Reviewing Roster Changes: ELEAGUE Major Fallout
After the ELEAGUE Major, teams are making roster adjustments to enhance their future tournament performances. While only G2 team and stanislaw to Liquid moves have been confirmed, several rumors and reports are surfacing. Let’s evaluate these roster moves using the thumbs up and thumbs down approach instead of traditional rating systems.
G2’s French Superteam (shox, NBK, kennyS, apEX, bodyy)
Thumbs up. This French roster is the best outcome we could have hoped for. The combination of shox as the in-game leader, alongside kennyS as one of the best AWPers, apEX as an experienced entry fragger, and NBK as a versatile star player, makes this team formidable. Additionally, young talent bodyy now has the opportunity to play with high-caliber teammates, which will help his development.
While expectations are high for this team, only time will tell if they can reach the level of success achieved by legendary lineups like the Miami Heat’s big-three. Nonetheless, this roster has the potential to excel in competitive play.
The French Shuffle Scraps Squad (Happy, SIXER, RpK, xms, devoduvek)
Tentative and optimistic thumbs up. The remaining members of EnVy, Happy and SIXER, are reportedly joining forces with RpK to form a new French roster. The team also includes promising talents xms from LDLC and devoduvek from Vexed. Happy’s leadership skills and RpK’s strong performances at the major contribute to the team’s potential.
This lineup allows SIXER to return to the AWP position, and devoduvek has consistently proved himself during his time with Vexed. However, with the young and untested xms, there may be challenges. If RpK struggles or SIXER underperforms, the performance gap between the French teams could widen.
The North American swap: stanislaw to Liquid (confirmed), Hiko to OpTic (rumored)
Thumbs up for stanislaw to Liquid. Liquid, considered the best team in North America, has taken a significant step forward by adding stanislaw. With rising stars Elige and Pimp, and consistent AWPer JDM, the team lacked a strong leader. Stanislaw’s success with OpTic and his leadership qualities have made him a valuable addition for Liquid.
While OpTic may have been caught off guard by stanislaw’s departure, Liquid and their fans are delighted with this acquisition.
Thumbs down for Hiko to OpTic. Rumors suggest Hiko may join OpTic in the stan-for-Hiko trade. However, Hiko’s performance as an in-game leader for Liquid was flawed, as seen during the ELEAGUE Major. OpTic’s biggest gap now is leadership, and Hiko may not be the best choice available.
OpTic should aim to recruit a player like AdreN from the Mythic roster, offering an opportunity to join a higher-tier team without the need for open qualifiers. While it’s unsure if AdreN is interested, exploring this option would be wise.
Rumor: ScreaM to FaZe, Aizy to North, Rubino to Maikelele/jkaem/fox roster
Thumbs up for North. If this swap happens, North stands to benefit the most. They can replace their weakest player, Rubino, with aizy, and create an all-Danish roster – a preference for their owners at F.C. Copenhagen. While Rubino is not a bad player, he is not performing as well as others in the team.
Thumbs down for MJFox. Rubino joins the original G2 trio of Maikelele, jkaem, and fox. Adding a player who was just replaced by aizy may not improve their performance. While fox and Maikelele have shown potential, their recent performances have been lackluster.
Thumbs up for FaZe. If the rumor holds true, FaZe will acquire one of the top-10 players of 2016, ScreaM. With an already successful formula, FaZe aims to raise the bar with this addition. Both FaZe and North are poised to remain competitive in the age of the superteam in French CS.
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Images via G2 Esports, ESL, ELEAGUE, Team Liquid