Liquid CSGO rides into DreamHack Cluj-Napoca

October 28 2015
The level of competition at CS:GO majors has increased steadily since DreamHack Winter 2013 and the trend continues heading into Cluj-Napoca this week. Liquid surely didn't land themselves in an easy group, but they'd be hard pressed to find one at all for this event. Group stages are going to be tighter than they've ever been, and even the potential for upsets will be greater this time around. AdreN and his squad have looked sharp the last few months while putting some extra LAN experience under their belts, but the big stage is waiting and the pressure to perform is huge at a stacked tournament like Cluj-Napoca. In a group consisting of Titan, NiP, and Virtus.pro, our boys in Liquid will have their work cut out for them any way they turn.

A charged Virtus.pro will be the first thing on Liquid's plate come Wednesday and the veteran Poles have been absolutely on fire lately. Quick to reclaim their title as a tier-one team, VP have developed their game further and tightened up their execution and coordination. Coupled with their years-long professional LAN experience, VP in their current form are a more-than-plausible finalist prediction. Liquid can at least expect a solid match-up against TaZ and co., as VP will be employing relatively orthodox styles with their own minor twists and adjustments. For Liquid's first match at a major, the name of the game will be playing smart, comfortable, and fundamental Counter-Strike.

Moving forward, Titan and NiP will be clashing on the other side of Group C. If Liquid is to face Titan at any point in this group, they might be met with some confusing practices. Titan are certainly not the loose cannon that their countrymen EnVyUs are, but they do tend towards some stylistic choices which can really throw an unsuspecting team off. Now of course, adreN and the team will be running through hours of demos in preparation for Cluj-Napoca, but seeing and playing are critically different. This match-up for Liquid would be a matter of planning and strategizing more than anything. If the TL boys are on their toes, playing smart and adaptive, then Titan may prove to be the best opponent for Liquid in their group.



The legendary Ninjas in Pyjamas have fallen on hard times lately. Drama within the organization amidst already swirling rumors over their potential lineup changes has had a clear and dramatic effect on the team's performance. NiP have always been the team who showed the power of fundamental setups and big individual performances, but their play in recent months has been erratic, nonsensical, and sometimes frighteningly strong. The team's recent instability makes them a hard one to predict going into Cluj-Napoca, but it would seem almost too unlike NiP to not train hard and focus up when the game's biggest stage is calling. In the last few months, the unpredictability in their aggressive, scrimmage-style play has even landed them some pretty considerable wins in online leagues. NiP is a tough opponent for any team in Romania this week—not because they are the strongest or smartest there, but because they possess amazing individual talent and have become nearly impossible to read. Liquid will have a tough time preparing for this match should the group work out that way. That said, the Ninjas's fitful play is not exclusively positive, and was even born of the team’s hard times. This match would be a matter of reading the game round by round for Liquid, so that they are never caught off guard and don't let the Swedes push the pace of the game.

Liquid are a part of one of the strongest groups at Cluj and each team they may face is going to offer a unique challenge. Liquid will have to keep their match-ups in mind while playing on European turf, where teams tend to have a bit more flavor and stylistic flare. A core part of the preparation for a major is knowing your opponents and how to play against them, and Liquid has the raw skill necessary to carry them anywhere in the scene. It's just a matter of playing informed and tactical Counter-Strike.

Be sure to keep checking Team Liquid Pro for updates on what's going down at DreamHack Stockholm and for the latest in TL news, features and events!

Related Posts



Writer // Jacob LaBombarda
Graphics // Felix "Heights" Temple
Photo Credits // Marcin Wróbel, ESL, Brittany Lattanzio