Attax and Heretics show that the talent gap in Europe is closing

A match between Counter-Strike: Global Offensive teams Alternate aTTaX and Heretics shows how some upcoming talents in Europe are threatening to overtake the region’s best.

Competitions like BLAST Rising and WINNERS League Season 4 are showcasing some of that top talent every day. When Alternate aTTaX faced off against Heretics earlier this week, few thought that the matchup would be a barnburner. It turned out to be one of the best CSGO matches we’ve seen this year.

There are matches that are exciting because fans get to watch their favorite team, but as Astralis returns to its dominant form, top-tier CSGO can get a little stale. For example, while Astralis’ two map smackdown against Vitality at the European Road to Rio grand finals was fun for the teams fans, wasn’t any exciting Counter-Strike to be found there. Even the game’s own casual players will agree that beating a team 16-2 doesn’t leave them nearly as satisfied as a 16-14 nailbiter does. Winners

Alternate aTTaX versus Heretics showcases Europe’s strong tier 2 scene

Alternate aTTaX and Heretics went the distance, starting off their matchup with a 16-14 romp on Dust 2 that saw more highlight plays from the losing team than it did the winning one. While Heretics would take the map by two rounds 16-14, aTTaX players like Sabit “mirbit” Coktasar and Stefan “stfN” Seier would impress with solid plays throughout the series. Here’s one from mirbit, despite finishing at the bottom of his team’s scoreboard as Alternate aTTaX dropped Dust 2, pulled off a calm anti-eco ace.

Sure, Heretic’s member did peek the long corner one by one, but any CSGO player will tell you that situation can end with mirbit’s death more often than not. But it wasn’t just Dust 2 that saw these squads showcase solid play. 

While the next two maps weren’t nearly as close as Dust 2, fans got a dose of how teamplay should function in CSGO. In this next clip, aTTaX’s Robin “Scrunk” Röpke held a forward position on long, taking out three Heretics members. But that’s not what should impress viewers. As Scrunk takes his third kill with his last bullets, watch the map as mirbit comes up long to support his teammate from behind in a support rotation that starts before mirbit even fires his first bullets.

Heretics would go on to lose the final two maps, but play from both sides impressed. Fans of solid and competitive CSGO might want to tune into these upcoming teams battling it out if they’re getting tired of Astralis rolling over the competition every day at the game’s top level.

Players like those powering Heretics and Attax towards the upper echelon of the game are worth taking note of now. They’re the new faces that you may seem them in the grand finals of a major next year.