DeKay CS:GO Mailbag: Flusha’s plans, Olofmeister’s future, franchising and more (Part 3)
As we await the start of the StarLadder Berlin Major Qualifier next month, players are AFK and spending some time out of the server for once. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to discuss in the world of competitive Counter-Strike though.
In the third and final part of this month’s DeKay Mailbag you will read answers to questions about a number of teams and players, including Wardell, FaZe Clan, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and more.
Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of DeKay’s monthly Mailbag if you missed them.
A Swedish shuffle and dream NA lineup?
Any news on a Swedish shuffle? Will more talent be plucked from Ancient or Gamer Legion? What would be your dream NA lineup to pair with Liquid, NRG, and Cloud 9?
— ashyra (@ashyra_) July 28, 2019
I’ve answered a good amount about the Swedes in the past two parts of the mailbag, so I suggest checking those out. At this point, it is still a bit too early to know what will happen just because we are still pretty far from the Major at this point.
My dream North American lineup at this point in time is Team Liquid, of course. There is nothing I can suggest that would make them even better, they have it all.
Coldzera as FaZe Clan’s IGL?
If faze clan buys coldzera, will he going to be the IGL?
— D (@freiredaniel) July 28, 2019
If that were to happen, I assume that NiKo would in-game lead once again or at the most it being a tag team effort depending on which side they are playing. I don’t like the idea of either of them in-game leading but if I had to choose between the two, I’d choose to have NiKo do it because at least he has a good amount of experience with it.
A CS:GO franchised league?
Has there been any talks around CS:GO franchising? Or has that just dropped out of the picture completely? Thanks for doing these! I love reading them.
— Joël (@JKangarr) July 28, 2019
No talks that I’ve ever been aware of. I don’t know who made that rumor up and I have always said that real talk of it has never existed to my knowledge. If it is being discussed, it’s being kept extremely quiet. I don’t think so though.
D0cC’s prospects?
any news on D0cC^?
— Slightly less sad liquid hater (@Joshuachen2003) July 28, 2019
I’ve never heard his name mentioned ever, when it comes to team and roster dynamics. When I look at his performances in qualifiers, I don’t see anything special. That’s probably why no one considers picking him up, he needs to improve to have a shot with a team.
What’s going on with Flusha?
Whats going on with Flusha? Is Golden going to be IGL during major? Considering that he was that When Lekr0 imo peaked in Fnatic.
— Axel Thuresson (@AxelThuresson1) July 28, 2019
Flusha has been playing CS again for a little while now and seems poised for a return. The only two places I see as a realistic landing spot for him are Fnatic and FaZe Clan. Like I mentioned in Part 1, I expect him to join Fnatic. He is a valuable asset and a former teammate for some of the core guys of that team. It just makes sense.
Where’s Wardell going?
Where is Wardell going to end up?
— Kine (@keisarikine) July 28, 2019
Nowhere for as long as he is on the Ghost bench. His buyout is really high due to the long contract he signed. Someone will have to get really desperate to get him and the word is that he is a tough player to play on a team with. That kind of talk gets around.
Will f0rest ever retire?
when will f0rest answer a curtain call? thanks
— weichen (@f0restiZound) July 28, 2019
f0rest is the type of dude to play until he is 40 years old just because it’s easy for him. On a real note, I have no idea. People talk all the time about how players getting up there in age “aren’t the player they used to be” but we just never say that about him.
He is consistently one of the better NiP players and is often a catalyst in many of their victories if you watch them back. It will probably come down to a feeling thing, he’ll hang it up when he doesn’t feel like playing anymore.
NiP replacements for Get_RiGhT?
Has NiP shown any interest in bringing in an AWPer like nawwk or trying draken one last time once GeT_RiGhT has retired?
— Tony (@AnthonyMV01) July 28, 2019
From what I’ve gathered the first step is seeing how they like Golden as in-game leader, since his time with the team is a pseudo-trial period. Depending on how that works out, will kind of lead them to the next step or not. If they keep him, they’d have to replace someone else to get an actual AWPer in the team. My guess would be that if they keep Golden, f0rest would do it again.
One final note: I don’t actually know if GeT_RiGhT is leaving after the Major, I’m just assuming that is what the scenario is here.
A ‘BIG’ clear out?
Do you think BIG will only change a few players or do you think they'll change everyone but Tabsen for example?
— Kampffrosch (@Kampffr0sch) July 28, 2019
From what I’ve gathered they are just replacing gob b and denis like my report said. Two players is a pretty big move and the team will definitely look different. The issue for them is that they do not have two rock solid replacements. They are looking towards bringing smooya back but he doesn’t want to be there. If he finds someone willing to buy him out, then I imagine he leaves ASAP. Nex won’t be a permanent addition either if he comes in, so the future looks a little bleak if I’m honest.
G2 players under pressure?
Has G2's recent run of form (losing to mibr without coldzera and with zews) put the G2 players on the clock?
— Pollux (@Pollux_____) July 28, 2019
Yes, I think they will consider change if they don’t perform as well as they would like at the Major. I don’t have fine details for you but that’s the vibe I get from people I’ve talked to.
600IEM Vancouver: bait or real?
Was ESL baiting or is your and @priusCSGO's brilliant call for IEM Vancouver an actual possibility? pic.twitter.com/6dMkgkJd59
— Destro Mayhem (@destro_mayhem) July 28, 2019
No insight on that just yet, but I sure as hell hope it wasn’t just bait.
Coldzera offers?
Do you know if anyone has reached out to get coldzera, seeing as how there were rumors that Faze did, but niko said that they didnt.
— WorldPlays (@worldplays7) July 28, 2019
FaZe in one way or another inquired on coldzera, but maybe not officially from organization to organization. Trust me, they know how much his buyout is. Other than that I’m not aware of anyone who has showed interest in him. The real question becomes who will ask after the Major, because that is the best chance he has at someone coming to get him. Otherwise, it will be a long time on the bench.
How common are appearance fees?
Richard lewis recently talked about how teams are now requesting appearance fees to attend events (using the example of TL), how common is this?
— Ben (@bencam6788) July 28, 2019
Extremely common. I believe teams have been doing this for a while now. I’m not too up to date on how much teams are asking though.
New organizations entering top tier CS:GO?
new orgs coming into tier 1 cs? I've heard of 100T but any others?
— DaKing8080 (@DaKing8080) July 28, 2019
I haven’t heard of any new names really. That’s not anything to worry about though. New organizations show up quickly and act quickly, so I rarely get much notice anyway.
MLG to host a CS:GO event?
Will Mlg host anymore cs tournaments?
— otto valkamo (@ottovalkamoo) July 28, 2019
I personally don’t think so. They have said that it’s not off the table, but I just don’t see it happening. I hope I’m wrong.
Where is coldzera going to end up?
Where do you think cold will end up ?
— Harsh Vikram Singh (@Raul_Vikram08) July 28, 2019
On the bench.
Olofmeister leaving FaZe Clan?
Is Olof on the way out from FaZe?
— Joakim smedman (@jocke_nice) July 28, 2019
I don’t have any information for what his plans are, but I could see a world in which he returns to Sweden in one way or the other before too long. I’ll be keeping an eye on it.
What’s next for JDM?
do you know anything about the future of the lounge nation god jdm?
— Piot01 (@Piot01) July 28, 2019
Nothing to share unfortunately. It seems many teams are choosing to go the younger route, which you can’t really blame. He is a free agent and can do good things for a handful of North American teams IMO so I expect someone to give him a call eventually.
FaZe Clan to eventually leave CS:GO?
Do you think that FaZe will expire the players' contracts and withdraw completely from CS? Do you know how long the contracts are running?
— GrizzlyBear (@GrizzlyBear1337) July 28, 2019
That is what I have been predicting for a while yes. It would be smarter for them to sell some of their players off prior to that though. The rumor was that they had three year contracts, so that puts many of them under contract well into 2020 if true. I don’t expect them to make a splash of any significance if and when they replace NEO.
Dark horses at the Major?
which unlikely team will perform well at the major?
— IcY_Radon (@IcY_Radon) July 28, 2019
My prediction is North. I wrote about it recently.
Do Vitality need a change?
Should Vitality change a player to close the gap in firepower with TL ?
— xp4ndeR (@_xp4ndeR_) July 28, 2019
I think it would be a bit too early to make a move like that, but it’s not the worst idea. I just don’t see who is a prime candidate that gives them the best chance to fix the holes in their game. It is tough making a move when you are ranked second in the world, it could wreck your synergy and have you tumbling down the rankings.
Where next for gob b after BIG?
with gob b being reported to leave big, what teams are in the conversation to be picking him up?
— nez (@uMx_nez) July 29, 2019
I haven’t heard anyone being interested yet, it’s still too early.
Can ForZe go to the next level?
Thoughts on ForZe? Since their time getting to play in ECS they've been beating pretty much all tier 2 talent online and offline. Does this team look similar to a Furia or an Ence, or do they still have to prove themselves at the major?
— William (@tehbae) July 28, 2019
They still have to prove themselves, I want to see what they can do on LAN against some tougher teams. ECS doesn’t really matter to me because it’s online.
Would swag and steel be top 10?
Theoretically, if swag and steel were unbanned how far do you think they could go? Top 10 material?
— ziP (@zippermin) July 29, 2019
It won’t ever happen. If it did, steel is one of the top minds in the game and could lead many teams into the top ten rankings. Swag doesn’t strike me as the player he once was though. He could be a good asset to a North American team, but that’s it IMO.
What’s the appeal of Formula 1?
Could you explain to me your fascination for Formula 1? I’ve watched quiet some races but have never really understood the interest some people have in the sport…
— AdmiralCrunch (@TobKar99) July 29, 2019
If you have some time, watch the 2012 season online somewhere or watch the last race that just happened in Germany. That is why we all watch. You have to take the good with the bad in a sport that is so driven by money, rather than pure skill and talent. My fascination is rooted with being a racing driver as a kid and growing up in a racing family. I like watching the best in the world doing something I enjoy doing myself, just like Counter-Strike.