Opinion: Grim and the RMR, an opportunity for revenge against Stewie2K and his Liquid naysayers

The Americas RMR is set to begin tomorrow, April 11th, pitting the sixteen qualified teams against one another in a Swiss System bracket to determine the six teams advancing to PGL Major Antwerp 2022 coming up in a month. Heading into the Major qualifier, there are many teams and players entering the event with their own motivating factors beyond the general will to win championships inside of Counter-Strike. For spectators, there are few better storylines that can drive a match's intrigue quite like a player going up against their former teammates. There are a few examples of that inside of this Major qualifier, but the elephant in the room without question is the looming possibility of Michael “Grim” Wince and his teammates at Complexity facing his former team, Liquid.

The Grim-Liquid experiment is one that will be looked back at for years to come for many reasons, and perhaps the first major chapter in the saga is at the Americas RMR, their biggest mutual competition this year. Prior to Grim’s arrival to Liquid, he was tearing up the tier-two scene primarily representing The Quest and Triumph during 2019 and 2020. After ending his campaign with a career-high 1.16 rating over 226 maps, the highly praised prospect received the call up to tier-one as a part of Liquid. Under the tutelage of Major winners, top-20 players, and all-around some of the best the region had to offer, it was expected that Grim would thrive.

Unfortunately, factors inside and outside of the server that was almost all out of Grim’s control severely plagued his rookie campaign, ultimately resulting in a career-low .94 rating over 149 maps. Just a year after reaching new heights as a talent, Grim was looking at lows he had never experienced. Transitioning to tier-one competition always has its own set of challenges for young players, but the issues inside of Liquid at the time Grim needed stability the most, a massive detriment to his growth. Players that were assumed to be leaders for the young talent ended up becoming sources of contention, and by the end of the rosters' life cycle, Grim’s legitimacy would be put in question.

With Liquid’s 2021 lineup already preparing for a separation, now Evil Geniuses talent Jake “Stewie2K” Yip revealed the fatal issues within the team, citing massive tactical disagreements as a huge factor, as well as his unfavorable opinions toward the rookie rifler. Stewie2K noted in the interview that Grim was not the first choice for the team as a fifth to start their 2021 campaign, while also impugning his work ethic and proclaiming that Grim is a "slow learner". Stewie2K capped off his comments toward Grim by stating that role clashes with Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski prevented Grim from being the team's star player which he admitted hurt his growth. After the fallout in Liquid, Grim did not take long to find a home in Complexity, where they were quickly building a contender for the top of the North American summit.

Grim and company joined Complexity on January 18th, and have since impressed on many fronts in their appearances so far, regardless of the COVID-19 and out-of-control flight issues that attempted to stunt their growth in the process. Although Grim has not totally filled out the star role within his new team, the talent alongside his team has impressed even through the wins and losses. Domestically, Complexity, while not having hit its full potential, appear well prepared to compete for the throne in the region. Prior to Group D competition inside of ESL Pro League, teammate Paytyn “junior” Johnson raised eyebrows in his interview with HLTV, stating that “right now we are the best NA team, us and Liquid are 50/50”.

Although Grim and his team fell short of playoffs inside of groups, they staked their claim as definite second-best in the region with their 2-1 win over Evil Geniuses led by former teammate Stewie2K. Grim and Stewie2K led their teams in performance over the three map affair, but it was Grim who stood tall in the end, leading the server in frags and rating as well as his team to the victory. Complexity took first blood over Evil Geniuses ahead of their potential pairing in the Americas RMR, but Stewie2K is not alone in his pursuit of revenge on Grim.

Just under a month ago, Complexity and Liquid did battle for the first time since the split inside of the Americas RMR Open Qualifier. Although this one was only a BO1, it was a 30 round nail biter, with Grim and long-time Liquid star Jonathan “EliGE” Jablonowski going blow-for-blow to attempt to ensure victory for their respective teams. When the smoke cleared on Vertigo, it was Complexity who secured 16, and Grim who led the charge for his team once again with 102.5 ADR and a 1.26 rating over his former teammates.

After winning the first meetings with his former teammates, for certain these two teams will be chomping at the bits for an opportunity to enact revenge on Grim and Complexity. North America’s three best teams will have to be careful not to lose focus inside the madness because, despite all of the noise, there are only six slots available amongst the other 13 teams accompanying Complexity, Evil Geniuses, and Liquid in this event. Fundamentally, these three teams will have to stay on a straightened arrow to ensure their success and qualification for the Major. Given the circumstances surrounding these three parties, stopping one another from qualifying for Antwerp would seem that much sweeter.

The first round of matches for these three teams are:

Although there are many variables, there is a possibility that these three teams could see each other in round two as a part of either the 1-0 or 0-1 brackets. Winning a Major is the truest motivating factor for a professional Counter-Strike player, but also securing dominance over former teammates and domestic rivals in the process is what makes it special.