intelligencerefa.blogg.se

This is very high praise for Liquid, despite the fact that Astralis has proven to be a reliable roadblock. In the ELEAGUE finals, Astralis and Liquid each mentioned that the match felt like they were playing against their respective doppelgangers. Recall zews’ cameo at the ELEAGUE Major: Boston, where he sacrificed his own buys for to give the team better odds in each round - that typifies the coach and the team’s commitment to team play. Every single player on the squad can carry a map when they have to, but it is team cohesion that has resulted in wins. On Dust2, EliGE and NAF topped the charts on Overpass, Twistzz and TACO turned up the heat. In our ELEAGUE semifinal victory against Na`Vi, our players had a split of 10 kills between each other. Relying on a single player or strategy has never been a long term solution for Team Liquid, and many of our best performances have come from balanced efforts from the squad.

No one person can be bigger than the team, take an inordinate amount of resources, or play with their stats in mind. This is the philosophy that the team is built on, starting with our head coach zews. The few teams that can match Liquid in this regard, such as Astralis, have 5 members who can carry, have very malleable strategy and positioning, and stay composed against pressure. By switching positions and roles, star players are unable to read play patterns and rely on their aim to win rounds. s1mple may be the best player in the world, but a look at our recent games against the CIS squad, such as at ELEAGUE, shows how Liquid is able to prevent s1mple from asserting himself across the server. Take, for example, the team’s penchant for shutting down star-centric teams like Na`Vi. This flexibility puts opposing teams out of their standard positions, and eventually neutralize their main threat. Maps and sides that are notoriously difficult for snipers can be navigated by simply carrying 5 rifles into rounds, where all our players excel. While most elite squads have a primary sniper, we’ve seen almost every single Liquid player carry the AWP depending on strategy, spawn, and economy. So, what has changed, exactly? And how can we improve from here? Aside from avoiding Astralis, obviously.ĭynamic team play is one of the team's biggest strengths, and a shift away from a dedicated AWPer has worked wonders. A balance has to be struck, and by some serendipitous design, we now have 3 countries and 1 team.

Of course, the formula is much more complicated than just adding new ingredients. Liquid has been in a state of flux over the past year, but the current squad already shows promise.

Things have changed since then, and the team’s remarkable turnaround can be pinpointed to the addition of two players: first, the return of NAF, and then the arrival of TACO.

Their placements in that period were top 8s with tournament exits largely in the quarters and semis, if that, and scarcely a finals appearance. In fact, few would have named them as a contender for the best team on this side of the planet. It’s certainly becoming a trend.Ī year ago they wouldn't have been considered a bridesmaid. And a month before that, runners up at the EPL Finals. A month before that, it was silver at the ESC Finals. When we last saw our boys - which was over a month ago! - they took home second place at the ELEAGUE Premier.