On July 26, the Play-In stage at IEM Cologne 2023 for CS:GO will begin, where 16 teams will compete for eight slots in the tournament's group stage. In this article, we present to you five teams whose games should receive special attention.
MOUZ
The structure of the esports organization MOUZ and how they build their roster is commendable. The result of their work with their own academy and belief in its graduates is the club's main principle. If you're not already aware, the current MOUZ roster includes four players who graduated from the organization's academy. No other club in the world has had such success in nurturing tier-1 esports athletes.
So what's interesting about the new MOUZ roster? First and foremost - it's Jimi Jimpphat Salo. This diamond in the world of Counter-Strike is only 16 years old, and he debuted on the professional stage back in 2019, when he was just 13. Jimpphat has demonstrated a stunning level of CS in online and local tournaments, and now it's time to meet expectations on the tier-1 stage.
There were also changes in the captain's position - Kamil siuhy Shkaradek replaced Christopher dexter Nong. A year ago, the Polish IGL decided to dive into big esports and left MOUZ NXT. He spent the last year in the GamerLegion roster, which under his leadership made it to the final of the last major in CS:GO history. Now let's see what he's really worth, because MOUZ is a club with big ambitions.
Monte
Monte is an esports club that just recently turned one year old, but it has already won the hearts of Ukrainian fans. During this period, the organization has journeyed from tier-3 to the tier-1 scene. Their main achievement is reaching the quarterfinals of BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. The team's main star was Muhammad BOROS Malhas, and after his phenomenal performance at the major, it's no surprise that another organization bought his contract.
What's next? Monte spent a month testing various players and eventually settled on the Dane from Astralis Talent, Alexander br0 Bro. Young, handsome, and promising, but his stats are slightly worse than BOROS's. And you shouldn't expect him to rack up as many kills as the Jordanian esports athlete did. Now the other members of the team will have to step up more often, rather than just following defaults. This is the interesting part, how will Monte's dynamic gameplay change after BOROS's departure?
Team Liquid
One of the largest esports organizations in the world has decided to change the direction of its Counter-Strike team. The club previously represented the North American region, but after recent changes, it moved to Europe. The competition is higher, the level of players is higher, and expectations are higher. The most important thing is the bold management, which attracts attention and arouses interest in the future of the organization. Why? Let's explain.
First of all, Liquid's managers decided not to sign a profile captain to replace the departed Nick nitr0 Cannella. In this respect, they decided to bet on Marek YEKINDAR Galinskis, who is showing leadership qualities. Will the Latvian esports player be able to cope with the pressure and meet expectations? Only time will tell.
The transfers of Alex Rainwaker Petrov and Robert Patsi Isyanov pose reputational risks to the organization. The Bulgarian pro player and his former teams have repeatedly been accused of participating in rigged matches, as well as cheating. Yes, these allegations have not been proven, but what if evidence suddenly surfaces? Patsi even represents the country of a terrorist - Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. At the same time, the player prefers to keep silent and does not comment on what is happening, while conscious esports players speak out against the war and change the flag of the terrorist country to neutral.
Astralis
The era of Astralis is long gone, and new fans of Counter-Strike may not know about it at all. The club made an incredible move - it excluded longtime captain Lukas gla1ve Rossander from the main squad. Benjamin blameF Bremer took over as IGL, ready to remember the times when he played for Complexity Gaming and was also a captain. In addition, Astralis signed two newcomers - Johannes b0RUP Borup and Victor Staehr Shter.
The updated lineup is either still experiencing a peculiar "honeymoon", or from the very first matches proves the correctness of the decisions made. Despite a mediocre start at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023, the team managed to pull together and qualify for BLAST Premier: Fall Final 2023. Cologne is ahead.
FURIA Esports
The best Brazilian esports club in recent years has updated its CS:GO lineup by adding Gabriel FalleN Toledo and Marcelo chelo Cespedes. Can this roster win competitions? It's hard to say right away, but this team is bound to fight for trophies. If even FalleN can't take Kaik KSCERATO Kerato's career to a new level, then no one else can do it in Brazil. This blend of experience and youth is the main mystery of the upcoming season.
Conclusion
The past transfer window was one of the most active in the history of CS:GO, making the upcoming season very interesting for fans of professional teams. Some will fail, while others will rise to the top. Some we have already seen in action and have a first impression, while others have yet to make themselves known. That's why IEM Cologne 2023 is the most anticipated tournament of this season.
IEM Cologne 2023 will take place from July 26 to August 6 in Germany. Teams will compete for a prize pool of one million dollars and a quota for IEM Katowice 2024. You can follow the tournament schedule and results at this link.
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