Who are they? - NRG

You may be thinking, "NRG? I know who they are and I don't understand why this article is necessary," and look, we get your point.

But when was the last time you watched an NRG game?

You remember the old days with Brehze and Ethan, and you probably have a vague idea of the lineup now, but before Major it would be appropriate to know a little more about what we're about to see from one of the few remaining NA teams. They've undergone something of a renaissance since signing br0, culminating in their participation in the Major.

And they will most likely lose there. But they won't be too worried about it.

How did they get here?

NRG have been undeniable domestically.

This year alone they have won eight trophies in North America, including two seasons in the CCP and two in Fragadelphia. They are absolutely undisputed in their home region, beat NIP to win the first Frag, and picked up a bunch of VRS points in the process.

That was unthinkable last year, but the addition of br0 has propelled them into the North American stratosphere and made them a team to beat in this region. The big question is: "Is br0 really that good, or is there something different here?".

Who does what?

nitr0 is still running the game, but unfortunately he no longer participates in AWP. He's a decent enough IGL, but there's nothing special about him anymore (this is not a slight on him, he was great six years ago and very few IGLs from that era are still good, let alone reaching his level) and this team will probably be too unstructured to make it too far in Europe.

xotic is the one who has taken over AWPing, and while he has hit his stride in domestic competitions, his rating against top-50 teams is less than 1.00 in the last three months. The data analyst has informed me that this is "very, very bad." He's right - AWPers, while not as good as CS2s, probably need a slightly higher rating for a team to get anything at the international level.

Sonic is another familiar name to Counter-Strike fans, and he's gotten a bit more aggressive than the last time you saw him. He used to be an AWPer, then became a passive late round player who liked to hit back, but now he has a more aggressive lead. He's always been a good player who wasn't good enough to be a top player, but he's been in great form lately, though understandably worse against really decent teams.

br0 is the player who changed NRG's fortunes, and the answer to the question in the previous section is yes, he really is that good at this level. br0 is the highest rated team player against top-50 teams (1.16) from a more passive star role than Sonic, completing the star rifle duo. He has some great roles that he would never get in Astralis or Monte, but he uses them well in NRG. He's far too good for North American tournaments.

Rounding out the team is jeorge, who was a big promise a few years ago, lost his way a bit, but has found his place on this team. He's landed all the less interesting anchor and stalking player positions, and is doing a pretty good job. He has yet to become the player that was expected in NA when he was going crazy in Rio RMR.

Who to look out for

br0, quite simply. The other players are either not that good (xotic, jeorge most of the time) or are known (Sonic, nitr0) while br0 is showing a level we have never seen from him before and he is being given a free pass in this team. If NRG is going to win games, br0 most likely will.

We'll see why Astralis and Monte were only using him as a role player, or we'll see why Astralis hasn't utilized his talent very well for a while now. The br0 on this team is a completely different beast domestically, but we'll have to see how he fares against the top teams.

What are they doing well?

Judging by the numbers, they are very, very good at Mirage. br0 and jeorge both have over a 1.4 rating (jeorge has 1.47 in the last three months, being top A and lurker), and nitr0 is the only one below 1.3 points (1.03, but he is top B). It is worth noting that the quality of the opponents is far from what they will have in Budapest, but their comfort level on a universal map could be a major factor in getting wins.

nitr0 remains a solid anchor against good players, and is actually better rated than his AWPer (by 0.12, which is not insignificant) against top-50 teams. That in itself is a problem, but 1.08 is very solid for a solo anchor that doesn't have a defined role on the T-side by default (you could call him a "floater").

NRG does some unusual things on several maps that can be both a plus and a minus. In Tren, they often play three riflers in A with deeper AWP in Ivy, giving up some control over long sightlines in exchange for more mobility and flexibility. It's interesting, but there's a reason it's unusual: an AWP stuck in a place that often goes up in smoke and has to watch a couple of things at once (Ivy, Inferno, Olof) isn't the best choice for a cannon. In Dust 2, they rarely have br0 in the B direction, which nominally should be their place, which means they have extra numbers in the Middle direction for the Middle and A divisions.

How do you beat them?

We don't want to be mean. We really don't. But most of the teams here are more than capable of beating NRG without our help.

NRG is not the most "meta" team, which can be a big advantage, but usually only for a few games until you learn them. They may get a win or two, but in the long run, during the event, they are likely to be discovered and eliminated.

Also, they don't have enough firepower to get away with it. A team like Team Spirit can get away with being a bit lazy because they will outscore you, and Falcons would probably be better if they thought nothing of it, but NRG doesn't have donk or NiKo. br0 is a fantastic player in NA, but he's already played in EU and has been nothing but solid, and that's their best player. xotic will probably be the worst or one of the worst AWPs in Budapest, and jeorge has struggled mostly against stronger opponents.

They ban Ancient, and their Nuke is a weak card for br0 (their lowest score is 0.97). They have very few games in Overpass, and rely mostly on Mirage, Dust 2, Inferno and Train. Three of these cards are the ones you usually want to avoid in BO1 against an outsider, so there's a good chance they won't get at least Mirage or Dust 2, and then they'll have to play Nuke or Overpass in BO3.

Expectations

NRG's expectations aren't too high, and that's a very good thing. You're unlikely to see NRG in many Pick'Ems because they're not an 0-3 team. They should be a little better - they're better than the weak Brazilian teams and Rare Atom/The Huns - but we don't expect them to get past the first round or beyond.

However, when they are not expected to do much, the pressure is off and they can only surprise us in a good way.

Maybe br0 really is that good.