NAF on NA CS in 2025: “My best advice would be to go play VALORANT”

As a die-hard CS2 fan, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for NAF and his fellow North American pros. The man is living the dream, traveling the world, competing at the highest level, yet he feels that the system is stacked against him and his peers. It’s like being invited to the best parties in town, only to find out they’re all happening on the other side of town, and you’ve got no car!

In the second segment of an analysis on CS2’s perspective about the 2025 schedule, Team Liquid’s Keith “NAF” Markovic discusses the current landscape of North American competition and suggests that promising players from this region might want to consider relocating to Europe or even switching to a different esport.

NAF and Liquid have had a busy few weeks.

After failing to qualify for the playoffs at IEM Rio, the team left Brazil to obtain visas for the Shanghai Major. Meanwhile, NAF was in Canada while the rest of the team stayed in Europe. As a result, they only had five days to prepare for the BLAST World Final.

By 2025, such a schedule might become familiar, as the circuit is expected to expand significantly. The era of franchise leagues in Counter-Strike may be coming to an end temporarily, but NAF foresees potential trouble for non-European regions.

He told Xpsp, “In my opinion, if you’re competing in North America, your chances of significantly advancing or joining the top-tier scene are practically non-existent. There are a few openings; I’ve noticed some of my friends from NRG manage to qualify for ESL Pro League, so there are those qualifiers for certain tournaments, but it’s quite challenging.

NAF isn’t holding out hope for his NA CS2 peers

NAF on NA CS in 2025: “My best advice would be to go play VALORANT”

One benefit of a busy schedule is that it may prevent top teams from attending all tournaments, creating opportunities for lower-tier teams to step in and gather crucial major qualifying points. Nevertheless, it’s challenging for NAF to envision a promising future for his local region in North America at the moment.

He expressed his view that it’s not worth playing Counter-Strike if you’re based in North America. Instead, his suggestion is either to start playing VALORANT or strive to join the European scene of Counter-Strike.

The removal of the RMR qualifier for CS2’s majors will heavily impact the smaller regions. Where once teams outside of Europe had a clearly defined pathway to the major, the necessity of earning enough Valve points to qualify has many worried as not every event will include a qualifier.

If there were more chances for growth and development of local talent within the region, NAF might have greater trust in NA (North America). With fewer significant competitions taking place, key South American teams returning home, and a large number of players moving to Riot Games shooter, opportunities in the U.S. are scarce.

The framework exists, it just needs building upon

It’s important to clarify that these projects are indeed ongoing. For instance, Fragadelphia persists, while initiatives such as Mythic’s and Complexity’s Revival Series have been launched. However, NAF expresses a desire for additional efforts to revitalize North American CS:GO.

He stated that no one is eager to invest a significant amount of time into helping the situation, as there are only Pro League and Challenger League for Counter-Strike, and these options don’t provide enough promise to make it a viable career choice. Additionally, he feels that achieving the dream of becoming a top-tier professional player in North America is no longer feasible or realistic.

He added, “Given the numerous upcoming events, it’s possible that some of the major tournaments might have vacancies since the leading teams might choose not to participate. This could provide a chance and an opening for less-ranked teams such as NRG or FlyQuest to compete, earning points that can help them climb up the rankings slightly.

For NAF, geography significantly influences event selection. Having several tournaments in Europe consecutively is optimal, and for Liquid, this isn’t too unusual given their need to stay active in Europe to maintain relevance. Speaking about this topic, he mentioned that constant traveling can take a toll on one’s mental well-being.

NAF, similar to FaZe Clan’s Rain, recognizes the importance of staying with a primary tournament organizer such as BLAST or ESL, understanding that it is their decision-making process and overall management that ultimately matters most.

Liquid gears up for Shanghai sprint

Instead of returning immediately to Europe, experiencing jet lag, and then flying out again for the RMR event, it seems more practical to stay in Singapore for a while.

NAF is excited to face some top-tier Asian teams as they gear up for the North American RMR qualifier. On paper, Liquid appears strong enough to secure a spot at the premier event, but with powerhouses like FURIA, paiN, Complexity, and M80 standing in their path, he’s not underestimating anyone.

Here are a few good squads present, which might offer beneficial learning opportunities for us. Later on, we can simply join the North American RMR and compete without having to deal with jet lag and other related issues.

Prior to the RMR event, Liquid needs to sail through Singapore first, as they have a BLAST World Final elimination game against the French team Vitality scheduled for later today.

2024-10-31 15:12

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