care about that.
We just know it’s one of elite CS’ main hubs.
ESL Pro League Season 19 is about to start and the atmosphere is heating up.
The competition kicks off with a bang, featuring a stacked first group of teams.
FaZe, Astralis, Virtus Pro, Eternal Fire, Imperial, Fnatic, 3DMAX, and SAW are set to battle it out for the first four Playoff spots.
On one side of the bracket, we’ve got FaZe, Imperial, Astralis, and Eternal Fire, which straight-up promise top-tier action.
Let’s see if FaZe can maintain their Chengdu-winning form and move one step closer to that $1M Grand Slam prize.
We’re also keeping an eye on Astralis, who surprised most people with their performance at Chengdu, managing to bounce back after missing CS2’s first Major.
As for the other side, featuring Virtus Pro, Fnatic, 3DMAX, and SAW, we’ve got a clear front-runner in VP.
It’ll be very interesting to see how the new addition adapts to Jame’s methodical approach. If nothing else, it’s a clear-cut firepower upgrade from mir. All in all, it seems like a solid move.
The SAW boys are also looking to make waves in Malta after stepping in for Cloud9, who withdrew from the tournament due to electroNic’s departure. Can the Portuguese squad recover from a rather surprising but also disheartening Major run?
Of course, this is just the first of four groups.
Overall, the tournament runs from April 23rd to May 12th.
Non-stop CS.
MOUZ came up with the worst esports gear of all time, and that needs to be remembered. Virtus.pro have changed the game in Russia, and FURIA are making moves too.
They actually did it, the absolute madmen.
Exactly a week ago, when FURIA’s co-owner said they were making changes, we posed the question, “but who do you kick?” Mostly because we were weary of arT sticking around for another iteration of FURIA. But, despite our concerns, they actually kicked arT and even threw out their coach for good measure.
Which leaves us with an even more important question… who do you replace them with?
As for arT, it’s looking pretty straightforward for now. FURIA has been practicing with academy player kye. Unfortunately, we’d be lying if we said we knew much about the kid. But what we do know is that FURIA really wants an international coach. At least co-owner Akkari does. He’s gone on record saying 100% Brazillian teams “will never win anything again,” because they don't understand the English Reddit posts about new nade lineups. Does Brazil not have Duolingo?
No matter what they do now, it’s the end of an era for FURIA. They should’ve done this a long time ago, but better late than never. Even arT is finding himself happy right now, and if you read his statement, that makes sense.
Unless FURIA messes this up royally, this might be a win for all involved. It’s not like Brazillian teams have ever messed up a rebuild.
