Crucial Takeaways #1 - Shanghai Major Asia-Pacific RMR

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are purely personal and should not be considered as professional advice, some may contain satire or humor. Please interpret all content with this in mind and enjoy the read.

First Shots Fired 

Welcome, readers, to the very first post on CS2 Insider! I’m Nestum—your not-so-professional commentator who you really, really shouldn’t take seriously (ever).  

I’m a huge Counter-Strike fan and love watching the pro scene. CS2 Insider is where I’ll break down tournaments, throw out some questionable predictions, and ramble on about the game we all love. This blog is split into segments, and you’re reading the inaugural post of Crucial Takeaways, where I give my personal thoughts on what I’ve learned from a tournament, a team, a player, or sometimes an entire region.  

For this first edition, we’re diving into the Asia-Pacific RMR for the upcoming Shanghai Major. Hope you enjoy the ride!  

As the Asia-Pacific RMR wraps up, the first tickets to Shanghai have been claimed—and our winners are gearing up to flip the Major on its head. Drumroll, please, for The MongolZ, FlyQuest, and Rare Atom! These three teams are on their way to Shanghai, ready to fight through the opening stage (or, at the very least, hunt down some solid takeout options).  

The MongolZ: APAC's Last Hope or Frauds?

The MongolZ seem to have (once again) unleashed their inner Genghis Khan, steamrolling Alter Ego and DRILLAS to secure their spot in Shanghai. The whole squad played solid CS, but special shoutout to mzinho, who pulled off a 1.36 rating over four maps—a stat line as sharp as his aim.  

That said, I’m still keeping The MongolZ on fraud watch. Every game feels like they’re holding on for dear life—not exactly the dominant team you’d expect from their results. My first crucial takeaway? The MongolZ aren’t making it past the opening stage. Not even a 910 masterclass will save them from getting rolled by the stanislaw fury.  

FlyQuest: From a 14-game win streak to suffering with the DRILLAS

FlyQuest stumbled out of the gate at the RMR, giving their Aussie fans (all eight of them) a scare with an unexpected loss to TALON. For a team walking in on a 14-game win streak, it was a shaky start—even for a BO1. But they pulled it together, grinding through the lower bracket and scraping past DRILLAS in a triple-overtime thriller on Ancient. Sure, they got the job done, but the cracks were showing.  

Big props to INS for carrying hard, with a 1.26 rating over eight maps, while the rest of the squad averaged a respectable-but-not-stellar 1.07. My crucial takeaway? FlyQuest will bounce back from their rough start and fight their way from the opening stage to the elimination stage in Shanghai. They’ve already survived one scare—let’s see if they can avoid making it a trend.  

Rare Atom: The Power of Tomfoolery

Rare Atom making it to the Major? Didn’t see that coming. I’d compare it to the 2023 Miami Heat’s finals run—seriously, how did we get here? With Lynn Vision looking shaky, Chinese fans were already bracing for heartbreak. But then 30-year-old Kaze decided to take matters into his own hands, putting up an insane 1.42 rating over three maps and carrying the hopes of a nation on his back. Hands down, he was the best player in the RMR.  

But let’s be real—heroics can only take you so far. My crucial takeaway? Rare Atom will go 0-3 in the opening stage and make a swift exit. When you’re filling out your pick’ems, remember: I warned you.  

DRILLAS: We All Wanted It, But It Didn’t Happen

Sadly, ohnePixel won’t be getting his stickers this time. Turns out, gambling addiction and shouting “GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!” doesn’t make you the German B1ad3. It was a valiant effort, though—they upset Lynn Vision and even took a map off The MongolZ. But the dream ended with a tough loss to FlyQuest, sealing their fate.  

For a team formed just a few months ago, DRILLAS did an incredible job. I hope ohne sticks with the project and gives it another shot in Austin next year—maybe with a revamped roster. Props to Woro2k for delivering some strong AWP performances, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Bro missed so many easy shots; maybe staying at Monte wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  

My crucial takeaway? DRILLAS has potential, but ohne needs to step out of the coaching role. They need a real coach—someone who can strategize while ohne provides the emotional support. You can’t win on vibes alone.  

Last Thoughts Before the Smoke Clears

And that’s a wrap on the Asia-Pacific RMR! I hope you enjoyed the chaos as much as I did. But don’t get too comfortable—the Americas RMR is up next, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it.  

That’s all from me for now. See you in the next post—same time, same place, maybe with fewer caffeine-fueled rants (but probably not).