There was a time when Complexity was not regarded as a top-tier team in the Counter-Strike community. A young roster, there was the suggestion that the team was made up of leftovers, players who had stuck by the game rather than departing for an easier time in VALORANT… well, except Ricky "floppy" Kemery that is.
But since then, the team has since made significant progress.
One of its stars, Michael "Grim" Wince, had been benched by Team Liquid - a future star put in a supportive role but didn't perform from the get-go.
Instantaneous improvements
Joining him was AWPer Paytyn "junior" Johnson, one of NA's biggest hopes who perhaps took the wrong career path when joining Brazilian outfit FURIA.
Completing the roster would be Justin "JT" Theodosiu, an IGL who had already gotten his chance at an elite organization with Cloud9 back in 2020, and Justin "FaNg" Coakley, the Entry JT had picked up during his subsequent time with Extra Salt.
Unfortunately, for all their promise, the results were not as they hoped for. Junior would soon depart for the pickup of Norwegian Hakon "hallzerk" Fjaerli - a surprise pickup, many experts claimed.
The improvement was almost instantaneous, as ESL Pro League Season 16 would see Complexity make their first playoff appearance as they advanced from a tough group involving Heroic, MOUZ, ENCE, and Astralis.
Hope - and swarmed by Sharks
Suddenly, there was hope for this Complexity team where all hope had previously been lost. Suddenly, it felt like Liquid wouldn't be the only team NA had to shout about.
However, results for the remainder of the year would be a bit discouraging. As the team looked to ride their playoff high into the IEM Rio 2022 RMR event, they were rocked as their 2-2 game resulted in defeat. One of the best maps of the year, they fell in overtime versus Imperial as Brazilian legends Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo and Fernando "fer" Alvaranga booked their spots at their home Major.
Next, they finished 5th-8th at BLAST Fall Showdown, failing to put up much of a fight as they were swarmed by Sharks. Their final notable event of the year was Elisa Masters Espoo. They would fail to reach the playoffs despite facing a relatively weak field.
Punching above weight
2023 has been much of a similar story, although that's not without its caveats. An insufficient showing at BLAST Spring Groups would see them feature in the Showdown again. ESL Pro League Season 17 saw them fail to replicate their playoff form in Malta: An early departure was the outcome.
However, these events sandwiched a strong 7th-8th finish at IEM Katowice 2023, and it's this result that we should be focussing on.
Wins versus Permitta and ENCE would see them qualify for the Play-In in Katowice. While a win against a team of Permitta's stature should be the minimum expectation, ENCE is not a scalp this team was expected to claim beforehand.
This run of punching above their weight continued as they would eliminate both MOUZ and Fnatic. However, they would miss out on playoffs due to capitulation on their final map versus Outsiders (now Virtus.pro).
Consistency shows
These wins showed something Complexity had not shown before: They could now close out games from winning positions. For too long, the team had been known to choke on match point, unable to keep playing the game that had got them to that position in the first place.
They could also consistently beat teams considered to be better than them, something else that was previously far from expectation. And, although they may have lost versus Outsiders, that game showed they are more than capable of surprising the elite teams and causing upsets.
As we approach the Americas RMR for the BLAST.tv Paris Major, Complexity will not allow history to repeat itself. With the chance of playing the final Major of CS:GO on the line, there will be no room for error in Mexico as they seek to ensure their opportunity at making it to the Accor Arena.
Hardened by experience
As always, the competition will be fierce, and the pressure will be like no other that professional players feel in modern Counter-Strike. However, this is no longer the Complexity team that allowed pressure to overcome them in the run-up to Rio.
This is a team hardened by the experience of disappointment, a team who has learned the hard way which mistakes they cannot afford to make, and a team who is determined to become one of the world's best.
As the RMR kicks off, Complexity will know what they have to do, and when Paris rolls around in May, don't be surprised if you see them repeating their past heroics once again.