How Electrify Steel looks to reinvigorate Advanced

Shortly after Electrify Steel's entry into Counter-Strike with the signing of the former Take Flyte lineup, it was announced that the organization would be funding a prize pool for a competitive ten-man club for players in Advanced and beyond. Dust2.us chatted with Electrify Steel's Umar "Umar" Qaiser to learn more about the creation of the club, the long-term goals, and why players should consider it as an alternative option to FPL and FPL-C.

What made you want to start up this club in the first place?

The biggest reason why we wanted to start up the club was to have an environment where we can have a large range of players and have some fun while maintaining decent game quality. Additionally, a lot of us prefer the ESEA platform to Faceit, specifically the servers.

How long did you want to set up a club like this?

This ESG club was a long-time in the works. When we were under Villainous we wished to set up something like this but at the time we did not have the resources. This all started around ESEA Season 35.

Was this something that you proposed to Electrify Steel? If so, how enthusiastic is the organization about the idea? What are prospects like for things like further increases in prizes from the org?

Yes, it is something we proposed to Electrify Steel. They were super enthusiastic about the idea of joining forces to help promote the org as well as providing a place for players to compete outside of FPL, FPL-C, and other 10-man leagues. Our plans moving forward will be to join forces with other companies and organizations in the community such as LCA Broadcasting to provide live coverage of the games which will draw more attention to the league, we will also be searching for monetary partners to increase prize pools.

What has player feedback been like for the club so far?

Overall, we would say that the feedback has been relatively positive. We set up a report system and we are constantly looking into them to make sure nothing gets too out of hand. Most of the reports are low-skill or communication reports but we tell the people who get reported and then we observe the player. We see how it’s going and so far nothing has gotten far out of hand.

What are the long-term aspirations for the club?

In the long-term side of things, we are looking to make this a safe and competitive space for all players to compete and enjoy playing CS:GO while competing for prizes. Our end goal is to have almost every ESEA Advanced player in the club with several games running every day.

Why should Adv+ players play here rather than FPL or FPL-C?

The first main difference is the platform. Some players simply prefer the ESEA platform over Faceit. The other part is the general attitude we wish to promote. We all have experience in FPL-C/FPL, and we have seen the general pretentious attitude and approach to the game in the club. This club will hopefully break that mold and be a more positive environment. Regardless if people believe in our ability or desire to make this a reality we are genuinely working on the club with that goal in mind and have already received good feedback. Moreover, the club is a great way to get to know other players that you compete against in ADV/ECL. Throughout our time on ESEA we've seen so many players improve their stock through Faceit and ESEA hubs. The final point we would make is that this is a club hosted by players for players; at the end of the day we are directly involved in the games and we have a closer sense to what is going on and what the players want.

Any final comments for people who may not have signed up yet?

Sign-up if you're eligible! It's free and you get a chance to play with ESEA ECL and ADV players. It's a great opportunity to increase your network while playing for prizes.

Those interested in applying for Electrify Steel's club can do so here.