Stat check: MOUZ go for firepower over comfort

Kamil "⁠siuhy⁠" Szkaradek and Jimi "⁠Jimpphat⁠" Salo are both used to star roles — so how will MOUZ compensate?

MOUZ's signing of siuhy is one of the scalps of the summer. The in-demand Pole's run to the final of the BLAST.tv Paris Major was only confirmation of his potential that has been obvious for a while, and yet has still not been fully realised.

Few would have blinked if siuhy had moved to a team with even loftier ambitions than MOUZ this transfer window. But it was MOUZ that secured him, something that is partly explained by Richard Lewis' suggestion that he was always a MOUZ player, and only on loan at GamerLegion.

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Still, there is sporting merit to the move for both sides. siuhy won four WePlay Academy League titles with MOUZ NXT, and he will now re-unite with Dennis "⁠sycrone⁠" Nielsen, Ádám "⁠torzsi⁠" Torzsás, and Dorian "⁠xertioN⁠" Berman from those days. Why MOUZ did not promote (or recall) him earlier is a question only they can answer but ultimately no harm has been done — they now enter a new era with a siuhy that has gained valuable tier one experience at the helm.

One of the only question marks over siuhy's return (and the new MOUZ) is that of roles. He has always been somewhat of a star IGL, and has taken active CT positions to reflect that. Even if Jimpphat takes all of Jon "⁠JDC⁠" de Castro's less-than-ideal CT spots, there will still need to be shuffles between siuhy, xertioN, and David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský for what is left.

That prospect is not a fun one for Jimpphat, who has been used to the star treatment in spots like A Toilets on Overpass in MOUZ NXT. The 16-year-old rifler comes into the side as a clear firepower upgrade over JDC, but he has only shown that firepower in a team that was built around him. Players can transition to being supportive elements, and lurkers are suited to becoming anchors, but it will not be an easy feat to put up numbers in so many new (and difficult) positions.

The picture is clearer on T side, with siuhy and xertioN in the entry pack and Jimpphat and frozen as lurkers. Even as a lurker, however, it is not yet clear how much room Jimpphat will have — frozen has shown some unbelievable consistency since taking Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool's old roles, and it might not make sense to sacrifice even a small part of what makes him so comfortable. Jimpphat, then, might have to pick up slack on T side too, acting as a mid-round entry like JDC would often have to. He also might need to accept that frozen will be prioritized over him in the clutch.

This will not be an easy task for a 16-year-old who is still a very raw talent. It will take a significant effort for siuhy and sycrone to mold him into the type of player they need, provided he is slotting into JDC's roles. Another option is to keep Jimpphat comfortable, and return frozen to a more aggressive role like he played in alongside ropz for MOUZ.

frozen is more than versatile enough to allow Jimpphat to be the designated closer. More aggression also might mean more impact from the Slovakian; as consistent as frozen is, he generally frags a similar amount whether MOUZ win or lose. Putting him back in more active roles on T side could allow him to take more games by the scruff of the neck, as well as creating a gap for Jimpphat to fill.

In the trading and opener profiles, we can see what this structure might look like. Jimpphat's natural game is a passive one on both sides of the map, and he trades far more often than he is traded. frozen is also passive, and a bit of a lone wolf.

But there is a reason MOUZ are willing to gamble on Jimpphat: 23 reasons per 30 rounds, in fact. The 16-year-old has shown more than just proficiency in the academy team; he has a 1.22 rating for 2023 so far (though that figure drops to 1.11 against top 50 opponents), and has a stat page comparable to tier one's best lurkers.

Even if his stats take a significant hit, and they likely will, given the huge changes in both resources and opposition, he might have a similar output to JDC. This does not mean that MOUZ will definitely be fine without JDC — he is a player who offers a great deal of selflessness and out-of-server energy that will be missed — but it shows why MOUZ are willing to take a gamble. It is a similar one to that of Liquid signing Aleks "⁠Rainwaker⁠" Petrov, another star tier two lurker who will now have to learn the role of anchor.

Jimpphat would have garnered attention from elsewhere sooner rather than later, and MOUZ do not seem like they want to let another academy graduate succeed away from their main team. Role conflicts are a small issue compared to the idea of losing a 16-year-old prodigy that is showing this much potential.

In the pack, meanwhile, siuhy, xertioN, and torzsi should have no problems. They are the pack that gave MOUZ NXT so much success, and will have leftover synergy from those days.

torzsi remains in the side, despite rumours that MOUZ may have been looking at Abdul "⁠degster⁠" Gasanov. This means they will keep their IEM Cologne spot, as well as giving the Hungarian sniper a chance under the IGL he looked so promising under in the WePlay Academy League.

Speaking to Hungarian channel KODIAK, an interview that was translated on Reddit, torzsi spoke frankly about how much more comfortable he was under siuhy's style of in-game leadership.

"ZywOo gets lot of micromanagement, apEX tells him to peek there, go there, kill him and him and ZywOo kills them because he is ZywOo ... I had the same role in NXT. siuhy said to me, go there, kill him and I just go, doing my business and I liked when the IGL controls me in the game. That's not what my role was on MOUZ [under dexter] sadly, I was little bit behind [the pack], I threw lots of grenades, I played as a really supportive AWPer."

Getting torzsi back on track will be near the top of siuhy's in tray, and keeping him is a big show of faith when AWPers like degster, Aleksandr "⁠zorte⁠" Zagodyrenko, and Ihor "⁠w0nderful⁠" Zhdanov were available this off-season. It will be up to him to repay that faith, especially if he is used more proactively in this new-look MOUZ.

The core three riflers of siuhy, xertioN and frozen are a frightening prospect, a core that is good enough to fight for trophies. Fitting Jimpphat into the equation might not be easy, and JDC will be missed, but there is upside to the swap should the Finnish wunderkind get comfortable.

torzsi is the final piece, but perhaps the one that this team's fortunes will bend around. Even if all four of the riflers are performing, MOUZ are unlikely to break into the top five and stay there without a star AWPer. Under siuhy, torzsi was the second best player in the WePlay Academy League, only behind Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov, and it is that form — not his performances in tier one thus far — that has kept his seat in the team.

Potential can only fuel a player's career for so long. If there are not signs of progress, torzsi might not be MOUZ's AWPer at the PGL Major in Copenhagen. But he has been given the chance to show those signs, a chance for the dominant MOUZ NXT core to give the tier one scene a go.

It is a roster with more firepower than any MOUZ team since the Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen days. This is no feeder team anymore; this five should be shooting for trophies.