American CS2 Caster Moses Says NA Needs More Events To Find Its Next ‘Phenom’

The Counter-Strike Major will make a comeback in North America since early 2018. However, unlike back then when a North American team triumphed, it seems no current team from this region is considered strong enough to compete for the BLAST.tv Austin 2025 championship trophy.

Over the past few years, rising stars such as Danil “donk” Kryshkovet and Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov have made a name for themselves in the Counter-Strike scene. However, a similar trend isn’t apparent in North America. CS2 commentator, analyst, and former coach Jason “moses” O’Toole discussed with Gaming World Media about the current state of NA CS and what steps are required for the region to match up with Europe.

‘When Was The Last Time We Had a Phenom?’

For quite some time now, it’s been rare to see a North American player reach the elite level in professional Counter-Strike gameplay. At the press conference for the BLAST.tv Austin Major, Moses expressed his hope that this tournament could spark a resurgence of North American CS:GO talent and introduce more events in the scene.

What was the last occasion when a standout newcomer emerged among us? If you take a glance at the leading players in North America [CS:GO scene], you’ll see Twistzz and EliGE who have been active since 2015. It makes me ponder, despite the abundance of talent across the country, where is it being harnessed?

Moses emphasized a region similar to Mongolia, known for nurturing top-caliber teenagers such as Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold and Ayush “mzinho” Batbold, by remarking “if they can achieve this in Mongolia, we should be able to do the same in North America.” The previous coach of Team Liquid expresses that the North American (NA) scene lacks the proper structure to foster such talent, with the main challenge lying in discovering hidden gems.

In a peculiar situation, North American CS:GO players are anticipated to participate in top-tier European events, yet it’s challenging to identify these players due to the lack of similar events in North America. The Austin Major, I believe, serves as a remedy for this issue, injecting new life into North American Counter-Strike, bringing some tournaments back, and revitalizing the scene. This will help us foster local circuits, discover rising talents, and strengthen teams worthy of top-tier recognition.

It’s not just Moses who values nurturing talent in North America (NA). Jason Lake from Complexity emphasized the significance of remaining faithful to NA, arguing that the region won’t thrive if teams keep bringing over the same big names from Europe and other regions repeatedly. This issue isn’t exclusive to NA or Counter-Strike, as François-Xavier Deniele, Ubisoft’s VP of Global Esports, also highlighted during the Six Invitational that games can become obsolete without fresh talent joining in.

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2025-02-19 10:18