![\"Lucky](\"https:\/\/tnl.media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Lucky.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAfter the Spring Groups and Funspark ULTI Finals, it\u2019s becoming more and more clear that this Astralis isn\u2019t working. From a quick look, it\u2019s easy to blame Astralis\u2019 lack of results on its players individual performances, but there are more to it than just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Mathias “MSL<\/em>” Lauridsen<\/strong> explained<\/a><\/strong>, Astralis is having a major clash between player roles. With some players which were already struggling being moved to positions they might not be fully comfortable in, their performances could only get worse after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, one issue doesn\u2019t mean that you can ignore the other. It\u2019s undeniable that Kristian “k0nfig<\/em>” Wienecke<\/strong> has been incredibly underwhelming in 2022, and Andreas “Xyp9x<\/em>” H\u00f8jsleth<\/strong> has been facing issues with his individual level for a good while now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there isn\u2019t much to say about this Astralis iteration besides that this team isn\u2019t working. Sure, they managed to win over a struggling Natus Vincere and the underdogs of the Spring Groups, MiBR, but just like they couldn\u2019t qualify for the Spring Finals after being defeated by BIG twice, we don\u2019t expect this roster achieving much. That is, unless their coach, Alexander “ave<\/em>” Holdt<\/strong>, and in-game leader, Lukas “gla1ve<\/em>” Rossander<\/strong>, find a miraculous way to get this squad back on track. Until then, though, Astralis is far from being a contender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Danes will be getting back on the server on February 15th<\/sup> as they are set to take part of IEM Katowice 2022\u2019s Play-In stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tsvetelin “CeRq<\/em>” Dimitrov<\/strong>, Evil Geniuses AWPer, has been with the organization since its return to Counter-Strike. He was also part of the NRG core that EG built upon since 2017, and was a key factor for his teams\u2019 success. He was just great on the AWP, and he was even named one of the 20 best players of 2019 by HLTV. However, CeRq hasn\u2019t been the same for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, even though CeRq had a disastrous 2021, Evil Geniuses decided to give him another shot in 2022. After all, when at his best, the 22-years-old was a monster. With EG being a mess last year, maybe that affected his individual level. So, under a new leader and a better team atmosphere, there is a chance that both him and Vincent “Brehze<\/em>” Cayonte<\/strong> recovered their individual levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, at least this first showing from EG didn\u2019t show any revitalization. During the Spring Groups, Evil Geniuses\u2019 biggest issue wasn\u2019t Timothy “autimatic<\/em>” Ta<\/strong>, who just returned from VALORANT. Instead, it was CeRq, which once again, disappoints on the AWP. The Bulgarian simply can\u2019t hit important shots, and his utility usage is far from great. Whether is a wrong flashbang being throw or a vital shot missed, his mistakes leave his teammates at a serious disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While CeRq misses certainly leave a bigger impression, we can\u2019t forget about his longtime team mate Brehze either. The 23-years-old has yet to show his old level that earned him to be featured twice on HLTV\u2019s Best Players of the Year lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, Brehze managed to give us a good showing against Team Liquid in their best-of-one during the group stage. There, Brehze and even CeRq both looked comfortable, even though it was a defeat. A close one, sure, but a defeat nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, after the Spring Groups, the biggest doubt about this EG continues unanswered. Can Jacky “Stewie2K<\/em>” Yip<\/strong> really revive the remaining of the old Evil Geniuses? So far, seems that automatic won\u2019t have any issues getting back to Counter-Strike, so that\u2019s one less doubt, but the stakes on Brehze and CeRq are too high and if they can\u2019t recover, the future of this squad is already compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EG finished the BLAST Premier Spring Groups in last place. We won\u2019t be seeing the North American squad back in action until late March, as they will be playing on the last group of ESL Pro League Season XV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most hyped roster moves from this most recent shuffle season certainly was Robin “ropz<\/em>” Kool<\/strong> leaving MOUZ for FaZe Clan. With this move, FaZe was finally looking like the team that their captain, Finn “karrigan<\/em>” Andersen<\/strong>, envisioned when he returned to FaZe back in 2021. As for ropz, he would finally be on a team that could be a contender, and he\u2019d be reunited with Karrigan, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, this move seems to have done wonders for FaZe. Not only ropz is looking great, the entire squad is flowing much better. As we saw in their second game against Vitality, and in their BO3 against BIG, this team still has some minor issues in their map pool and overall approach to the game, sure. Even so, they are looking far better than the FaZe we saw in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, though, one of the biggest worries about FaZe heading into 2022 was regarding H\u00e5vard “rain<\/em>” Nygaard\u2019s<\/strong> individual form. If the Norwegian performance at the Spring Groups is anything to go by, he will have a much better year in 2022. Rain was key for FaZe quick qualification for the Spring Finals, and we can only hope he keeps his form from now on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FaZe Clan returns to action next week at the IEM Katowice 2022 Play-In.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coming to the Spring Groups, Na\u2019Vi was supposed to have an easy, or at least comfortable enough tournament. They were the favorites of their group, and without Gambit here, no team seemed to have good chances of beating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet, on their first game, Natus Vincere was defeated by MiBR, the tournament\u2019s underdogs which were playing with a stand-in. And it wasn\u2019t sheer luck in MiBR\u2019s side; Na\u2019Vi just failed to answer their opponent\u2019s plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Na\u2019Vi woes didn\u2019t stop then. After MiBR, it was time for Astralis to take a win over Oleksandr “s1mple<\/em>” Kostyliev\u2019s<\/strong> squad. This defeat put Na\u2019Vi on last place of their group, and things weren\u2019t looking good for the best team in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In their next game \u2013 this time a best-of-three \u2013 Na\u2019Vi faced Team Liquid, and managed to take them down with a 2 \u2013 0 record. Still, even then Na\u2019Vi didn\u2019t quite looked the same: s1mple played well, but the rest of the roster was still playing a sloppy Counter-Strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After eliminating Team Liquid from the Spring Groups, it was time for Natus Vincere to face NiP. This time, Na\u2019Vi started strong, and after a strong T-side, won the first map of the series. However, Na\u2019Vi lost their momentum, and after a not-so-strong showing on Overpass, Na\u2019Vi lost the second map of the series. To close the series, we saw a dominantly-looking NiP against a weak Na\u2019Vi on Mirage, and the Ninjas took the series home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, one day later, Na\u2019Vi faced NiP once again, and this time we saw an improved Na\u2019Vi, which while wasn\u2019t at the same level of that team who won the PGL Major Stockholm last year, was miles better from what we saw earlier on. With this final win over NiP, the CIS squad qualified for the Spring Finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, it was a surprise to see Natus Vincere like this. Sure, it\u2019s just the first tournament of the year and there aren\u2019t reasons to worry about this team just yet. Still, this team closed 2021 looking so strong, and watching Denis “electroNic<\/em>” Sharipov<\/strong> playing such a sloppy CS, for example, was something no one expected before their first game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In any case, Natus Vincere finished in 4 \u2013 6th<\/sup> place at the Spring Groups. They will be returning to action this 17th<\/sup> at IEM Katowice 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When NiP headed to the BLAST Spring Groups, it was hard to expect something great from them. After all, they\u2019ll be playing with Love “phzy<\/em>” Smidebrant<\/strong> instead of Nicolai “dev1ce<\/em>” Reedtz<\/strong> for a while, until the latter returns from his medical leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having to play with a stand-in was just the latest of worries NiP has to worry about, though. From Nicolas “Plopski<\/em>” Gonzalez Zamora<\/strong> inconsistency to the team having to adapt to Patrick “es3tag” Hansen, NiP had plenty of issues to deal with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so, the Ninjas came strong for the Spring Groups, and while they ultimately failed to qualify for the Spring Finals, they gave fans a good showing. With wins over BIG and Natus Vincere, taking the new G2 to overtime and even taking a map from the new, strong-looking OG, Hampus “hampus<\/em>” Poser<\/strong> and his crew did well all things considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides their in-game leader hampus \u2013 which had an incredible event by the way \u2013 no one on NiP finished the Spring Groups with a positive HLTV rating. Even Fredrik “REZ<\/em>” Sterner<\/strong>, NiP\u2019s rifler, failed to get a positive rating to kick off the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, this is worrying for NiP. Without device, more than ever they need their riflers to step-up. As phzy keeps adapting to the new level of competition he\u2019s facing on their main squad, hampus desperately needs REZ, and now plopski to provide the frags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Until that happens, though, it\u2019ll be hard to see NiP becoming a contender. If anything, though, we at least know that this team can do much more than what most originally expected from them coming into 2022. This team, even without device, can find success, as phzy has shown that he has the potential to be a more than reliable stand-in. However, it\u2019ll have to be an all-hands-on-deck kind of effort in order for them to consistently threaten the best teams in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NiP finished the Spring Groups in 7 \u2013 9th<\/sup> place. Their next stop will be at Katowice, for the IEM Kato Play-In, which starts on February 15th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In late January, G2 announced that they had made a trade with OG. Then G2\u2019s IGL Nemanja “nexa<\/em>” Isakovi\u0107<\/strong> would go to OG, while their IGL would move to G2. At first, this move seemed to be a good one for both parties, as G2\u2019s new IGL would be back at leading a world-class team, while nexa would be playing in a team with less pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the OG we saw at Spring Groups was much better than anticipated. In every match, OG just worked, from individual levels to roles, they played some excellent Counter-Strike this week. Moreover, while Shahar “flameZ<\/em>” Shushan<\/strong> and Valdemar “valde<\/em>” Bj\u00f8rn Vangs\u00e5<\/strong> both hand a great tournament, it was nexa himself who stole the spotlights. OG\u2019s new captain gave fans a reminder of how individually strong he can be, and he\u2019d be a serious contender in the discussion for MVP of this Spring event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n OG finally had a good tournament, and it\u2019s hard to not be excited for this roster. However, it\u2019s wise to hold out our expectations just a tad, as OG themselves have shown time after time that one event doesn\u2019t mean a lot for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For that reason, we\u2019ll be keeping a close eye on OG at Katowice. After all, that\u2019ll be a great opportunity to see how this team fares at the biggest stages that CSGO has to offer. Katowice will be a LAN event with its playoffs being played in front of a live crowd, so the pressure will be on.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEVIL GENIUSES \u2013 HOW MANY CHANCES LEFT?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nNOT ALONE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
FAZE CLAN \u2013 NOW, COMPLETE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nNATUS VINCERE \u2013 SLOW START<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSCRAPPING A SPOT AT THE FINALS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
NiP \u2013 BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIN THE RED<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
OG \u2013 BOOSTED BY NEXA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWE NEED TO SEE MORE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n