Written Work
Not only scripting videos, I have also written articles for Esports publications in the past too. With the site ESPR News, I took responsibility for their CS:GO work, putting out quality articles profiling teams and previewing events.
Excerpts Below
IEM Katowice 2021 Play-offs: The CIS Dragon has Awoken
King_T February 26, 2021 CSGO IEMKatowice
As IEM Katowice reaches the play-off stage, four of the teams left standing come from a specific region with a dedicated player base. However, this same region has a history of underachievement, occasionally interspersed with periods of total domination.
The Commonwealth of Independent States, also knows as the CIS, has been one of the most devoted Counter-Strike regions for decades. Yet, they have rarely been able to put together elite teams, unlike their counterparts in Sweden.
In 2002, a Russian team named M19 won the third major in Counter-Strike 1.6. They won against a relatively weak field of opponents. The CIS would then go on a major title drought of 8 years before Natus Vincere (Na’Vi) rose to power. This rise to power was devastating. The Ukrainian giants won 4 majors in a row on the back of superstars Yehor Vadymovych “markeloff” Markelov and Ioann “Edward” Sukhariev.
In CS:GO, the story has been similar. It took a long time for any CIS teams to truly establish themselves, as the region’s stars were very reluctant to transition over to the new game. Even then, the success they found was limited. Na’Vi were consistently one of the top 5 teams in the world but repeatedly failed at the majors. Gambit’s major run in 2017 is one of the most unlikely stories in Esports. It was a combination of a weak bracket and over-performing individuals that led to their success, not a true reflection of the region at large.
The CIS region’s primary limiting factor in CS:GO was a shallow pool of competitive teams. Besides Na’Vi, there were no CIS teams consistently in the top 20. Major winners Gambit spent barely more than a year in the top 20 before falling off again. Even the rise of Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, arguably the best player to ever touch the game, couldn’t prevent the CIS region from under-performing.
However, all of the CIS’ woes seem to be coming to an end in 2021. Earlier this month, I pointed out that the CIS region was a dragon about to awaken. Whilst my observation was correct, the time period I put forth was way off. Instead of awakening over the course of 6-8 months, it has only taken them 4 weeks.
These four teams responsible for this great awakening are the same four qualified for the play-offs at IEM Katowice 2021. Team Spirit, Gambit, Virtus.Pro & Na’Vi.
BLAST Premier Global Finals Preview– The Contenders
King_T January 14, 2021 BlastPremierCSGO
In my first article I examined the four teams I believed to have the lowest chance of being crowned champions at BLAST: Premier Global Finals. Now it’s time for the contenders, the teams who should be aiming to make the Grand Final at this event.
Though there will only be two who make it all the way, all four of these teams have the players and the support from their organization to make it all the way. At the end I will make my official prediction of whom will likely be triumphant on January 24th.
G2 Esports
The biggest signing of 2020 was undoubtedly G2 acquiring the Bosnian superstar Nikola “NiKo” Kovač from FaZe Clan. This assembled what many fans expected to be a super-team for the ages. After an incredible start at Blast Premier Fall Series 2020, the team cooled off considerably, not managing to reach the top four at the final two events they attended in 2020. Still, G2 boasts one of the most skilled rosters at the event, making them dark horses to win the entire tournament.
What is worrying about G2 is the same thing that has plagued them since their inception– can they win without having the best performing player in the server? They have always been heavily reliant on their players to win them rounds. Teams that can match them for skill have always posed massive problems for the Franco-Balkan mix, whose tactical depth has come into question over and over again.
The signing of NiKo has pushed the point of balance even further toward the extreme, with the team being stacked full of ridiculously talented players at the expense of more supportive elements. This makes G2 one of the most exciting teams to watch at this event, whether they win it or not.