What about the options,
Zander doesn't perform well - cryo smokes
Cryo learning a diff role (Sentinel/Smokes - both fit his playstyle to a certain degree, could be doable)
Zikz + Boostio + Eeiu is def who I'm keeping too, though. Maybe Cryo if you can build around it a little.

Lmao FR, heavily underrating Apac & China, and overrating EMEA & Americas.

There are now multiple ones from China's kick off (EDG vs XLG and DRG)

They kind of were that bad, only having one of each ability really really hurts Neon imo

I think the team will be pretty good, but with the likes of Vitality, Heretics, Fnatic & possibly kc it’ll be difficult for Apeks to qualify to any internationals. I really really hope they do well though!

Sonder or Dodonut would be good replacements, I think.

I feel like it also depends slightly on how much weight you put on individual vs team performance. I feel like BuZz & Shao could rival Chronicle in individual performance to some extent (especially BuZz) but since Chronicle has had a more consistent international appearance. Definitely agree that Chronicle is probably the best player we have up until now.

I feel like we could argue that we don't really have a goat in val yet, or you can argue certain performances make a different player (reykjavik TenZ or 2022 Yay) arguable for the spot. Though, Chronicle is easily in the top 10 players of all time, incredibly consistent, and straight up an amazing pick up for which ever team he lands on. (I'm slightly biased though, so like... take with a grain of salt. My personal goats are Shao, BuZz, Rb &F0rSaken.)

I feel like the silent majority either don't care or support? From what I can tell by frags on this site at least, but yeah it's sad that there's so much unnecessary hate towards her.

I think if Suy were to play senti he'd be shining right now, he's adjusting to the new role as well. He's had flashes of brilliance, but Shin was so good on controller that it was dumb to replace him anyways.

kinda curious, which 2 teams do you think he wouldn't be the best on? (and it would be out of 12 no? due to ascension?)

Shao's smokes are kind of amazing, but then again I also think his initiator is possibly even better - that dude is just insane. Kind of weird how navi fumbled with Suygetsu & Shao on the team.

Bit of a tangent anyways, but yeah as a controller Tenz was not even close to being in goat status. Also, no RB or Forsaken for flex is kind of insane (or even Victor D4v41 or Zyppan)

if it were Ange1 yeah, but Shao has to be top 4 minimum, no?

Doug is a goated caster tbh, but Babybay just doesn't fit the casting role. He's great on the desk analysing but he doesn't have the oomph for casting? It's a weird je ne sais qoui that I can't quite place, but he just doesn't have it. Same with Mimi, love her in everything, but I'm not a fan of her casting.

While it was definitely a few of the first times that Verno was on Cypher (I think he played it once before this tournament? Not sure though) It isn't his first time on the role. Verno played KJ and Chamber before, and also quite a lot of Sage (Though I don't know if I'd put Sage in the same category as Cypher in the lurk-ey self-sufficient role).

The past few games were the very first time that N4rrate every played sentinel at all in pro play. Verno is for sure more comfortable.

A huge part of this is also the roles, John and N4rr4te seem very uncomfortable. They default to positions of their previous roles, John on his own and N4rr4ate with the pack, which doesn't work when John is your initiator and N4rr4te your sentinel. They either have to switch the roles around again, or get a lot more practice on these roles.

You chose a Czech flag, I'd stick with that. If only for the reason that the Czech flag is by far the best looking flag out of those 3

Pro play is excellent on that map, and while defense is a little difficult - especially in non-coordinated play - I don't think that makes the map bad. You need to be somewhat aggressive for defense to work, which will only really work in ranked, since people don't communicate in swifts and unrated. The map itself is great, the only worry is with the orbs.

nearly all of these are good takes. However HOWEVER consider: Fracture is the 3rd best map in the game, one of the most fun to play and the most fun to watch in pro play.

the entire original drx roster just needed better management :(

They fucked it all over in '23 and then just dropped 2 amazing players - Termi just doesn't have faith in any roster anymore man

Cypher or Deadlock with any white neo frontier skins are elite

2023 started good, fell off hard and then was fun again at champs, no? I feel like that’s the case for the entirety of group D that year (Liquid, Loud, Drx & Navi) except for Liquid, they were still not great. But three of those rosters (apart from Liquid again) got top 4 at Lock // In, and then slumped towards masters Tokyo, picking it back up around champs.

Don’t mind this list too much - the Ascension team is 2game though (2G)
Also, I think 100t is underrated here a little, I think their peak is top 2, they’re just a little inconsistent.

depends on what you value in a player. In just pure firepower:
Meteor
Suygetsu (Him and Shao feel like the only bright points in Navi's past 2 years...)
Alfajer

Though Suygetsu might be better off being switched with Less, I feel like Suygetsu is slightly better in the pure sentinel roles. Neither of them really had much international impact this year, so Benjyfishy or Chichoo (though Idk if Chichoo really count?) Might be a better fit technically.

now if you value out of game metrics along with in-game performances, Johnqt definitely makes the list, maybe Forsaken or Davai? Though I guess they're both much closer to flex than senti.

I feel you though, I wish we still had old DRX :(

The org's been making some atrocious choices recently though, not giving any of their newer rosters any time at all to get better... but then again I think that dropping Rb and Zest were mistakes, since they didn't replace them in a way that made sense. If they had dropped one for a "proper" sentinel player (Though they were both great in the senti/viper role respectfully) or a "proper" dedicated igl it might have made sense.

BuZz is consistently an amazing player, though he definitely shines on duelist over sentinel. His Kj is very very good though, but the sentinel play is not up to par with Meteor, even Rb's isn't. Now Stax is simply the best korean initiator, especially on flashes when freed up from igling.

it really depends on what you value, Chron was way more consistent, and consistent at a higher level. Tenz had way higher peaks though, I personally think both this year and in Reykjavik.

I think I can see where the guy is coming from actually, though it's a bit of an odd reason.

If you look at 2023 Boaster he was mechanically very weak, mostly spray kills and quick crouching. He put himself in positions where he sacrifices things for his teammates, either with the agent he's playing (like Astra on Bind, so he can play passive angles while still having util value) Or with his positions, or even dropping weapons. Before the 2024 season, he got an aim coach and got way better mechanically, but is still putting himself in sacrificial positions, which someone like say G2's Valyn doesn't do. He can definitely command a bit more confidence, a bit more selfishness at this point.

nahh Woot is the fucking goat, though I must agree that Riens is much more consistent. But I feel like he has a more consistent role, though he does also have better util. Aim-wise Woot clears though

I'm hoping that this is satire because DRX fumbled hard

I meant to concur with your point - he does have part of a point in the fact that I do much prefer double elim over single elim. Doesn't mean single elim isn't much harder though - I definitely don't think Lock // In was a mickey mouse. (I don't think any tournaments are mickey mouse, but I don't think very many people agree with me.)

then how did Monyet crumble under expectations?

Monyet played incredibly well in Madrid, or are you forgetting that that's their best international appearance this year?

Victor
Saadhak (IGL)
Forsaken
RB
Chronicle
This is a semi-joke, but just imagine this. They can play literally any comp they want, ANYTHING.

fr:
Zekken Duelist
Saadhak IGL/Flex
Leo Initiator
Smoggy Smokes
Flashback Senti

also on behalf of all PRX fans, we don't claim this guy. He's got like 10% of a point and then ran with it

they played him on Astra and Mindfreak on Omen in 2023 on Lotus. Not sure how many games, but I'm pretty sure they did it for the entirety of champs.

I really wish they'd have just decided to get a proper Senti player and possibly an igl change before this whole rebuild. Rb is actually god's gift to the flex role, the dude is insane. Zest was also amazing, but either of the two players for Flashback would have made roles so much clearer, and might have helped a lot more than Foxy9 on duelist, just screwing with the roles even more.

Only John, Zellsis made Masters Reykjavik with V1. Zekken made Masters Copenhagen and Champs '22 with XSET.

Bro, at least choose like cypher or something, Gekko is probably one of the highest skill-floor agents there is. When it comes to the game, basically every agent is easy to play hard to master, Neon is just as difficult as Raze, if not more so for example.

I dunno, but purely based on the shots he hits it's between him and something (though Cned, Texture and I gotta mention Xccurate are great as well) I do understand what you're saying, but I haven't watched enough games recently to confidently say how much setup KK needs

easily the best oper in the world, among the best players in the world. top 20 for sure

To me the players are promising (though if they were to keep 2 players from last year's roster I think it should've been Nats & Sayf, Jamppi is still great) Keiko and Enzo are also really promising and Mistic is a great support player. I think their strats look flat. might be wrong though