EPT
The poor results over the past handful of months from teams across North America has left many disillusioned and full of questions concerning the region's issues. Unable to conjure a squad capable of defeating top European competition, the continent is plagued with lineup changes and excuses following the end of each season. Unfortunately for North America, this is not a problem unique to the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive scene, but a seeming inevitability in many major esports titles.
Along with the ESL ESEA LAN Finals comes another opportunity for America to redeem itself, but as the top teams of Europe continue to evolve, the amount of resistance the North American squads will be able to put up remains in question. Before the event starts, let's take a look at what exactly is preventing America from achieving the potential that many observers see but rarely witness.
Note: Everything said below is of course a generalization. Every player and team is equipped with their own quirks; however, analyzing trends and general patterns is important when evaluating an entire group.
In a video attempting to explain why North Americans are less skilled than Europeans,
Sam "DaZeD" Marine mentioned "genetics" as a factor. He was on the right track.
It's not a coincidence that North Americans are less adept at team games than players from South Korea, China and Sweden. Yet if it's not a coincidence, what could be the issue? The most obvious answer that comes to mind is the culture both in and out of the game.
The U.S. is one of the most individualistic nations in the world, if not the most. From a young age we are drilled the notion of being true to ourselves and doing what's best for ourselves whilst paying no mind to the criticisms and antagonism of those around us. While it is a commendable ideal in some situations, e.g. counteracting bullying, a society that is far too individualistic runs the risk of fostering individuals with an inability to empathize and accept criticism.
Coupled with the above, the highly pro-capitalist sentiments of the nation that promote rivalry and competition have a major adverse effect. The idea of sacrificing oneself to achieve a greater good is lost on many, and more often than not, America churns out competitors who compete solely for themselves at the detriment of those around them.
Compare the culture of America to that of the three countries mentioned above: South Korea, China and Sweden. All three are highly collectivist nations while being considerably different in many political and social aspects. However, it is their understanding of working for the greater good that propels them to amazing heights in esports. It could be said that the fear of being a burden is a greater motivator than the desire to be individually impressive. In CS:GO, this can often manifest itself in various forms: taking up the main support role, proactively being the bait for your team, and sacrificing yourself for information—all notions that are lost in North America.
That is not to say individualism itself is bad—far from it, actually. But like anything else, a proper balance must be maintained, and to achieve that, players in the region must be more aware of their faults and the consequences of such.
Inside the game, North American players are often seen as full of ego and arrogance, and anyone who dares to question arrogance in competitive sports, electronic or otherwise, is often pelted with a flurry of bad role models as counterexamples. That's fine, I don't particularly see the situation as black and white and don’t classify all instances of arrogance as bad. But let's get something straight: first, do not conflate confidence with blind arrogance; and second, arrogance in the absence of accomplishments is idiocy and nothing else. The arrogance of a champion is of a completely different nature from the arrogance of those who have proven nothing.
Poor work ethic has also been an issue, and it shows most glaringly in the many missed smokes and horribly executed tactics. Going forward, if North American teams want any chance to compete, they will be required to hammer down the (boring) fundamentals, no questions asked.
Culture is only one half of the coin. For a scene to thrive, the proper infrastructure and support is also required, much of which is dependent on the player base within the region. However, let me preface this by saying that any player that brings up "lack of opportunities to play against Europeans" as a reason for the region's woes either does not understand the game as well as they think they do or are just searching for a cop out. The recent performances by both
Keyd Stars and 
Vox Eminor (now Renegades)—not to mention America’s own former iBUYPOWER squad—immediately render any such excuses trivial.
That being said, at some point, the lack of quality competition and experience can become a problem. During the peak of iBUYPOWER, when the squad proved to be well ahead of the rest of the region, more chances to face European teams could have benefited them immensely. That was an exception, however.
The multitude of issues that currently haunt North American teams will not be solved by merely changing the scenery. The former compLexity Gaming squad exemplifies this fact as an extended bootcamp in Europe led to the further deterioration of the team, rather than its improvement.
Regardless, what is necessary going forward are more offline events like this year's Clutch Con that bring together all of the top competitors in the region and more. LAN tournaments are pivotal for developing new and inexperienced talent. Players need to get used to both the environment and the in-game differences when playing on LAN, moreso in CS:GO than perhaps any other game with the exception of those in the Fighting Game Community.
But once again, infrastructure is only one part of the equation, and unless teams across the continent can improve their own play and outlook of the game, there will be no amount of LANs and European practice partners that can save them. That leads us to our next topic.
By my observations, top European teams understand the game at a much deeper level than their American counterparts, which seems nutty when you realize how much players such as Sean “sgares” Gares and 
Kory “semphis” Friesen actually understand when they serve as color commentators.
The difference between them and a top European in-game leader seems to lie in their comprehension of how to apply their knowledge. This tactical inferiority is a huge reason why no American team has been able to compete since the absence of DaZeD. All the talent in the world can only go so far on their own, and
Team SoloMid is a perfect example of what happens when skill is backed by great in-game leading and when it isn’t (compare their recent results to those before Finn “karrigan” Andersen took over).
Below are some tidbits on a few major tactical facets of the game that North American teams need improving on.
ANTI-ECOS: North American teams play T-side anti-ecos poorly. It’s not rare to see them stroll straight into a stacked site. Quite frankly, their ability to gather information is inadequate.
There are generally two ways to play an anti-eco. The first is to force advantageous engagements.
Virtus.pro will never hesitate to pressure middle on Cache or A on Mirage if they know the other team does not stack those areas and will restrict their opponents to long-range battles to capitalize on the inaccuracy of pistols.
The second method is to watch for any eco aggression and work picks in pairs. If the Counter-Terrorists choose to hold passively, securing map control and information is the obvious choice.
Fnatic will often send one player deeper into a site after gaining control of the map, and based upon that player’s intel, the team will select a site to hit. North American teams, however, have a tendency to either get picked off one by one or choose not to take advantage of their map control and instead walk into the more heavily defended site. You will rarely see an American player sacrifice himself (intentionally) for pertinent information.
MAP CONTROL: Map and mid control are major issues for North American teams, especially against European squads. They often forego it and instead rely heavily on four or five-man executes on their Terrorist sides or fumble around with clumsy defaults. Such an approach is easily punished by world class teams who will take a yard if given an inch. In most recent matches between an American and a European team, the European team is frequently in a position to quickly rotate and defend against the execute, which makes it improbably difficult to win the round. Perhaps it's time to take a page out of
Team EnVyUs's coordinated flash plays.
COMMITMENT ISSUES: No, not that kind of commitment issue! Something the top five teams do better than any other is retreating when a situation looks bad and not needlessly forcing things. North American teams, however, commit to executes even in the most dire of situations, even when there is plenty of time left to spare and they forced a full rotation. Sometimes, you just gotta cancel.
CLOSING IT OUT: A testament of the American arrogance is our hunger for frags. North American teams have more trouble closing out rounds and maps than any other. The lack of discipline is infuriating. For the love of all things George W. Bush, stop carelessly peeking.
Once again, all of the above are generalizations and not every team exhibits every problem. For instance, Luminosity Gaming and Team Liquid are two squads who I believe have a great attitude towards the game, while Cloud9 has been showing improvement overall.
It’s been five months since DaZeD and co. were banned from competitive play. After news of the incident broke, many in the scene—including myself—speculated it would require a full year for North America to regain its past form. Although what I wrote above was a collection of negativity, I believe that the region is currently in a prime spot to succeed.
America is receiving more organizational support than ever before, and with it has come increased domestic competition. The number of players now competing in the top echelons of the region has exploded, which is in stark contrast to the days coL and iBP were far ahead of the pack. With two Swedish players and Keyd Stars—a fundamentally sound team—joining the ranks, Americans have more guides to reference for their development.
Incidentally, the bans of the former iBUYPOWER squad have allowed the players to pick up roles to help cultivate the fresh wave of talent now available, which will no doubt prove fruitful in the months to come. Not to mention, if/when the players are unbanned, America will be in its best position yet to challenge the world’s top teams.
But what is needed now is better leadership across the board. Players must acknowledge and improve their shortcomings. Standards need to rise. Practice must be taken seriously. In the end, the entire region must step up—together—because our ultimate goal is not Europe.
It is something greater.
Writer: Souma
Graphics: Thumbless
CSS: FO-nTTaX
Along with the ESL ESEA LAN Finals comes another opportunity for America to redeem itself, but as the top teams of Europe continue to evolve, the amount of resistance the North American squads will be able to put up remains in question. Before the event starts, let's take a look at what exactly is preventing America from achieving the potential that many observers see but rarely witness.
Note: Everything said below is of course a generalization. Every player and team is equipped with their own quirks; however, analyzing trends and general patterns is important when evaluating an entire group.
In a video attempting to explain why North Americans are less skilled than Europeans,
Sam "DaZeD" Marine mentioned "genetics" as a factor. He was on the right track.It's not a coincidence that North Americans are less adept at team games than players from South Korea, China and Sweden. Yet if it's not a coincidence, what could be the issue? The most obvious answer that comes to mind is the culture both in and out of the game.
The U.S. is one of the most individualistic nations in the world, if not the most. From a young age we are drilled the notion of being true to ourselves and doing what's best for ourselves whilst paying no mind to the criticisms and antagonism of those around us. While it is a commendable ideal in some situations, e.g. counteracting bullying, a society that is far too individualistic runs the risk of fostering individuals with an inability to empathize and accept criticism.
Coupled with the above, the highly pro-capitalist sentiments of the nation that promote rivalry and competition have a major adverse effect. The idea of sacrificing oneself to achieve a greater good is lost on many, and more often than not, America churns out competitors who compete solely for themselves at the detriment of those around them.
Compare the culture of America to that of the three countries mentioned above: South Korea, China and Sweden. All three are highly collectivist nations while being considerably different in many political and social aspects. However, it is their understanding of working for the greater good that propels them to amazing heights in esports. It could be said that the fear of being a burden is a greater motivator than the desire to be individually impressive. In CS:GO, this can often manifest itself in various forms: taking up the main support role, proactively being the bait for your team, and sacrificing yourself for information—all notions that are lost in North America.
That is not to say individualism itself is bad—far from it, actually. But like anything else, a proper balance must be maintained, and to achieve that, players in the region must be more aware of their faults and the consequences of such.
Inside the game, North American players are often seen as full of ego and arrogance, and anyone who dares to question arrogance in competitive sports, electronic or otherwise, is often pelted with a flurry of bad role models as counterexamples. That's fine, I don't particularly see the situation as black and white and don’t classify all instances of arrogance as bad. But let's get something straight: first, do not conflate confidence with blind arrogance; and second, arrogance in the absence of accomplishments is idiocy and nothing else. The arrogance of a champion is of a completely different nature from the arrogance of those who have proven nothing.
Poor work ethic has also been an issue, and it shows most glaringly in the many missed smokes and horribly executed tactics. Going forward, if North American teams want any chance to compete, they will be required to hammer down the (boring) fundamentals, no questions asked.
Culture is only one half of the coin. For a scene to thrive, the proper infrastructure and support is also required, much of which is dependent on the player base within the region. However, let me preface this by saying that any player that brings up "lack of opportunities to play against Europeans" as a reason for the region's woes either does not understand the game as well as they think they do or are just searching for a cop out. The recent performances by both
Keyd Stars and Vox Eminor (now Renegades)—not to mention America’s own former iBUYPOWER squad—immediately render any such excuses trivial.That being said, at some point, the lack of quality competition and experience can become a problem. During the peak of iBUYPOWER, when the squad proved to be well ahead of the rest of the region, more chances to face European teams could have benefited them immensely. That was an exception, however.
The multitude of issues that currently haunt North American teams will not be solved by merely changing the scenery. The former
compLexity Gaming squad exemplifies this fact as an extended bootcamp in Europe led to the further deterioration of the team, rather than its improvement.Regardless, what is necessary going forward are more offline events like this year's Clutch Con that bring together all of the top competitors in the region and more. LAN tournaments are pivotal for developing new and inexperienced talent. Players need to get used to both the environment and the in-game differences when playing on LAN, moreso in CS:GO than perhaps any other game with the exception of those in the Fighting Game Community.
But once again, infrastructure is only one part of the equation, and unless teams across the continent can improve their own play and outlook of the game, there will be no amount of LANs and European practice partners that can save them. That leads us to our next topic.
By my observations, top European teams understand the game at a much deeper level than their American counterparts, which seems nutty when you realize how much players such as
Sean “sgares” Gares and Kory “semphis” Friesen actually understand when they serve as color commentators. The difference between them and a top European in-game leader seems to lie in their comprehension of how to apply their knowledge. This tactical inferiority is a huge reason why no American team has been able to compete since the absence of DaZeD. All the talent in the world can only go so far on their own, and
Team SoloMid is a perfect example of what happens when skill is backed by great in-game leading and when it isn’t (compare their recent results to those before Finn “karrigan” Andersen took over).Below are some tidbits on a few major tactical facets of the game that North American teams need improving on.
ANTI-ECOS: North American teams play T-side anti-ecos poorly. It’s not rare to see them stroll straight into a stacked site. Quite frankly, their ability to gather information is inadequate.
There are generally two ways to play an anti-eco. The first is to force advantageous engagements.
Virtus.pro will never hesitate to pressure middle on Cache or A on Mirage if they know the other team does not stack those areas and will restrict their opponents to long-range battles to capitalize on the inaccuracy of pistols.The second method is to watch for any eco aggression and work picks in pairs. If the Counter-Terrorists choose to hold passively, securing map control and information is the obvious choice.
Fnatic will often send one player deeper into a site after gaining control of the map, and based upon that player’s intel, the team will select a site to hit. North American teams, however, have a tendency to either get picked off one by one or choose not to take advantage of their map control and instead walk into the more heavily defended site. You will rarely see an American player sacrifice himself (intentionally) for pertinent information.MAP CONTROL: Map and mid control are major issues for North American teams, especially against European squads. They often forego it and instead rely heavily on four or five-man executes on their Terrorist sides or fumble around with clumsy defaults. Such an approach is easily punished by world class teams who will take a yard if given an inch. In most recent matches between an American and a European team, the European team is frequently in a position to quickly rotate and defend against the execute, which makes it improbably difficult to win the round. Perhaps it's time to take a page out of
Team EnVyUs's coordinated flash plays.COMMITMENT ISSUES: No, not that kind of commitment issue! Something the top five teams do better than any other is retreating when a situation looks bad and not needlessly forcing things. North American teams, however, commit to executes even in the most dire of situations, even when there is plenty of time left to spare and they forced a full rotation. Sometimes, you just gotta cancel.
CLOSING IT OUT: A testament of the American arrogance is our hunger for frags. North American teams have more trouble closing out rounds and maps than any other. The lack of discipline is infuriating. For the love of all things George W. Bush, stop carelessly peeking.
Once again, all of the above are generalizations and not every team exhibits every problem. For instance,
Luminosity Gaming and Team Liquid are two squads who I believe have a great attitude towards the game, while Cloud9 has been showing improvement overall.It’s been five months since DaZeD and co. were banned from competitive play. After news of the incident broke, many in the scene—including myself—speculated it would require a full year for North America to regain its past form. Although what I wrote above was a collection of negativity, I believe that the region is currently in a prime spot to succeed.
America is receiving more organizational support than ever before, and with it has come increased domestic competition. The number of players now competing in the top echelons of the region has exploded, which is in stark contrast to the days coL and iBP were far ahead of the pack. With two Swedish players and
Keyd Stars—a fundamentally sound team—joining the ranks, Americans have more guides to reference for their development.Incidentally, the bans of the former iBUYPOWER squad have allowed the players to pick up roles to help cultivate the fresh wave of talent now available, which will no doubt prove fruitful in the months to come. Not to mention, if/when the players are unbanned, America will be in its best position yet to challenge the world’s top teams.
But what is needed now is better leadership across the board. Players must acknowledge and improve their shortcomings. Standards need to rise. Practice must be taken seriously. In the end, the entire region must step up—together—because our ultimate goal is not Europe.
It is something greater.
Writer: Souma
Graphics: Thumbless
CSS: FO-nTTaX
