Considering the amount of time EliGE spent with Team Liquid, it came as a huge shock to see him depart the team where he made his name for Complexity. The rifler, who had spent the last eight years with the team, had become Mr Liquid, but now he will line up for what is arguably North America’s most historic Counter-Strike organisation.
For Liquid, they no longer required his services due to a transition to a European core, however, for Complexity, the move can be seen as a real coup as they are signing one of the most experienced and respected players in the entire NA region.
It's undoubtedly a good move for Complexity, but what does EliGE bring to his new team?
Before we talk about how Complexity are likely to look now EliGE has arrived, it’s worth talking about the impact he can bring to the team.
Complexity aren’t a team that have gone deep enough in tournaments to be known as chokers, however we have seen that they often have difficulty closing out games. You only have to look as far back as their game against NAVI at Spring Groups to see that in action.
There will always be the defence of Complexity that they are a young team. Although many of them have been in and around tier one CS for a while, it’s still fair when they’re so young to have this period of not being able to reach playoffs. It’s not uncommon to see playoffs as a glass ceiling for teams.
Now they have EliGE, they have a player with incredible experience. The star of a team that won an Intel Grand Slam in just 63 days, he knows what it’s like to get to playoffs, and even better still, he knows what it’s like to go deep in playoff runs.
That experience will become vital for Complexity going forwards. Even if EliGE is no longer the superstar he used to be, that experience can help Complexity push past this barrier, smash the glass ceiling and become the number one NA team that they have threatened to become for the past year.
A typically aggressive rifler who has always played star rotator roles on the CT side, EliGE gave up a lot of his roles on Liquid when they added YEKINDAR halfway through 2022.
A move that only served to make the veteran a more versatile player, that move has actually made EliGE a more well-rounded player capable of brilliance as well as continuity. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
In terms of Complexity, those changes could be a blessing now that he has made the move. Seeing as he’s replacing FaNg, logic dictates he would step into many of the departing player' roles. Of course, there’s always the chance that EliGE demands the return of roles he used to command on formative Liquid lineups, but he could slot straight into many of FaNg’s roles for ease at the start.
Typically a pack rifler, FaNg vacates spots on the T side of Anubis, Inferno, Mirage, Overpass, and Nuke that EliGE has already been playing while with Liquid. As for the other two maps, Vertigo and Ancient, floppy is the player that currently occupies the roles EliGE has been playing, but given FaNg will also be vacating pack roles on those maps, it’s more likely EliGE also slots into those than floppy is moved off his.
CT side has a similar ease of access for EliGE, although his familiar spot of Main on Nuke is currently occupied by IGL, JT. However, much like the T sides of Vertigo and Ancient, this shouldn’t be an issue, as FaNg will be vacating Outside, a spot that is often occupied by an aggressive rifler and therefore very comfortable for a player with the profile of EliGE.
Given EliGE’s experience and the trophy cabinet he possesses, it can't be said enough how much someone like him can bring to Complexity. A team that is nearly there, his presence alone could be enough to turn them into consistent playoff contenders.
While there may be a need for him to recapture some of his best form too, he will likely find himself in roles he is much more comfortable with now he doesn’t have to make way for YEKINDAR, and that will also be a huge boost to his own confidence.
When a player like EliGE comes available, it’s a move that a team like Complexity can’t afford to pass up on. A big game player and a big name superstar, this could be the time we see Complexity go to the next level.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Register your BLAST.tv account and join the BLAST community for Spring Groups and beyond
Play Counter-Strikle
Test your CS knowledge daily with the Counter-Strikle Quiz. See how well you really know the pro scene!
BLAST ApS., Hauser Plads 1, 3., 1127 Copenhagen