When Complexity won the BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals back in June 2020, they looked set to become the newest feature at the top table of competitive CS. Jason Lake’s new ‘Juggernaut’ era had brought together some of the most underappreciated but undoubtedly talented figures in the CS:GO scene, and there looked to be a good mix of flair and experience within the team for a time.
However, just over a year later, the team have dropped from being a side struggling to break the glass ceiling at the top of the game, to one currently out of the top thirty all together. With the org deciding to pull the plug for good on the Juggernaut era, where did things go wrong for Complexity, and where do they go from here?
CS:GO’s Most Cursed Side?
Ever since their jaw-dropping win at BLAST, Complexity have garnered a reputation as one of the most cursed sides in CS:GO, with the team having to muddle through sudden player injuries, walkouts, and drops in form.
Owen “oBo” Schlatter left the team high and dry mid-season, Valentin “poizon” Vasilev and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke both had injuries that left the team fielding stand-ins at various events, and there were several recurring issues over the role of the anchor in the side, with Will “RUSH” Wierzba, Justin “jks” Savage and more recently Patrick “es3tag” Hansen.
It’s hard for any side to feel settled and consistent during an online era, however, having so many constant disruptions to an active lineup have made it impossible for Complexity to play at their absolute peak potential.
Timeline Of The End Of An Era
Complexity made their return to LAN for the first time since February 2020 at IEM Cologne in July 2021, with their Juggernaut core of RUSH, poizon, jks, blameF and k0nfig. The team finally had a chance to play on the level playing field LAN provides, but once again they struggled, qualifying out of the play-in, but falling to straight losses to G2 and Virtus.Pro.
Subsequent tournaments delivered more disruptions with k0nfig injuring his hand, and the team served up further poor results at ESL Pro League Season 14, BLAST Fall: Groups, and, crucially of all, the IEM Fall EU RMR event. The team’s 17th-20th place finish at the latter meant the side would be watching the 2021 PGL Stockholm Major from the sidelines.
Failing to qualify for a Major usually triggers a roster reshuffle, just as the likes of Fnatic, 00Nation, Extra Salt, and EXTREMEUM, but Complexity’s response to their PGL Stockholm failure was surprisingly sweeping.
Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David was drafted in as a short-term stand-in on September 9th, and the org would remove k0nfig, poizon, and blameF all within a month of each other. On November 2nd, it was announced that the final two permanent members of the Juggernaut, es3tag, and jks would also be benched and transfer-listed, with Jason Lake claiming:
“I love our players as individuals but these results won’t be tolerated.”
Where Next For Complexity?
Jason Lake is one of the most passionate owners in CS:GO, and both he and the org were quick to reaffirm their desire to stay in the game and build a new side.
It is believed that Coldzera will see out his short-term deal as a stand-in, but there are seldom other clues on the horizon as to what direction the org might go in. In his post-shuffle tweet, Lake lay the net out by saying:
“If you’re a Tier 1 player looking for a fresh start at the best facility in the world, HMU. I’ll pay your buyout and give you the world’s highest salaries.
Let’s build a juggernaut.
Spread the word.”
Certainly the words of a determined and dedicated owner, one that reflects the same level of passion CS:GO fans have for their teams, and with no North American sides making it to the playoffs at PGL Stockholm, the time could be perfect for Lake to pick up the scraps of the inevitable flurry of further roster reshuffles once the tournament concludes.
