DeKay CS:GO Mailbag: What’s up with WARDELL, Team Liquid Expectations, and more (Part 2)

With the rise of Evil Geniuses and Fnatic, other CSGO teams are on the slide and could be facing potential roster moves. Which teams are they and what might they do? Find out in the second part of this month’s mailbag below.

Where is WARDELL headed?

I’m sure he has had some interest now that he is a free agent but he has his own reputation as a teammate that has hampered some opportunities, in my opinion. He is a young guy that is still moldable though, so I don’t see that as an issue myself. 

Friberg with a new Swedish lineup?

Friberg turned down more than one Swedish team in recent weeks due to his project with Xizt, but I’m not exactly sure what it involves. It could possibly involve one of the new organizations that intends to play in the new North American league forming, but I’m not entirely sure yet. Time will tell.

When will Godsent return?

If they are still pursuing the Japaleno players, then not very long I would say. I haven’t heard anything new or different since I reported that information.

New rumors on mousesports changes?

I heard some rumblings after the Major about a move being considered, but as we all saw nothing happened. I do think they are going to make one soon if things don’t improve. The issue here is that if they decide to change a player a few weeks after everyone else did, there won’t be many great choices at an affordable price.

Update on ex-OpTic Gaming roster?

Nothing new to report just yet.

When is Mirage being removed?

Pretty soon, I hope.

Which top-three team makes the first change?

Team Liquid. If things don’t improve by the start of next year, I can see a world in which a change is made. Hopefully it won’t come to that though, this lineup is still capable of incredible things.

Which hypothetical EG-Liquid trade would be best?

EG are in a perfect spot at the moment and can still improve further so I obviously wouldn’t make a move if I were them. I also don’t see a clear change that benefits both teams. Pulling one player opens up a new weakness on either lineup in my opinion.

CS:GO org appearance fee?

Yes and it varies heavily. I don’t like to speak on numbers if I haven’t seen them on paper, so I won’t even estimate.

Thoughts on Liquid’s drop in form?

I think it is mental more than anything else. Confidence plays a huge part and was a hurdle they had to clear originally to become the best team in the world. It is even harder to regain confidence once you worked for it and lost it. I hope they can find the catalyst that pulls them back into that sweet spot.

Swedish scene outside of NiP and Fnatic?

Not a whole lot. We have a couple lineups with good AWPers but they lack in-game leading that can take them to tier 1 events or get deep in them. Hopefully someone can come along like Golden did and help them get there.

Will the FaZe crisis affect their CS:GO team?

Maybe indirectly, but since they spent so much money on Coldzera they are still at least somewhat committed to supporting their team. I really don’t expect it to have much of an impact, although I’m not super well versed in what they are dealing with at the moment. I prefer to just focus on Counter-Strike if I can.

Latest on FaZe’s in-game leader situation?

In my opinion, you will never see another genuine in-game leader on the roster as long as NiKo is a member of the lineup. It just won’t happen.

EG investment the best ever?

Now that we have seen what the roster has been able to do, yes it was a great investment. It’s not like they got them for a bargain though, they paid top dollar. I think it was beneficial to everyone involved.

Will Fnatic success last?

Even if they retrace a bit in the rankings, it would still be tremendously better than what they have been doing for the past year. I think they can be happy winning an occasional event and having a chance to beat anyone on any given day. I see them sitting in the top 5-6 area next year for a while.

---

That concludes part two of DeKay’s latest CSGO mailbag. Make sure to check out part one if you haven’t already, and be on the lookout for part three coming soon!