Thorin
Appearances
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It was the tweet that was the worst one, Janko. The caption wasn't even what he said. Also misleading.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Yes.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That's the other thing.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like you said, loads of people do this way.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
My problem is like, there's a few angles on this, isn't there? Like the big picture one is I'm just a bit pissed that like everyone complained for so long about like the Louvre agreement and the blast partnership system. But what they didn't seem to understand, I mean, admittedly, they're just fans in all of the industry. I get it. It's like that did actually financially help a lot of those teams.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
there's a bunch of stuff on this first of all i already knew as well this was going to be a nightmare because the joke is this couldn't have worked either way this one clip i'll tell you the actual one that if you're nico you must be like because mate this was about to be like shut up 2.0 like you also could have gone the other way yanko what if they've actually had like an awesome game and zonic did a good job then people could be like wow nico disrespecting his coach because that was even the way it was almost presented like i know what you mean the tweet was like
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
something like call something exclamation mark or something whereas when you listen to it bro first of all like famously the shut up one that wasn't even actually nico being like shut the fuck up everyone it was just sort of like shut up now like just essentially like exclamation point but that wasn't even what this was like if you actually watch the full clip he basically just waits he's even intentionally giving zonic space and then zonic's just sort of like trying to figure out how do i say this sort of and then nico just sort of says like that's the key thing he doesn't even say call something he says something like you know like
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's actually why a lot of people said it was still worth running Counter-Strike teams.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, do you have an idea or shall I call something? It's so different how it was presented. So first of all, that feels like you're either trying to get drama off either Zodic, Anti-Falcons, or even maybe like Niko's Adiva angle. You could also throw that one in there, which I can tell you they're not a fan of. He doesn't like that one either.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
obviously like you had the other one that angle as well which is a bit obviously overplayed is you had the blast parish stickers which were amazing by the way i can tell you loads of team logs are in a lot of trouble because they basically took the crazy like four times higher number from that and just went and sort of said they slapped every major basically so that's not even true as far as i can tell they set their they set their budget on the highest yeah they did though it came out yeah
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's like emotional regulator and stuff like that, yeah.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
for a little bit right then eventually you do come up with something or someone's step well the joke is this used to happen to you guys you guys would be coaching and you'd be going and then twists would go you're gonna call somebody i'm trying to remember what happened in that secret broadcast i heard like a year ago on the fucking online upper bracket round two fucking give me a chance to think will you my whole coaching career is based on that secret information i got from
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
mouse spots versus everyone that one event that's just lived rent free in both players and fans mind forever guys that you just secretly your whole coaching no there's that so by the way this is why even though I'm first of all this is where I actually am too fair to a fault
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you don't know, guys, privately and publicly, Taz is one of the actual players who tried to call out and fuck with me like this on the broadcast when I used to work for the Dreamhacks and I would be saying that VP was washed or Fallen was over it. He's one of the people who actually tried to do this to me, but the difference is I'm fair, mate.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So one thing I'll say is, even those Taz ones, and those Taz ones did sound really bad, by the way, because it sounded like he was saying nothing. I will even be charitable to those, because I know what Janko's saying as well. People are doing this stupid thing where they really think, right, that when you hear the coach come... He's going to, like, design a strat on the fly that's, like, godlike.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, he's going to go, right, here's what we do to counter them with the... First of all, it's never going to be that fucking timeout. As Yanko says, timeout's nothing for that, like, mate. You maybe make a tiny tweak or you play a bit more to the A side or something. But, actually, I agree with you. It's mainly more things like, right, where's my team at emotionally?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, what do we have to focus on? It's why I've always said, if you actually go back, I could, for real, play, like...
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
fucking what do you call it like defense lawyer for Taz in all those clips like I'll give you an example you know the one where he just sort of goes like we have to like win more rounds guys everyone went like lord what a fucking moron of course you do no no that's actually for real like you could interpret that in a way that actually makes sense what you could be saying there is sort of like guys if you let the game get away from you and you forget that we have to actually stack rounds that you're just trying to like get kills or get an opening or like save guns or whatever
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We're going to lose the game before we even got into it. Same with the pistol one. We have to win some pistols. What you mean there is have extra focus at the beginning of the game. You don't want to just warm up into the game. You want to start with the lead and be a front runner. You can interpret all these things way more charitably. And the real problem here is this.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Taz was never saying that to us who's listening he's saying it to his players so that's almost like also shorthand they've had these conversations a million times maybe him saying win the pistols does like refocus the ad oh shit that is something we talked about before we do get slow starts and then we all get like I could find ways to do that yeah I don't even think it has to be that bad even
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So a mixture of that means that people just thought, like you say, the joke is, like you're saying that's sarcastic. They thought if we get rid of this, we'll have an open circuit. It'll be like the old days. Whereas actually so far, VRS has made it the opposite.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's actually that basically that's why the saddest thing of all to me is the teams that cynically in the player break just bought three players where they definitely didn't want all three players. That worked. That just gets you the spot. Like, if you actually try, the worst example of this is NIP. If you actually try on paper to go, well, I mean, these are the players I want. Good luck.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Bro, my favorite one ever, I don't know if it was in a timeout if it was between the maps, but it's that one, when we had the first major after COVID, that Stockholm one, if you remember, that was the one we're in the Swiss system. Vitality was down 0-2 and it looked like they were going to like go out in the Swiss system immediately after like,
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Obviously, you have ZywOo, you hope you're gonna win the major. And if you remember, there was some line where they were down 0-2. This might have been between the games, but you could have done this in a timeout too. Where suppose the Apex just really did turn to ZywOo, like a movie, and just go like, we're gonna be out in the tournament if you don't start fragging me.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because remember, that was when ZywOo had to hard carry. So to your Georgian era, so... Like, that might sound, by the way, like some, like, stupid comment. Like, no, in that scenario, you're not really going to go, Zemu, when you're on T-side Inferno, you're not being aggressive enough on Samp.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You're going to just say it like, it's like a fucking, you're just going to go to the biggest narrative of, like, mate, like, step up, basically. That's what you're basically saying. Get your shit together.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, let's take this, though, because you need to connect. One thing you didn't make explicit before is this. This is why I set up with the Nikko part. The worst part about this, you're right, Yanko, is this one, all the other ones, here's the thing. I couldn't even believe the ESL ones just like, oh, wow, since Na'Vi's losing, are they having some problems?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That's not even that terrible to ask about. I agree. If you look at the context of the game, it doesn't make sense, by the way. They made it seem like they were like one round for elimination in the whole tournament. Shut the fuck up when I call. Again, he wasn't doing that. Also, it's just because he's Finnish.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You're not used to hearing him ever raise his voice or having any tone or emotion in it. I get that. But he wasn't even wiling, bro. But the worst part to me is they saw clearly with the sneaker one. It's all the things you just said earlier. They were trying to hit the bingo of if you hate on Falcons, you're going to love this clip. Here's why.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
because one you make Zonic look like a fraud I can't even believe you know that image Moses it's apparently like a really famous like American painter but I forget his name the one where it's just that guy standing up at like a town hall that everyone uses when you're making a bold statement are you ready for my bold statement I can't even believe I get to double down and buy the stock at North and penny stocks
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think Sonic actually can coach Counter-Strike. Like, fucking hell. How am I educated? Fucking hell. So that's how far gone we are, by the way. Maybe he's not a fraud. Like, I don't even know if that's a thing. So one, everyone wants Sonic to be a fraud now. Two, they hate Falcons anyway. One, because of their money and then also the other angle, obviously.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But then three, because they also simultaneously hate that, like, Niko honestly got broken up. So now G2's not as good and you don't have a world contender. And Falcons isn't that world contender now. But also, they want it to be... Why you would want this, I don't know, but they do. They want it to be that Nico himself now also agrees with them, the fan, that he never should have left G2.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You won't get in the system, mate. It's like having to win like 10 online qualifiers in a row without ever losing. You just can't get in. So my problem is, like, obviously I would like a totally open circuit. I'm like a meritocracy guy. I'm just like everyone who's good enough to qualify, you know.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He only did it for the bag, and now he's stuck with Zonic. Where's the dumbest part about all this, by the way? I can tell you without even speaking to Nico. I've read so many interviews, and I can just tell he's telling the truth on this one. I actually do believe he's one of the, Zonic is one of the main reasons Nico went to Falcons. I actually do think that is true.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because if there's one thing I've criticized Nico for over the years, but it would actually make sense in this case, is he does have a track record of just going like, who should I team up with? Fuck, that guy used to get my ass back in the day. And it's like, yeah, that was like five years ago, maybe. He has done that many times. So here's the difference though. Zonic was winning in 2023, guys.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That was quite recently. So if I was Niko and I had a chance to go and play with a coach, that's going to be at least top three. And obviously, if you look at the money itself, that's going to be, obviously, it's one of the number one or number two options. So the idea that we're presenting this, that Niko's already lost it with Zonic and he wishes he wasn't in the team, right?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We're all just making that up. That is a completely fabricated narrative as far as I can tell. It's just nonsense. And the worst thing is, let's tie this into the broadcast. This is also where broadcasts never understand that they've got their own tone and identity wrong. Because actually Blast, by the way, in general, hasn't tried to even go on. ESL nowadays, even the skits is more spicy.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They'll do a skit where it makes fun of the famous thing about the play like that one where Zee was washed or whatever. They'll do those skits. Although, by the way, I will even say, one thing you will not get away with ESL is, whoever decides when to release those is a prick. You're the clout. Cause the amount of times they do release the skit like that, but they'll release it.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like when Z who did have a bad game, I'm like, bro, what are you going to do in good faith? You do it like when it's safe, you know, you're, they definitely release it like that. But here's the thing, right? Blast in general, hasn't even leaned into the angle. So what I can't handle is this. You guys are on the broadcast. This is what I can't get.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you actually are on blast, you actually do have to be a little bit more like sort of like clean cut. They don't want a super edgy broadcast. How can it be that the analysts who are the experts can't talk about the players and bring these narratives up and be like spicy with it? But then the broadcast itself can essentially do the same thing and just clout farm.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because I'll tell you the problem. I sort of linked to it there. The person who actually decides the tone of the broadcast, it's not the same person as the social media guy who does the tweet or who puts the video out, who decides the timing. And unfortunately, you do tend in the modern day to hire the guy whose whole skill set is scout farming.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, if that means there's a team I don't like, like maybe Sorsom, I thought that wasn't any good, makes it... They made it. My problem is just that, like, at the moment, we've just seen a lot of the negatives of the VRS at the beginning of the circuit, especially when it was scuffed.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They know how to make something look slightly skewed or the timing's perfect to hit. So the problem is, you have to decide which it is. If we're going to do that, by the way, I'm for it. Spoiler, I would have done WWE broadcast years ago. Let's just lean into it, though.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
to do that by the way if the if the broadcast can make it look like Zonic's a fraud and Nico's mad at him then don't ever tell me anything about analysts let those let Pimp and fucking Maui go crazy then let them say anything because at that point we're leaning into this angle of like we're going to play with big narratives if we're being a buttoned down broadcast I actually agree that the teams are totally fine to complain about this because that one did look like you did here's the thing I'll give you something as a content creator that does piss content creators off if I do an interview and I put a quote headline and
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If a fan just doesn't like the sentiment of the headline, they'll go, you quoted it out of context. It's like, well, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes that was the sentence. It's just I can't put the whole interview in the headline. I have to put a sentence, right?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But I understand, yeah, some people do intentionally make a sentence that you listen to the sentence before and you're like, oh, I didn't say that. You did do the latter on this one, though. You did on this one try to make it seem like something you yourself know that clip wasn't. That's what I don't like. It's like, mate, by the way, there's plenty enough real drama in CS.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You don't need to fabricate any of it. Why do we need to fabricate it?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like I had a joke like this back in the day, which is, you know, when ESL started using that like music label. So they had all that like different, like fresh music that you never heard of before. It was like some nobody person, but they were like, you know, vaguely mainstream and they had like a licensing deal with them or whatever. And they'd put all that music as the break music.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I always used to say, I don't understand what the concept of this broadcast is. So I'm not allowed to go on and make an edgy joke. But then the music's like, I take two Percocets, not a line of coke off this bitch's ass. So basically I didn't have a beat behind it. That's not the problem. What's the rules here? What are we doing? Sarah. That was the song I was thinking of. Here's the thing.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So, like, the most obvious one is if someone does make a new roster, you don't even know if you'll ever see him on Landme. I mean, another one out there is everyone criticizes all these Fnatic moves. Can I just watch them play some lands? Like, I actually think some of those moves could be good, but I don't ever see them on a land, though.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It sounds like a really chill song. Have you ever looked up the lyrics? It's pretty wild, actually. It's all broadcast.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Bro, you knocked him out in that major, you won. You actually fucking slayed him in the quarters. Did he shake your hand? I'll bet he did. I'll guarantee he did. Also, by the way, two things on that. One, it just doesn't work specifically for gel. Bro, your whole thing's been talking shit on people the whole time. Every time you win, you have a shit-eating grin to the camera.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And I'm sorry, you can't judge anything about these teams and what they would do at a land in, like, upper bracket round two of an online qualifier. You know what I mean? No one gives a fuck about that. So the real problem is this. I'll actually now say something positive about BRS.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You've got all the fucking props and all the skits. You're doing that when you win, and then when you lose, you just go... because as you say, it's not like he typed in the game, like you were the fluke major or something, which by the way, would be hilarious.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Also, this is the obvious joke I was going to make, but I looked and it wasn't that great on the clip, but because he did that weird thing, Yanko, where he didn't just do it. Like he didn't shake anyone's hand. He went and like shook everyone's hand. Yes. Like,
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
just skipped it around him like an ai like a fucking room but that just got like the wrong room or something but the weirdest thing is i was even going to make the obvious joke which is like to be fair guys he did have his hand out maybe he missed didn't you see the game you know what i'm going well i agree because here's the here's why i'm actually genuinely disappointed with gel
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Well, one of the reasons I haven't gone as hard on him as I probably have with other people who fuck to me. It's because, bro, he's not actually fucking me. If you've ever seen one, I can tell you. You know, now on Twitter, likes are private. I'll just tell you the secret sauce. He just likes all my tweets where I dunk on him. So essentially, he gets that they're a joke.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And he understands when I joke, when me and him go back and forth on social media, it's basically like wrestling banter. He knows it's not actually like serious. We're not liking some beef where I hate him and all. If I've even joked, like in the future, we'll probably just do a fucking interview about it all. There'll be like a bag of water when it drops.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
my god but you'll see it'll just be like a good interview in like two years when he's won more tournaments but the problem is his whole thing was like i'm the guy who's edgy and willing to engage in that so if you do that you have to take it on the chin when he loops come on you have to it's it's also it's it's also weird because like when i saw even when even when i saw the clip of zantar shooting his body like jl like kind of seemed to like have some fun with it in the moment despite the fact that they were losing and his body was getting shot he did that whole like
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
no like with a little like grin on his face you know like he was he actually seemed like he was trying to like play off some banter with it i was i was surprised when he didn't shake his hand because i also by the way do agree with fans bro how are we all gonna donk on valorant and then we get mad about people shooting a body in the game you know what that's exactly the sort of thing we'd all make fun of in valorant if a pro ever dared say that like you were shooting my corpse in the game we'd just like yeah i'll donk on your face in the fucking game so we talking about like
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Once they smooth off some of the rough edges, the best part is about to come up soon, guys, which is that it will qualify you to the major. I always thought the most whack thing ever in CS, we're just really lucky that people are really good at land in CS. Yeah. Because, bro, imagine if we actually had have ever had one of those, like, era-defining teams just flat out not make the major.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
we're supposed to be CS and we're supposed to be talking shit and also the reason why this one's so sad is it's not even some big drama though it's like like you say Yanko it is like a fucking star minute hiccup this is such a small drama but it's become a big drama just because he didn't bloody shake his hand by the way GL pro tip just shake his hand anyway if you want by the way here's the actual secret one you haven't figured out you idiot they don't have mics on you just shake his hand and then lean in and go dickhead that'll be straight fire mate then you'd look like you shook his hand but you don't get any of the haters on Twitter there you go that's what you do mate yeah
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I did like the one, though, where Team Spirit, when they beat VP, did that one where they edited that clip of electronic on Twitter, and they just made it that when he was turning around... They made it as if he was talking to them when they'd just beaten him. And he was saying, like, well played. You did a great game.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because, by the way, the sad thing on that one is we didn't have a translation at the time. So we didn't actually know how spicy what he was saying was.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That was fire, mate. Did you get your sneaky Russian translation out?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, he was saying some shit. Apparently, like, hey, shut up, talking or whatever. Like, you won't beat me. No, it was actually fire. Like, sadly, if he just said it in English, it would have been way better.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You know, that's another thing that really bums me out is that at the moment, there's no rhyme or reason as to how these narratives are being constructed around teams that are like up and down. Like I'll give you an example. At the moment, because people like the players, everyone's giving the craziest leeway ever to both G2 and Team Liquid.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
These teams are allowed to literally, if you don't know, guys, here's the teams that G2 has beaten this year. They just beat fucking Mongols. That's it. You know, the other team they beat is Falcons, who you all tell me shit. So how can they be shit? But that's my only other good win. If you go and look at G2, they've beaten no one. They've beaten PM. That's it. You know what I mean?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Teams no one cares about. But G2 gets treated like they're still like sixth best in the world and they're going to mix it up. I don't get it. Same with Team Liquid. By the way, Team Liquid doesn't even make the playoffs most of the time, but everyone's just like, fine, because we're all like nerds. We know it's an upgrade. They've got some good firepower.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So what's weird is those two teams sort of get a pass. But bro, if you're FaZe and Falcons, you'd think they'd came last place in every tournament, get 13-0'd every map. Like, I keep saying this to people, even in the game, FaZe just got 13-0'd in. They almost 2-0'd it like one second before that.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, here's what I hate, I know obviously you're on the Niko side, so you're going to be able to see the...
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
like fair side of this but like not only is FaZe actually their real problem with FaZe is this they play to the level of their opponent so it means when they play bad teams they're in a close game but people forget they're one of the only teams by the way in this Vitality streak that almost beat Vitality they actually took Vitality to the limit if you go watch that so first of all I see flaws in FaZe but there's a lot there to like and the worst one ever is Falcons because bro people are continually rebooting the narrative of last year that they're gonna lose like every game and they just lose all the time of this shit it's like we said in this game mate the
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, the only time ever, as far as I know, a major champion didn't make it was Outsiders when they, like, went to the, they didn't make it to Blast Paris, right? That's the only time ever the former champion. Bro, that could have happened. You could have, like, the obvious angle, by the way, is what if anyone had ever had, like, you know, injury, someone get ill on that day?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You can certainly criticise them for not closing the game out or, like, having some sort of issues adapting when the opponent... But, mate, they were in position to win all these maps. In fact, I think Falcons is actually slightly underrated in that sense. Like, there's loads of games they're in, mate. They even do the thing where, like, say they lose their map pick. That's a terrible sign, right?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They'll win their opponents. Like, they're not shit. That's what I hate is people acting like these teams all just suck. By the way, cheer against them if you like. Like another team, but... Spoiler, at the moment in CS, these are all top 10 teams I'm talking about. Like, FaZe and Falcons are definitely top 10. What are we talking about? Or 11th or whatever you want.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They act like it's all just whack plays. Good, it's a good team there.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That would be a nightmare. The best thing is, I don't know if Jan Kovac because of Jokovic watches fucking tennis or not, but one of the best things about tennis is once you're in the actual ranking spots, you know that guy's at the Grand Slam. There's no, like, oh, he has to play, like, the qualifier to the Grand Slam, and he was ill that day with food poisoning, so he didn't qualify. Like, what?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, the funniest version of that is just Mouse, because they got judged when they didn't even have Spinks. People didn't even mention that Zelex guy was playing, and that's Spinks. Because remember, the one angle on Mouse that people always miss, I won't blame people, it's that you have to think like two orders in.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
People only looked at Brolan and Shuhei, and it's like, no, no, you've upgraded Brolan to Spinks, bro. That's the angle, like... You're right, the IGL-ing is going to be different, but that's an interesting prospect already. I'm not going to bail on that team after one event. Like I said, people actually did have to kind of eat it, act like that was the team.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's going to come last to lose every game, so that's why, even though I didn't think they'd win Cluj, you've seen, actually, they're way better than everyone thinks. Again, you can't write them off after one event with a stand-in.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think you're right as well. That's actually something to tie into what you were saying there that's missed about the FaZe Clan one. The FaZe Clan one is treated as... minus Ropz plus Elige.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, I want to watch the top 10. So the good news is, for the actual major, if you're in, like, the safe spots, it basically guarantees you get there. So I think that will actually end up being really positive. I'm looking forward to that part. I like that.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, as shown in Nero's article about, like, how they all trade on fucking Elige, it made actually almost, like, half the team change their, like, role in the game and, like, how much resources they take and what space. Like, it actually allowed everyone to do a little change. It wasn't just one player for one.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You're not basically comparing Elige's numbers to Ropz's numbers or how many rounds do you... You actually have to look at things like, for example, if you don't know guys, Reign's way less aggressive now. Even Brokie's not like some maniac. It actually has changed up everyone's dynamic in the squad. So you're not really just adding one player. It's almost like you've made roster moves.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You just put the same player in a different spot more.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Here's why I'm not. Because one, people are forgetting they did skip Pro League. So as a result, they actually haven't played that many. This is the third LAN, basically. Because remember, the problem they had was this. The Blast Bounty one, they lost the online match to Piers, didn't they? So they never got to the LAN. So first of all, I don't judge them on that one particularly.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I want to see, with a brand new roster, I need to see it on LAN. And spoiler, by the way, even this godlike Vitality actually wasn't that good at that first event anyway when they got to the LAN. So I don't judge, I never judge the first tournament of a season anyway. Like, you never know. It's the Mickey Mouse fucking up and down. Someone's good, someone's bad, you never know.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So they've only played three LANs. When you go and look at them, look, I will say it definitely,
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
he hurt them they didn't win close because once they got to the playoffs there them and eternal fire were the only teams everyone respected so he was supposed to win but i'll tell you what it doesn't look as bad now like i think falcons isn't terrible i think actually mouse has shown they're pretty good as well so some of that's not as bad in hindsight the bigger thing is like i said first of all go look at the when they got eliminated from the other two lands kind of eats here right they had to lose to vitality who at the moment by the way no one can beat and they actually have a great game like i said then you have this more recent one
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Bro, if I look at that bracket, I don't expect I'm playing Spirit as my last game in the fucking tournament. Like Spirit's really hard for almost anyone to beat right now. So I think that's also a really hard one. You can certainly look at that game and go, you know, could you have played better? So I don't, here's the thing.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
What you said earlier, Moses, I would say it's more like the next event where I'll start to get worried if they're bad.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
obviously the major if they're not good by then then i'll write them off for the season but i still give them a little bit more leeway and here's why because this isn't actually one of the reasons i think we all in our brain thought this would be like the if anything the one that should hit the ground running is because actually it seemed like a as an outsider who doesn't know their team dynamics it seemed really obvious i actually thought the reason this fixes everything is what you've actually lacked in phase clan that whole time seemingly was aggressive riflers
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Everyone was playing too passive. And I've always said, if you ever see when FaZe sucks, it's when Kerrigan goes in first, and it's just Kerrigan goes in and dies. And there's no follow-up. And you've just thrown your player away for nothing.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Whereas if you see how Kerrigan plays, the reason he's mega sacrificial is because then if you have a Twists or an Alige coming with him, then they clean up the round, don't they? And suddenly you've got the bombsite open. I thought there was a line, I think it was actually Freiburg who said this on Twitter, at the perfect World Shanghai Major.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
he said online on twitter something like have you ever noticed now when the other players in phase actually frag suddenly every character mid-round looks genius and he's right like that mid-round looks stupid as fuck when everyone just baits each other right so when you had the frozen rops line up there was something off with that like the how much space they talk how passively they played there was something that like disconnected from the essence of phase so you think right at least coming in first of all the way he played in call looks perfect for phase you go bro bring it on think about how fucking aggressive he was on the t-sides there you can
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's going to be awesome. You also immediately think, and this was true, it's going to immediately put Frozen. It's not just Rops leaving. It's the fact that because you've got the aggressive rifle, now Frozen's just got me. You've got all the leeway you want. You can just play your style. So I have to say, I don't actually blame those players.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I actually think, by the way, Frozen has really discovered his game. He's one of the best riflers now. By the way, he's also really awesome at trading Elisha. If you don't know, guys, that combo is actually dynamite. Elisha himself, actually, I think has played pretty well. The problem is this. There's two angles I want to bring up here that I want to throw it to you.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
One is, I do think the person within all this equation that I was really shocked when I looked at that Nero article about how they traded Elige, was that Brokey's playing more passive. Like, bro, that's not who you are, Brokey. Like, if I want you in my team... By the way, this is actually what they did, funnily enough. I always compare them to JW. This is what they did to JW in the end in Fnatic.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They were like, look, your aggressive moves aren't working, so just play passively and play off... Then you haven't got JW anymore. What's the point in having him in the team at that point? You have that guy to be who he is. So one, the brokey angle doesn't help. And then secondly, I also think because the whole thing was set up, think about it. We're redoing the twist narrative.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's like, right, this is where Elyse is going to come to face. He gets Carrigan. He gets the European player. It's his time to win everything. That was the narrative, right? So the problem I do think is, pure speculation, I haven't spoken to him. I think also, Elige right now tries to do too much, mate.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think he actually feels like he is the guy walking in the dressing room where everyone else has won except him. And now he has to be the guy who sacrifices everything, goes in first every time. And one thing I do hate is when star players, I actually think people like Simple and Equal have even done this in majors before. I hate it when a star player feels like he has to carry the game.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You're never supposed to have to carry it. Because, you know, that's where you just make moves you wouldn't make or you think... I have to take this fight, or I have to be aggressive, and you do too much. Like, in a team like FaZe, I feel like if I'm a Leeds, you were never supposed to 1v9 me. You're just supposed to be a player within that constellation.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
What's funny is I would have done the thing. I did it last time I came on, which is like a bit suspicious how I only get invited on the episodes Chad walked beyond. So it makes it seem like Chad has some beef with me. But actually, I realized for this one, Moses. I've done it wrong. I have to think like someone who casts for podcasts. It's the other way around. It's not that Yanko.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's like you said, mate. If I'm going to win only one, third-place games, you know what I mean?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I just looked it up. If you actually even look up who they've lost to. So Karavica, they lost to Vitality, who smurfed everyone. Then they lost the last match in the group to Eternal Fire, who we all acknowledge is like a top five team in the world. It's actually a good team. So that one's fine. Then you go to Cluj.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
In Cluj, they 3-0'd the Swiss and just lost to basically an MVP performance from Nico. We all acknowledge one of the best players in the world. Then you come to this tournament now because you skipped EPL. And then you lose to VP. By the way, a super close game. You definitely could have won this game. And then you get eliminated by Spirit.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
what's to hate on you know what I mean like listen there's plenty of other teams we can go in depth on like flaws or wow you slipped up there again by the way the Jokers teams like Eternal Fire have lost to worse teams than that that's actually not that bad a run of form like look you can't if you want to be a top five team you have to win some matches eventually I'll give you that but like this isn't the end of the world the teams they've lost to I think
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
What are you hitting on here? What angle? What's stuck in your craw?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I won't lie. I am on full corpium whenever it's FaZe. FaZe Clan for me is like Kenny S. The second they hit an AWP shot, in this case, win a playoff game at the Major, I'm like, they're back! And anyone who called them out, you're all frauds. They're the best team. Get ready. This is demon mode for Carrigan. Oh, I'm going to bring them all back. Don't worry about that.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They're all just on stasis. It's like Ripley at the end of an alien movie. It's always coming back, motherfucker. It's coming out of stasis. So don't worry. Hypersleep.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
This is how I know Moses. I am a true fan of FaZe because they're saving strats for the major brawl. Yeah, exactly. That's the worst thing, actually, about Shanghai, by the way, guys. In some ways, it's a good job they didn't win that major.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We'd just be giving them the whole season off until the major. It's all right. As long as they do run, it's totally fine.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, they're all like, remember the good old days? Look at that, it's me fragging. I love that.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
you know, either... It can't be nothing, can it? You can't start like nothing. By the way, I know what you mean, because it's actually something that, funny enough, Tommy once pointed out, because he's the best guy at running all the numbers. He once pointed this out at the old ESL ranking, which is they had the opposite end of the anchor. They had it where you just had the player points.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We need an intervention on players because, bro, players themselves are as bad as fans. You don't know, guys, if you actually really did give players the power like a genie to make wishes, you don't know how many of these players wouldn't say, like, I wish for Modesty to be on my team. They would just make last-dance lineups of their favorite ever lineup that won the most.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
The amount of players that would run that back is crazy, mate. And they won't admit it publicly, but some of them would definitely say yes to some of those moves. It's true.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Absolutely.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
with some of these early struggles we're now seeing by the way two things one i actually also just realized i never thought of it in this context yanko i thought you were living the hard life mate we tried to join phase where you can't ever actually sign a real player that like fucking had market value and isn't retired slash washed slash just consigned tomorrow because if people don't know notice they all joined as loans guy that tell you everything about the fucking team yanko joined so he was i thought he was doing hard mode right jason did nightmare mode this is what jason's team was
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Jason's coach was oh we've just done a trade we traded twists for Fallen like in 2020 like bro give me a fucking break like that's like saying Maradona's joining my team yeah like in like 1995 or something like they fucking washed mate that's hard mode right there you're that blood quote some motherfuckers always trying to ice skate uphill you were trying to win fucking tournaments for Fallen in 2020 or whatever like fucking hell bro
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So his joke was, I think it was at the time like Guardian was at the washed player, but he'd been on like Na'Vi. I think he pointed out like if Guardian had joined like
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
a team with it he made like a team of like five random players like that would automatically become like the 25th best team without ever playing a game which is like that's obviously ridiculous that's one of the other players but I agree with you like if I make a roster in this next offseason right let's imagine I'm like
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Listen, first of all, other people have also fallen for that snake oil, so don't worry about that. It's still going. It's still going now, exactly. And then also, secondly, that's all well and good. Those are all great reasons that make a lot of structural and dynamic sense, but it's funnier to just say that you replaced us with some fallen. You sound stupid. Touch me.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, one thing when you were saying that about Carrigan is, though, even I forget this, is Carrigan actually has, like, spoiled us in Counter-Strike. He set these impossible expectations for what an in-game leader can do. Like, you're right, Moses, I always thought the most underrated detail in Counter-Strike, because none of us judge anyone's career this way,
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
is every other team, I think the only one I can say ever did it was Astralis when they had the blast Astralis period, then they came back and won the major again. But even then, by the way, they only got something like six to nine months more out of it, and then it went downhill.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Every other great in-game leader basically has one period, like you're saying, like a bell curve, where it goes to the top. Like you say, they master something about the game or style, but then the problem is they just recapitulate that a million times over, and by the end, it's like diminishing results, isn't it? You're sort of like the ninth best team in your whatever.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But if you notice, Carrigan not only has returned to the top, he's been like, forget like, there's not even a contender for longevity. Like the guy literally could have won the last major. He was like two rounds from doing it. That is like inconceivable. It's mind blowing that someone could still be doing that at his age and experience level.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
falcons 2.0 and i go right i'm making a lineup of like zee woo monacy donk and that lineup can't start in the qualifiers at 128th in the world like that's just insanity you know what i mean we've gone too far the other way on that one boy so by the way one other thing i'll say to be positive at the outset is i actually love that blasters adopted like the esl group i thought that esl group system was mega with the two groups and you're
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
three qualified. Look, it has its own flaws. Like for example, you do skip to the semifinals, et cetera. But if you actually know how events run, those flaws are actually intended to help the way an event flow works. You don't have the four best of three qualified. So it's one of those ones where if you've worked enough events, you'll just take them off with the smooth on that one.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I'm not going to let that one slide. Look, no, I'm with you. Thing is, I'll give Janko credit for this, though. He has always been consistent, Moses. Because I've always said this. Back in the day, he always did do the same thing to Device. He always thought Device was a bit overrated. But if you actually do win, though, he'll still give you the credit. He'll still give you the credit.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
devices you know i'll give you an olive branch the one thing i do say about um shiro is this i do think his game is quite similar for most of the game they clearly have more of a conservative like play the numbers the angles type approach to the game the one problem i'll give you is this though i do think what shiro needs though is he needs to like fuck it just go in button and you don't need that often by the way 99 of your game can stay the same but i know what you mean he does sometimes do the gym thing where it's like oh you were just looking to save that round
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But like I say, it's mainly in specific scenarios. It's like late in a game or it's like if you'd have to be like overly aggressive. You've got to have it just every now and then. Just every now and then.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It is a great format. Like you see, it's way better. Think about how much more compelling this blast is than the old one where one groups was separated from the land final, which never made sense. It never made the storyline make sense. Think how many times you got like a fluke team qualified
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
What would be a better range for you?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
13th in the world, holy fuck.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I tried to help him there. I know. I gave him the alley-oop.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Fucking hell. Who's better than him? You can say something, name five. Name five hoppers are better.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That's easy. That's easy.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Here's my analogy for you, Yanko. I've got a good one for you here. You'll like this. Because since I know back in the day, I've always given this comparison because it's true. Back in the day, you are also consistent in your principles and what you like. I always said the example for me for device back in the day is that's also how Yanko always thought about Steph Curry.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He would be like, he's supposed to be the best player in the world. Everyone's hyping him. But it's true, by the way, if you ever do put him in a clutch scenario in the finals, you just
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
be as good like he was never bad by the way none of these players are bad but they wouldn't be like the best player and everyone was hyping him so you also would be like i know you hate chalkers right but here's my problem the idea that you're then going to go like i get the angle you go on the shiro one here but now you're going to tell me nine ten is better like there's two things here guys one fifth guy is a stretch sure sure you should have just kept that he wasn't top four that's spicy enough by the way but here's the problem one
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
you say 9-10 I think as a meme everyone watching this show don't make it that Yanko is a She-Ro hater make it funny by making it that he's the biggest 9-10 fan ever because by the way that guy is going to betray him so fucking much in playoff games it's going to be hilarious so if you make it that Yanko loves it hey this is Yanko's best hop in the world that's going to be more funny than saying he hates She-Ro and then secondly I'll give you the basketball analogy this is where
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
but they're already shipped two months later when the land comes and you're like what was the point of this like spoiler OG they did about a million times so there would always be that and then the other thing was they were just too short like people think like Kassad's being too mean because he wouldn't get hired by Blast when he calls him a banana cop one he is doing that a little bit we all do that but that's why he's even taking a page out of my book he just talks shit on the one that doesn't have here it's obvious isn't it well
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Being fucking all Serbian and all machismo is going too far for you, Yanko. It's making you actually over it. Because if you want the analogy, yeah, Steph Curry maybe didn't carry. But this is like, instead, you're telling me like, Jay fucking, what's his name? Like, oh, fucking, what's his, what's the name of that guy, Jay... was the guy who played with LeBron. The fucking idiot that did it.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
J.R. Smith. It's like you're saying J.R. Smith's better because here's the thing, mate. He's a way more aggressive player. He goes for like the spicy player, but he's not as good as Steph Curry, if you know what I mean. I think that's what y'all do with the 9-10. That's a reach on that one, but it's all good.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, still one of the greatest leaked DMs. Here's what's mad, Moses. The way you know you're actually a gangster is when a leaked DM in some ways makes your repetition better. By the way, if that was LeBron, that would be really shameful. It would ruin his whole image. The fact he actually sent a DM.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, guys, if you don't know, all it was was the woman just did a sort of eyes emoji or something. Something super simple. And he just goes like, trying to get the pipe.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Listen, in some way, even though I wouldn't advise doing that as an approach to the public, in some ways, all of us wish we had that confidence of a Giles Smith trying to get the pipe.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And now someone needs to make a meme of 9-10 if you ever own some of the clubs, like trying to get the pipe. Trying to get the pipe? Do that. Do that. Do like Yanko sending the eyes emoji to him on a fake DM or something.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And by the way, even Claire Thompson was more clout. She had all the Game 6 Claire ones. It's true. It's true. By the way, I've got two things to bring back to G2 here, though.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because device for me- It's how you know that actually Monacy is the, not even the anti, he's the bizarro Yanko. Because bro, wasn't it Monacy that had like 2019 Shiro was like his fifth best off?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He was good.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, do you know what's sad? I've just realised I even fucked up the analogy there. Because if anyone is the G.R. Smith of orping in CS, it would be Woxic Yanko. That's like the attitude. I can even believe he has a DM wanting to get the pipe. That's even sort of who he is. I love it. That's a better analogy, actually. All right, come on, Woxy. That's foul as fuck, mate. Come on.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Listen, if you want to get on my good side, hire me, bitch. There's that one. But then the other side is, it also was just, I always used to say this, they had all the money in the stadium that Royal Arena's bagging, but it would be like an eight-team tournament with a little group stage, and then you're just off into this small playoff. So it never could feel like Canavates or Cologne.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You were at those majors where Devise was fucking with the MVP.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I know.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I've got the analogy. Everyone who loves basketball will appreciate this one. It's cause Device is like the Tim Duncan of fucking CS though, isn't it? The problem is that style.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
This is why I always used to say, bro, there's actually a thing that really did happen in the community, which is when, even when Astralis was in their peak, fans used to still say that like Device was like saving too much or baiting. And I used to say, I actually did a video on this.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I used to go like, mate, I guarantee Zonic thinks Device is like the best AWP he's ever, could ever have on his team. That's your dream. What people don't get is, as Blade's shown you, you don't really want the simple guy unless he just is the best player. You don't want the player that sort of skews everything in your squad towards him and everything has to be around him.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
The fact about Device that was amazing was he actually could be the second or third best player in the world while seemingly taking way less resources and skewing the squad than everyone else. He could just play within his role, but he just mastered it, didn't he? I'm with you. I thought he was fucking sick. At a minimum, he has to at least be top five, guys. I would say he should be top three.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It might have been important. Who knows on that one? Who knows?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He just doesn't exist.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They've just deleted him from history. Right. It's true.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think you're right, by the way. I don't think anyone disses him or says he wasn't the best. It's just they just forget you. That's why I give the Tim Duncan example. Tim Duncan's resume is unbelievable. It's years of consistency. By the way, he's also like device. Probably the perfect star player if you're going to have a really good team around him, et cetera.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He's never going to overbearing, never going to fuck up the squad, et cetera. But the problem is you'll never get put in that list with Michael Jordan and Kobe and LeBron. You just get forgotten. People forget it, unfortunately. Some of those, by the way, I thought my version on Twitter was funnier though. Listen, obviously no one actually said this, guys. I was being hyperbolic.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, no, I did the joke one where I did my, what I said was I just showed how fans will react really differently to like a fan, a pro player opinion from an analyst. Like the joke I said was if an actual analyst like one of you guys made your top five op list and you were like, well, I'd have simple number one, Zimu number two, device number three, then they'd be like, you fucking moron.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Right now, that's why I said it on Twitter. Bro, if they actually figure it out, if they make one of their events in the Royal Arena every year, or get some legendary low kick, they could become like Canavates and Cologne now. They've got the event. This event's banging. It's got all the top teams. The format looks really good.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Zimu should be number one. Even though you're one off in his analogy, you've got the whole top five. But then, My joke, and obviously this is where I was hyperbolic, no one actually did do this, but I was just doing it like, sort of like the She-Ro example, to be silly.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And I did one where they'll be like, you know, some pro player will be like, well, I'd have number one, simple, number two, device, number three, Kenny S, number four, 2019, gratis faction, and number five. And then the fans just say, yeah, this is fine. That's just his opinion. And I'm like, what? Where is this leeway for us?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, the joke is that's worse than Yanko saying that thing about fucking... It's Chiro there, but he will be tortured by all the Chiro fans. He hates Chiro. By the way, at low key, he's also picked a good player on this one, hasn't he? You notice he's picked Chiro. The guy, when he won the major, was like, it's Hiroshi, I guess.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He didn't even have the motion when he won the major, so he knows he's not going to. Sadly, he's not going to. I wish he was. If you're watching this, Chiro, just do some electronic shit to Yanko when you win the next game. Just get up and be like, sit the fuck down. I'm carrying this kid. I would love that, man. That'd be fucking dope.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Oh, God.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He keeps digging. I love it. I love it. Yeah, there's definitely... I can't lie. He's oralist as fuck. That is true. The kids have got that one.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, the reason why I know you're right is I've actually forgotten one of my own rules. One of my own rules is you should always assume every fan only started watching three years ago, basically. If you do that, you'll actually have a way better track of who they think is good. It's why they think Zonics are fraud. To them, they just remember the very end of CSGO. Maybe, that's it.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They don't even remember like the rest of us. Like, well, this guy run the game. What are you talking about? He's like the guy in CSGO.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Was there a reason why that was though?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's not that Chad. Chad doesn't even care. Oh, you know that I'm on this episode. The real, what this really tells me is this. It's actually even worse. It means I'm just the last name on Moses Rolodex. We all have it, but we hire podcasts where there's that one guy, you know, we'll say yes tomorrow. If you ask like, see what you do is you wait till the very end.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I've got one for you. I've got a shit CS dad joke. I feel that I'm going to pioneer and master. So here's the shit CS dad joke. Do you know why Nico and Zonic really get along? Because if Nico's shown one thing in his career, it's no matter how bad things get, he'll never change his mouse. It's a 2016 joke, guys. You're off that shit. A really old school line of talk about mouse butts.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Everyone's like, crickets? What does that mean, Thorin? What does it mean?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
true true that's for the old school heads out there by the way though two things one this is also where i hate this thing i call narrative whiplash where one minute everyone's like this narrative and then they're like no it's 180 what do you mean i've thought the other thing bro we just did this whole thing for the last three years where the reason why i'll tell you another name that gets missed out mate if we talk about oh who could be using in-game leader now you look at teams that don't have a good in-game leader or they're using like a role swapped
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Yeah, I thought so.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
player if you say msn no it's worse than that bro people don't even allow you to say the word glaive if you say glaive you're an imbecile well here's the problem how can you tell me guys that zonic was proven to be a fraud and it means glaive won all those majors but then glaive's also a fraud which is why we had to kick him out of australis and it was everyone at the end it's just going to be divisive he's the one still playing half decently like you just get
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We're just going to steal all the narrative power from all these players. By the way, spoiler, it was obviously both of them and all of them and one of them. You know what I mean? It was like every team.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But no, no, we have to... Whoever losing now, we just wrecked Connie. It was just whoever wasn't him.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
A lot of people won't remember this, Yancor. Obviously, Liquid famously used to actually try and play like Astralis and just lose to them every time. Bro, Niko's face beat Astralis a bunch of times. Sometimes, by the way, with him as IGL as well. I agree. If you could actually play individually, that was the counter, the soft counter.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I don't think it helps that Vitality individually are also fragging the shit out of everyone. What's sad, Moses, is you just said it earlier. There's a million things you can talk about that you can talk about fragging. They do look way more disciplined. Their T-sides are unbelievable now. Their map pool's incredible. They must be working on it and studying all that shit.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But the problem is their firepower is so overwhelming. That's going to be the most obvious thing you look at. I have always thought in Counter-Strike, like all of esports, it's a follower industry. So whoever is number one and looks like they're sort of like setting the blueprint, people really treat it like the blueprint. They just try and copy it.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's why my prediction on Twitter is, if Vitality keeps just murking all these events without even having people get close, This next fucking player break, you will just get every team to watch the Mania again, because all everyone will do, like you're saying, is just get another skilled fragger, and the people will think that's the counter.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Which, look, it might be in certain cases, but it might not be in some cases. Yeah, I'm with you. Because I do think people have almost done a thing, and sadly, I think Mouse is the reason why... even though they could end up being the exception, who knows? At the moment, the success of Maus, I haven't heard a single person say, maybe Brolan is a good IGL.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
What we do is we look and go, shit, maybe the game is just about fragging. Like, that's what they do. Maus just frags in the game. The genius of Maus is somehow all those players can coexist and frag. I don't know that anyone thinks they're like geniuses or they're breaking the game down, the reads are that great.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Although I will say, I think sometimes I've seen some alright calls from Brolan, especially around like his own play or when he would go on T-side first or whatever. Looked like he had some alright calls. So I do think people have just decided CS2 doesn't have tactics, almost, you know. I think even you can add in some of the failed teams.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Think of, like, the team like Acadian or the snappy Falcons. People look at these squads, and I feel like in CSGO, those would at least have been alright teams, you know what I mean? They'd have, like, they'd have been able to do something. But it does feel like in CS2, they were just toothless, right?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, the real problem with Falcons, it's why it was so hard to battle that fan narrative, is they never ever could have done anything anyway. They had literally fuck all firepower. Like, they had no punch whatsoever. Yeah, they looked terrible, that's true, but... Even if they hadn't, like, the difference is, like, if we're talking about the G2 lineup now, at least they have firepower, man.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
At least they have one thing going for them.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, but that's even a fair point. If you run down all the top teams, every single one has a really good aggressive rifler. Even the newer ones that you added to the list. Bro, Senzu and Zantara is exactly what you're talking about. That's half of why these teams are so exciting now.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
We're never getting their points. The joke is at the end, we'll just wrap it. We'll do it next time.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I believe it was possible. It was implied they could have played their way. Like, a couple of them could have stayed, basically. I think the reason you're going to potentially keep...
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I think the opposite too. I'll give you an angle. If I'm someone like Nico, that's also a reason I want to join the team. Because, bro, what you're essentially telling me, Janko, is if Magisk or fucking... I'll give the two most obvious people that would get caught. Magisk or Degstra, if they play like shit this season, you're going to replace them. Bro, that's a good thing.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That means I'm not stuck with them for like three years. Actually, in that scenario, if I'm playing dope and the rest of the squad works... Maybe throw kicks out in there. I don't know what people want kicked from these teams anymore. The joke is it can't be Nico and Tessa, surely. They're the two that seem safe at the moment.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
In a way, I actually think that's a positive, mate, because essentially you're just doing a different mentality. And by the way, that even fits the spending strategy of Falcons. In my opinion, Falcons is just trying to be Real Madrid.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you don't know how Real Madrid do it in football, they just keep buying the most expensive players until literally it's almost impossible not to eventually have a really good team. It's true. If you buy one really expensive player, it could work, could not. If you just keep trying and they really are the best players in the world, eventually one of them is going to fit. You know what I mean?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Something's going to work. You're going to get a call. This is why this is a good actual topic to bring up. This is why, to bring it back from earlier, I don't bail on Falcons now when they haven't had the big results. Because, bro, this isn't last year's roster.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
This roster not only has something to it, like you see it in certain maps and certain T-sides, et cetera, but more importantly, they're like one player away now, guys. Look at the roster now. Like, Nico's really good. Tessa's fairly good, especially, by the way... Speaking of Astralis, if you were Astralis, mate, you'd chop your nuts off to get Tessus in your team right now.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That'll fucking fix everything. That'll be your dream that that guy joins your team. And then you go down, right? You look at the roster. Look, you can pick a few players I told you maybe you don't like in certain tournaments. If you were to swap one more player in Falcons, I think they could actually be like top five in the world, mate. I think they'd be really good.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Yeah, depending on who you get and who you're swapping out. True, true. But then again, you've got all that cash. Here's the other thing as well that people also forget, Moses. Here's the reason why you won't join last year's Falcons. Because they don't have the pieces. Mate, I would join this team to play with Nico. Now, he's even proven he can still play like that, mate.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, that's a really good magnet to have in your team to draw someone else into the squad. as well as getting 50 cam moves or whatever. That helps.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Why is there a comma coming? Where's this going?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Well, the other option, the other obvious option is if you can't get Modesty, just get 910. I think...
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Yes. That's going to be the big one. That's the question I have.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
So I have two things. One, I actually want to start by asking Yanko a question. Is he frozen? Here's the question, Yanko. Obviously, disclaimer, this is the part that will be deleted when they put the clip that makes Yanko sell the shoes. Disclaimer. I'm not asking for inside info or something you heard privately from this person.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I actually want you just as an analyst outside to say with your outside voice what you can tell me about this. If you read interviews with G2 over the last few years, and obviously I've known people who were in G2 and have coached G2, etc.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It was implied to me, Yanko, that one of the things they've potentially been doing the last few years is like warming up to the idea, maybe one day Hunter is the IGL of G2. Do you think it's plausible that could happen in the future?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He calls a bit CT and he does the pistols? Wasn't it implied he did some stuff like that?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, what you're saying there is also underrated. It's also now appropriate he's no longer anywhere close to a top player. So actually, the reason we all hate the role swap normally is when a really good player does it now, obviously twists, you're just like, bro, why do you need to do it? I think for Hunter, I'm with you, it would be the appropriate move in his career.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, one thing as well is, you notice on this, this is where I've changed. It used to be me saying crazy shit most. I'm like the bad friend who's setting up Yanko to just give all the quarters. He's given about five quarters already. It could be the headline.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
oh yeah the other thing i was going to say was um i actually think the most under get ready you know what my thing is i'm very predictable i do just have my own bingo card and shit i just want to talk about and i'll crawl by anything to get back to that point so in the same way as before i did you notice i actually made it go from like mentioning phase to a 30 minute phase session so we're going to do the same thing now about nico another player i love to wax lyrical about
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
which is I actually don't want people to look at G2 and go, wow, I guess Malps was overrated. Oh, no. The real problem is this. There is only one Nico. Put it this way. I'm not even joking. Donk couldn't do what Nico does. Now, listen, you can argue Donk frags in a way that maybe Nico can't. But, like, I actually think people don't understand.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It wasn't just, like, Nico's the GOAT rifler because he had the longevity and he was at the end of the gear. At the end of CSGO, I think he had actually, in the same way as we were talking about device before as an AWPer, he had mastered his role of semi-aggressive rifler.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He had actually mastered it because he not only would do it and could put the output, by the way, of, like, a dunk-type player, like a superstar player, but he could literally also do it. If you've never seen the most underrated thing ever about Nico and CSGO at the end is... He was also unbelievable at setting other people up. Like he was like flash assisting.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He would fucking call the mid-round that so clearly was his call for his play and what he was going to do. Bro, I actually think he'd mastered that role. And the problem with that is no one can do that. And especially Malbsey, who's young in his career, and he's just taking that. You can't ask him to do that. It's not possible. That's an absurd expectation.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And you just think, bro, we're talking about players evolving. As a star, he didn't do the IGL mistake. Bro.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
he used to be the god lurker if you went way back in the day you set up the game and Shoxy and Nico just fucking bait everyone else and then get all the kills that's how they play he actually became this like super fucking playmaker type figure and by the way this is why again it's not actually a diss to snacks I can do that separately later I actually do think what you really do see that's missing in G2 as well is those mid rounds bro that's here's the other
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
here's the other secret sauce guys you know when we all begged Nico after Dallas just become the IGL the reason he didn't is because he essentially got to still do like 60% of it as far as I can tell but without being labelled the IGL that's actually sort of genius like if you look at those games where they were doing those blast runs at the end of last year mate he was unbelievable if it wasn't for the fact Monty played with him he would have been like best player in the world or something he was unreal in those games
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, I think that's just what he- He also hasn't played that like, bro, he's only coming up on like a year almost. It's year one now. It's still not that long.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It's only if there's an emergency, you just ask that guy. I've got people like that too. It's all good.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, they were also fairly inexperienced. Obviously, the teams he was in, OG and Cloud9, weren't in loads of playoffs and stuff. He also hasn't had as much time to be in this type of position.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I'll give you a good example. Like, obviously, Flames is a very good player in CS2. Like, he's one of the best. In his role, he's really good. But I've always thought he's a perfect example of someone where on T side, it's dope. You want to play like that in your team. But on CT side, you have to be really careful with that player players. Because on CT side, he also just has ants in his pants.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
He's pressing fucking W and peeking all the time. So there's certain roles you just wouldn't put him on CT. It doesn't matter if that's like the fragger role. You want this guy in a position where you need the person who wants to peek or wants to rotate or something like that. I know what you mean. It's more like what your style is as opposed to your raw stats.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
People are acting like he can only play this one role. I would say, I'll just go the other way. I just, I just, the problem with this, the whole role sell thing is this. It's not that you can only play that role. So the most, the best example ever is if you take out a low fragging support, you don't have to recruit a low fragging support. That's obviously not a thing.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
In fact, some of the best moves ever have been, you've got to play that was a star before. But I will say this, you definitely can't do what fucking some of the pros do, which is they try to imply that like every good player can play every role. Bull shit. That part is nonsense.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, that's also where personality comes in. It also depends. Are you the sort of person that has the mindset, like a beginner's mind? You can start over in that role. You can forget the things you did in a different role. You don't need the resources. I also think that's why personality, I agree, it's key.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, the biggest problem they have is obviously they've got the ultimate death bracket. They've got like the two teams everyone thinks are the top two teams. So it's very unlikely that they can even make the final. And the worst thing is, even though in context, that's not actually the end of the world.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you look at this bracket, you're like, look, you did beat Spirit at like the whatever it was, like the fucking pro league. You beat them in like the fucking group stage. So it's not you can't beat Spirit, but it's very unlikely you're going to beat Vitality. I think you're all directly counted there.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
The biggest problem is this, Yanko, is the pressure on that team is going to be bonkers when they don't make the final of this tournament. By the way, round of six, almost the same thing as making the semis in this case. Because if you have made zero finals this year, and also at this particular tournament, by the way, they should just be thanking their lucky stars they got that group B draw.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because they played like shit, and that group was a bit sus. So I think they're in terrible shape. And if they don't make any finals, Yanko, and they go, first of all, the majors are going to have to be it. They're going to be on FaZe Clan status. And then even worse...
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
All those things we praised Blade for last year about the fact he could do it by committee and without a superstar player, that's all gonna be like erased and everyone's gonna just want a roster move. The pressure for roster move and that play break will be huge.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Was also before this your most reliable player?
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I will say, I'll let everyone behind the scenes, Yanko. obviously we do think that it's bullshit. We're obviously, that's implied, but because we're not saying it, we make you the fan look like the nutter. We're like, well, I'm supposed to be the fan.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, by the way, here's the best thing you can say about last year's Na'Vi. They were the team of the year, and yet I don't know a single person who would argue they had one of the top three players. I don't know a single... I don't know... Nobody, even the most biased... I don't know anyone.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Everyone agrees that the top three players were pretty set, and those were all the teams Na'Vi was beaten to in these fucking tournaments, and that's incredible. I do think that should go down as one of the historic accomplishments. It's very rare you ever have a team. Like, pretty swear... obviously, like, on average, they had a good team.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
But if you look at, like, who were their best players, bro, they came close to an era with, like, probably the weakest, like, best player. Like, who was the best player? Are we going to say it was Bates? Because, holy fuck, guy, every other team going in an era is, like, Prime, Elyse, or fucking, fucking, what, Device, Simple.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
plenty of examples in there so yeah but I'm really looking forward actually in a way to this other side of the bracket I've got one last thing quickly on Na'Vi which is one last thing that Na'Vi also has a big problem with I already noticed this is actually why I did a piece where I sort of called them to fall off for the major like one of the things I was even worried about at the end of their like prime when they were the number one team it's worse now it's bro their map pool has just gone to shit completely
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, first of all, it's not even guaranteed to win the Mirage. Like, that's not even a thing anymore. And then you look elsewhere on the map, well, bro, they just bleed all over the place. Like, think about this. Aside from Mirage, what can they even pick? Dust2? Good luck picking Dust2 and some of the teams that are in the world now. Spirits and Vitality will get you all day long, yeah.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Then you go and look. Nuke was already a weakness. They're ancient, by the way. It's nowhere near what it used to be. Anubis, they've tried to lean into. It's not quite working. There's only a few teams can make Anubis work right now. The Inferno always was just a bit short. Their map pool is fucking dry right now. It's really hard to get some angles on them.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, they would always have a permaban, so... They were always the one that used to give up the float to the other team with Vertigo, yeah.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Right now, if you look at their results, if they come to the final, are you ready? If they make the final, people are going to say they're better than Spirit. I'm telling you right now, they're going to be called the number two team in the world. But I'll tell you what, if they don't make this, that whole narrative falls apart immediately. Do you think that's a crazy claim?
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I don't know because... By the way, I actually think Spirit is the hardest team in Counter-Strike to analyse. It's why I don't really, besides what I say on Twitter, I don't really blame people who lost faith in them at the end of last year. The problem is, I've never seen a team which isn't... Here's the thing, you know normally when you have the 1v9 player, it's like the whole team's scuffed.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, no, what's sad is... For the rest of the team that aren't Donk, they do a really, really good job. Like, people do their roles in general. They're sort of underrated, even in certain positions. They definitely play as a team. They prep well. They have a nice map pool. The problem is, I've never seen, like, a top team still rely on one star that much.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Like, if Donk really does just have, like, a half-decent game... They did win this one the other day, but it's very rare they even have a chance. And he sometimes does have the Monacy thing, where he can drop the 80 frag, be all three and lose. And that is fucking crazy. So... The problem with Spirit always is if Donk wakes up and bangs his fucking wrist on the shower, you're done.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You're just cooked at that point already.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
The 9-10 factor.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Bro, to me, the ultimate example of the flaws of spirit is them winning the major. In theory, the best moment ever in their career is Janko. Because remember, when they won Karavica, everyone looked too good. It's like everything maxed out and no one knew them yet.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
When they won that major, I've always said this, Donk played the best statistical major ever, but he 100% would have lost the final if Magic didn't have the greatest game of his entire career. If that's what it takes to win it, bro, that's going to be hard to replicate. Spoiler, it's not going to be replicated. That's nonsense, isn't it? Come on.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Heroic in the final, right? Then you'll be like...
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, it was just about Apex talking about the format thing. By the way, two things on that one. That's actually also another thing that's going to be dope this year. Almost every event has Best of Five final. And obviously, look, nowadays, everyone's on my side because with MR12, it's just way more manageable. By the way, that even makes sense.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And I don't know how to feel about... I think someone's wire's loose or something. Check the wire on the back of the mic or something. Maybe someone knocked it.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, here's the bummer. In theory, we should want Maus to go to the final. But guys, you know I've already said, I think Vitality is going to be one of the best teams ever. The problem is if Mouse is number two, this is some Team Liquid Astralis shit. They're getting beaten every single time. Like that's going to be the most ass final ever.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you don't know guys, Vitality's sevens, he wrote them on the last seven maps. Like this is bonkers that they're that far ahead of the number two team or whatever. Yeah.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
It was closer this last time, but it was the ones before that that were like super dominant. This one was at least close. It was like they got double digits. Every other one before, they were getting like 13.6, 13.9.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, that was insane.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
If you don't know, that's actually what they did in Quake Live. Quake 3 duels used to be 15-minute maps. In Quake Live, it was 10 minutes. So it meant that you could do a best-of-five wheeze. You could win the 3-0s faster. And then a 3-2 is actually still a great game. So it's going to be awesome. I will say the obvious team that's going to hurt, but they're already hurting anyway, is Na'Vi.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I've now seen at least three or four teams over these last few tournaments do the classic move of like a noob. They've clearly done where you go to that HLTV page when it's the matchup and you go, their sixth best map is Anubis. Let's pick it. They beat you on that map if you pick it into them, by the way, like this is.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
like you can't this is like that's why I say it's like Astralis bro there is nowhere in the map Portugal they just beat you like there's no weak map in that sense it's fucking ZywOo and Ropz man I know like in a 2vX you're gonna win a million end game scenarios exactly like that isn't the map you wanna play is it I know
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
No, no.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, there's two other things as well. One, I actually remember something similar last year with Vitality. I remember there was a game where Maus tried doing the same thing. They punish picked Vertigo, but because it was still Vitality at super skill, they just ran over him. They just fucking direct him with shooting him in the head.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Because again, the map doesn't allow you great tactical depth. But no, I'm with you. That's actually also an underrated detail. Bro, if you're a Zewoo fan, this is how I know you're only a fan of Zewoo. If you're still telling me he doesn't have enough help. Bro, this is it. This is your dream.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
You know when 2021 happened, if you're an RV fan, if you're a Simple fan, that was the best year ever because it was like Simple was the best, but his team was cracked too and all the roles. That is your chance now. In fact, if Zewoo actually has, if Zewoo's going to be the GOAT of CS, this is the year you do it, mate. Like you've got everything now.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, I'll tell you a narrative. No one's even started up. Because sadly, this is another player that has a static career narrative that people haven't updated. Bro, if that happens, I'll tell you what is going to happen at the end of the year. Apex, in-game leader of the year. And by the way, it will be justified. People still want to make it. And also, he does all the silly things.
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Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Bro, I actually think his IGL game, I've told him, I think year on year, he just gets better and better. Yeah, he has been.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
They were the one that had the problems in the BO5s. But in some ways, I agree with you, mate. It's going to make it like you were saying about Cologne. It's going to be very hard to fluke event. I mean, like, pretty soon, if Vitality ever loses one of these BO5 finals, you must be good to beat them. You can't fucking trip over and do that.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
By the way, that's also the other thing, Zewoo fans. Look, I'm with you that year. When you had Masota and Kyojin, yeah, that is outrageous to expect you to win. Bro, last year you had Flames and Spinks. They're not bombs. And this year you have an unbelievable line of play. Even the stats don't even make sense this year.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think every player on their team is above a 1.05, including the bottom end. It's impossible.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Here's one thing I will say. One thing I will say is this. The real sad thing about the other side of that bracket is just that... none of the teams probably will beat Vitality if they make it there. That's the only downside. Like, I'll give you another one, which is... I actually do enjoy watching Eternal Fire play.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I think they are... Basically, if you're a fan of MMA, they're the team that just fucking brawls all the time. They're just like the guy who stands in... You say, like, fighting in a phone box. They're just...
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
fist fighting 24-7 but they have knockout power they can fucking kill some people the problem is they're also a team which people do think have issues in the playoffs if they make the finals I just don't believe I've already seen them play against Spirit and get murked I just think unfortunately Vitality would terrorise them so I wish that would be a better game because I want to get hyped for Eternal Fight by the way I actually think Mouse Eternal Fight could be a bang at semi-final if they both turn up and no one chalks it could be fucking sick it could be like an opening at CSDM the skill level would be very impressive the battle of two awpers better than Shiro
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
I'll give you even a quick obvious analogy as to why you want this. It's that you want to see the best team play more matches. Like think about this. Imagine if in the NBA, every time Michael Jordan's Bulls just got to skip to like the Eastern Conference finals.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
Well, you wouldn't have all those amazing like first round matchups and times when you just, by the way, even if it's just you rinsing a bad team, you want to, you
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
eSports started with pros owning noobs in public service that's still fun in a mad way so I'm with you I know what you mean especially because the one downside of this format it's actually why Janko's right the other thing they've also fixed is technically ESL for many years kept the first match of the upper bracket well in the group stage as a BO1 the problem was that did make it possible to make a fluke to the arena because you won the BO1 then basically you won one BO3 and then you were in the arena anyway in the round of six so there have been a lot of times when the third team's made it
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
That's the old flip-sided majors back in the day, just winning their best awards and qualifying for new reasons. No, it's the same thing with Fallen's Luminosity. Before they were good, they used to just win the two BL1s, yeah. I will say, it's better to have the BL3s, obviously. It's really hard to fluke it now.
Talking Counter
Episode 129: Featuring Thorin - CS dramas, should FaZe be panicked?, BLAST Lisbon and J.R. Smith
And you've actually just sort of nailed it there, true, which is nowadays you do them all in person. If you have to do it all online episode, I'm never in person anymore, am I? So yeah, I'm always going to be available. Don't worry, I'm not busy, not working or anything. You know, phone hasn't been ringing, what can I tell you?