Spirit , FaZe, G2, Mouz , and NAVI have all won championships in major tournaments this year, while Eternal Fire and The MongolZ have also achieved success in some small and medium-sized tournaments where they were not regarded favorably. The current competition in CS is the fiercest in history, and the future battles will only become more intense. So which teams have the potential to become the next elite team?
Let's start with Vitality, in fact, they are already an elite team in the eyes of the community.
They are the most dominating team in CS recently, winning five trophies in 2023 (including the Paris Major). Mathieu Herbaut | ZywOo has also truly established himself as one of the greatest of all time. But while Vitality is occupying the dominant position, they are constantly making roster changes. Danish members dupreeh , Magisk , and zonic have all left the team, while flameZ , mezii , and XTQZZZ; have taken their places.
Although Vitality tasted glory at the end of 2023 with the current roster, they haven't lifted a championship trophy in 2024 yet. Even though they have consistently made it to the later stages of major tournaments, it feels like they will still find it difficult to win new championship trophies in the coming months.
Commentator Mohan Govindasamy | launders recently mentioned that the Mongolian team has the potential to enter the Top 5, and the reason is clear. The Mongolian team has been a dark horse team in international offline tournaments for two years, and all the experience they have accumulated during this period is starting to pay off.
The championships they won this year in the MESA Nomadic Masters and the YaLLa Compass events truly announced them as a top-level team in the entire CS scene. Especially their victories over strong opponents such as NIP's new lineup, the in-form BLEED team, and one of the top teams in the world, Astralis, were very impressive.
Speaking of NIP, their new lineup seems to have the ability to reposition the struggling club in the rankings.
So far, Artem Moroz | R1nkle has shown remarkable performance in the sniper position, and his display has made the calculated decision to replace Daniil Valitov | headtr1ck one of the most thoughtful decisions ever made.
Fans may doubt the ability of Alejandro Masanet | ALEX to lead the team due to his previous poor performance, but as they played the best CS games NIP has played in years and achieved second place and reaching the semifinals, the fans' doubts quickly dissipated.
Complexity
Complexity has come close to the top team titles several times, but their victory at ECL Snow Field Station might make them a truly outstanding team.
Although Complexity has been competing in the top tournaments for two years, their limited experience in knockout matches means that they have always been a team lacking experience. The addition of Jonathan Jablonowski | EliGE has clearly helped them, but one person cannot solve all problems. However, in the long run, the victory at the Snow Field Station will prove to be extremely valuable, not only because they gained experience, but also because they gained confidence from defeating strong opponents.
The struggles of Falcons so far this year have been unbelievable, but they are bound to succeed.
The funding behind Falcons is extremely strong, and they already have a considerable level of talent. SunPayus may not have reached the heights he did during his time at ENCE, but it is undeniable that his talent is there, he just needs to rediscover his former self. The same goes for Snappi , who truly elevated SunPayus to a star. With the support of the veteran dupreeh , he is starting to regain the magic as the commander.
Liquid
The last team is Liquid. Their previous lineup looked very strong on paper, but things didn't go as planned, with cadiaN and Skullz leaving the team. But currently, NAF and Twistzz are two of the best players in their region's history, both showing amazing form this year, and YEKINDAR is still one of the most aggressive players in the world. Now, with the proven jks and the yet-to-prove-himself ultimate , Liquid has great potential, and ultimate might become the next r1nkle.
