Why FaZe Clan is the main favourite to prevail at PGL Antwerp Major 2022
It seems that the one-year domination of Natus Vincere comes to its end in CS:GO. After the victories at IEM Katowice and ESL Pro League Season 15, FaZe Clan got to the top of various ratings. Surprisingly, the team that lost the long-time leader in the face of “NiKo” last year managed not just to find him a replacement but to form a perfect puzzle, and the humble genius Robin “ropz” Kool became its last part.
This roster needed less than two months to win its first large tournament and less than three months to become the top 1 in the world. Let’s find out how they managed to do so and consider what the perfect CS:GO team has to look like in 2022.
The perfect captain – experience, motivation, skills
Only one word suits the context, to be more precise, one nickname, definitely, we are talking about Finn “karrigan” Andersen. The Dane is already in his 30s, he has played at more than one hundred LAN CS:GO tournaments, and this experience is his power. Yes, he can go down in terms of statistics and shooting but there is no reason to enter the duel with the best player in the world because you can go to another bomb site, save grenades, and win the match against NAVI?
Everything ingenious is simple: to determine the opponent’s weak spot and strike it, this is all about “karrigan”
“broky” — a stable sniper in 2022
The second player of the ideal team is a stable sniper. Snipers have started playing way more carefully in 2022, and the majority of kills are done not at the beginning of a round but in the middle or in the end. When there is more information about the opponent, you can hold a more advantageous position to make a simple shot and save AWP and the team’s economy with minimum threats.
Nicolai “device” Reedtz was playing this way in his days, “broky” plays the same way now. You are unlikely to remember the highlights of this player, “S1mple”, for example, has his “jump” on Cache, and even “m0NESY” who has been playing professionally for “three days and a half” is easily associated with quick flick-shots. “Broky” is inferior to other snipers even in terms of statistics but he achieves victories at tournaments and receives MVP medals, the reason is that he plays for the team of the winners.
The ingenious “ropz” in a supporting role
Every team has to have a leader, such as “S1mple”, “NiKo”, or “ZywOo”. They attract all the attention: they are interviewed, and movies are filmed about them. However, one strong player is not enough in the game, you need at least one more skillful player. After the arrival of “ropz” to the team, FaZe Clan has become the strongest team in the world. What can be better than the arrival of the incredibly talented player who has a humble hard-working character to the organization where everyone considers himself a star.
The Estonian brought balance and confidence to the team, what is more, he appeared to be so strong in the game that he started receiving MVP medals in the team, which had already included “karrigan”, “Twistzz”, and “broky”, the humble “ropz” is considered a star for a reason!
Communication
We stand on the threshold of a historic event: an international roster can prevail at the Major, and it, in turn, will cause a new boom of new teams, in which all players speak non-native languages. There is an example of Team Vitality, which transition to English raises many questions: when will they adapt and will they do it? Even if it is a matter of time, it is not worth forgetting that this time is passing very rapidly, it will pass tournament after tournament. So a bet will be made on the teams, in which every player speaks his native language, in the nearest years.
Regarding FaZe Clan, their communication is all right, players have been performing in the international teams for a very long time, and their English is as experienced as they are.
Is CS:GO turning into chess?
That is all, what conclusion can be made out of all the above-listed thoughts? CS is becoming way more systematic, probably, it is now time when everyone becomes equal in terms of shooting and you have to win only by your brain, but not your hands. So if you are a young esportsman, instead of killing thousands of bots or playing the 10th deathmatch, it will be better if you watch your demos, and the opponent’s demos, look for new tricks, learn the game perfectly, work on your communication, learn a foreign language. The combination of good shooting and systematic philosophy of the game will be the nearest future of esports.