Richard Lewis and James ‘BanKs’ Banks break down all the action from the IEM Global Challenge, the final CSGO event of 2020. Team Liquid was destroyed by champions Astralis, before team member Twistzz announced in the following interview that he had played his last game.
Astralis also managed to take down another superstar in Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut – is 2021 another Astralis year? With Na’Vi falling short, where is it going wrong for Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev’s team of fraggers?
With an extremely hopeful, supportive fanbase supporting the esports team, many are crossing their fingers that they can find it in themselves to get back to their A-game.
Both s1mple and Denis ‘electronic’ Sharipov are such fantastic pieces that work like clockwork together in Na’Vi, but some of the other team’s pieces can leave something to be desired. When it comes down to the wire, though, the team just isn’t able to hit their stride when it’s absolutely crucial that they’re doing so.
With time going on, s1mple’s esports days are numbered – he won’t be able to stay at the top of his game forever. This gives opposing teams the chance to take him out, something that’s evidently doable with Astralis’ win.
The game ultimately lives and dies with his ability to pull his teammates through a match, and this is why teams like Astralis can sweep through. In comparison, though, we always see Astralis being overlooked by their opponents – players often expect an easy, breezy win. Perhaps now, though, with the win at the IEM Global Challenge and the lion’s share secured under their belt, people will finally stop and take stock.
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