Team Liquid is not targeting another in-game leader to replace nitr0 unless a “mega” IGL becomes available during the player break, according to a report by HLTV’s vertical Dust2.us on June 12.
The report’s sources say Liquid isn’t prioritizing an IGL at the moment because it believes star CS:GO player YEKINDAR is more than capable to lead the team. Nitr0 retired following Liquid’s participation at IEM Dallas earlier this month.
YEKINDAR had already IGL’d during the BLAST Paris Major in May when nitr0 missed part of the bootcamp due to the birth of his second child before the event. The Latvian star led the North American team to a top-eight finish at the French Major, in which they recovered from a 0-2 start at the Challengers Stage only to breeze past opponents in the Legends Stage.
Related: Live Counter-Strike 2023 roster tracker: CS:GO signings and rumors ahead of CS2 release
Keeping YEKINDAR as an IGL makes sense as he always had a strong voice in Liquid since his arrival in July 2022. This move, however, will likely take a hit on the Latvian’s high individual impact over time as he’ll have to focus more on micro-managing and shot-calling than his aim and movement mechanics.
Should Liquid doesn’t go after an IGL during the player break, the organization could try to sign another high-level fragger to take away some pressure off YEKINDAR’s shoulders. Liquid is able to add another European player without letting go of participating in the Americas region during Major cycles and there are a couple of interesting options the organization could pursue in that sense.
OG’s aggressive Israeli rifler Shahar “flameZ” Shushan, for example, is exploring his options for CS2 and would be a massive addition to Liquid in terms of firepower.
Liquid has less than a month to find a replacement for nitr0 as the BLAST Premier Fall Groups will kick off on July 13 and IEM Cologne starts right after on July 25.
