duuuude.... forgot about smoggy, nvm about the Chronicle stuff, he is my #1 flex.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, he is EASILY in that 2nd spot for me behind Chronicle. Hell, the way it looks now, if they make a run here at Santiago, I would put him over Chron. I do find his diversity to be very impressive, but I haven't been amazed by his utility if I am honest. It doesn't feel like his impact on the server is tied to the character or role he is playing, rather his mechanics and aim, which for me takes away from his impact as a "flex player". Is he really all that flexible, or is he just such a monster mechanically that he can play whatever and he will still aim diff you?

I would have Chronicle over him. We've seen him play various characters across Sentinel/Controller/Initiator while providing elite supportive util and playing his role to near perfection. He doesn't have to lean on his mechanics to bail him out by just outaiming people, he plays his roles well, whether its support util for teammates on initiator, anchoring sites on sentinel, or providing lurk pressure on controller.

ngl i dont even know if he is the best flex. Maybe he is the best player to be on the flex role, because his mechanics are just that elite, but I don't think that his level of utility usage when switching roles is that crazy. I feel like his mechanics are just so insane that it doesn't matter who he is playing, he is going to do well - which makes him look like the "best flex", but he is just a very talented player that gets plugged into whatever role because it doesn't matter.

aspas used to be insanely consistent. This year and most of last, however, he hasn't been.

its just hard because of the meta we are in. most teams dont want to run a sentinel in the first place, and when they do, they opt for comfort picks (whether its chamber, cypher, or sometimes kj). I think he could easily be plugged in, especially for teams playing chamber atm.

Welcome to China buddy

I think you're right, it definitely has SOME use cases, but honestly, I think its more of a one-and-done type of comp. If you broke that out and played it in a game, it would surprise the fuck out of some people if it had good protocols, but something like that would be easily counter-strated the second there is a VOD up for it.

mechanically, and as a leader, i could not agree more. You can argue that Boo may have better ingame calling, though, based on the results that he has had within his team, but honestly as of late Nats is affirming himself as one of the best IGLs in the world.

ngl he is straight up buns. he isn't a good initiator (skye, fade way better options on bind + you can argue others like tejo, kayo, or even sova provide more on the map), and if you REALLY want plant assist, why would you not just play sage? at least the rest of her kit provides definitive value, unlike most of gekko's. His flash is ass in pro play, anybody with hands will shoot it easily every time. I don't see the logic behind playing him in his current state in the 2026 meta.

u got me my fault

playing to their strength DOES NOT mean they're one tricking ???

calling something a one trick yoru is like saying the same about jawg.

calling jing a one trick raze is a clueless take as well, they just play to his individual strengths. he could play other characters, but it wouldn't fit their identity as a team. inherently, they play better with double duelist comps BECAUSE they are aggressive. you could have easily called f0rsakeN a one trick jett in the past, but he has transitioned into one of the most flexible players in the game. just because they play their meta (double duel) DOES NOT mean they are one tricks.

pls think before you make bad takes. its the same thought with eggster. he could play other shit too, he isn't a bad player. he has character mastery on yoru, though, so the team builds around it. that is the identity of this game -- building around the players you have and their strengths, NOT forcing shit you think is good because its the "meta". prime example is aspas, he has easily been one of the best jetts in the world for years, so the teams he has been on build comps around that -- having him on jett, because he is comfortable and confident and has CHARACTER MASTERY.

aspas to 2G

Depends who they get as duelist. If they really get Jawgemo, yeah. New look NRG is probably gonna be pretty nice with it too tho

I think it would be sick, but logistically it probably won't happen.

In tier 2 teams, there are players who have great stats and players who are more roleplayers, doing a good job but not having great stats. Because of this, the players with good stats often get looked at more for tier 1 pickups.

I say all of this because the top players on M80 and OXG will be isolated from the other players on the team and picked apart. Think Zander - his stats are fking bonkers and a lot of teams need a consistent smokes presence. No shot he isn't going to the highest bidder, and quite frankly, that shi aint happening if its a whole team purchase. Same idea with Verno, 0 chance he isn't gonna go to the highest bidder or best situation.

I think the storyline would be sick if a whole team got picked up into tier 1, but I think it aint happenin.

Major is like Champs with 10x the hype and stakes. Both happen once a year (majors happen a little more frequently but around once a year, max 2x a year)

Most IEM/ESL events are like masters, but keep in mind that instead of there being 2-3 masters events, in cs there is like fking 10+ of these in a year so there are more matches, thus storylines can be built and there is a lot more constant viewership that can occur. That being said, it does make some matches feel watered down at times in the group stages and such, but the finals are ALWAYS sick.

Overall the CS format gives way more events and thus leads to a more storied scene, making the majors more hype. This, on top of the fact that stickers bring in MASSIVE amounts of money for the players and teams makes the CS esports ecosystem pretty amazing. Next year too when the circuit is open, shi will go crazy. Riot is chill n shi trying to emulate the "sports" model into the structure, but the Valve style of just letting the community have free reign on tournaments and the structure is kinda sick and, atleast for me personally, i feel that it fits the esports identity FAR better than the system in place here in valorant.

thats crazy dawg

dont get me wrong, he is a great player, but thats insane

Polish - Patitek on Flex
Brazilian - Aspas on Duelist
American - Trent on Initator (can do some midrounding)
South Korean - Mako on Controller (IGL)
Turkish - Alfajer on Sentinel

Coach - Mini
ggs god squad

time to go watchparty cs

if tarik ever comes back loool

can you add Primq to S tier plz thank u

Munchking and Boobstio deserve a full feature film. A fanfic would be a disservice.

I respect your honor Jerry Chapulin

I woke up and heard something downstairs. As I walk down the forsaken stairs to my impending doom, I start to feel my mindfreak. Who could be in my house at this hour? Is it nobody and I am just going insane?

Out of nowhere, I hear someone shout "Simon!". Immediately, I respond, "Kang, Kang! I didn't know you were home!".

From afar, I heard a train howl "chiiichooooooo", signaling its departure from the station just down the street. Based on the smoggy aura permeating through the house, I can tell my brother Kang has just arrived.

"I'm surprised I didn't hear the jinggg---", as my voice cuts out, I find it hard to breath. Kang turns the corner to greet me, but upon noticing my struggles, he begins to smile. I awaken in a dark place, a scary place, tied up and unable to move or talk. A light flickers on, and out of the corner of my eye I see 5 people in the corner, each with symbols on their shirts. From left to right, the symbols are D, 4, V, 4, 1. What could this mean?

Then, from behind me, a tall man with a slender build walks into my view. Instantly, I recognize him.

"David? What are you doing here?", I exclaim, extremely confused as to why my best friend and my brother have seemingly kidnapped me and taken me to this mysterious place.

"We want you to join our secret organization. Edward Rex is the name."

where going? why leave :(

title

zamn

yikers

this guy lookin like a clown now x-x

"I thought you would pick icebox" - FrosT

"after yesterday?? haha" - alecks

FrosT looked insanely surprised that alecks did not pick Icebox, and swiftly banned it in the second round of pick bans. I wonder how this could impact the result of the match :o

I agree with you as of now.

If Wo0t CARRIED (crazy performances on all series/maps) Heretics to a champs win I think he gets it.

I think players like OXY or primmie could also get it if they hard carried their team to a champs win, but on the season as a whole I do not think they hold a flame to Karon.

glizzy mode

This take is aging like milk rn ngl...

1st week of EMEA, APAC, China all on 8.10

2nd week of EMEA, APAC, China on 8.11
1st week of Americas on 8.11

For the games played on 8.10, the map pool is:
Split, Breeze, Ascent, Lotus, Sunset, Bind, Icebox

For the games on patch 8.11 up until playoffs, the map pool is:
Split, Haven, Ascent, Lotus, Sunset, Bind, Icebox

For the matches in playoffs, the map pool is:
Abyss, Haven, Ascent, Lotus, Sunset, Bind, Icebox

alecks is NOT the problem. If anything, they need a STRONG VOICE (igl) in the server that can make game-winning decisions. Right now, a lot of the calling is momentum driven by f0rsaken and d4vai... but when they are down, they often go to a more individualistic style that is easily capitalized on. IF they had someone in the server that was a strong voice, then it would ensure their ability to be consistent, much more than changing out the coach (WHICH WOULD DO NOTHING!!! <3)

aight rich king, i want DRG bundle in 3 weeks when event is over

feet enjoyer

Just think about it... Pancada joins MIBR to reunite with coaches fRoD and bzkA, joining a relatively inexperienced roster with good potential as seen in their group stage matches during Kickoff. Honestly could slot him in as controller or sentinel, would bring in heavy carry potential to a team that desperately needs another player that can pop off at a moments notice. THOUGHTS???

Not necessarily. The plat players could be "boosted" rank-wise compared to their MMR, or some players on your team may not play a lot of ranked which would make your MMR not very close to your rank

It is because Premier is based on MMR, not Rank. This means that although the game shows your team's average as Silver 3 and theirs as Plat 2, it considers your skill levels to be similar. If you would like me to explain MMR further I can so you get a better understanding of why it is like this.

looking clean lowkey

yo, I know this is mad late but I play on the team so here is the story. Bro is like a silver-gold player so he really wasn't cut out for the competition in the first place but he was all we had so it had to make do. On top of that, pretty sure he wasn't feeling it that day so it made a worse situation of an already bad one.

trolly troll

Zander
Trent
seven
Exalt
corey

THIS SQUAD ROLLS

e

They didn't change the name of the account to his name, when they play tourneys like this they are given riot accounts with everything on them, in this case the account was the 6th one made for the tournament, RIOT One.

W

fire

PureVNS (The smoke GOAT)

Farm might be a stretch, but they are definitely a level above their competition.