Photo credit: ESL/Carlton Beener.
After an explosive year for Counter-Strike, the competitive scene is overflowing with teams hungry to prove their worth. 2015 has been a bumpy ride for some of the major names, with inner turmoil leading to restructure or even separation from their organisations. Despite this, the top players have continued to shine as they emerge into a promising new season.
Unquestionable sovereigns of the past year, Fnatic remain a commanding presence. But with fresh competition rising the ranks and a host of eager old foes biting at their heels, the major tournaments look to be hotly contested. As the game's popularity continues to soar, it's important to keep track of the main names expected to perform this year. Here are seven of Global Offensive's finest teams who'll be sparring throughout 2016.
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Fnatic
Photo credit: ESL/Carlton Beener.
Highlight match:Fnatic vs NaVi, ESL ESEA Season 2 Grand Final, Map 1
Roster: Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell, Robin ‘flusha’ Rönnquist (Captain), Freddy ‘KRiMZ’ Johansson, Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer, Dennis ‘dennis’ Edman
Barring any major upset, Fnatic will likely be remembered as one of, if not the best team to ever play Counter-Strike professionally. The Swedish powerhouse fields some of the most impressive talent across all disciplines of CS. From tactical planning to both rifling and AWPing, Fnatic prove exemplary on all fronts.
With controversial moments such as the the overpass boost of 2014, Fnatic have never been crowd favourites. This doesn't seem to deter the reigning champs however, with no less than five first place finishes at $250,000 tournaments in 2015. Without any signs of slowing, the question of 2016 isn't whether Fnatic can maintain this momentum, but will any other team rise to their level?
Players to watch
From late 2014 to mid 2015, Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer was nearly incontestable in rifle duels and arguably the best player in the world. While not quite reaching the same heights in recent months, he remains an eminent threat to all challengers.
Where most AWPers hold passive roles, locking down one route of the map, Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell instead prefers a more mobile, aggressive approach. Relying on reactionary flick-shots, he often peaks and hold unconventional angles, repeatedly shifting his position. This flexibility makes Fnatic an extremely difficult team to predict and counter.
Natus Vincere (Na'Vi)
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Adela Sznajder.
Highlight match: Luminosity vs Na'Vi, DreamHack Leipzig Grand Final, Map 1
Roster: Daniil ‘Zeus’ Teslenko (Captain), Denis ‘seized’ Kostin, Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovács, Ioann ‘Edward’ Sukhariev, Egor ‘flamie’ Vasilyev
Na'Vi hold an interesting position in CS:GO’s standings. Often flying under the radar, they fail to draw the same level of fan support as teams such as Virtus.pro. With this in mind it may seem surprising that Na’Vi were the second most successful team of 2015, outranked only by Fnatic. Consistent high placings and victories at events such as The Intel Extreme Masters and Electronic Sports World Cup have crafted an impressive record, securing their place on the board.
Despite their successes, Na'Vi have an erratic record against the upper echelon of competition. After beating Luminosity and Ninjas in Pyjamas, they suffered a humiliating 16:5 defeat at the hands of EnVyUs in the Grand Final of DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca. The challenge for Na'Vi in 2016 will be push their game that one step further, and with an early title victory at DreamHack Leipzig in January, they’re off to a promising start.
Players to watch
Na'Vi’s line up boasts a multinational front of Russian, Ukrainian and Slovakian players heralding from the days of 1.6. Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovács is the finest AWPer to play CS. Putting his wealth of experience towards completely shutting down one route of the map, few make it past his gaze.
While experience is invaluable, sometimes new blood is required to help adapt to a changing scene. In March of 2015, Sergey 'starix' Ischuk moved to a coaching role for the team, leaving room for Egor 'flamie' Vasilyev to fill the gap. Jumping between a number of teams, the young 18 year old finally seems to have found his footing as a rifler in Na'Vi's roster.
Team EnVyUs (EnVy)
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Adela Sznajder.
Highlight match: Team SoloMid vs EnVyUs, DreamHack Open London Grand Final, Map 2
Roster: Vincent ‘Happy’ Cervoni Schopenhauer (Captain), Fabien ‘kioShiMa’ Fiey, Nathan ‘NBK’ Schmitt, Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub, Dan ‘apEX’ Madesclaire
French Counter-Strike, while filled with exceptional ability, is notoriously unstable. Early in 2015, the LDLC players left their organisation to join Team EnVyUs. Since then they've undergone the “French Shuffle”, trading players with a fellow French team, Titan, to gain kennyS and apEX at the cost of Shox and SmithZz. Shox was considered by many to be EnVy's star player, and as such expectations were low following the swap.
The newly formed outfit surprised onlookers by swiftly demolishing Team SoloMid to take the IEM Gamescom title. From there on any concerns were quickly doused as accolades came thick and fast. After losing in the Grand Final of ESL One: Cologne, EnVy proceeded to win DreamHack London, Cluj-Napoca and even conquered Fnatic in a gruelling five game finale at Gfinity Champion of Champions. EnVyUs has a fearsome spectrum of proficiency, and if they can remain stable for the coming year, may even contest Fnatic for pole position.
Players to watch
AWPing superstar Kenny 'kennyS' Schrub is one of the most famous players in CS. His lightning reactions and bold pushes earned him the community's love, even winning 'Esports Player of the Year' at the Video Game Awards.
Vincent ‘Happy’ Cervoni Schopenhauer is one of the most talented in-game leaders the scene has to offer. Specialising in a lurk role he's often seen holding unusual positions to catch his opponents off guard.
Luminosity Gaming (LG)
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Sebastian Ekman.
Highlight match: Fnatic vs Luminosity Gaming, DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca
Roster: Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo (Captain), Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga, Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David, Lincoln ‘fnx’ Lau, Tacio ‘TACO’ Filho
Luminosity Gaming are the most exciting force in modern CS. Competing as a tier two team for some time, the latter half of 2015 has seen the Brazilian troupe truly come into their own, raising spectacular tournament performances against the the most distinguished names in CS. Similar to Na'Vi, LG structure their playstyle heavily around well-timed executes to secure bombsites, often running the clock down to the wire. When functioning correctly, their terrorist side is an engine of beauty, slowly establishing positions around a site before a sudden flurry of coordinated action.
Luminosity will be looking to establish themselves further this year, and have already made a strong start at DreamHack Leipzig. Defeating Astralis, LG went head to head against Na'Vi to lose a deceptively close Grand Final in two straight games. Fighting tooth and nail LG took both maps, including one of Na'Vi's strongest, into overtime. Rivalling the best at multinational events, Luminosity have sent a clear message that they are not to be underestimated.
Players to watch
Luminosity's captain and AWPer, Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo, has lead his team from the front. Equally as proficient at rifling, FalleN can consistently be found near the top of his team's scoreboard. For helping break his team into the international scene and running the Games Academy organisation, FalleN was recently listed as the most influential person in Brazilian Esports.
Astralis
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Adela Sznajder.
Highlight match: Team SoloMid vs Virtus.pro, PGL Season 1 Finals Grand Final, Map 2
Roster: Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen (Captain), Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth, Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz, Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen, René ‘cajunb’ Borg
A new name to CS:GO but full of old faces, Astralis was conceived from the split between the Danish side and their North American organisation, Team SoloMid (TSM). Listed on paper as one of the heavy hitters for 2015, TSM began to flag during the final months, resulting in inconsistent performances for no discernible reason. Organisational quarrels behind the scenes may have had a large impact on morale at a time when the team looked set for success.
A joint venture between the players and their manager, ownership of Atralis will hopefully give the Danes room the spread their wings and properly flex their FPS muscles. Losing at DreamHack Leipzig to Luminosity may not have been the ideal start they were hoping for, but with a current 4th place world rank, Astralis now have plenty of time and opportunity to shine.
Players to watch
Nicolai ‘dev1ce’ Reedtz was pegged early as a face to follow and has undoubtedlyearned his reputation. Often compared to the greats of Ninjas in Pyjamas in their prime, dev1ce handles both AWP and rifle with ruthless efficiency. If Astralis as a whole can find their form, it could provide the platform needed to cement dev1ce as one of the game’s most skilled players to date.
Virtus.pro (VP)
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Adela Sznajder.
Highlight match: Virtus.pro vs Team SoloMid, ESL Dubai Invitational Grand Final, Map 5
Roster: Wiktor 'TaZ' Wojtas (Captain), Filip 'Neo' Kubski, Jarosław 'pasha' Jarząbkowski, Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski, Paweł 'byali' Bieliński
Retaining some of the longest standing players outside of NiP, VP's Polish stars have become iconic names in CS, garnering fans from across the globe. Virtus didn't have the strongest year in 2015, but continue to be a team you should never bet against. The VP who arrive from one tournament to the next varies: they’re either an expert unit with years of experience or weary old dogs, well past their prime. Sadly the latter looked to be true at the start of this year, with VP dropping out of DreamHack Leipzig in the group stages.
Virtus.pro's strength stems from a wealth of experience playing together combined with a relaxed flexibility with respect to roles. If one player falls short, another will usually be able to pick up the slack. Likely due to this, VP are one of the few teams to play without a dedicated AWPer, instead swapping between pasha and Neo as best suits the moment.
Players to watch
A large part of VP's fan support comes from the character each member brings to the table. Jarosław 'pasha' Jarząbkowski or 'pashabiceps' is well known for giving entertaining interviews, commenting on his quality of play through reference to the performance of the muscles which made his name.
Though he may not stand out to the same degree outside the game, Janusz 'Snax' Pogorzelski is one of the most inventive utility players around. Snax is a constant source of innovation, demonstrating unusual uses of smoke grenades to support his team from seemingly any situation.
Ninjas In Pyjamas (NiP)
Photo credit: Dreamhack/Sebastian Ekman.
Highlight match: Ninjas in Pyjamas vs EnVyUs, ESL One Katowice Semifinal, Map 2
Roster: Patrik 'f0rest' Lindberg, Christopher 'GeT_RiGhT' Alesund (Captain), Adam 'friberg' Friberg, Richard 'Xizt' Landström, Jacob 'pyth' Mourujärvi
Aside from having the greatest organisation name in Esports, Ninjas in Pyjamas are by far the most beloved team to play CS. Noteworthy not least for their great legacy, NiP have a unique sense of camaraderie with the audience, often playing to the camera both in game and out. After the departure of Robin 'Fifflaren' Johansson in November 2014, NiP have trialled a few different players for their fifth slot before recently announcing pyth as their final member.
In defiance of poor online showings, NiP have a reputation for delivering on the big stage. Labouring out of group stages, NiP cause upsets regularly enough to coin the term 'NiP Magic'. The once-rulers have now long been in decline, punctuated only by the occasional spark of hope. Their last big result came at ESL One Katowice in March, defeating Team SoloMid and EnVyUs to place second. With a new member, 2016 will likely be the year NiP either bounce back to life or else bow out from the limelight.
Players to watch
Despite the team's recent decline, Christopher 'GeT_RiGhT' Alesund is still recognised as one of the top players in the world. Usually playing a lurk role, GeT_RiGhT is a remarkable clutch player, saving countless rounds as the last member of his team alive.
Integrating to a team who have been together since 2012 is a daunting task, but one that Jacob 'pyth' Mourujärvi has chosen to undertake nonetheless. The coming months will determine what impact he'll have on the waning Ninjas.
