ESL One will invade New York with one of the best cards in professional tournament Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). ESL One New York 2016 will feature three of the world's best teams and a prize pool of $250,000. For analysts, it will be a perfect showcase to truly gauge where the elite rank as well as provide plenty of entertainment for bullet fiends.
The lineup of teams heading into New York are full of intrigue and interest. Whether it's the new-look Natus Vincere and Team Liquid or the questions surrounding SK Gaming and Fnatic, the tournament won't be devoid of drama. It's been a while since we've seen these teams together, but we'll get answers to questions like 'Will SK continue its dominance with the full lineup?' or 'Is Fnatic good?'
The favorites: SK
It's been nearly three months since the world watched SK play at full strength at the last major, ESL One Cologne. The world's best team may be a controversial choice for the favorite of the tournament due to its extended break without its full lineup, but the kings of CS:GO deserve the notation until the wheels fall off. The return of rifler Fernando "fer" Alvarenga is more than a morale boost, it's also the return of the simple strategies that SK implement on every map.
Because of the superior aim of the lineup from top-to-bottom, SK's strategies rarely differentiate from basic outplay. Fer will provide the luxury of another world-class aimer in a lineup with the best player in CS:GO, Marcelo "coldzera" David and one of the best clutch players and captain, Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo.
This choice could very well be the Polish hammer, Virtus.Pro, due to the team's recent surge in tournament placing and overall consistency in play. Virtus.Pro would make for a safe call for a long tournament run because the team's style and wide map choices lend to success more often than not, but this spot is still SK's to lose. Call it a consolation shout-out.
The dark horse: Astralis
Astralis is the definition of a dark horse team. It was tempting to add Natus Vincere to this list because of the star power on paper, but Astralis is a lineup that absolutely can break out at any time. There are hardly any duos on any other team better than the combination of Nicolai "device" Reedtz and Peter "dupreeh" Rasmussen. This was once a top-3 team under a former sponsorship and only improved on paper with the inclusion of Markus "Kjaerbye" Kjærbye. Much of the pressure and tension that surround this team look to be gone which only spells trouble for the opposition. If Astralis plays to the finest levels of capability, this may be its tournament and time to shine. The talent is all there.