Liquid Survive C9 Scare, EG Dispatch Of Triump at ESL One Cologne NA

The Team Liquid roster narrowly conceded the first map to Cloud9, after which they stabilized and showed signs of their former dominance over the North American scene. Meanwhile, Evil Geniuses did very quick work of Triumph, sending them to the Lower Bracket of ESL One Cologne NA.

EG 2-0 TRIUMPH

For Evil Geniuses, this must have felt like matchmaking. Without having to pull off any complex strategies, they just stormed through the Triumph roster by pure individual prowess. On Overpass, the team didn’t stand an chance. After a 12-3 half, they quickly conceded the the remaining few rounds. Tsvetelin “CerQ” Dimitrov topped the scoreboard with 25 kills, 11 deaths, and a 1.85 rating.

Inferno became a similarly decisive affair after Vincent “Brehze” Cajonte managed to clock in a 1.58 rating with a +11 first kill difference.

LIQUID 2-1 CLOUD9

Team Liquid are still processing their recent roster change, making it difficult to pinpoint their actual standing within the scene. Against Cloud9, it first appeared as if they were a long way away from their former selves. On Mirage, Liquid immediately struggled and let C9 climb to 10 rounds at half time. Unable to hold the lead, however, the Cloud9 boys slowly lost grip of the match. Liquid eventually brought themselves to overtime, but there, C9 finally sealed the deal with a 19-17 victory. Josh “oSee” Ohm held his team in the match with a 30-bomb and lots of entry kills.

For Liquid, things weren’t looking too great heading into the second map, Vertigo. However, their new in-game-leader, Jake “Stewie2k” Yip, immediately went to work. He rushed his team through a 11-4 terrorist half, giving them enough of a margin to comfortably close the game on CT side. He recorded a shattering 1.72 rating with a +13 first kill difference, something that he hasn’t done for quite a while.

On Nuke, the same story unfolded yet again. Stewie2k got in, made the necessary frags, and secured his team the round. This time, he clocked in a 1.52 rating, 103 ADR and a +8 first kill difference. The first map had been a real scare, but in hindsight, Liquid had been in control of the match all along.

STEWIE2K IS THE NEW NITR0

The roster chance has worked out well for Liquid so far. It has actually freed Stewie up to go back to his entry position, which he had successfully held with Cloud9. In Liquid, this position was previously occupied by Nick “nitr0” Canella, who did the in-game-leading as well.

Obviously, one match like this isn’t enough to call this a complete success just yet. But so far, Stewie appears to fit well into his role. Ever since he got into Liquid, he had taken a step back and let other players shine. Now might be his time to step into the spotlight and become a leading figure for North American CS:GO once again.