Europe Minor - StarLadder Major 2019Europe Minor preview
With the Europe Minor leading up to the StarLadder Major ahead of us, we take a look at the eight competing teams and assess their chances at the tournament.
The Europe Minor will take place on July 17-21, with two spots in the StarLadder Major Challenger Stage, one spot in the Minor Play-in, and $50,000 up for grabs. To determine the best teams at the event, a format with GSL groups (BO1 opening game, rest BO3) leading into the double-elimination, best-of-three playoffs will be used.
Competing teams are split into the following two groups:
MOUZ, North and fnatic are three teams that are within the top16 of the world rankings and therefore the favorites to advance, but with NoChance being the only team outside the top 30, it won't be a straightforward task.
Group A
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 Özgür "woxic" Eker |
20 | 1.23 |
 Robin "ropz" Kool |
19 | 1.22 |
 David "frozen" Čerňanský |
16 | 1.18 |
 Chris "chrisJ" de Jong |
29 | 1.14 |
 Finn "karrigan" Andersen |
29 | 1.01 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
7-8th
|
 |
|
3-4th
|
 |
|
1st
|
 |
|
5-6th
|
 |
If there is one team that should be a lock-in to advance from the Minor, that is MOUZ. While the German organization crashed out of the Minor in January with their former lineup, the roster shuffle resulted in a new squad with very little in common with the old one, showing impressive consistency throughout their time together so far. Finn "karrigan" Andersen has led the squad to two Big Event playoffs and a win at a smaller LAN, DreamHack Open Tours, with a key point being that they have only been losing to established sides, not suffering upsets.
The Danish in-game leader admitted that losing the BO1 to Natus Vincere (who later eliminated them in a BO3), was the team's first disappointing loss, but even that one came against a strong team, featuring the world's best player MOUZ have been flawless against lower-ranked teams, with the exception of a recent online game against CR4ZY in the ESL One New York qualifier, which they lost 2-1. While CR4ZY are also placed in Group A and were the team to eliminate MOUZ from the previous Minor, building a narrative about the Europeans struggling against the majorly-Serbian squad is farfetched. MOUZ picked up a win on LAN over CR4ZY at DreamHack Open Tours, and even if they lose a match here by any chance, they shouldn't have an issue bouncing back and dealing with the other teams in the tournament.
Özgür "woxic" Eker is a player who is likely to go big against the field of opposition in Berlin, with Robin "ropz" Kool's style of play also expected to work well against teams who don't have all of the fundamentals set perfectly. David "frozen" Čerňanský and Chris "chrisJ" de Jong should be more of the "supporting cast" in MOUZ but have also had amazing performances, with karrigan's calling rounding out a team that could breeze through one of the most stacked Minors to date.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač |
23 | 1.23 |
 Nemanja "nexa" Isaković |
22 | 1.12 |
 Otto "ottoNd" Sihvo |
21 | 1.05 |
 Rokas "EspiranTo" Milasauskas |
18 | 1.02 |
| Nestor "LETN1" Tanić |
26 | 0.97 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
5-6th
|
|
Going the international route and picking up the former Imperial trio of Nemanja "nexa" Isaković, Rokas "EspiranTo" Milasauskas, and Otto "ottoNd" Sihvo have pushed CR4ZY in the right direction, helping them stabilize as a top20 team. As good as that is, this lineup has been together for eight months and is yet to truly have a breakthrough. Winning the United Masters League Finals, finishing 3rd-4th, 2nd, and 5-6th at the three DreamHack Opens they have attended, failing to qualify for a single Big Event, and having their shot at ESL Pro League denied early in the ESEA MDL playoff bracket are all mediocre-to-disappointing results that are starting to pile up on the back of CR4ZY.
The Europe Minor could be a do-or-die moment for the squad that features some of the most exciting players of Counter-Strike's second tier. Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač, the star player of the squad, has been putting up big numbers for years, EspiranTo is a raw talent that is starting to show form once again (1.17 rating over last month, online + LAN), while nexa is performing admirably while handling the burden of the in-game leadership for the team. The trio will be at the forefront of CR4ZY's attempt to finally take it to the next step and secure a spot at a Major.
CR4ZY have shown that they can take on the calibre of teams that are at the Minor and should have an upper hand in the matchups against Sprout and NoChance, at least making the playoffs. But what could cause them issues is their reliance on a fairly simple style of play and ottoNd, the team's AWPer, being wildly inconsistent. That spills over to a lack of consistency on a team basis, which means that you can never know when the squad will suddenly go missing. A one-sided loss to Spirit in the MDL playoffs after finishing the regular season undefeated caused them heartbreak in June, and matches like that can't be repeated if they want to secure themselves a spot at the next stage.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 Florian "syrsoN" Rische |
23 | 1.18 |
| Nils "k1to" Gruhne |
20 | 1.11 |
| Josef "faveN" Baumann |
19 | 1.01 |
| Sabit "mirbit" Coktasar |
22 | 1.01 |
| Timo "Spiidi" Richter |
23 | 0.97 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
3-4th
|
 |
|
2nd
|
|
|
3-4th
|
 |
|
2nd
|
 |
After being in the shadow of BIG for years, Sprout have finally managed to overtake their countrymen in the rankings, peaking at No. 19 a week before the Minor. As many teams in this range, though, they are not yet established or consistent in their achievements, which makes them a bigger outsider than their ranking might suggest.
Their most recent LAN outing in Dallas, where they put up a good fight against Vitality in a BO3 only to lose to Spirit two days later, shows that Sprout are still lacking something that could make them stay in the top 20 consistently. What makes their chances in Berlin especially slim is that they are in a group with MOUZ, the best team at the event, and CR4ZY, a team they have a 0-6 map record against.
A combination of a lack of preparation and burnout could also be an issue for Sprout, who are flying to Berlin after competing at the MDL Finals. However, not all hope is lost, as Sprout do have some strong pieces, such as rifler Nils "k1to" Gruhne, who has been in good form since he came over from Epsilon, and AWPer Florian "syrsoN" Rische, who has been doing damage for German teams since 2018 and will finally have a chance to display his skill on a bigger stage. If one of Josef "faveN" Baumann and Sabit "mirbit" Coktasar also step up to the task, the Germans - who the youngest team at the event (average age of 22.0) - will have a chance to pull off some upsets.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
 Mikail "Maikelele" Bill |
28 | - |
| Jesse "zehN" Linjala |
27 | - |
| Martin "STYKO" Styk |
23 | - |
| Kevin "kRYSTAL" Amend |
25 | - |
 Thomas "Thomas" Utting |
21 | - |
| Coach | ||
As the only squad outside of the top 30 and with no LAN matches played in the last three months, NoChance seem to be appropriately named, but a team with as much experience as this one shouldn't be written off completely. Four out of the five players have been at Majors before (a total of 13 Major appearances between them), with their coach, Jonatan "Devilwalk" Lundberg lifting the first Major trophy back in 2013.
Prioritizing the Minor over everything else saw NoChance skip out on other tournaments, and they did impress on their way to the Minor, going through the first open qualifier and beating Windigo and Heroic to make it to this LAN. However, their most recent online matches haven't been very convincing: losses to the likes of Nordavind, Tricked, and Aristocracy don't spell well for NoChance's hopes to progress through to the playoffs.
The European mixture will be banking on slip-ups from Sprout and CR4ZY in order to make it further into the tournament, all while relying on their two best fraggers, Martin "STYKO" Styk and Thomas "Thomas" Utting, as well as on Jesse "zehN" Linjala, who has found form in recent matches. The task at hand is difficult, but they are the team with the least to lose, which might end up working in their favor.
Group B
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye |
21 | 1.15 |
| Jakob "JUGi" Hansen |
22 | 1.07 |
| Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså |
24 | 1.07 |
| Philip "aizy" Aistrup |
23 | 1.06 |
| Nicklas "gade" Gade |
24 | 1.00 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
9-12th
|
|
|
3-4th
|
 |
|
7-8th
|
 |
One of the big dogs of Group B and the highest-ranked team at the tournament, North have been out of action for almost a month, passing on online qualifiers to focus on the Minor. Since the team refreshed their lineup with Jakob "JUGi" Hansen, and Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså took over as the in-game leader, the Danes have shown some promising signs, but, at the same time, haven't blown anyone away with their placings: 7-8th at DreamHack Masters Dallas, 3rd-4th at ECS S7 Finals, and 9-12th at ESL Pro League S9 Finals.
Looking at the positives, Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye has been stellar since the changes and now, finally, looks somewhat like the player that departed Astralis to be the main star in North. JUGi has also been delivering with the AWP after being invisible in OpTic, while valde has seen his output subdued since assuming the new role but is still able to put up respectable numbers.
The main question mark is valde's leading, though, as early into the lineup, North relied mostly on the CT sides to get wins, while the T sides were lackluster and easily readable. At the most recent event the team played, the ESL Pro League Finals in France, there were hints of North leveling up their approach on the offense, improving their map control and mid-rounds, but, then again, that ended up being their worst placing with this lineup, finishing 9-12 after BO3 losses to MIBR and FaZe, despite beating Liquid in the opening BO1.
While North have a solid base and a lot of firepower, they have not been as stable as, for example, MOUZ have over the last few months. That makes them a bit more susceptible to upsets, but they should still be a lock-in for the playoffs, with a strong chance to grab a spot at the Major.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Jesper "JW" Wecksell |
24 | 1.10 |
| Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson |
25 | 1.07 |
| Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin |
17 | 1.06 |
| Simon "twist" Eliasson |
24 | 1.01 |
| Richard "Xizt" Landström |
28 | 0.94 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
9-12th
|
|
|
9-12th
|
|
|
9-12th
|
|
|
2nd
|
|
The last of the big names at the Europe Minor is fnatic, who, unlike MOUZ and North, arrive in Berlin in abysmal form after finishing the last three tournaments in 9-12th place, killing all of the hype surrounding the team after picking up Ludvig "Brollan" Brolin and finishing second at StarSeries i-League S7 and IEM Sydney.
With that said, the competition at the Minor will not be Vitality and Astralis, who eliminated fnatic in Cologne, but teams that should be easier to handle. Dealing with domestic opposition is always tricky, especially in a BO1, but there is no denying fnatic has the skill and experience to beat both Ancient and BIG. Talking about the individuals, Jesper "JW" Wecksell has been impressive, and even the subdued Brollan and Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson are still putting in work, unlike Simon "twist" Eliasson, who has been uninspiring as the go-to-AWP of the team.
The worry for fnatic, however, is the mental aspect. Members of the team have admitted that they find group stage matches more difficult to play than those in the playoffs because they "shouldn't lose" those encounters and the pressure gets to them. Well, they are once again in a situation like that. First, they need to survive the group stage, then at least finish third in the playoffs in order to get the legendary fnatic name back to the Majors.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Denis "grux" Gutaj |
19 | 1.11 |
| William "draken" Sundin |
23 | 1.09 |
| Joakim "disco doplan" Gidetun |
23 | 1.04 |
| Alfred "RuStY" Karlsson |
21 | 0.99 |
| Fredrik "freddieb" Buö |
25 | 0.97 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
2nd
|
|
The Swedish side had a quick rise, qualifying for the Minor after coming through the open stages and finishing second at DreamHack Open Summer within a month of assembling the team, peaking at #20 of the rankings shortly afterward. Ancient feature William "draken" Sundin, Joakim "disco doplan" Gidetun and Fredrik "freddieb" Buö, three players who made a name for themselves in the Minor cycle under the CG banner before moving to Epsilon, where they were led by their current coach, André "BARBARR" Möller.
Unlike Fredrik "REZ" Sterner, who is now a mainstay in Ninjas in Pyjamas, draken and disco doplan were unable to nail down a spot in the elite teams of the country, and now have a chance at redemption, facing fnatic in the opening game of the tournament.
draken and co. would always be underdogs in the matchup, with Nicolas "Plopski" Gonzalez Zamora's departure to Ninjas in Pyjamas only making things more difficult. His replacement, Denis "grux" Gutaj, is an interesting talent with whom Ancient have a chance to upset someone at the tournament, but it is hard to see them go all the way, especially after recently suffering online losses to HAVU and NoChance.
| Lineup | Age | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz |
24 | 1.10 |
| Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş |
23 | 1.05 |
| Denis "denis" Howell |
24 | 0.98 |
| Tizian "tiziaN" Feldbusch |
23 | 0.82 |
| Fatih "gob b" Dayik |
32 | 0.81 |
| Coach | ||
| Placement | Event |
|---|---|
|
9-12th
|
|
|
5-6th
|
 |
|
7-8th
|
|
Things are looking worrying for BIG going into the Europe Minor. Just a glance at their latest results, which includes losses to Heroic, Tricked, and Virtus.pro, is enough to realize that the current squad is far from the team that finished second in Cologne last year and made it to the playoffs of the FACEIT Major.
Following their early exit at Moche XL Esports, Johannes "tabseN" Wodarz took over the in-game leader role from the legendary captain Fatih "gob b" Dayik as BIG decided to significantly change their style, with one of the main reasons being to make better use of Ismailcan "XANTARES" Dörtkardeş. Such changes rarely go smoothly, which implies that BIG were ready to write off two massive events on home soil, Cologne and the Major, in hopes of making the team work in the long term.
With the tactical side in disarray, the team will have to fall back on individual power, a department BIG have historically never been great in, and things get even darker without Johannes "nex" Maget or Owen "smooya" Butterfield. Denis "denis" Howell has not been inspiring on the AWP, while XANTARES has been a shadow of the player he was for Space Soldiers. With all of it combined, it is probably fair to look at BIG as the biggest underdog at the event, which could be the end of their Major road.
Filip 'NEO' Kubski
Håvard 'rain' Nygaard
Owen 'smooya' Butterfield
Nicolas 'Plopski' Gonzalez Zamora
Pavel 'COLDYY1' Veklenko
Ali 'hAdji' Haïnouss
Helvijs 'broky' Saukants
Keith 'NAF' Markovic
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