One weekend of Counter-Strike can do a lot to a scene, especially when that weekend consists of a top-heavy tournament at the UK’s staple CS:GO event. We’ve seen it all this weekend: top tier teams losing to the lower seed in their group, unseeded teams battling through to the top eight and of course a first iSeries time win for a side affiliated with Rasta Gaming. When things like this happen, it sends a rumble through the inner workings of the scene and can often leave the immediate future of some sides on thin ice. For others it bolsters their growth and allows them to gain some recognition for their long built efforts and time invested in to the game.
As for i57, the aftermath is not yet clear and as such there is a lot of speculation about what may or may not happen now that the event has come to an end. We have already heard reports of one of our island’s better team looking to throw in the towel, leaving the future of some nerdRage players very uncertain indeed. However, it is too easy to let the analysers and pundits take a stab at what the next scene shattering move might be. This time, we’re going to grab a few reactions from a handful of notable faces in the scene to see what they make of it.
We have asked some players that were on the ground at the event and also some other known faces about what this iSeries may mean for the upcoming months, and if they are willing to share the whispers they’re hearing through the rumour mill. We’ve also asked each to comment on some of the teams and players to watch out for, and some personal comments on who has made an impression on them. Here’s what they had to say.
Charley “Charley” Walker:
Player for CeX.
I’m not usually the person to judge others or discuss the gossip within the scene. All I have heard so far is that nerdRage are folding so that will leave a few players in need of somewhere to go.
The Pick N Mix side that beat FM during the group stage look like they could be a good team if they were to stick it out. Molotovs and Marshmallows impressed me, they played really well and put up good results when it really counted. The unseeded Ionic team that got quite far had really good aim. If they get more experience to back it up they might be able to become a consistently good side.
Unfortunately the event side of things still needs a bit of work. There were really excessive delays and that had an impact on the tournament. These sorts of issues really need to get sorted out if we want the events to be taken seriously.
Shane “Shaney” Smith:
Player for nerdRage.pro.
I haven’t really been following many of the games, but the Polish team PRIDE look good. They bootcamped before the event – I don’t think it was primarily for this event but they looked good. Rasta.Infused were the obvious winners here for me, they’re by far the most skilled team on paper. Even without a caller they won the event pretty comfortably.
I think its been a great event for the upcoming teams, but ultimately I dont think iSeries ever means too much for teams anymore. What makes it worse is that a mix team won the event, and a Polish one came second, which doesn’t look great on the UK teams that practised.
I’m looking forward to seeing more from these younger teams like ODIN eSports, IGI Gaming and Ionic.gg. Having played vs IGI they looked pretty strong, especially Joe and skuxz. ODIN eSports are an extremely hyped team, they were more pumped for the intermediate games than i’ve seen teams in the main tournament, so i’m hoping they improve well and we see them come on leaps and bounds.
Tom “vertiGo” Rockliffe:
Played for Perilous.CSGOSPHERE at i57.
This LAN was a good one for upsets, and it’s clear that the teams that put in the effort got rewarded for it. You could also see that the teams that have made recent roster changes struggled a little bit, probably due to lack of preparation with the new players. The Ionic team were obviously a crisp team this LAN. They probably need some work and a bit of direction in the game but just hitting their shots got them pretty far this event. They’re still young so chances are one of them will break into a better team sometime soon and be a LAN winner in the next year or so.
A big surprise for me was that even after so long out of the game pt, beta and RE1EASE are still incredible players despite having next to no hours. If they are willing to put the effort in I think they could be the best team in the UK and it wouldn’t be too much of a struggle. In my opinion FM and MnM don’t have the best of players but they make up for it with their teamwork, I think MnM showed that well this event. Mole stepped up in the Rasta/Infused team and really with the players in that term it was a pretty secure LAN win.
I’m really hoping that after such a turbulent LAN teams don’t start kicking long standing players as it’s not the way to go. Some teams will fall into this trap and it’s a shame because it won’t do much for stability.
One point to mention is I think Jon did a good job administrating the tournament. The new system worked well for the main tournament, even with a few issues. The ingame bot works well for setting up games and removes some opportunities for delay.
So what can we gather from this? It seems like there’s a bit of hush at the moment around potential roster changes and all we can really gather is that it appears nerdRage are no more, though this is unconfirmed by the team themselves. It is a certainty that this LAN has highlighted some of the teams to watch out for in the coming years, with the likes of Ionic.gg making some rather large waves throughout this tournament. The Molotovs and Marshmallows side have certainly impressed, having placed four places above their seed and playing some of the most competitive games over the whole weekend. Their challenge now is to stick together and continue to build as a team, especially amongst what will soon become a very turbulent time in the UK landscape. We could also be looking at the second-coming (or third, or indeed fourth?) of some of the games greatest players, a move that could turn the scene on its head. I am sure that these won’t be the only changes afoot and that this is very much just the beginning of the LAN aftermath.
