This is the second major LAN without Nikola Kovač for the Samurai, and from their play at ESL Pro League S21, it’s clear that the team has not yet recovered from losing such a high-class player. According to various interviews, absolutely everyone is trying to take on the role of second caller, and there are even rumors that m0NESY might become a full-fledged IGL. The G2 sniper sits in the middle and communicates much more actively with the team, which is most likely seen as a necessary measure and Ilya’s own initiative, who doesn’t want to remain silent when he understands that something is going wrong. Fortunately, such active communication doesn’t affect his individual gameplay, but it’s clear that the team desperately needs good calls. For the attack, where they can improvise more and rely on pure skill, the Samurai are doing quite well, but in defense, where more coordinated actions are required – it’s close to a disaster.

Obviously, these problems won’t disappear in two days, and they will face the quite cohesive MOUZ, who are on an emotional high after winning the previous tournament. The solid slap from Vitality made them realize that not everything is rosy and they should continue working, which they showed in the very next match. Nevertheless, this team is quite young and heavily dependent on a good start. Also, the Samurai will have a clear advantage in the sniper position, and if malbsMd activates in this match, the Mice could experience serious problems. The individual potential of G2 players is too high, so they should never be written off.

In this match, we see a slight advantage for G2, 60 to 40.