The MongolZ, a Mongolian team, is vying for global leadership. Not too long ago, such a claim seemed ludicrous, today it provokes moderate skepticism, but what will unfold in the coming months?
Just on the eve, the team triumphed at the major LAN tournament YaLLa Compass 2024, and a few days prior, they also emerged victorious at the less significant MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024. How did the Mongolians surpass OG, NIP, Astralis, HEROIC, and other illustrious European clubs – CSGO.com delves into this in the "Retrospective" section.
The Quest for the Optimal Roster of The MongolZ
The MongolZ made a mark as a strong player in the Counter-Strike pro scene in the spring of 2023 when they resumed their activities by signing the former IHC lineup. By that time, the Mongolian quintet had already proven their competitiveness in the Asian region by qualifying for the PGL Major Antwerp 2022 and IEM Rio Major 2022. However, their performances at the majors themselves left much to be desired.
The team debuted in the qualifiers for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2024 and immediately brought an in-game sticker to their new club. However, no miracles happened: in Paris, The MongolZ finished in second to last place. Despite such seemingly unsatisfactory results, the community was impressed by the Mongols' gameplay, as they fiercely contested strong opponents on every map.
Upon returning home, The MongolZ decided to make changes. Bart4k and ANNIHILATION left the team, and in their place, young talents mzinho and 910 were recruited. Later, in September, the club acquired 17-year-old talent Senzu from NKT, thus forming one of the youngest lineups competing in top tournaments.
By the end of 2023, the revamped roster left no chances for such local giants in the Asian region as TYLOO, ATOX, and Lynn Vision.
The MongolZ's Star Hour
The first glimmers of Mongolian prospects on the global stage emerged in December at ESL Challenger Atlanta 2023, where they practically decimated Complexity, considered the main favorite, and narrowly lost to Virtus.pro in the semifinals, who eventually became the champion.
The year 2024 kicked off with the qualifiers for the first CS2 major - PGL Major Copenhagen 2024. In Asia, the team secured their spot with a significant lead over competitors, but in Copenhagen, just like a year ago in Paris, no miracles happened. Nevertheless, this time, The MongolZ managed to advance to the Elimination Stage with some difficulty but were eliminated with a 0-3 result.
Deciding to keep the roster unchanged, the club made the right decision: the team won all four subsequent competitions in Asia, and at ESL Pro League Season 19 - one of the biggest tournaments of the season - managed to reach the playoffs.
June started for The MongolZ with triumph at the two LAN mentioned above tournaments in the introduction. While the trophy at MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024 could be attributed to a fairly mediocre list of participants, their achievement at YaLLa Compass 2024 cannot be overlooked. In Abu Dhabi, the Mongolians proved their superiority over Astralis and HEROIC, both of which are in the top 8 teams in the world, and also defeated several other strong European teams.
What Prospects Await The MongolZ?
The longstanding belief that the Asian region is the weakest in Counter-Strike still doesn't allow confidently stating that The MongolZ can compete globally. However, real facts and figures suggest that our hero's performance is not accidental.
The team has gone from forming the optimal lineup, followed by leadership in the Asian region, to gradual successes in international tournaments. The evolution of The MongolZ reflects a smooth trajectory in the HLTV rankings.
Nevertheless, bold predictions for Mongolian global leadership are being made by analysts. In particular, launders expressed the opinion that The MongolZ will undoubtedly be among the leaders in the next six months and is also an excellent contender to repeat the success of Luminosity and Cloud9 at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, both of which managed to win the major as dark horses.
Whether The MongolZ can secure a trophy at a top-tier tournament this year is a topic for good discussion. But one thing can be said for sure: the Mongolian team is one of the main discoveries of the spring season and deserves the close attention of competitive Counter-Strike fans.