CS:GO Commentator Moses Discusses the Best Route to Becoming a Pro Player: “[CS:GO’s] equivalent of college sports”
ELEAGUECounter-Strike: Global Offensive analyst and commentator Jason ‘moses’ O’Toole has shared his thoughts on the likes of FPL and Rank S, stating that he believes they are now the best pipeline into the professional scene.
FPL (FACEIT Pro League) and ESEA’s Rank S are the highest levels of PUG matches that you can play in CS:GO and have become a place where virtually all top players hone their skills in a more relaxed environment to their team practice.
But just how important are they when it comes to discovering new up-and-coming talent? When you consider the fact that players like FaZe Clan’s Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač, SK Gaming’s Jake ‘Stewie2K’ Yip, and Mousesports’ Robin ‘ropz’ Kool all got their big breaks due to their performance in PUGs, it seems like the answer is “very”.
During a recent debate on Twitter, CS:GO commentator Roy ‘StrongLegs’ Ahad told former Torqued player Ricky ‘floppy’ Kemery that he believes up-and-coming should concentrate more on finding a spot on an MDL team and proving themselves there than in FPL or Rank S.
You have to prove yourself way more in MDL before any pro team can take a risk on you
— Strong Legs (@RealStrongLegs) May 2, 2018
Being in Rank S and FPL isn't enough anymore man. It's just the truth 🙁
— Strong Legs (@RealStrongLegs) May 2, 2018
FACEIT’s Milos ‘Mikey’ Nedeljkovic eventually responded to the thread, pointing out that most teams that have taken a risk on FPL or Rank S prodigies have seen more success than teams who tried to recycle old talent endlessly.
Moses, a former professional CS 1.6 player and current commentator and analyst for CS:GO, then threw his hat into the ring, saying that he believes players with a strong work ethic and good attitude will do better from FPL/Rank S than they will from playing with lower level teams in lower divisions.
He went on to explain that he sees FPL and Rank S as CS:GO’s equivalent to college sports and said that they are now the “best and most effective way into pro divisions”, citing poor scouting and talent development from top teams as one of the reasons.
as long as theres a good attitude and a strong work ethic being a top player in fpl/rank s beats being a playoff contender in MDL or lower league divisions. you can teach the willing how to read the game and be a teammate. players in this route dont have to rely on 4 mates either
— Jason O'Toole (@OnFireMoses) May 3, 2018
to me the fpl/rank s systems have become cs's equivalent of college sports. probably the best and most effective pipeline into pro divisions. especially with how minimal talent development and scouting is in top teams, likely it provides the most eyeballs on new players as well
— Jason O'Toole (@OnFireMoses) May 3, 2018
The discussion is certainly an interesting one and it could go around in circles for an age but recent history would certainly favor moses’ opinion on the matter.
Of course, StrongLegs’ argument that players cannot wait around forever and should be able to balance playing for a lower level team while also grinding out Rank S or FPL matches is certainly a valid one.
The start of the Twitter thread, and all of the replies discussed in this article, can be found here.
by the way, i wish it was different. i wish premier/mdl would be the better path, i think it'd be way better and healthier for the scene but it's just not for a variety of reasons.
— Jason O'Toole (@OnFireMoses) May 3, 2018