DreamHack Open Tours is an opportunity for a myriad of Tier 2 teams to establish themselves, with a majority of Tier 1 teams currently attending the ESL Pro League Season 7 Finals in Dallas.
Changes impacting Gambit
Gambit Esports enter as a bit of an unknown, with the team continually changing the role of in-game leader. Seized now has that responsibility after nearly all other members have had a go, with hopes that this will assist in returning AdreN and Hobbit to the form that helped them win a Major last year.
Gambit still have the pieces to be a solid top 10 team, yet their continued inability to find stability in a leadership capacity has hindered their success for quite some time. This is the type of tournament that could help Gambit get their swagger back though, with other teams plagued with inconsistency awaiting them.
HellRaisers appear instead of Heroic
HellRaisers are a late addition to this event, swapping places with Heroic, who took their spot in Dallas due to a visa issue. HellRaisers are the definition of a Tier 2 team – inconsistent yet capable of pulling off upsets against higher competition. However, the reintroduction of bondik to the line-up has continued the mediocrity for HellRaisers as they continue to lack the overall fire-power to break through to Tier 1.
In a similar vein to Gambit, HellRaisers do have the type of players who should thrive in the looser environment which this event should produce. HellRaisers still have one of the most respected in-game leaders on the scene in ANGE1, with his ability to produce kills from the leading role a dying practice in today’s Counter Strike.
North still have issues
North are looking to bounce back after a continued fall following their roster moves. The addition of Kjaerbye and mertz in place of k0nfig and cajunb has been a failure by all accounts thus far, with North essentially falling from grace as a Tier 1 squad.
North are a difficult team to judge, with quality tactics put in place by MSL complimented by talent across the roster, yet they come up short time and time again. The prolonged slump in which North resides is calling for an opportunity such as this, with hopes that the Danish side can gather some confidence moving forward.
Torqued one to watch
The lone North American squad in attendance is Torqued; a line-up primarily formed of the unbanned iBUYPOWER players in steel, swag and AZK. One of the most beloved teams on the scene, Torqued have done reasonably well as of late, continually elevating their play and establishing themselves as a decent Tier 2 or 3 side.
The team have not been solely based around swag as first thought when the squad formed, instead being a well-rounded tactical side with in-game leader steel and koosta leading the way. This tournament is a perfect yardstick for Torqued, being one of their first opportunities on LAN.
Team EnVyUs in trouble
Team EnVyUs enter in the midst of a complete tailspin, recently being relegated from multiple online leagues. Throughout all of last year EnVyUs were a dangerous team online, while routinely struggling to reproduce those results on LAN. However, this iteration of the squad has failed even online, losing their upset potential and overall consistency.
This side still has the talent to be a solid team with the likes of ScreaM, RpK and kioShiMa, yet an overhaul of the roster at this point looks all but inevitable. An event like this could deliver rekindled hope to the French side though, with the opportunity to slowly put things together and re-establish themselves.
One negative for EnVyUs is the recent removal of maLeK, one of the most respected coaches on the scene.
Conclusion
All eyes will therefore be on the Parc des Expositions in Tours over the weekend as the eight teams first open group play, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the single-elimination semifinals. There’s a $50,000 first place prize at stake and more importantly some much needed momentum as teams point towards the second half of the year.
