Team Liquid decided to make huge roster changes last month. It all started with the benching of cadiaN but it quickly became obvious that the transformation would not stop there. The coach zews left the team just one week later. Then, on July 9, skullz left the club as well.
This created a tough situation for Liquid because it’s never easy to rebuild your roster, especially if the missing pieces include the IGL, the coach, and the AWPer. But in the last several days, the organization made three different announcements and let its fans know who the replacements were. One of them is ultimate, a 20-year-old Polish AWPer.
But who is this man? Has anyone heard of him until now?
Ultimate’s Results
Welcome @ultimatecs_go to Team Liquid CS 🇵🇱
We believe that this young, aggressive AWPer is ready to prove himself and will compliment the other players on our roster with his playstyle.
Welcome to the big leagues, Roland🎯 pic.twitter.com/78j9nNrHlD
— Team Liquid CS (@TeamLiquidCS) July 12, 2024
Ultimate used to play for AGO esports back in 2022. He also played for Illuminar Gaming for three months before joining Liquid. But these teams are relatively insignificant and he didn’t even win anything with them, not even a C-tier trophy.
It remains to be seen what ultimate can do against world-class opponents who are 5-10 years older than him and vastly more accomplished. At first glance, it’s hard to give him a chance to thrive. It’s also hard to explain why an organization would drop cadiaN so quickly only to replace him with total unknowns.
This move looks very random and generic. Liquid are currently ranked 14th globally. Before cadiaN, they were not even in the top 30. Presumably, they changed cadiaN, zews, and skullz because they wanted to become a top five team again. But if that’s the case, why didn’t they sign players who can realistically get them there?
Ultimate, at least until he proves himself, does not look like an upgrade for the roster. He looks like a major downgrade. It will be interesting to see him cooperating with the rest of the crew and especially with players like Twistzz, whose career results are phenomenal.
In the months ahead, Liquid will be severely tested. Unfortunately, they will not compete in Esports World Cup 2024 because they weren’t able to qualify. But they will compete in other tournaments, such as IEM Cologne. This event is scheduled to take place just three weeks from now.
Until then, Liquid will need to find a viable strategy and train in new ways. Let’s not forget that the coach was also changed, which typically leads to massive innovations. Whether these changes will prove to be successful or not remains to be seen.
Header: Team Liquid
