Leaders and outsiders in CS:GO at the beginning of 2023

by Bob F. CCO

Let’s take a look at the teams, which now can be considered to be the favorites of the Paris Major, and highlight the failures and discoveries.

CS:GO tournaments are just gaining momentum but teams have already proved themselves to answer the first question regarding their conditions. On the outcome of a month and a half, we can highlight three groups: leaders, outsiders, and those who have surprised us with an excellent start.

In such a way, having analyzed the latest CS:GO matches, we will take a look at the teams, which suit each of the above-mentioned categories the best. Of course, we will cover only the TIER-1 scene, so we will talk about the biggest championships, which were hosted in the first weeks of the season.

Leaders

Of course, we can’t miss the team G2 Esports, which started growing at the end of the previous season. However, the team continued its victorious series, which also prolonged at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023 and Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023. In other words, the current shape of the team is the strongest one on the scene.

Speaking about the leaders of the starting part of the season, it is not worth missing the Danish team Heroic. Yes, the rookies of Xizt had a weak start at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023 but the team reached the final of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 at the same time, having eliminated Vitality and NAVI at the tournament. It is clear that Heroic lacks endurance sometimes but the Danes secured a spot among the leaders of the scene at a long distance.

Perhaps, FaZe Clan’s position is the most controversial. First of all, it is due to their failure at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023. However, the team demonstrated nice play at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023, which was not shown by other contenders. It is worth mentioning that FaZe Clan has the objective right to be considered the favorite at any large tournaments until the history of the previous season is alive.

Outsiders

Discussing the failures at the start of the season, we will start with Evil Geniuses. The North American team attends big championships once again and plays its trivial role without making attempts to show some kind of play. Evil Geniuses even were unable to catch the result at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023 and Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 because they were the last ones in both cases. Generally, the situation is poor, and Evil Geniuses risk failure in another season.

Here, you should consider all the problems and replacements on the roster of Ninjas in Pyjamas. However, “the ninjas” have pretty experienced performers to play that badly. The team looked odd in the group stage of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, for which it was defeated twice and went to have a rest quickly. In such a way, Ninjas in Pyjamas are among the outsiders of the first months of the season for a reason.

We can’t miss the Brazilian team FURIA, which has overestimated its capabilities after the home IEM Rio Major 20222. As a result, the team had a 3-month rest, having forgotten to create something new for the server. The result is pretty sad because FURIA has not even reached the group stage of Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, having become a joke after losing to IHC Esports.

The teams that surprised at the start of the season

First of all, it is worth noting the progress of the North American team Complexity Gaming. The team showed nothing for a long time, attending each tournament with one purpose to be eliminated. However, the team created a miracle at the last championship in Katowice, having knocked out many serious opponents. As a result, Complexity Gaming was one step away from making it to the playoffs but the serious rise is obvious.

If we are talking about Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, we can’t forget about the Mongolian miracle in the form of IHC Esports. This team eliminated paiN Gaming and FURIA in the Play-In stage. Besides, the Mongols defeated Cloud9 in the group and made a statement. As a result, we have another team from Asia, which can compete against the leaders today and demonstrate good shooting.

The North American team Team Liquid also deserves a mention. At first, Liquid had a bad play at BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023, after which many people began burying the team. However, the team achieved a few strong victories at the latest Katowice championship, due to which it advanced to the semi-final. In such a way, Team Liquid demonstrated solid growth in two weeks, which was a surprise for many.

Of course, each category can include a few more representatives. However, the scene is so blurred that it is pretty difficult to judge it by objective categories. The results of teams vary from tournament to tournament, so these teams deserve special attention in the current state.