Talking Counter
Episode 131: PGL Bucharest results, Falcons & G2, early results at the EU and NA MRQ, FURIA changes
Wed, 16 Apr 2025
moses and YNk- are Talking Counter while Chad and GET ANIMATED's very own Rushly123456 explore the Australian wilderness.Join our Discord to discuss the episode with other viewers, stick around for event watch parties and Talk Counter!discord.gg/talkingcounter00:00 Intro02:18 Falcons at PGL Bucharest18:30 G2 at Bucharest and beyond, CEO statement42:00 Mongolz and Aurora (ex-EF) at Bucharest46:43 the rest of the field at Bucharest (Liquid, FaZe, coL, GL, etc)1:01:00 EU AND NA MRQ’s, krimz out, Fnatic/GL eliminated1:14:30 FURIA -chelo +molodoy
Chapter 1: What were the results of the PGL Bucharest tournament?
Chapter 2: How did Falcons perform at PGL Bucharest?
Yeah, supposedly, unless Chad decides to go on vacation again. As you put it, Jason, he's somewhere.
Again.
Somewhere in Australia, right?
Again.
Allegedly having a good time, if Chad is capable of that at all. But yeah, we just didn't feel like really going for any guests for this one. I think we'll just focus on some of the bigger news and just wrapping up. Bucharest, I guess since both you and me were there witnessing it live.
Yeah, I know. And that's I guess that's where we should start. Because I know you and I were just laughing too. I like I don't I don't have any crazy fucking detail. Like I'm almost like what fucking happened at Bucharest? I think I'm still fucking exhausted.
did you even like what did you do you i mean you've had a day at home and now we're talking about it yeah i got home monday night um and then tuesday woke up played some video games did some chores around the house uh caught up in some things hung out with the kid most of the day um and then went out to dinner and now and now i'm here i woke up today did some chores and now now i'm talking counter-strike how do you get to play video games at home like
uh we have servants or nannies whatever you call them yeah my mom came over yesterday afternoon and hung out with the baby until until nap so i got some video game time there she was like oh yeah go take a nap if you need to go do some work and i was like i think i'll go play video games for like two hours so yeah i wanted that it must be nice yeah but yeah i guess bucharest
Here it's been amazing. It's been an amazing day. I spent the whole day outside. It was like 25 degrees. I don't know what it is in your Mickey Mouse numbers. It was great.
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Chapter 3: What were G2's struggles and successes at Bucharest?
And sure, you can talk about the first two days, but... You know, if you look at just the games after that, especially some of the T-sides on maps like Ancient, where they had to sort of come back against the Mongols in that 2-2 game in the Decider and win it. I don't know if... I think maybe even it went to overtime.
Yeah, it did. I think that third map was double overtime or single overtime.
Yeah, against FaZe, they had a great T-side, great performance against G2 as well. So really...
solid on that map and i think for me it's always you know in that sense the eye test which doesn't really look great for some of the other teams we'll get into that a little bit later but i think that's what gives you confidence if you're a falcons fan right like what you said they definitely seem to have clicked in some of these mid rounds you know and then post-plan situations there were a couple of rounds i mean
From the game against FaZe, I know I did one at the desk, you know, where they're slowly just sort of baiting Broky's shot outside of Cave, then Kikson spams him through wood from the outside, Altacis is baiting the shot, all the while Dexter is covering from wrap with the AWP, you know, the other side of side. It was just...
You know, looking clinical for them in a lot of these situations, you know, leading against FaZe, probably should have won that game 2-0 if it weren't for that one Kerrigan Tech 9 round, then it goes into a third map, they have a great first half, all of a sudden they're behind because they lose pistol in the first gun round and...
You know, just mentally being able to overcome that, too, I think is no easy feat. And they didn't do it by sort of yoloing it and calling some rushes or pops or I don't know what. They did it by playing default, you know, playing a little bit slower, sort of taking their time, letting the players, giving the players a chance to make plays. And they did, you know, all across the board.
Dude, Tess's was awesome for them, this event, I felt like. I felt like he probably hasn't gotten as much recognition, but I thought he played so well for them in most games. And even on Ancient, specifically on Ancient, I remember watching him, the way he would challenge B-Ramp and be that more active, aggressive, lurk style when it was called upon. I thought he did an excellent job for that.
So, I mean, that, that was cool to see, but yeah, that's a complete team, which was crazy coming into this event. I thought it would be a little bit more scattered. I thought it would feel a little bit more disorganized, but they've clearly, they've clearly put some, put some fucking work in.
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Chapter 4: What changes are happening with FURIA's roster?
you know, sometimes all you need is a win or two, right? To get back on track, sort of to remember that you don't suck. Like you can actually be pretty good at the game. And it feel like when that, it's almost like, you know, a dam broke after, uh, they were able to take down pain. Um,
which is a funny place for that damn to break as if like you were like oh fuck yeah pain that's a scalp yeah and i think also you know a lot of narratives again being talked about oh yeah they're just going to whatever attend this tournament and not care and monacy is coming in after the tournament so whatever you know you can see that they're not trying at all their heart's not in it it's like whoever thought that has no idea what they're talking about or
I guess it either doesn't follow any of the people involved or has no idea what it actually takes to win, man. It's hard to win in Counter-Strike, right? Even just a single tournament like they did just now, let alone to achieve and win as much as Zonic did, win as much as Magisk did. Even Nico, you know, in the last couple of, you know, winning Cologne and Katowice is not easy.
And you don't get it by, you don't get to that point where you win those tournaments by taking events off and slacking and anything along those lines. So those guys were giving it their all.
It also just took Apex 10 years to win Katowice or whatever it was, 11 years. Like that should be the first fucking sign for as many majors as he won like years ago even. And the teams he's been on, he's never been able to get a Katowice trophy.
Yeah, and I think – and also, okay, Dexter is going to leave. Monessi is going to come in. We still have five out of the six people closely involved with the team the same, right? Like that's not – Monessi isn't a magic sort of, you know, mulligan or some sort of a – he's a very good player, but if you have things fundamentally flawed with your team, he's not going to bail you out.
Like, yeah, you might lose a little bit less here and there, but you're not going to –
he's not gonna he can't win you the fucking trophies but he can make you look better than you are like he can overcome some of them but if there's there's a limit to his fucking wizardry exactly and the same thing with dexter you know people want expecting him to be sort of dejected and like you know whatever like hate being hate being hate having to play in this tournament you know when he's going to be replaced again
You have no idea how pro Counter-Strike works. Like, if you think that that attitude would have gotten him anywhere, no, it wouldn't. Like, this is also a guy who was going to be benched on that heroic team. So by the move to Falcons, even though Monessi was, you know...
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of the NA and EU MRQ results?
There you are, 9-10, bringing him back.
But, you know, so it's unfortunate for Dexter, but it feels like at least he went out with a bang.
Yeah.
It's kind of wild that he didn't get the MVP as well.
It's his first trophy ever. That's sick. Yeah, I mean, I couldn't be happier for him. That's sweet. And like I said, I would be amazed if he's not on a team. Like, I don't know. I feel like they're – I don't know. Can he still get into the major cycle? I imagine probably not at this point.
I think so. I mean, the Falcons – I don't know if he's a sub for Falcons. I imagine not. Yeah. But if not, then he's just not registered for any roster probably. And then he could be added, I think, in that May cutoff as a substitute. That's right. Or even now in April, I don't know if the submission for Austin was before the MRQ or after. In any case, he could still play at the Major.
And if not, if he's not on a team when all the dust settles around the Major, that'd be fucking insane. That'd be way too crazy.
yeah but yeah exciting times for falcons obviously with the addition of monessy now to the worst kept secret i guess yep not even not even really a secret although that i mean i was i was laughing when i was prepping for the final because i messaged you and i was like so this modesty is like done right like we go into this we're going into this major final cast like expecting to like have this storyline be that this deal is done he's going there am i gonna sound like a moron if this gets cancelled
Um, yeah, I mean, I don't know. It was a weird one because it was like official and 99% of the ways, except for the organizations actually confirming it. So it felt like very weird going into having, having the conversation and cast and on desks that the deal was just done. I was like, I don't know why we aren't just saying it's done.
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Chapter 6: How will the recent roster changes affect G2's future?
I'll let you find it. Well, I just, uh, talk, give my impressions about the final and I agree with you with pretty much all the stuff you said. Um, when, when you watch them play and, you know, for example, in, in bookers and I said this coming into the final, I don't think they were really tested. Um,
up until the grand final because they played uh complexity two times rare atom gamer legion gamer legion in their opening game and then vertus pro who was struggling at this tournament for some reason but they never played you know they didn't have to play falcons or uh phase and
who have experienced players, who have big game players, guys who are going to know how to stop the things you like to do the most, teams that will know how to prepare against you. They don't even have to play like an Aurora or the Mongols or anything like that. And their T side is just what works best for them. is first timing plays, right?
Like the first thing that they try to do, whether it's a quick opening for someone or whether it's them grouping up, like if they can get to do that, not get blocked or something and proceed with that plan, it's like that's their best chance of winning the round. But if that gets blocked or stopped and then they're forced to adjust in the mid-round, it does not look great.
That's where they start to struggle to organize themselves. The timing seems off. The calls don't seem as great. They can play slower rounds, but slower rounds that are more set is where they have success. What I mean by that is, okay, they will...
do mirage and they will throw you know top mid window smoke and then they will uh you know one guy will go from underground the re-smoke window they'll smoke uh top con right molly con make sure they've cleared all that and then they'll do like a b split you know and that's looks sort of it's like a default with an ending on b but you can pretty much call that round from freeze time As well.
Yeah.
And I think that's like the thing when you talk about eye test and you're watching and playing, this is just looking a little bit. And it also sometimes feel like they have too many things in their playbook when you watch them play. Because, you know, in a half of Mirage, you know, they would do so many different things.
But then it doesn't feel as connected maybe, you know, where you're not conditioning your opponent as much. You're just doing a lot of different things, which I guess makes you unpredictable, but also makes it harder for you to be consistent.
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