MIBR’s European region switch isn’t working as team implodes

MIBR’s switch to the European region for ESL One Cologne hasn’t gone exactly to plan.

When news came through that Brazilian Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team MIBR planned to switch to the European region to compete in ESL One Cologne, many fans were confused. MIBR had been struggling in North America, most recently at CS Summit 6, losing to both FURIA and Team Liquid in miserable fashion. While Europe’s Regional ESL One Cologne theoretically represented a greater chance for the struggling organization to make it through, no one imagined just how hard MIBR would crater in their first outing abroad.

MIBR’s roster, led by CSGO’s Brazilian godfather Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, put up one of its worst performances in years during the team’s opening Cologne matchup versus G2 Esports. MIBR lost 2-0, dropping Inferno 16-2 before a marginally better 16-4 loss on Vertigo sealed the deal.

If there was a standout player at all on MIBR’s tired roster, it was Vito “kNgV-” Giuseppe with a whopping 0.91 rating. On the other side, G2 completely dismantled MIBR, with each player posting a rating higher than a 1.00 average. Nemanja “nexa” Isaković pulling out all the stops with a  41-15 total scoreline.

MIBR melts down on Twitter as team struggles with EU region move

After the match, Chaos Esports Club took the opportunity to rib MIBR over its miscalculation. In its reply, MIBR took things arguably a step too far, calling out Chaos’ players and eliciting a response from Chaos’ in-game leader Joshua “steel” Nissan.

The exchange quickly degraded into a war of words, with MIBR fans clogging the tweet’s replies with personal attacks against steel.

Neither Chaos nor steel are unfamiliar with the particular vitriol that MIBR fans can throw their way. A recent altercation between Brazilian ESL partner Alexandre “Gaules” Borba saw hundreds of MIBR fans flood the mentions of young Chaos star Nathan “leaf” Orf after Gaules publically accused him of cheating on during a match between the two teams at CS Summit 6. That outburst earned Gaules a reprimand from ESL itself, painting MIBR’s fanbase in an unflattering light.

Read more about ESL’s public statement regarding Gaules’ cheating accusations here.

It looks like MIBR’s initial foray into the European region could have been a teste to see if the team could have an easier time qualifying for the ESL Major in Europe’s expanded region, but it’s not looking so hot for what may not even be the third-best team in Brazil at the moment.