Throughout the history of CS:GO, NA teams have presented themselves mostly as the plucky underdogs of the world. At points it was Cloud9, at others it was Team Liquid, now, the title lies with Complexity.

The team, who missed out on the last Major in heartbreaking fashion, overcame that disappointment in the RMR to see themselves qualify for the BLAST.tv Paris Major. “I feel both excited and relieved, it’s the last CS:GO Major so it’s a big feeling to have qualified. Especially for hallzerk as this will be his first Major!” IGL JT told BLAST.tv.

Underdogs in Paris

Complexity qualified for the Major with wins over Solid, Imperial, and MIBR. While all three of those are Brazilian teams, it’s against FalleN’s Imperial squadron that Complexity have developed a rivalry following their defeat in the final game of the RMR for the IEM Rio Major.

“They’re a special team for us to play against. We always have a close game against them, every time we compete it’s a nailbiter. We weren’t worried, we know we play close with them but we had put everything into the game against them and made sure we won.”

Complexity might still be the underdogs of NA, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t on an upwards trajectory that could see them soon become a top team. ESL Pro League Season 17 might have ended in disappointment, but the event before, IEM Katowice, saw Complexity put together one of their most impressive runs as a roster as they beat ENCE, MOUZ, and fnatic to come within a game of making playoffs in the Spodek.

An almost-Cinderella run from the Play-In, it would be easy for similar performances to then become the expectation for the Complexity lineup. Careful to not give themselves the added pressure of expectation, however, JT said “I try not to think about expectations too much.”

That’s not to say the South African doesn’t have hopes for the tournament, he later added “but it would be awesome to make the playoffs of the last CS:GO Major.”

Complexity will be hoping that it will be all smiles by the time playoffs arrive

Even if fans may still have their doubts over this Complexity roster, these aren’t doubts that are shared by their captain. A man who knows that the team can do damage against any team in the world, when asked what the key to their success in Paris will be, he said “Focusing on our teamwork and communication throughout the tournament will be key, we play our best when we work together.”

As we come to the end of CS:GO’s lifetime with its final Major in Paris, the game is in the most competitive era of its history. A fact that JT knows can work against them or in their favour, he told BLAST.tv “I think in general CS is super competitive at the moment and it feels like we can win or lose against anyone.”

Their first opponents in Paris, GamerLegion, have also built themselves a reputation as one of the Major’s plucky underdogs. Eliminating G2 in the process of qualifying for the Rio Major, few would have expected them to qualify for the following Major in Paris too. A team that will be looking to go a step further in Paris and qualify for the Legends stage, they will pose a tough opponent for Complexity in their quest for Major glory.

“They’re a team that is evolving at a rapid rate, I’ve watched a lot of their games and they’re pretty decent, but I’m sure we can handle it.” JT told BLAST.tv.

Paris approaches…

If you’re wanting to support Complexity during the final Major of CS:GO, there’s no better place to do so than BLAST.tv! Stick around for all the games, highlights, and the best coverage of the Major around.