Teams That Are Causing A Ruckus For Previous Champions
Since the beginning of the 2021 season, multiple teams have been dominating last year’s top players in the competitive scene. Team Spirit, FPX, and the Movistar Riders have been putting in a ton of work by eliminating their most formidable opponents.
With both Astralis and Team Vitality beginning to struggle, smaller rosters are now taking advantage of their faulty enemies in the world of esports. Team Spirit is currently looking like a brand new team, and they almost seem unstoppable due to their out of this world techniques.
They’ve managed to work around some of the best players in the world by using the mechanics within Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) to their full advantage. FPX already won their first event with a brand new roster and are continuing to chop down fan favourites such as Evil Geniuses and Gambit Esports.
As for the Movistar Riders, despite being in the amateur scene, they’ve clearly made the most out of their events. The Spanish org has managed to make multiple top three placements next to some of the best B-Tier teams.
With a European Challenge title under their belt, anything is possible for the following season. Hopefully, they can put their best foot forward and attempt a trek into the top tier circuit playing against the top teams in the world.
TEAM SPIRIT JOINS THE RACE
After acquiring two players on loan earlier this year, Team Spirit has proceeded to produce a massacre in the online world. Both Abdulkhalik "degster" Gasanov and Robert "Patsi" Isyanov were loaned from ESPADA after putting up some great numbers last year against some of Russia’s best teams.
Team Spirit placed first at the DreamHack Open back in January and are currently on track to more success at the IEM World Championship. So far, they’ve beaten both Astralis and Heroic along with G2, who recently signed star player Nikola "NiKo" Kovac.
Team Spirit won $35,000 at their last event, which is the largest sum of earnings they’ve seen since their placement at Nine to Five. Team captain Leonid "chopper" Vishnyakov has done a great job by leading his team to victory and keeping their nerves at a low rate.
The mostly Russian team has been at the top of their game so far and show great potential at hitting the top five. They’re currently ranked seventh in the world, which is their peak placement since making their debut back in 2016.
Team Spirit is currently on a seven-game winning streak which proves that they can compete with the best. At this point, some may argue that Team Spirit are on their way to hitting number one. Despite going through so rough years with a failed academy team and low earnings in 2018, Team Spirit has officially pulled through.
At this moment in time, they have one of the strongest rosters that has touched the scene within the past few years. It’s clear that Team Spirit can become the best in the world, but it all depends on how they use their strengths. Will they fall off due to the constant stress or build off of their butterflies and climb their way to the top?
Click to enlargeTHE MOVISTAR RIDERS ARE BACK
Even though top tier CS:GO is extremely entertaining to watch, the amateur scene is still full of action-packed teams. One org, for example, is the Movistar Riders, who have been looking great lately.
They had a slow season last year, but that didn’t stop them from climbing out of their hole. The Movistar Riders have moved from the losers bracket to winning the OMEN WGR European Challenge.
With $9,000 in their pocket, their next task will be to hold their heads up high and take home a win in their upcoming tournaments. They have slots at both Snow Sweet Snow 2 and the LVP Unity Cup. Currently, they’re on track to becoming a top team in Spain if they can keep up the pace.
With money on the line and a ton of fans watching their back, the Movistar Riders can clearly feel the pressure. Their revenue has increased, and so has their goals to take over the scene this year. Owen "smooya" Butterfield recently joined the team and is currently their lead AWPer which is an extremely important role.
FPX TAKES A HUMBLE BOW
FPX has also had their fair share of victories, including their $40,000 prize from Snow Sweet Snow. Prior to that event, FPX was the runner up team against Team Spirit at the DreamHack Open back in January, which was a huge grand final.
With a brand new revamp along with new players, FPX has managed to declare glory for their name. The org is on track to bigger and better opportunities this year despite the new roster. Next up, they’ll face sixteen different teams with a chance to take home $80,000 at the Pinnacle Cup in March.
Images via Team Spirit | Movistar Riders