As the player break comes to an end, what better way to kick off Tier 1 Counter-Strike than the 7th edition of ESL One Cologne, “The Cathedral of Counter-Strike”.
For the first time in history, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the famous LANXESS Arena will keep their doors shuttered as they transition into an online tournament divided into 4 different regions; Europe, North America, Asia & Oceania.
Europe
Astralis / BIG / Fnatic / Sprout
Natus Vincere / Heretics / G2 Esports / Complexity
Mouseports / OG / Faze Clan / Heroic
Team Vitality / Mad Lions / Ninjas in Pyjamas / MIBR
North America
Team Liquid / Cloud 9 / 100 Thieves / Gen. G Esports
Evil Geniuses / Triumph / FURIA Esports / Chaos Esports Club
Asia
Tyloo / Invictus Gaming / Vici Gaming / Beyond Esports
Oceania
Renegades / Avant / Order / Chiefs
We have Navi & Vitality as the favourites going into the European division (5.60) to win the whole tournament but given the calibre of the teams attending this event, anything is possible.
Navi have struggled with consistency and must often rely on their star players Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, and Denis “electronic” Sharipov to get them over the line, but with the brilliant mind of Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov as the current In-Game leader, this Navi team could quite easily run away with the tournament, lets hope this player break has rejuvenated these players and they are able to put on a world class performance.
Team to look out for in Europe:
This probably goes without saying, but the team to look out for going into this tournament are the current number 1 ranked team in the world, BIG Clan. Their sudden rise to success came off the back of some major roster changes, adding in Florian “syrsoN” Rische as the main awper, and Nils “k1to” Gruhne as the new entry fragger. Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz, the current in-game leader for the team said in a recent interview with HLTV “I have figured out what i need the most — to be treated like family” and it appears the BIG Clan are exactly that, one happy family. They have had a glorious run of great results, including tournament wins at cs_summit, Dreamhack Masters & Dreamhack Open and they will most certainly be looking to add another one to their trophy cabinet coming into ESL One Cologne.
As we make our way across the globe to the North American region, Evil Geniuses are currently ranked as the favourites to win the whole tournament (4.00) but there is one team that comes to mind right now, and that’s Team Liquid. Coming into this tournament as the reigning champions, having beat Team Vitality 3–1 in the Bo5 grand final in 2019, these North American superstars have got something to prove. This will be their first real showing after the sudden addition of Michael “Grim” Wince as the previous rifler and in-game leader, Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella steps down from the active roster.
Team to look out for in North America:
Anybody who watches Tier 1 NA Counter-Strike, will understand why this team always needs to be respected, FURIA. These Brazilian rock stars are known for their unique and aggressive play style on both T side as well as CT side, often catching some of the top teams off guard. If players like Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato and Yuri “yuurih” Santos are hitting their shots and winning clutches, this team can stand up to any team in the world.
The Underdogs
Chaos Esports, captained by veteran Joshua “steel” Nissan has put together a very exciting young roster. The recent addition of 2 new riflers, Nathan “leaf” Orf, and Erick “Xeppaa” Bach make for an explosive line up. The combination of structure and experience coming from Joshua “steel” Nissan paired with the raw talent of the two new youngsters could have the potential to stun a lot of the more established teams. They have destroyed the Tier 2 scene in North America, it will be very interesting to see how they match up to giants such 100 Thieves and Evil Geniuses.
Heroic are a team that have always been on the cusp of greatness. It feels like they have been struggling for a while, riddled with constant roster changes and disappointing results. But now they look like they have finally found some structure with the addition of Counter-Strike legend, Nicolai “HUNDEN” Petersen who has stepped in as their new coach. The Danish side have shown improvement in recent games leading up to ESL One Cologne, with victories over Endpoint and Mad Lions, and a very near victory over BIG Clan. These Danish players are looking for glory and we wouldn’t be surprised if they found it!
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