At a crossroads: The high-stakes clash between Complexity and Liquid at IEM Dallas

Two of the Americas' most prominent sides each face a turning point close to home at IEM Dallas.

North American Counter-Strike fans are rejoicing at the impending arrival of another top LAN hosted in the United States, IEM Dallas, but those very same fans may be feeling conflicted as the two crowd favorites, Liquid and Complexity, have been matched against each other in the opening round.

International fans will also have plenty to look forward to in the clash, as Keith "⁠NAF⁠" Markovic and Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken are set to take on former teammate Jonathan "⁠EliGE⁠" Jablonowski for the first time since Liquid's soul-crushing defeat at the hands of Complexity at the PGL Copenhagen Americas RMR.

Date	Matches
IEM Dallas 2024
27/05/2024	Complexity 20:50 Liquid	Match

Complexity and Liquid each endured difficult starts to the year, ultimately shaping the consequences of this opening series.

Complexity have recently hit a patch of good form with a stellar run at ESL Pro League, but their result at IEM Dallas will play a major role in showing whether that can be readily repeated.

Liquid, the former flagbearers of North American Counter-Strike, have not shown the same peak, and are looking to Dallas for an opportunity to inject life into a lineup that may already be on its last legs even though they made quarter-finals at Pro League and IEM Chengdu and reached the online CCT Global Finals' grand final.

The past: defying and fulfilling expectations

Think back for a moment to the tail-end of 2023, as the dust settled after the hectic scramble of yet another post-season shuffle. Reminisce on your excitement for the flashy moves; David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský reuniting with Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen and Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool on FaZe, William "⁠mezii⁠" Merriman making his way to Vitality in place of Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif, and Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard and Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund's dual move to Astralis.

These changes no doubt caught the attention of many fans, but certainly one of the most interesting series of moves in the 2023 off-season was the construction of a new Liquid roster, one that seemed poised to compete with the best in 2024. Kicking off the squad's formation with an emotional, no-computer bootcamp filmed for fans to see likewise helped to pique interest in the team's formation.

Who could be blamed for being enamored in the assembly of this Liquid lineup? It pieced together Intel Grand Slam-winning duo NAF and Twistzz, a Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis freed from the shackles of in-game leading, and a promising talent in Felipe "⁠skullz⁠" Medeiros, all headed by top captain Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller. This roster certainly had the air of a title-contending team.

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Why "perfect teammate" skullz is the right fit for Liquid

Unfortunately, as the 2024 season got fully underway, that air soon morphed into the pungent stench of a struggling side. Liquid's debut in the PGL Copenhagen Major open and closed qualifiers was not a walk in the park, as the team endured a number of scares against domestic opponents before eventually landing a place at the PGL Copenhagen Major Americas RMR.

After an early season full of up-and-down results, by far the most egregious hiccup of the year culminated in Monterrey, Mexico, where Liquid hoped to secure Major qualification. But disaster struck when an early loss to FURIA put them on the brink of elimination in the Americas' cutthroat qualification system.

Pitted against Liquid in the all-or-nothing elimination match was Complexity, who likewise suffered a loss to FURIA that put them on the verge of missing out on the Major. The stakes could not have been higher; a win would secure a place in the first CS2 Major, while the loser would go home empty-handed.

In an emotional, hotly-contested series, Complexity emerged the victors, booking their tickets to Copenhagen over what had been one of the most anticipated lineups of the year.

Complexity were one of the few squads to avoid tweaks to their lineup at the beginning of the year, although their lackluster finish to 2023 cast doubts on whether their fantastic form when CS2 first came out was replicable.

A stunning showing in their CS2 debut at IEM Sydney had raised hopes about the lineup's future in the new game, but mixed results for the remainder of the year, including a semi-final placing at the BLAST Premier Fall Final marred by group stage exits in three of their remaining events, cast doubts about the team's potential to make such runs consistently.

Johnny "⁠JT⁠" Theodosiou and company's start to 2024 did little to alleviate concerns regarding the team's inconsistent form, kicking off with a last-place exit at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups and followed by the chaser of a group stage departure from IEM Katowice after losses to eventual winners Spirit and an overperforming Falcons.

The team's aforementioned Major qualification over Liquid was immensely valuable, but Complexity followed their harrowing RMR campaign with another early finish in the Spring Showdown.

A 2-0 start to the Major raised eyebrows hinting at a possible return to Sydney form, but a collapse to a 2-3 record after a rough series of draws — MOUZ, FaZe, and Vitality —, shattered the possibility.

After taking a month off from competition, Complexity returned in stride at ESL Pro League, where they topped their group over recent Major winners Natus Vincere. This momentum continued in the playoffs, where Complexity notched a semi-final finish after a close loss to eventual champions MOUZ, showcasing some of the team's best form since Australia.

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The present: an all-important rematch

Both Complexity and Liquid return to home turf after some of their best results of the year. Complexity are riding the high of their Pro League run and Liquid come from quarter-final finishes at IEM Chengdu and EPL, the best results this roster has achieved since its inception.

Their situation is not quite the same, though. Despite Liquid's relative uptick in form, rumors soon emerged after their exit from Pro League regarding the potential removal of cadiaN from the team's lineup, with the decision ultimately being on hold until after the conclusion of IEM Dallas.

cadiaN's first challenge should he wish to make the case for his continued presence on the roster is an opening victory versus Complexity, their first meeting since the heart-breaking RMR elimination series.

The implications for this matchup are severe. One of Liquid or Complexity will be immediately shelved to the lower bracket, giving little room to breathe when one is competing with the likes of Vitality and MOUZ for a place on stage.

The remaining competitors in Group A are also not to be underestimated. Although G2 are utilizing stand-in Jake "⁠Stewie2K⁠" Yip in place of Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen, Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov and Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač have enough individual prowess to ruin almost any team's day if they're at their best.

Likewise, Falcons could pose a risk in the lower bracket to either Liquid or Complexity, as the team's semi-final showing at BetBoom Dacha makes it apparent that the squad is not entirely dead in the water.

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The future: why Dallas matters

For Liquid, the effects of an early exit from IEM Dallas are readily apparent. cadiaN is reportedly on thin ice within the team after their string of poor results and the Dane's fate could be sealed by any outing that doesn't secure his side a spot in front of the crowd.

Such a move, while impactful, may not even begin to alleviate the team's problems. Critics will more than readily point out that YEKINDAR and skullz have struggled to find impact in the current iteration of the lineup, an issue that may not be easily resolved through the importing of a new in-game leader or by passing around the baton to others on the team.

Unfortunately for cadiaN, even a win in Dallas may not spare him. Such a result, unlikely as it may be, might certainly buy him time, but if the team has truly lost confidence in him as a leader, he will have more work to do than just hoisting one trophy to right the ship.

This is an even more demanding ask when considering that IEM Dallas is Liquid's final event of the season. Barring any new invitations, the team is not slated to return to action until late July at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups.

A situation where a captain leads his team to a top trophy only to be benched shortly thereafter is not entirely unfounded, as cadiaN should be well aware of.

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Sources: Liquid weighing up cadiaN's future

Complexity find themselves at a similar juncture as they prepare for their Dallas campaign. The American side have not received the same outcry as Liquid for a particular individual player to be cut, but the team's mixed results throughout 2024 place additional emphasis on their IEM Dallas run.

IEM Dallas offers the perfect opportunity for Complexity to cement themselves amongst other top sides who are capable of consistent deep runs. The team's semi-final finish at Pro League had JT's men looking the liveliest they have been all year. The opportunity to replicate that performance in front of swaths of North American fans should be motivation enough for Complexity to make it deep in Dallas, but will it do the trick?

Complexity's upcoming outings at YaLLa Compass and ESL Challenger Jönköping could partially redeem a lackluster showing in Dallas, a luxury Liquid do not enjoy, but even wins at these smaller events may not be enough to hide the burning shame of failing to perform in what should be an event of critical importance for Complexity.

IEM Dallas offers two paths. A deep run for Liquid could potentially rejuvenate the lineup after the dire straits they found themselves in before their arrival in Texas, while a group stage finish could mark the death knell for this iteration of their lineup.

Meanwhile, Complexity have their best chance in recent memory to string together multiple strong showings and consolidate their place among the top teams in the world, but missing out on the stage would do a massive disservice to the gains made at ESL Pro League.