The Struggle of NA Teams at International Majors
Three NA teams, Cloud9, CLG, and Team Liquid, participated in the third major of 2015, but unfortunately, none of them made it out of the groups. This is not a new trend. In the previous two majors, only two NA teams were present and they also failed to advance. It is clear that NA teams have been consistently unsuccessful at international events in 2015.
Positive Developments in the NA Scene
Despite the struggles of NA teams at international events, there have been positive developments in the NA scene. Domestic lans like Fragadelphia, SoCal Revival, and the upcoming RGN Lan have started gaining traction. More organizations have also entered the scene and are supporting up-and-coming teams. While these developments are positive, they do not address the competitive scene development in NA.
The Need for Competitive Scene Development
Competitive scene development refers to NA organizations working together to create better competition and raise the level of NA CS:GO to an international standard. However, the NA scene is often plagued by immaturity and unprofessionalism, such as teams embarrassing each other in online leagues and engaging in trash talk. This behavior needs to be addressed in order for the NA scene to improve.
Suggested Changes for NA Teams
In order to improve the NA competition level, I propose the following changes for NA teams:
- Gaming houses: All team members should live together to build chemistry and minimize distractions during practice time.
- Scheduling: Coaches should schedule practices with specific teams and encourage supportive relationships between teams.
- Trash talking: Coaches should enforce strict rules against trash talking and impose fines for violations.
- Boot camping: NA teams should come together before major events to boot camp and practice against each other.
- Mental Assassins: NA teams need to develop a strong mental game and adopt a “no excuses” mentality.
- Professionalism: NA teams need to act like professionals and avoid behind-the-scenes roster swaps without valid and transparent reasons.
Implementing these changes can help improve the competitiveness of NA teams and their chances of success at international events.
Overall, the NA scene needs to mature and address these issues. If these changes are not made, the NA scene is likely to continue its struggle in 2016. However, with the right improvements, NA teams have the potential to succeed internationally.