Following their victory at IEM Chicago 2019 yesterday, Team Liquid have tied Astralis’ record of six big event wins in a row. It’s a testament to the roster’s dominance of the Counter-Strike scene, especially with how quickly they were able to capture the Intel Grand Slam this year.
Liquid have won eight out of the 14 tournaments attended this year and they’ve won every event since June 2 at DreamHack Masters Dallas 2019. The only lackluster finish the team had all year came at the 2019 Katowice Major in February, when they dropped out of the event in the quarterfinals.
Besides those minimal hiccups, 2019 has been all Liquid and they’ve become to team to beat in the CS:GO scene. Astralis used to hold that title, but after taking over the world with a bang, their era effectively ended with a fizzle.
In 2018, Astralis were a Danish juggernaut that looked untouchable. The roster’s smart, aggressive play was feared by all who approached them. But 2019 has been a controversial year for the team due to the decision to skip multiple big-name events in order to attend BLAST Pro Series tournaments. It felt like Astralis had lost their luster and they weren’t in form for many of these competitions, causing them to slide in the HLTV world rankings behind Liquid and Vitality.
Now, even though Liquid have been the best team in Counter-Strike in 2019, there are still some people who doubt the team’s brilliance. Some critics have even said that this roster needs to win a Major to solidify this era among the other great runs in CS:GO history.
Regardless of what some people may think, Liquid’s strength is undeniable right now and they’re the clear favorites for the upcoming 2019 Berlin Major, which starts on Aug. 23.
Published: Jul 22, 2019 12:39 pm