Team Liquid is a professional esports organization that was founded in the Netherlands in 2000. In 2015, they announced that they would be coming up with a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division. Nicholas “nitr0” Cannella is the longest-tenured member of Liquid. He joined the Counter Strike Global Offensive roster in 2015.
The 24-year old, who has played multiple roles during his time with Team Liquid, took to Twitter to confirm the news that he is stepping down. He led the team to a win in the second season of the Intel Grand Slam, securing the $1,000,000 prize pool in a record 63 days, with victories at IEM Sydney, DreamHack Masters Dallas, ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals, and ESL One Cologne in 2019. As internal conversations to look for a replacement began, he decided to step down.
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New member in the Counter Strike Global Offensive roster
Team liquid announced on Twitter that Michael “Grim” Wince will be the newest addition to their roster.
“We can confirm that Grim will be starting for Team Liquid at DreamHack next weekend,” Team Liquid said.
We know the news today in cs has taken people by surprise, and we don't want to leave anyone in the dark – but, we just need a little more time to make sure we do what's right by our players and the community pic.twitter.com/b2ANuVPON3
— Steve Arhancet (@LiQuiD112) July 29, 2020
The North American team has brought in Michael “Grim” Wince from Team Triumph. The 19-year-old has been a sensation, averaging 1.34 in the last three months. The reason for this roster change could be the recent performances. Team Liquid won only one CS: GO tournament this year. They are the 8th best team in the world. Even though Liquid is leading the North America Regional Major Rankings for the ESL One Rio Major in November, they will lose out on 20 percent of points because of the roster change.
The reason for this change could be that Liquid failed to replicate the success they have enjoyed, finishing 3rd in cs_summit 6 to re-enter the top 10 in the world rankings, before the player break. Nitr0 also took to Twitter to confirm the news of him leaving the team after having spent 5 glorious years, playing multiple roles.
Until next time, friends.
— Nick Cannella (@nitr0) July 29, 2020
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Why Michael “Grim” Wince?
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He has been playing since 2017 and has mostly played tier-two North American tournaments. But, Grim has had a wonderful year even though he isn’t a part of a top team in 2020. His run against MiBR, Evil Geniuses, and 100 Thieves in BLAST Premier Showdown and cs_summit 6 got him a lot of recognition. His performances qualify him as a starting member for Team Liquid at the DreamHack Open Summer appearance, set to run from Aug 8-16.
However, this has been considered a very controversial move. While Grim’s performances have attracted a lot of attention and he does have a bright future ahead, NitrO is held in high regard for his role as an in-game leader (IGL), which actually makes all the difference. An IGL has a huge impact on the team and is important for the overall growth of the roster. His replacement could be a reminder that the team was struggling under his leadership. This could prove to be the tactical move the team needs to win big tournaments.
