Category: CS-GO

ESL Pro League Season 14 to be played online instead of LAN

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The highly anticipated ESL Pro League Season 14 is to be played online instead of in a LAN environment. Here’s the announcement:

ESL Pro League Season 14 to be played online instead of LAN – Why?

Originally this upcoming season and the one prior were intended to play out in an offline studio in Malta. However, due to developments in the current health situation around the world, travel restrictions are limiting all teams to come to LAN as previously planned. Because of this, ESL have decided to once again host EPL from an online platform, and will consist of the usual 24 teams competing. 

What’s good about this is that during this player break, these teams have the option to either compete in ESL Pro League from their home or plan a bootcamp location somewhere in Europe. The event is still scheduled to play out between the 16th of August, till the 12th of September. 

How did the players react?

While some players are happy to return to the online format, others are not. This will certainly impact how the event will play out, but unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about it.

ESL finalized their statement by emphasising that after EPL 14, they will be reviewing how the pandemic develops. If the situation is clearer and more ideal, they are to host another CS:GO LAN event in 2021. 

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Fnatic Reveal CS:GO Academy Lineup

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Fnatic have chosen to reveal their CS:GO Academy lineup of Fnatic Rising. Here’s everything you need to know about the team, and their chances in the WePlay Esports Academy League.

Fnatic reveal CS:GO academy lineup – Who are they?

For this new revamped lineup, Fnatic are bringing on 2 familiar players as they were formerly part of the organisation. Then for their final three, they are picking up a player from the ex-Alternate ATTAX roster, and 2 free agent players.

Here is the full Fnatic Rising lineup:

WePlay Academy League

The team’s first competition is a tournament which was announced recently, and we covered it not too long ago. Here, Fnatic Rising will be fighting for a top 4 spot to reach the main event, which will take place between the 27th and 29th of August. Their first match played out yesterday against Mouz NXT. Here, Fnatic came up just short, as they lost 22-18. However in today’s match-ups the team performed better, and won against VP.Prodigy 19-17.

Obviously this team consists of some of the youngest players in the CS:GO scene. One thing’s for sure. Despite their young age and inexperience, they’ve got tons to show us in the upcoming months. Who knows? Maybe one of these new recruits could be the next ZywOo or S1mple?

Be sure to visit www.esportsguide.com for more esports news!

PGL release update statement on 2021 Stockholm Major

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

PGL have opted to release an update statement regarding the 2021 Stockholm Major for CS:GO. Here is their announcement:

PGL Stockholm Major – What’s the update?

PGL kickoff the statement by emphasising that their main goal is still to host the Major in Stockholm. They then continue by revealing that the maximum number of spectators allowed to watch the event would be 300 due to Swedish restrictions. However, they state that this restriction might be lifted after the 15th of September. Although, this obviously depends on how the pandemic continues to develop.

The Back-up

After that, they announce that they have a back-up plan in mind. As it stands, PGL is currently in talks with two other European countries that have already confirmed and guaranteed everything that they need to run the event seamlessly. Meaning that players arriving to the LAN, and a large audience at the arena. They follow this up by stating that they have a very short window of opportunity to secure a new and ideal venue, but they are still hoping that Sweden is the main host destination for this prestigious event.

Moving Forward

If there are still doubts about the Major from the Swedish government, and the project is rejected, PGL will progress with their back-up plan. This update from PGL is great news, as they’re being as transparent as possible with their position regarding the major. Obviously the decision is still not final, but this continues to re-assure the CS:GO community that a Major is finally taking place.

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IEM Cologne 2021 Viewership – Beating StarLadder Berlin 2019

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Indeed, IEM Cologne 2021 was an incredible event for everyone involved. Accordingly, the event reunited the community with an awesome $1,000,000 involving an offline venue. In this article, beyond the recap, we’ll be diving right into the viewership of the event. Read on to learn more!

IEM Cologne 2021 Viewership – An Impressive Peak

Many records were broken at the event last weekend. Notably, Natus Vincere’s “S1mple” managed to accomplish 4 aces at one major for the first time ever. Bearing this in mind, viewership jumped up.

Credits: Esports Charts Twitter

Thanks to Esports Charts, we have the full breakdown for viewership below:

  • Peak Viewers – 843,369
  • Average Viewers – 235,351
  • Most Popular match – G2 vs Na’Vi Grand Final

Looking back at the history of the esport, this event is now the 7th highest peak of viewership. Accordingly, this is an incredible achievement for the community.

For comparison, IEM Katowice 2021 recorded a peak viewership of 596,585 earlier this year.

Credits: ESL Counter-Strike Twitter

Indeed, what is the significance of such impressive numbers? To begin with, it shows that competitive CS:GO is still here to play even though some individuals might comment ont he age of the scene. Secondly, this sets the stage for the PGL Major later on this year.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

Natus Vincere win IEM XVI Cologne

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

This past weekend we had CIS team Natus Vincere grabbing the win at IEM XVI Cologne. Here’s how it all went down:

Natus Vincere win IEM XVI Cologne – How did they do it?

Due to their results in the Road to Cologne EU event, the team was automatically qualified to the main event. Here, they got placed in group B pairing up with teams like, Heroic, FaZe Clan, FURIA Esports and many others.

Group Stage

Their first match-up was against the Renegades. Surprisingly, Renegades got the first map win, however NAVI came back stronger in the following maps. After that we had a classic match-up between NAVI and Team Vitality. Much like their best of 3 prior, Vitality won map 1 (Overpass) but Natus Vincere clutched up in the final 2 maps. With these 2 wins, NAVI qualified to the playoffs, but they still had to play out the third round to determine where they will be placed in the bracket. In this stage, they took on Astralis and beat them 2-1 to get redirected into the semifinals of the playoffs.

Playoffs

Here, they first took on the newly revamped FaZe Clan with Olofmeister in the lineup. Despite such a heroic run against Gambit Esports, FaZe weren’t able to replicate their performance, and lost both maps 16-7.

Grand Finals

For their final match of IEM XVI Cologne, Natus Vincere were tasked with taking down G2 Esports. G2 had a splendid run all throughout the event, but it was a surprise to see them arrive at the Grand Final. Here we saw a back and forth series of matches take place, but it was NAVI that was on top in each one of them. Here is how it ended:

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Complexity and head coach Keita parting ways

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Yesterday, Complexity announced that they and CS:GO head coach Keita are parting ways. Here is their announcement:

Complexity and Keita parting ways – Why?

In the announcement above, the reason for Keita’s departure is not mentioned. Some would say it was due to inconsistent results, and despite that being a half truth, Keita has been core to this team’s overall structure. He’s been with the team since mid-2019, and has backed up this international lineup since the beginning.

Here are some of Keita’s best achievements with Complexity Gaming

  • 1st in BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals – 21st June 2020 – $335,000
  • 1st at Spring Sweet Spring #3 – 30th June 2021 – $40,000
  • 4th-6th – BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 Regular Season – 9th February 2020 – $35,000

This is what Keita had to say about his departure and his upcoming steps:

“My time with Complexity has come to an end. Thank you to everyone at the Complexity organization and especially the players I’ve worked with over the past 2 years. Currently evaluating all options and looking forward to my next chapter!”

It will be interesting to see whatever Keita decides to do next. We’re pretty sure that with his experience he’ll be able to find another opportunity within CS:GO very soon! And if not, we’re confident that there are plenty of other opportunities in VALORANT.

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Allu is looking to join new CS:GO team

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Following a short career break, Finnish player Allu has announced that he is currently looking to join a new CS:GO team. Here is his announcement:

What happened?

Allu first announced his leave from CS:GO competition back in May 2021. ENCE released a statement that they were letting him go, and that they were bringing on newcomer Hades. The reason for his departure was due to personal reasons. But one could deduct that the continuous practice and training sessions, as well as the back-to-back participations in tournaments could’ve impacted his performance. 

Community reaction

This was no surprise. Many were happy to see the experienced Finnish player announce his return. Now the question still remains, does he have what it takes to perform as a tier 1 professional? With quite a few teams deprived of a dedicated awper, Allu might just have one more shot at keeping his career at an all-time high.

Allu looking to join CS:GO team – Who will he join?

Allu has been a pro player since the year 2010. Throughout his career he’s represented a variety of teams and organisations. Some were full Finnish squads, but there were many that were International lineups. He’s certainly excelled with the finnish organisation ENCE, and we’re sure that he’ll manage to find a new home soon!

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IEM XVI Cologne Playoffs Preview – The Final 6

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

Since kicking off on the 6th July, IEM XVI Cologne has simply been awesome for CS:GO. Indeed, the $1,000,000 has offered both drama and tension, especially as we draw nearer to the end. Accordingly, the final stage awaits. Read on for a quick preview for the IEM XVI Cologne Playoffs!

IEM XVI Cologne Playoffs – Up For Grabs?

Credits: ESL Counter-Strike Twitter

So, how did we get here? We’re here after the exciting Group Stage which concluded on 11th July. It was here that groups of 8 battled it out. After an intense few days, the top 6 teams emerged as the best 3 from each group.

Seeding into the Playoffs directly correlates to performance in the Groups. Specfically, it follows this pattern:

  • 1st place from the Group – Semifinal Seed
  • 2nd place from the Group – Quarterfinal High Seed
  • 3rd place from the group – Quarterfinal Low Seed

Currently six teams remain – Virtus.pro, Astralis, Gambit Esports, FaZe Clan, G2 Esports and Natus Vincere. Here’s how they will match up based on seeding in the bracket:

Credits: Liquipedia

It’s certainly a tight competition right now. With regards to predictions, many favour G2 Esports as the favourites following a very strong run and season to back it too. However, although it’s a wonderful underdog story, the current statistic favourites for the event have to be Gambit Esports, following wins at the BLAST Premier: Spring Finals 2021 and IEM season prior.

Everyone’s hoping for a grand final between these two monsters. We’ll wait and see as Playoffs run from 16-18th July.

For more esports news, visit: https://www.esportsguide.com/news

Current state of IEM XVI Cologne

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Yesterday we saw the final stages of the Group Stage for IEM Cologne. The event has been going on for 6 days, and we’ve seen many of the teams participating getting eliminated. Here’s the current state of IEM XVI Cologne.

Current state of IEM XVI Cologne – What teams remain?

As can be seen in the tweet below, only 6 teams are left alive in the event. Here’s a short list of these teams: Astralis, Virtus.pro, G2, Gambit, FaZe Clan, Natus Vincere. All of these teams had a tough journey to reach the playoffs, and this made the event all the more interesting to watch. Gambit Esports were the favourites to pass through, which they did, but not before they met against the fearsome lineup of G2!

Natus Vincere was quite a dominant team in their side of the group. Taking down teams like Renegades, Vitality, as well as Astralis. FaZe Clan surprised many, taking down team Spirit, Vitality, as well as the strong squad of Heroic. Virtus.pro didn’t do that bad either, upsetting both Complexity and NiP to reach the final playoffs spot.

What’s next?

Next stage of the main event is the playoff bracket. Here, the remaining teams will battle each other for that sweet, sweet victory, and the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 USD prize pool. Here is how the bracket is currently looking like:

Quarterfinals, July 16th:

  • 16:00 CEST – Astralis vs Virtus.pro
  • 19:15 CEST – Gambit vs FaZe Clan

Semifinals, July 17th:

  • 16:00 CEST – G2 Esports vs Astralis/Virtus.pro
  • 19:15 CEST – Natus Vincere vs Gambit/FaZe Clan

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NiP upset Team Liquid at IEM Cologne

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Yesterday we saw a jaw-dropping duel where NiP managed to upset the Team Liquid squad in the group stage at IEM XVI Cologne. Here is how it all went down:

Their journey so far

Ninjas In Pyjamas started the event with a dominant win over French Team LDLC. This got them in Round 2 of the play-ins against the revamped Mousesports roster. First map (Mirage) was very one-sided towards NiP (16-8). The second map started in the advantage of Mousesports, winning the half 9-6 on Ancient. Unfortunately they didn’t have the same performance on the T-side and NiP got the late game advantage, winning 16-11.

NiP upset Team Liquid at IEM Cologne

This qualified them into the main event, into Group A, against Team Liquid. The maps to be played were the following:

  • Overpass – NiP’s pick
  • Dust 2 – Team Liquid’s pick
  • Mirage – Final map

Team Liquid kicked off map 1 with a solid amount of early round wins. However, they lost control of the game mid-way through and were behind in the late stages. Luckily they managed to clutch up and get the overtime, which eventually got them the win (19-17). This victory was meaningless, as what followed were 2 dominant performances by NiP. They won Dust 2 with a 16-2 scoreline, and Mirage with a 16-2 scoreline.

With this loss, Team Liquid dropped to the lower bracket against Mousesports.

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