The Counter-Strike community was left in disbelief when HLTV broke the news that Team Liquid is contemplating the decision to sideline their in-game leader, Casper “cadiaN” Moller.
The previous VALIANT leader has only been with the organization for half a year, and despite facing more challenges than expected during this time, it is quite unexpected that they are contemplating replacing CadiaN, considering his impressive history.
Now that the secret is revealed, it seems prudent to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of potentially benching the experienced Danish player. As an 'in-game leader ', CadiaN plays a crucial role in strategizing and guiding the team during matches. His potential sidelining could significantly impact the team's gameplay and overall performance, making it important to determine if it is logical for Liquid to part ways with him.
The Players Are Not Fully Embracing CadiaN’s System
Despite cadiaN's presence in the Counter-Strike community for more than ten years, it was only when he joined HEROIC that he truly started to establish his reputation.
As a symbol of power on the HEROIC lineup, he completely revolutionized the team from a consistent second-tier contender who would occasionally challenge the top-tier teams to one of the most formidable teams in the world. The online era definitely played a role in facilitating this progress, but HEROIC managed to maintain its position at the top even after LAN events resumed, largely thanks to cadiaN's contributions.
cadiaN's approach was truly groundbreaking and injected fresh energy into the concept of an AWP in-game leader. His unique leadership style, adaptability, and proactive approach were instrumental in HEROIC's rise to the top. It's important to recognize and appreciate these qualities, as they might be lost if Liquid decides to part ways with him.
Nevertheless, CadiaN became extremely adept at overseeing his teammates and frequently took charge to make daring moves that propelled them forward when necessary. This was an extravagant opportunity that CadiaN was never going to experience while playing alongside Mareks "YEKINDAR" Galinskis and Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken. It's an extremely challenging leadership approach to deviate from.
As Nohte, a writer for HLTV, pointed out in a tweet featuring a snippet from a recent interview with Keith "NAF" Markovic, the Canadian player mentions that the team has not wholly bonded yet.
In his response, NAF suggests that cadiaN should work on fostering an environment of trust and giving his teammates the freedom to express themselves. CadiaN needs to understand the preferences and strengths of his teammates, considering the team has been together for six months. This situation seems like it could be better.
NAF mentions that Liquid should adjust to its caller and leader, which raises the question of who should adapt in the future.
Naturally, cadiaN cannot anticipate micromanaging an international team in the same manner as he did with a Danish team. That is not an inaccurate observation. However, his system, whether with or without micromanaging, requires complete buy-in from the team. If Liquid refuses to embrace this fully, it will invariably face failure.
Conflicts for Control
Twitter is a reliable source for finding a wide range of opinions and reactions to roster moves and rumors, and the cadiaN rumor is no exception.
There is much speculation surrounding a potential power struggle within Liquid, possibly triggered by the previous conflict between YEKINDAR and former captain Nick "nitr0" Cannella that occurred around this time last year.
This concept of a battle for control stems directly from the preceding point. It would be highly undesirable if the players fail to embrace cadiaN's system, and even worse, if there is someone actively attempting to undermine him and seek an alternative. This power struggle, if not resolved, could lead to a significant decline in the team's performance and overall morale.
In the tweet mentioned, Mauisnake attributes the probability of this situation to YEKINDAR and the team's coach, Wilton "Zews" Prado. According to his tweet, if there is a conflict arising from the actions of either of those individuals, cadiaN is not the appropriate person to bear the consequences.
There's no doubt about the significance of zews to Twistzz. The way Twistzz communicates with the legendary Brazilian in this video clearly demonstrates that. However, when it comes to professional performance, it's evident that this is different from the Zews who initially coached Twistzz on Liquid.
It's quite unusual for Zews to have been teamless throughout their time apart, but given Brazil's intermittent successes during that period, Zews has not been involved in any of them. That is, of course, unless you consider Fluxo's remarkable performance in the BLAST tournament. The Paris Major tournament showcased Adriano "WOOD7" Cerato as the team's main AWPer, a challenging role that undoubtedly tested his skills.
That doesn't mean Zeus is an inadequate coach. Still, it will be challenging to come across another in-game leader (IGL) who possesses the same exceptional leadership qualities as cadiaN.
If YEKINDAR is the source of the power struggle, let him go. It was somewhat understandable, given the roster Liquid had a year ago, but his time at IGL demonstrated that he should not be challenging anyone in terms of leadership. And that is not the only problem with YEKINDAR either.
Underwhelming Displays
YEKINDAR has been underperforming for quite some time now. He is no longer the daring entry-fragger who made a splash when he joined Virtus. Pro, and it seems unlikely that he will ever reach that same level of skill again.
Latvian has held a 5.9 rating at S-tier events in the past six months. Despite the fact that he may no longer be considered the central star by Liquid due to the addition of Twistzz, this performance still needs to be improved.
Similarly, skulls, the Brazilian player, has achieved a 5.8 rating in an equivalent duration of time at S-tier events. Despite receiving limited resources compared to his teammates, his T sides have been solid, significantly surpassing other players in similar roles.
Considering this, it's difficult to argue that cadiaN has been given a fair opportunity to lead this team, primarily when the team is barely functioning as a cohesive unit. Naturally, with a rating of 5.8, his performance is subpar, particularly for an AWPer who also takes on the IGL role. However, this lackluster performance becomes more comprehensible when considering potential internal conflicts.
Liquid is competing with only two players against an entire team of five, and they lack a proper strategy. This makes their recent playoff performances genuinely astonishing. cadiaN bears some responsibility in this situation, but think about the potential if the players are fully committed and skullz and YEKINDAR performed at the level expected of a player worth $600k and a former eighth-ranked player globally.
Insufficient Alternatives
Now, let's address our last point - the noticeable scarcity of viable substitutes for cadiaN in both the roles of an AWPer and an IGL.
Of course, it is possible to acquire someone's contract from another company, but the question remains: who will you bring on board? Is that Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek? Slim possibility. Is that Damjan "kyxsan" Stoilkovski? We're still determining his level of willingness, given that he has only been a member of HEROIC for six months.
Even if you manage to acquire one of those two players, the problem of requiring an AWPer persists. Liquid may have to spend a fortune to acquire Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev and demonstrate the cyclical nature of time, but the chances of that happening seem unlikely. Apart from his unavailability, the market for AWPers appears to be as empty as the market for in-game leaders.
However, finding suitable replacements for players such as skullz and YEKINDAR would be a much simpler task. Alternative options may not immediately meet the high standards that Liquid desires, but it is evident that they have the potential to reach that level. Their current performance would probably stay consistent with Liquid's current level with these five players.
This is the primary rationale behind the illogical decision not to include cadiaN in the lineup. If cadiaN were to be benched, it would necessitate benching two other players as well. Additionally, since this requires the implementation of a new system, it would reset Liquid's progress back to the beginning.
We understand the potential justifications for benching him, but someone in management must acknowledge that not all of them are legitimate. cadiaN was recruited due to his outstanding leadership skills. However, making the hasty decision to let him go without allowing him the opportunity to showcase his leadership abilities is a questionable choice that may have negative consequences in the future.