Revolutionaries of Counter-Strike

Remember the days of compLexity before the CGS? 5th at Winter CPL 2004, ESWC 2005 World Champions, WCG 2005 USA Finals runner-up, champions of WSVG CPL Summer, the list goes on and on. Jason "1" Lake bought five of the best Counter-Strike players in the Invite Division of the Cyberathlete Amateur League and brought them to the top of America and to the top of the world.

Jason Lake watching his team play

The public, in general, felt that Lake's plans would prove futile. The public said that chemistry couldn't be bought. The public said that coL was a pitiful sight and would not ever achieve anything. After compLexity rolled past some of the world's best teams at CPL 2004, including Destination Skyline, 4Kings, and mousesports, nobody was flicking around negative comments. Why was this apparently amateur team so successful, and how did five players who had never played together before compLexity was formed, defeat the world's premier teams?

Professional Gaming's Drawback

Counter-Strike is a relatively stable game compared to others in its genre. Teams that were playing at the world class level back in 2002 and 2001 are still winning events today. It's not often that fans have the opportunity to see new talent in the scene. There exists, at the very top of the CS community, an inner ring of elites which rarely allows outsiders to penetrate unless by an incredible stroke of luck. For instance, consider the recent release of LUq from the Meet Your Makers team. The chances that he will be replaced by a Polish player who is already established and is already playing at a similar level to the other MYM players are essentially 100%. I would not be surprised to see a player of Frag Executors, justplay, BENQ, or Fear Factory joining their ranks.

Scouts and Drafts?

Competitive gaming is a distant dream for many young men and women out in the world. Many strive to reach the top, to play at ESWC, WCG, to represent the big names, yet very few succeed. It is quite common to see amateurs posting in gaming forums such topics as "How do I become a pro player?" and "What is the best way to improve my game and go pro?" That is one of the faults of professional gaming: lack of fresh faces. The CGS is a very illustrative example in this case; the draft is quite amusing in that it's more of a trading event than an actual draft. Managers simply grab the same players floating around at the very top of their game and they don't bother to look in other places. Out of the millions of gamers in the amateur world, can it possibly be that there is not a single player who has the talent and potential to grow and become the next SpawN, the next Heaton, the next Neo? What might Counter-Strike be if top teams drafted amateurs who perform well, brought them through the invisible portal of eSports and showed the world of professional gaming to them?

What if a draft existed existed in the pro gaming scene, like in CGS?

In such an endeavor, fnatic is the forerunner. Their Academy has proven to be astonishingly successful in the Call of Duty world. Compare what those players were before to what they are now. What if every team did that, and what if the idea spread to Counter-Strike? Essentially, professional gaming would be exactly like professional sports. The NBA, for instance, always has new faces and it is always a pleasure to watch how the rookies play against the veterans and sometimes it is stunning to see how badly the beginners humiliate the experienced. Gaming teams, by hiring a talent scout who is knowledgeable and understands the scene, could potentially begin the dig for gold that is hidden and has been hidden for decades. Is it not possible that there could be more frods and more Wardens in CAL Invite right at this moment waiting for a breakthrough and for a chance to become professional? There are many even players of such a caliber in lower divisions that have not yet found a team which could develop their potential and make them into world-class gamers.

compLexity already tried hunting for talent in amateur leagues and there is no need for me to talk about the success they have had against some of the most experienced players in the United States and also in Europe. Ideally, a scout would take the role of Jason Lake and would follow players who perform outstandingly in lower leagues, such as CAL Invite, Clanbase OpenCup Premier, and ESL Major Series. There is not even a necessity for a full five man lineup to be picked up. Top amateurs would be allowed to play with professionals in a trial period and released off contract should they fail to demonstrate improvement or potential to grow.

Slash is an amateur team that has shown potential in the pro scene. Could there be others?

At the end of the day, the real issue is the lack of connection between the amateur scene and the professional scene. The fact that I have one foot in CAL and the other in MYM brings a very interesting perspective to me. I have competed with some incredibly skilled players from CAL invite, main, Clanbase OpenCup, EuroCup, CEVO main, and so on. It is difficult to say that they do not have the talent to become professional. All they are missing is a mere outlet; if only somebody could recognize that they are a beautifully valuable yet raw diamond requiring only the work of a skilled craftsman, then maybe they could be the next Heart of Eternity.

Many thanks to my close friend Andrew "DreameR" Kernats for sparking my ideas and for sharing his perspective.

Pictures courtesy of: Gotfrag, CGS, and CAL.