An update on the ATK CS:GO Squad

It didn’t take very long for the current ATK roster to galvanize and become a force to be reckoned with. The reintroduction of Sonic along with the acquisition of both oSee and floppy was almost seamless. They made the changes just two months ago but have already turned heads and taken names. 

The previous ATK roster which included the South African quartet had shown potential but in the end the decision to overhaul the roster was taken. Financially it must be a significant relief, the expense of flying players to and from South Africa just to renew their visas alone is a substantial one. I remember being told a rough figure to fly six South Africans to and from The States alone costs roughly R100,000. 

Biltong meets Jerky 

The two new bloods, floppy and oSee, had recently departed from Singularity to join the ATK ranks. floppy has been considered a rising star in the NA region consistently putting up impressive numbers. oSee has also been a hot prospect with his lightning fast AWPing catching a lot of people’s attention. 

There is a great balance in this team nearly covering all the important bases. Perhaps the one chink in the armour is the lack of experience but even that could be an unjust perception. JT and Sonic are now in a position where they can be considered experienced players where previously they’d have been looking to detrony and Elusive for that. Along with the input from coach TC I think they have the box checked. 

ATK hit the ground running getting off to a fantastic start with the new squad. They beat the likes of Riot Squad, Team One and Swole Patrol days after their first official together. It was clear from the start that this team possessed the X-factor required to be successful. Their natural chemistry is evident through the way that they play with a fluid, adaptable, game style. 

The big news

On the 8th of October it was announced in a report that ATK had secured one of the vacant ESL Pro League Season 10 spots. The previous ATK roster was actually the one that paved the way for their EPL birth. They’d made it all the way to the final qualification stage where they lost out to Envy, 3-1 (Including a 1 map advantage for Envy). Luminosity released their CS:GO team meaning they relinquished their Pro League spot, from which ATK profited drastically. 

They’d form part of a group alongside the monolithic Liquid, Renegades (now 100 Thieves) and Singularity. This was a huge step in the right direction, giving them an opportunity to compete against the best in the region and the world. 

Reaching the ESL Pro League was always one of the main goals for the South Africans when they set off. Of course this is a vastly different roster from the one that went across the Atlantic first but for the likes of JT and Sonic it’s remarkable. Their teammate floppy has also been grinding ESEA MDL for 11 consecutive seasons so it was a well-deserved opportunity. 

They got dumpstered by both Liquid and Renegades in their ESL Pro League matches, leaving them in a do-or-die match against Singularity. They were able to come out on top which has ultimately given them a second opportunity to qualify for the LAN finals. More on that a bit later. 

The culmination of their ECS S8 run 

ATK had also been competing in ECS Season 8 where they had some impressive results. Their first success was winning Week 2. In the process they overcame three different Brazilian teams including the illustrious mibr. Beating mibr caught the attention of many and probably gave ATK a bunch of confidence, albeit online, it’s a big result. They were eliminated from Week 3 by Complexity losing both maps 13-16. 

Week four brought a rematch against both Complexity and Liquid. Before that though was their game against eUnited which they won 2-1. After narrowly losing to the Juggernauts last time they’d have been confident of righting their wrongs on this occasion. They managed a 2-0 victory including a 16-2 thrashing on Inferno.

This secured their match against Liquid, who was fielding their coach adreN in place of their IGL, nitr0. The game had high stakes with the winner qualifying for the LAN finals in Texas. ATK had a golden opportunity to get a notch (with a caveat) up on one of the best teams in the world. They got off to a fantastic start winning Dust_2 in overtime but unfortunately lost the following two maps by fine margins.

They had one last opportunity to qualify for the LAN finals through Week 5 but again fell short. After beating Riot Squad they went up against mibr, this time round the Brazilians came out on top after a hotly contested Mirage. That brought to an end of ATK’s hopes of qualifying for their hometown event. 

Whats next? 

As mentioned they aren’t entirely out of the running to qualify for the ESL Pro League finals in Odense, Denmark. They were supposed to be apart of a group of four teams but Complexity were disqualified because of their recent roster changes. So that leaves them in the arena against Envy and DETONA with one spot at the LAN finals between the three of them. 

Their game against Envy is a tasty affair. It’s the team Sonic originally left ATK to join only to be replaced a few months down the line. Along with that the ex-Singularity players floppy, oSee and motm will play their former teammate, ryann. I’m sure there will be a point to prove. The match will be played on the 14th of November. 

A few days ago ATK played in the WESG Closed qualifier where they managed to come out on top of some solid opposition. Besting the likes of Envy, Riot Squad, eUnited and Ben’s Anime Team they earned themselves a spot at the regional final in Montreal, Canada on the 7th-8th of December. When I asked JT for a few words on the team’s progression over the past two months he offered the same sentiment as Sonic’s tweet.

“Honestly, we’re just really excited for the future and we all believe this lineup can make it to the top of CS:GO.” 

There’s no denying the insane potential of this team and with time I believe great things can be achieved. They’re currently on a rocket trajectory with no limit in sight, onward and upwards.