Nick J. February 27, 2020
With OG's top-notch performance in BLAST Premier's group C and ENCE's catastrophic failure at DreamHack Anaheim, ENCE is probably regretting their decision to let the young in-game leader go.
OG is maturing, and quickly. While Aleksib is young, he's clearly able to mold the players around him into a cohesive force. That trait is special, and there were flashes of Danylo "Zeus" Teslenko's fire in him during BLAST.
Somehow, the 22-year-old IGL has taken control of a team that has two other former team leaders on it. Both Nathan "NBK-" Schmitt and Valdemar "valde" Bjørn Vangså had things to say during their series' at BLAST, but Aleksib shut both of them down with a single sentence.
It's clear who's in control of this team.
Aleksib might be CSGO's next great IGL
Aleksib's stats aren't eye-popping, but they're right where you'd expect them to be on a team full of firepower. OG won't need Aleksib to frag, they need him to lead. Over the course of Premier's group C, he was consistently the first man in the door, all while showing off an understanding of the game unusual for someone of his age.
It's not just his performance in the server, either. Over the course of numerous interviews, Aleksib showed a maturity normally reserved for players five years his senior. It begs the question, "Why did ENCE let this guy leave?"
While fans might never find out the reason that ENCE parted ways with a player that could be the next great IGL in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, it's clear that Johan "N0tail" Sundstein and the rest of OG made a terrific choice.
The most recent rankings show OG slowly but steadily moving higher. They're currently sitting at number 16 in the world with showings at the ESL One Rio closed Minor qualifier and ESL Pro League next up for the international roster.
ENCE tumble as leadership woes continue
On the other hand, ENCE is struggling. The team fell six spots in the world rankings to number 17 this weekend after it only picked up a single map win across two matches against MIBR and Gen.G at DreamHack Anaheim. The roster lacked any type of solid execution in Anaheim and its members seemed unfocused.
It's a disappointing result for a team that made the grand finals of the Starladder Berlin Major. Aleksib's replacement, Miikka 'suNny' Kemppi, did not play well and found himself at the bottom of the scoreboard in both of ENCE's matches.
If ENCE doesn't show something better than what they've been putting up, they're headed straight for a ranking in the 20s. As of now, it looks like OG got the better end of the deal.
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