HLTV’s Take: The Four Biggest Flops in Top-Tier Transfers in History

On paper, this combination was dazzling. While still under the SK banner, they brought in Stewie2K. Less than six months later, after becoming MIBR, tarik also joined the team.

At that time, MIBR’s Brazilian players had won two Major championships. After adding the two top players from North America (who had won the region’s first-ever Major), MIBR’s future looked bright, poised to compete for the No.1 spot.

However, by the time 2K joined, fer, FalleN, and coldzera were already facing intense challenges. In 2017, they had won numerous titles, with their last victory being EPL S6. But in 2018, their performance dropped significantly. They performed poorly at the WESG Global Finals, losing to teams like BIG and a Russian mix squad, who were ranked outside the top 20 at the time, failing early in the group stage.

Due to declining results, MIBR dropped TACO. After Stewie2K’s addition, the team achieved some victories in minor offline tournaments, where they were the only top team participating, but they only managed a single semifinal finish in major events.

tarik’s arrival replaced boltz, his addition led to slight improvements as they secured several runner-up finishes, one of which was at ECS S6 Finals. Their only offline tournament win was at ZOTAC Cup Masters 2018, again, MIBR was the sole top team present.

Communication issues plagued the team, an obvious problem since the roster’s inception. Compared to the previous all-Brazilian lineup, they made almost no progress. Overall, the team remained mired, hovering around the fringes of the top five but unable to truly establish themselves in the top five.

This roster change is on the list because, despite not being terrible, all players stagnated over these eight months. This merger was not a win-win but rather a lose-lose. It could be said that this lineup did everything to hinder success and potential development in both regions.

Four Top-Ranked Riflemen Together (2019)

Who are the best, most successful riflers in CSGO history? NiKo is certainly among them. If we look back further, names like olofmeister and coldzera come to mind. Of course, rain deserves mention too. What if I told you these four legends all played for FaZe at one point?

For much of 2019, FaZe struggled, unable to find solutions to their in-game leadership issues. After karrigan was ousted from the starting lineup at the end of 2018, would FaZe sign a new in-game leader to correct the course? No, they decided to increase firepower, bringing in coldzera, thus creating one of the strongest rosters on paper. NiKo took over as the in-game leader, olofmeister moved to the AWPer role, and the fresh-faced broky joined as a rifler. Frankenstein’s monster was born.

Predictably, this lineup’s performance was disappointing. The team struggled to find its footing in the initial months, failing at ESL One New York and performing averagely in ECS online matches. Both coldzera and NiKo struggled to find enough space within the team. However, they shone at BLAST Pro Series Copenhagen, nearly sweeping all opponents aside, offering a brief glimpse of what the community expected from this team.

Aside from that, FaZe had little else to write home about for the remainder of 2019. Yet, entering 2020, there was still optimism that they could recapture the form they showed in Copenhagen. broky transitioned to the AWPer role, while olofmeister returned to his familiar lurker position. With ample official matches and an offseason to sort things out, FaZe was poised to truly take off.

But it didn’t happen. olofmeister struggled in the opening events of the new season, as FaZe failed to make significant strides at IEM Katowice and EPL. olofmeister eventually left the team citing burnout and lack of motivation. Bymas’ addition saw FaZe reach third place twice, but he underperformed overall, leading to his departure after FaZe’s poor showing at Blast Premier Spring Finals.

Kjaerbye was FaZe’s next attempt, and after several slumps, they lifted the trophy at IEM New York, showcasing their peak form once again.

But FaZe’s results plummeted afterward. At this point, the NiKo and coldzera partnership was effectively over. When FaZe won in New York, G2 had already arranged the signing of NiKo. With NiKo’s transfer in October, this FaZe roster ended. Karrigan returned to lead FaZe in 2021.

This roster change highlighted the chasm between theoretical potential and practical execution. The potential of the top riflers wasn’t fully realized. olofmeister as an AWPer, coldzera’s underwhelming performance, and NiKo’s dip in individual form after taking on the in-game leader role. The partnership between coldzera and NiKo suggested that 1+1 might be less than 2.

Cloud9’s Russian Dream Team (2023)

This transfer feels like it happened yesterday, with electroNic and Perfecto’s arrivals propelling C9 back into contention. Adding sh1ro and Ax1Le, two top-five level players, made C9 a dream team.

But the disillusionment came quickly. They underperformed at IEM Cologne, were eliminated early at the Oil Cup, and suffered a complete collapse at EPL S18, failing to reach the playoffs. At the new version of IEM Sydney, their results were abysmal, managing just one win. It seemed C9 wasn’t moving in the right direction at all.

A typical issue was the lack of a suitable in-game leader. electroNic’s calling was average, and his individual play was subpar. sh1ro’s departure further exacerbated the situation. C9 didn’t bring in a new AWPer, instead, they signed Boombl4, turning the sniper into a problem.

In terms of results, C9’s in-game leadership was more critical than the AWPer role. They reached several major semifinals and qualified for the playoffs at the Copenhagen Major. However, the lack of a strong AWPer limited their ceiling. After electroNic’s departure, C9 underwent a complete rebuild.

On paper, C9’s dream team roster promised to sweep through competitions, but their potential wasn’t realized in-game. Initially, it was an in-game leadership issue; later, it became an AWPer problem. They never had a chance to truly show their full potential.

Liquid’s Transition to International (2024)

Liquid has gone all-in on internationalization. After the failure of the Rainwaker to Patsi roster, Liquid turned to the YEKINDAR and cadiaN duo, adding native top talent Twistzz, zews, and South American rookie skullz. Expectations for Liquid were sky-high.

Unfortunately, Liquid got off to a rocky start in North America, stumbling against M80 and Nouns. Still, hopes were high as the team featured players with varying styles, believing that with sufficient match experience, they would turn heads at the RMR.

But after losing to FURIA and Complexity at the RMR, Liquid took a hit. They lost to SAW, missing out on the BLAST Spring Finals. Although they reached the playoffs at IEM Chengdu and EPL, Liquid’s problems became more apparent. YEKINDAR still had shadows of his past self, while cadiaN struggled to impose his style on the team.

There were clear signs of discontent within the team, evident from watching Liquid’s behind-the-scenes footage, where disagreements among players were noticeable. Liquid’s roster changes reinforced this viewpoint.

There are two reasons this Liquid roster makes the list: firstly, apart from Twistzz, it seems everyone else was out of form; secondly, this roster was a struggle. Players couldn’t agree, struggling to accept cadiaN’s style. Liquid had attempted to shed their North American identity by benching oSee and daps, yet they couldn’t taste victory.