4 years, 9 months and over 15 roster changes have passed since the last time emblematic Counter-Strike organization Team Liquid won its last trophy by besting FURIA in the cs_summit 8. Throughout this time, the team’s management’s efforts to seek change and get back to the level of consistency and success of that Grand Slam-winning lineup, however diligent, have proven unsuccessful. Through big signings like FalleN and YEKINDAR, re-acquiring legends of the team like nitr0 and Twistzz, and even taking chances on players like oSee, Grim, Rainwaker, Patsi, and signing veterans like shox and cadiaN – it’s safe to say that Liquid pulled off multiple roster moves in pursuit of finding consistency.
Fast forward to the start of 2026 and Team Liquid is, once again, standing on shaky legs. Regardless of the return of one of North America’s greatest players – Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski, and the prior acquisition of ex-MOUZ In-game-leader Kamil “siuhy” Szkaradek, and star rifler Guy “NertZ” Iluz, the only top 4 placement that the team has seen in a big event in the last 6 months was at the FISSURE Playground Season 2, and event that took place right before EliGE’s arrival.
After bombing out of Stage 3 of the StarLadder Budapest Major in a 0-3 fashion many believed TL to be one of the teams looking to shake their roster up during the player break, but contrary to public expectations – nothing happened. Entering 2026 with the same 5-man-lineup that finished off 2025, siuhy & co. showed some promise during the online stage of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1 by besting both Ninjas in Pyjamas and Gentle Mates, and making their way onto the LAN finals in Malta.
Sadly, regardless of putting a good fight on Nuke, they ended up getting bested by Falcons in the Quarter-Finals, which put an end to their run, and followed up by getting just one win against NIP at IEM Krakow 2026, and exiting the event at 9-12th after losses to both G2 Esports and FUT.
With all of this in mind, it feels more than fair to say that Team Liquid is not where it wants to be, and some changes may very well be in place, and throughout this article, I will give you my opinion on Liquid’s problems, and what could be the potential solutions to these struggles.
Current roster – Who to keep?
In the heart of most great Counter-Strike teams stands a strong duo of an In-game-leader and a coach that share a vision, or at least a direction towards what a team should look like. In that aspect, Liquid has tried multiple different combinations over the years. And all the changes have led to ex-MOUZ, GamerLegion, and MOUZ NXT captain – siuhy, as well as ex-NAVI analyst – Viktor “flashie” Tamas Bea. As far as the choice of an In-game-leader, the 23-year-old Pole still has a lot of playing career in front of him. With 6 Majors under his belt, and three Major playoff appearances, siuhy has already become one of the most experienced young captains in the game, with the potential of becoming not just a good, but a great leader. Putting someone as young, yet well drilled in big games at the center of the project may have been one of the best decisions Liquid has made throughout the last couple of years, and as much as siuhy’s far from the level of the best in his position, he still has plenty of time to learn and develop.
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In terms of the coach, flashie might be much more of a “gamble”. And still, after working with one of the greatest coaches in the game’s history – B1ad3, on NAVI, and being an ex-professional player, and In-game-leader, the Hungarian definitely has the strategic approach and in-game knowledge required to be where he is, even though learning how to manage an entire team, and being the person in charge of the mentality and atmosphere on such a big team requires a lot of skills, far different than simply having CS knowledge. I would still say that with just 7 months on the team, flashie has much to learn, but the idea of such a fresh and young IGL-Coach combination excites and makes me believe that this duo deserves time to develop.
After the leadership, comes the presence of a star. Someone who could be the fragging leader, the player rock, and their X-factor in important moments, and this is where EliGE steps in. Out of every Team Liquid player, EliGE is probably the single one whose position on the team should be set in stone the most. One of the best riflers in the world in 2024 is still showing glimpses of brilliance, good consistency, and the ability to single-handedly take over entire games, making him an irreplaceable asset to the team.
Furthermore, the presence of EliGE means that NertZ, who upon arrival had to become the team’s main aggressive rifler, could go back to being the №2 or even №3 star on the team, much more similar to his role on teams like ENCE and Heroic. And even though the Israeli has been struggling to find his old self on Liquid, his ceiling still feels high enough for him to be given more time on the team, especially as someone who seems to be putting his best foot forward when the team around him gets to establish and build a solid foundation.
And this is where we get to the most interesting part of this article – Who to change? Well, as a true North American veteran and the only player sticking around from TL’s days of glory in 2019, Keith “NAF” Markovich has been the team’s rock for over 8 years. However, it feels like the 28-year-old Canadian is well past his prime form, and regardless of his on paper respectable consistency, might be one of the best options to replace if the team wants to “refresh” its lineup, and look for a new beginning. Due to personal reasons, NAF had to miss out on Liquid’s run at IEM Krakow, where the organization fielded 23-year-old Karim “Krimbo” Moussa, who is currently benched on the team on which he spent the last 4 years of his career – BIG. As one of the brightest talents that have ever come out of the German scene, Krimbo provides a fresh, young, and mechanically strong solution to the potential need of an anchor/support player, who also possesses a significant amount of X-factor. And even though Krakow was not the best event of the youngster’s career, I still believe that the once considered by many as a superstar could come back to his form from a couple of years ago, which put him on many top teams’ radars. And given Team Liquid’s struggles, and apparent need of somewhat of a change, bringing in another young, yet experienced player, who is yet to reach the peak of his potential, might be just what the team needs in order to get a breath of fresh air.
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A new AWPer = A new chapter?
With all the other roles and players discussed, we are left with the last, and arguably – one of the most important player-roles on each and every team, aspiring to compete with the best – the AWP-er. After being scouted and picked by Twistzz and daps in July of 2024, Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak had a striking debut at Team Liquid at his first couple of big events. IEM Cologne 2024 and ESL Pro League Season 20 introduced us to an aggressive, fearless and very unorthodox wielder of the “Big Green”. ultimate looked like a hidden diamond that Liquid had discovered and picked up out of nowhere, but one massive issue was, as it is for many players in his position – consistency. With time teams started getting used to ultimate’s style, making him less surprising and efficient, and outside of the occasional big performance in an important game, or even a decent event, the Pole was never able to establish himself as a reliable AWP-er. Regardless of his improved performance on T-sides and good moments with the rifle on the offence, ultimate has been experiencing serious struggles with performing against the best teams in the world, posting a merely 1.00 rating in Big Events throughout 2025, with a sub-1.0 rating against Top 10 opposition.
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With the presence of a proactive IGL such as siuhy, and space-takers like EliGE and NertZ, there isn’t much space for the AWPer to shine on Team Liquid, and being an aggressive, play-making AWP on T-sides, and someone who likes to take chances on CT-sides might not be the easiest thing in the world. With all of this in mind, ultimate’s nature for risk-taking, and lack of consistency, the easiest way to look for a change that could simultaneously open more space for the rifles, and bring a new, motivated face to the team, someone who would be a better tactical fit for the team – looks like the AWP-role.
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Bringing a new AWP-er might not only change the atmosphere on the team, but also the way certain rounds and games could be approached by the team. And with the presence of the above-mentioned trio, having a supportive, self-sacrificing AWP player might be exactly what Liquid could benefit from.
MoDo
Lastly, this article would be no fun if we were just “calling for ultimate’s head” without suggesting a potential replacement. And regardless of my urge to just scream and point towards names like phzy, try, or even a new aggressive and playmaking AWP like degster, who remains a free agent after his stint with the Falcons in 2025, I’ve decided to take a more unorthodox approach, and look at an unproven in Tier 1 CS name, someone who’s technically already had his chance to “break through”, but in reality, has never been part of a fully functional and high caliber project – Mădălin-Andrei “MoDo” Mirea.
The 22-year-old Romanian AWP-er, who is currently part of SINNERS, and has been shining with the Czech organization since the start of the year, was part of both TSM & OG between 2023 and 2025, but never found his level of comfort in consistency on these projects. It is true that MoDo’s never been one of those shiny 1.30 rating young prospects, but it is also true that both TSM and OG were never stable enough projects, and MoDo himself is simply not the type of a player to put on a dysfunctional team, and expect him to single-handedly carry his teammates through the hardships. What he is very efficient in however, is being a reliable supportive AWP-er – someone who would always put the team first, both inside, and outside of the server. PASSION UA Assistant Coach, and MoDo countryman – Luca “munstur” Ioanițiu say:
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I think MoDo is the perfect balance between all the attributes that make you a good teammate. He’s very jovial in person, works hard, and is willing to sacrifice inside of the game to make any team work functionally, even to the point where his performance tanks. But the side I haven’t seen displayed in a while is his ego side, and his short time on SINNERS has awakened that more in him, I feel
Does the potential arrival of someone like MoDo mean you’ll be getting a 1.30 out of your AWP-er every single time for Liquid – probably not. But does it mean bettering the team atmosphere, creating more space for the rifles, and having an AWP player who is able to deliver without requiring almost any space, while making all of his teammates feel as comfortable as possible – this could be a fair assumption to make.
And in combination with a potential NAF change, and partnership with the other young pieces on the team, the Romanian could be capable of bringing exactly what a team in Liquid’s position needs – peace, reliability, a “team-first” mindset, and with time – some pretty cracked individual plays.
