BDS: Looking Ahead To Spring

BDS went into the LA Major as one of the hot favorites to take out the title. Coming off a win in Stockholm, and a near mirror image split to their performance regionally in Fall, BDS seemed at least destined for a strong performance.

However as we saw, that was far from the case, and BDS rarely looked set in LA. In groups, they struggled under the pressure of going back to back, being taken to 5 by EG, and edged out in overtime of game 5 by G2, sending the kings of Europe to the lower bracket.

Despite this, their groups performance had still been reasonably solid, and BDS’ position in lowers gave them a strong chance to make top 4. But in playoffs, BDS’ core, as a team, was put completely to question.

Going up against the Pioneers, a minor region team on debut, in what should have been a routine win for BDS, turned out to be a scrap for survival. BDS were able to take the win 3-2, but there were hugely worrying signs. M0nkey M00n was held goalless after going 2-0 up in the series, their chemistry appeared fragmented, and doubt had began to creep in.

But regardless of the circumstances, BDS still found their way in top 8 and with a perfect opportunity to prove their ability to rise to the pressure. Yet playing in front of a crowd for the first time ever, the European powerhouse crumbled to the pressure, perfect sweep by a cleaner, more efficient FaZe to send them out of the competition.

For a reigning LAN champion, BDS’ 7th-8th finish will no doubt be a disappointment for the team, and questions could begin to be raised as we head into the final split of the season.

One of those key questions, is regarding whether BDS needs to make a roster change, and after having the same team for nearly 2 years, now may just be the time. So the next question, clearly, is who needs to go?

Unfortunately, all signs point towards Marc_By_8’s exit, for a few reasons, but one in particular. Statistically in LA, Marc was atrocious, recording the 3rd lowest tournament rating (ahead of only DeToNator’s Olpix and Burn), and really struggled to produce when was needed of him. This can be accounted for by the fact that Marc’s role goes beyond stats as BDS’ glue in defence, and as MVP in LA, his individual performance can’t be entirely discredited.

Instead, the key issue for Marc at BDS, is the language barrier present. With M0nkey M00n and Extra both French, the communication issues between Marc and his team mates has become apparent, and could be weighing the team down in the future.

With this, BDS could look into replacing Marc with a third French player, but even with the abundance of strong, rising players from France, the decision isn’t an easy one to place, but there are a few options available.

The front runner in this discussion is certainly Seikoo, which would be a super team in the making. Despite being arguably a top 5 player in the world, Endpoint’s results haven’t quite matched the phenom’s potential, and his unreal mechanics would bring unreal firepower to BDS. However, the issue is that Seikoo is a polar opposite player to Marc, and his introduction could cause some awkwardness in conflicting play styles.

Another player on the cards for the spot would be Aztral, an experienced, yet still hungry, player from Belgium. Aztral would significantly raise the potential capacity of BDS, and will no doubt be looking for an improvement on Karmine Corp’s current form, but his addition could cause serious issues with the team’s mental when paired with M0nkey M00n, and would thus be a dangerous choice.

As well as this, BDS also have the choice of picking up an experienced, but perhaps less flashy, veteran for the team, like Fairy Peak!, who already has one foot out the door of Vitality. A player like Fairy would fit in perfectly to Marc’s role, and bring the poise needed for big moments, although there is still questions about his ability to keep up at the top of the game or whether he’d be able to rise when BDS need him.

Regardless of what BDS do, whether that’s making a change, or staying a same, there’s no doubt that they’ll be a big contender again in Spring, and we’ll be watching the activity surrounding their lineup very closely in the clinic