Counter-Strike – Why Team Liquid Is the Hero NA Deserves but Doesn’t Need

Author’s note: This write-up is an opinion piece and is intended as so. Ensure your salt level is kept at a minimum. 

Over the weekend North American teams battled round for round, match for match to compete for an invite to the Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC) event held in Montreal Canada for the Counter-Strike title. A qualifier that was like none other, Team Liquid (TL) were victorious, triumphing over prospect teams among established organizations like Cloud9 (C9), Counter Logic Gaming (CLG) & eLevate (eLe). The matches provided a spectacle show of brute talent, determination, aspirations.. and not so professional display of conduct. The best of both worlds, and to plainly and honestly summarize it — #JustNAThings.

The ESWC event is right around the corner, with TL being more or less the only North American team to represent our nation of fans, it gives us a glimmer of hope.. or you’d assume so. In the world where internet boards exist like HLTV, Reddit & private communities who critique teams like its their only job in life – Team Liquids win brings more negativity than it does positivity. I’ve gone over this many times before, we shouldn’t subjugate and oppress our teams  & should hope that they succeed regardless of whom your loyalty lies with.

As spectators & fans of the Counter-Strike eSports title, we should follow in tow. They deserved to win and should be recognized for it. Now that they’ve earned their spot, comes the hardest part – getting ready to play against the best our across-the-pond-counterparts have to offer. This time should be used to focus on that title and nothing else, which could become a problem as they’re still competing in multiple leagues that are dishing our hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize pools which is hard to ignore.

A double edged sword which may finally prove their worth or add to NA’s countless attempts & failures at an international title. TL are currently comprised of some of the best players the NA scene has to offer, with their highly experienced members who are prospects in and out of the game. A handful of people who truly embody the notion of a professional player.

Who else can you honestly say deserves this more? TL has been fighting for a position to be the best team in NA now & with their results seasonally, it’s diminishing quickly with C9 dominating following some of the other best teams aforementioned above.  They are the ultimate underdogs and it’s filled with so much irony. To see a team like TL struggle is mind boggling and a reality I cannot fathom. This is their chance, this may be one of the only they may ever get.

TL is our batman. NA is Gothem. If you understand this, then you understand what I’m getting at here. Lets stop the negativity, head over to the TL twitter, congratulate them & wish them the very best at the event! We’ll surely be seeing the games and it’ll be great to see such an advantageous group aspire to finally take a title home.  The sooner we get over the “which team makes me more skins” illness that plagues our eSport, the sooner we’ll begin to appreciate what goes on in the world of Counter-Strike.