Team Liquid, one of the leading eSports organizations, has completed the formation of its CS:GO roster ahead of the start of the new season. The main news was the addition of Robert “Patsi” Isjanov, who previously represented Team Spirit. His arrival marks a major change in the team.
Patsi replaces the legendary Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski, who is rumored to be headed to Complexity Gaming or Evil Geniuses. But that’s not the only roster update. That same day, Team Liquid announced the signing of Bulgarian Alex “Rainwaker” Petrov from Team 500. He takes the place of Nick “nitr0” Canella, who left the team.
Team Liquid CS:GO Roster Update:
Robert “Patsi” Isyanov started his professional career in 2016. He played for ESPADA, Team Spirit Academy, and the main Team Spirit team. He achieved his greatest success at PGL Major Antwerp 2022, where Team Spirit entered the top 4. During his career, Patsi has earned over $94,000 in prize money. Robert is known for his aggressive playstyle, which can be a powerful weapon for Team Liquid. This acquisition is aimed at strengthening the team’s attacking potential.
Interestingly, with the new transfers, Team Liquid becomes a European roster. This means that they will be required to participate in the RMR qualifiers on the European stage, where the competition is much higher. However, the organization is considering a clever strategy to maintain ties to the American region. For example, they could register coach daps or the still-under-contract nitr0 as a substitute for the tournament. Then, citing “illness,” replace them with a main player. In 2019, Cloud9 and HellRaisers used a similar approach to great effect.
The debut of the updated Team Liquid will take place at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023. The tournament will be held from July 13 to 23 in Copenhagen, where 12 teams will compete for a prize pool of $177.5 thousand, rating points, and tickets to Fall Final 2023. The update of Team Liquid’s roster is an attempt to find a balance between experience and fresh forces. Patsi and Rainwaker add aggression and flexibility to the team, and experienced NAF and YEKINDAR provide stability. Success in the upcoming tournaments will show whether Liquid has managed to build a team capable of fighting for titles in the new season.