North American CS:GO organization Team Liquid are rumored to be skipping ESL One Cologne in favor of attending the BLAST Pro Series event in Los Angeles, California one week later.
Team Liquid are coming off the back of an extremely successful weekend at IEM Sydney 2019, securing victory in the tournament with a tense five-map match against Fnatic.
Many expected Team Liquid to ride the momentum from their win through the rest of the spring and into summer’s ESL One Cologne, but it now appears that will not be the case, at least according to tweets from Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields on Tuesday, May 7.
Team Liquid secured victory at IEM Sydney with a win over Fnatic.
An unhappy Thorin first broke the news that Team Liquid may not attend ESL One Cologne, which kicks off on July 7, on Twitter, stating that if the Americans were “really skipping ESL One Cologne but playing at BLAST Pro Series then that is some seriously disappoint shit.”
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“It’s time we had a serious discussion about what the fuck the CS:GO tournament circuit even is anymore,” continued Thorin. “Events like ESL One Cologne are the life-blood of the scene, it’s literally the most prestigious title after the majors. You’re gonna say ‘nah, not for me, thanks,’ but then play in a bullshit [best-of-one]-fest a week later?”
Events like ESL One Cologne are the life-blood of the scene. It’s literally the most prestigious title after the majors. You’re gonna say “nah, not for me thanks” but then play in a bullshit bo1-fest two day tournament a week later? Fuck outta here.
— Thorin (@Thooorin) May 7, 2019
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Why would Team Liquid skip ESL One Cologne?
Team Liquid are yet to officially announce that they will not be attending the event in Cologne, Germany, but the news that they could miss it will come as a shock as many, including Thorin, view the tournament as the most sought-after victory in the CS:GO calendar aside from one of the majors.
For a team based in North America though, travelling to Los Angeles rather than Germany is a much easier task, especially as the decision would give their players an extra week off in preparation for the event. Prize money is also much easier to come by at BLAST Pro Series L.A., as six teams compete for a share of the $250,000 prize pool compared to the 16 teams that will battle for a cut of the $300,000 pool in Cologne.
Teams at BLAST Pro Series need to win at most four best-of-one matches to earn the same prize money as those who finish as runners-up in Germany – a much easier task than the one they would face in Cologne.
Many have criticized the decision to host the BLAST Pro Series event just one week after ESL One Cologne, with some on Reddit stating that it is a “shame,” and that the organizers host too many events throughout the season.
Whether Team Liquid attend ESL One Cologne remains to be seen, but if Thorin is accurate, it appears that the team many consider to be the second-best in the world right now will miss one of CS:GO’s most historic competitions.