Spirit: Can they overcome their big game woes at Spring Final? - Hugo's Spring Final predictions
Following the signing of sh1ro at the end of 2023, many expected Team Spirit to dominate in 2024. It looked like they might actually do so, as they won IEM Katowice at a canter, but they haven’t since lifted a trophy.
Still, they remain one of the biggest threats in Counter-Strike, and with donk still striking fear into the hearts of his opponents, Hugo has ranked them as the second-best team coming into Spring Final.
The question is, can Spirit end the first season in the same way it began?
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenBig game struggles
Although the win at IEM Katowice may have made it seem like Spirit would be unstoppable this year, it’s turned out that their greatest enemy is themselves.
Since the win in Poland, Spirit have often struggled in big matches, especially those that have happened in big arenas much like the one that Spring Final will be played in, the OVO Wembley Arena.
Some experts say that their biggest concern is their AWPer, sh1ro.
Concerns had already been raised about sh1ro’s ability in big matches during his time with Gambit and Cloud9, but they are even more apparent now he is playing for a team with massive expectations.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenAs shown by HLTV, sh1ro experienced a drop in his rating in the playoffs at both the PGL Major Copenhagen and IEM Sydney. To make matters worse, he even experienced a drop-off at IEM Katowice, an event that Spirit actually won.
If Spirit are to consistently lift trophies, some might say this need to be fixed. sh1ro was signed because he was intended to be a more consistent threat than ArtFr0st.
Others have said that Spirit can’t continue to be the donk show in these big games; otherwise, as we witnessed in the final of BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, if their young gun stops crushing everyone, the team can fall rather pitiful.
The power of donk
That being said, donk really is something else.
Still, even after six months of watching him at tier-one, it is almost impossible to comprehend just how good he is at only 17 years of age.
Okay, we may now have seen that he is, in fact, mortal, but it’s still incredibly difficult for Spirit’s opponents to keep him down.
With a 1.46 HLTV rating thus far in 2024, donk isn’t just having one of the greatest rookie years of all time, he’s having one of the greatest years of any player period.
Even s1mple, the undisputed GOAT of CS:GO, never managed a year like donk is currently having, and although his rating is likely to dip slightly in the next six months, it will still remain at an incredibly high level.
Photo: Stephanie LindgrenWith donk in their team, Spirit will always be a threat.
We’ve seen teams counter his aggression, but there’s only so much smart play can do when a psychotic aggressive player like him is finding a headshot with every bullet he fires.
Spirit have a tough opening game at Spring Final against G2, but if donk can build some confidence with a strong performance against the IEM Dallas winners, there’s no reason why he can’t carry that forward into their next game.
It’s likely that the next game would be against Vitality too, and with Spirit likely determined to get revenge on Vitality for their defeat in Dallas, donk could fire them into the playoffs with two displays of his excellence.
Spirit may not be the overbearingly dominant team that we thought they might be, but without a doubt, they are one of the most dangerous teams in Counter-Strike.