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GUIDES
Simple Radar
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Kiss that Dust2 record goodbye
Cache is in, GamerLegion are out, and it looks like 3DMAX might be soon, too. The top teams are also looking shaky over at BLAST Rivals, while FUT have unveiled a new fragging wonderkid… sort of.
Do you remember where you were on March 28, 2019?
Chances are, you were mourning (or celebrating) the removal of Cache from CS:GO’s Active Duty map pool.
More than seven years later, the prodigal son has returned… and it looks pretty much the same.
Well, not exactly.
The layout is largely untouched, as Valve’s focus was clearly on a visual overhaul to bring Cache in line with the new game. It gives the impression that this version is more of a foundation they can build on over time, with more meaningful changes down the line. Hopefully…
That said, there are a couple of notable tweaks. The small mid window is gone, and so is our GOAT’s B-site graffiti. He doesn’t seem to mind, though.
We actually tried Cache on FACEIT a few months back, and performance was abysmal, borderline unplayable. Thankfully, Valve’s official version runs much smoother, which is a relief.
Reception so far has been mostly positive, as you would expect, with the community embracing Cache’s return with open arms. Still, the boys over at HLTV Confirmed raised an interesting question: is Cache genuinely a great map or is this hype driven purely by nostalgia? It’s a fair debate, and we’ll probably get our answer as players start getting their hands on it.
It now feels inevitable that the map will find its way into the Active Duty pool, likely after the IEM Cologne Major. So, who’s getting cut? Please God, let it be Inferno.
At the very least, Cache already has its supporters in the pro scene. The IEM Oakland 1987 MVP seems pretty excited about its return. Run it back?
Before the group stages of BLAST Rivals Fort Worth kicked off, you’d be forgiven for looking at the groups and matchups only to think, “for the love of Jame, can’t we just skip to the playoffs already”.
But much to the dismay of FURIA and Brazilian CS fans everywhere, things didn’t end up being as predictable as they seemed.
After annihilating GamerLegion 13-5 on their map pick of Inferno, it looked like the FalleN last, last, last, no, seriously, guys, this is actually the last dance, might be kicking off with a bang, but then they went and dropped stinkers on Nuke and Mirage, sending them to a lower bracket clash with FaZe (who lost to NAVI).
Surely that would go much better, right guys? Right?
Well, about that.
Somehow - and seriously, we don’t have a clue how - FaZe managed to beat FURIA, and battered them even harder than GamerLegion did on Nuke. Twistzz called a phenomenal game, too, so we guess it really is just Liquid that’s cursed.
Elsewhere, HooXi had a much better time than FalleN, he’s currently the seventh-highest rated player at the event after a solid-ish display against G2 (who made light work of Astralis) and a monster (for him) 1.36-rated display against FUT.
Speaking of FUT, they were always bound to exit in last place after the announcement lauNX wouldn’t be travelling to Texas, but boy, did they put on a show.
Vitality’s Dust2 has been an impenetrable wall for an incredibly long time now, but that mattered little to coolio, he put in a respectable 14-18 statline to help push FUT to a 13-11 win.
You have to feel sorry for ZywOo in that one, though. He ended the map 30-11 with a 1.78 rating. The next highest on Vitality? flameZ, on 0.91.
Vitality did manage to bounce back to take Nuke (and the series) 13-11, but that wasn’t without choking an 11-1 lead first. They looked off their game throughout the group stage, right up until they dispatched G2 13-3 on Dust2 to seal their semi-final berth.
Typical.
What’s not typical, though, is that broky actually had a good game against FURIA, ending the series on a 1.21 rating.
We suppose he saw coolio and HooXi’s performance and decided he couldn’t be shown up THAT much.
Makes a change, but we all know what broky we’ll be seeing in the playoffs.
Old players past their primes chasing the bag is nothing new. But there’s something a little shameful about a young talent with their whole career ahead of them making a move for money. So sorry, senzu, but there’s no other reason to move to BCG other than money.
A Titan resurgence? LDLC taking themselves seriously again? If you’ve been a fan of CS for a while, both of these might sound quite exciting to you.
It could soon be a reality, too, as lasource.gg are reporting that 3DMAX are in negotiations to sell their roster to “another French org”.
The report states they were initially in talks with Heretics, but those talks fell through, which we can only assume is because 3DMAX have been rubbish this year.
To be fair, though, the idea of it is quite exciting. We’re not exactly the biggest fans of 3DMAX here (yes, it’s because they’re Fr-nch), but they’re a team that has had a lot of potential for a while, and a move to an organisation with more money could help them realise that.
By being less French, obviously.
Let’s face it, any organisation with any real ambition would understand that without ZywOo and apEX, a Fr-nch team can never really be that successful in CS. At least not without neityu, who has been looking good so far on FaZe, or bodyy, who just got kicked by 3DMAX because everyone in Fr-nce is still plagued by IGL syndrome.
As for the new org they’re in talks with, we don’t know anything, but our assumption would be Karmine Corp.
If we were betting men - which we are now, you can use our link to sign up to Razed here - that’s where we’d be putting our money.
Here’s a lesson for aspiring esports organisations - if you want to grow a following of loyal fans, your public image is very important. Stories of goodwill towards players, competitors, staff, and fans will often portray you as one of the “good guys” compared to other teams, and PR goes a long way.
It doesn’t even have to be true. Case in point - GamerLegion.
An HLTV report - which you should absolutely read btw, it’s fantastic work from Luis Mira - from earlier this week paints a grim picture from inside the GamerLegion camp. The deep dive collects statements from several former employees and players, and well… where do we start?
Bullying and sexual misconduct seem to have been constant inside the organisation. Salary payments were frequently very delayed, and the players ended up in hostile contractual disputes over sticker money.
The latter apparently got so bad at the height of the Paris Major that the players seriously considered forfeiting the grand final in protest. Granted, it wouldn’t exactly have changed the outcome, but can you imagine what a shambles it would have been if they had never even joined the server?
In all seriousness, this is a story you never want to hear in esports, although it is unfortunately all too common. But let us stress again - they were the good guys.
The GamerLegion we knew last week was always a scrappy underdog, punching well above their weight, time and time again. A team with a passion for developing younger talent, being the first real home for many of the players that today fill our upper echelons.
Now we find out they cared so much about their academy team, they didn’t even pay their salaries half the time.
It’s disgraceful, and we’re glad it’s out in the open.
