The IEM Fall: EU RMR event has been dominated by several underdogs stunning the community, with the likes of Copenhagen Flames, ENCE, Team Fiend, and Movistar Riders all managing to qualify from their groups and reach the playoffs. However, amongst all of the dramatic storylines in Europe, one particular darkhorse storyline that has gone under the radar has been GODSENT and their remarkable run at the NA CS:GO event.
A remarkable rise
This new era of GODSENT in CS:GO only began in January this year, with the org trading in their international lineup in favor of an all-Brazilian team led by two-time Major winner Epitácio “TACO” de Melo.
The lineup saw TACO reunited with former SK Gaming/MIBR prodigy João “felps” Vasconcellos, as well as some of Brazil’s most promising, albeit inexperienced, players.
The side arrived at the IEM Fall: NA RMR event ranked as the lowest side in the region, with a 74th place in the world rankings, however, there had been a number of promising signs the team had recorded on their way to the tournament:
The team won their first event at DreamHack Open September 2021: North America with a win over Extra Salt heading into IEM Fall and had beaten the likes of Bad News Bears, Team oNe paIN, and O PLANO.
A stellar campaign
GODSENT had only reached the main event thanks to a strong showing at the closed qualifier but immediately announced that they weren’t just at the event to make up the numbers.
The side looked impressive in a tricky opening fixture against FURIA, but then really took things to another level with four consecutive wins over 00Nation, Team oNe, Evil Geniuses, and Triumph.
TACO bagged a whopping 22 kills and recorded a 1.98 rating in his team’s match against 00Nation, and the Brazilian has looked increasingly inspired in his first stint as an IGL with GODSENT.
The team have showcased a deep map pool under TACO at IEM Fall, winning on Vertigo, Overpass, Nuke, and Inferno, and the calls made by the GODSENT IGL has helped the likes of felps and Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer showcase their skills in a big way, with both players average a rating of over 1.20 during the tournament.
All the best IGLs know how to get the best out of their team, and the early signs are there that TACO is on the right track to making this next generation of Brazilian talent shine at the top level.
How good can GODSENT get?
Now that GODSENT have secured undoubtedly the biggest result since their formation in CS:GO, the question is: how good can the Brazilians get?
The team will have a chance to test themselves against the region’s best in Team Liquid in a best-of-three series at IEM Fall’s playoffs, before jetting off to Stockholm to play on the biggest stage of all at a Major Championship.
Almost overnight, GODSENT have gone from a team way out on the fringes of competitive CS, to one of the best representatives for an entire region that everyone is going to have on their radars.
It’s been a long time since TACO and felps have played on a stage as big as this, and for the remaining trio of dumau, Bruno “b4rtiN” Câmara and Bruno “latto” Rebelatto, it will be amongst their first-ever tastes of playing on a stage, in front of an audience, and against opponents from outside NA.
GODSENT’s Brazilian project is one of the most interesting and exciting storylines to follow in CS:GO right now, and their shake-up of the NA meta could well be just the first stepping stone in the org finally cementing their name as a regular fixture at the top level of the game as it prepares for its first Major in two years, and even beyond.
