What now for Source

The question that looms on the collective Counter Strike communities after the draft is, where do we go from here. The majority of teams not under contract to CGS that are considered on a pro level and and CEVO Pro invites, have been taken apart. The CS:S competitive community in the U.S. now revolves around the CGS. The majority of the best Source teams and players are under contract to the CGS. A Source tournament or league would be hard pressed to call itself professional if these teams do not participate.

One or two mid-size tournaments on the level of a DigitalLife or LANFest will more than likely not be enough to keep “professional” teams outside of the CGS alive. Unless there are more CS:Source tournaments outside of the CGS this year, it will be tough for CS:S teams that are not under contract to the CGS to find motivation to work hard enough to be pro. Although there has been rumor and talk of some kind of online supplement by the CGS that would foster teams outside of contracts and taxi teams as well as the 1.6 crowd, nothing official has been announced by the CGS.

In order for the CS:Source competitive community to grow and continue to provide the kind of talent that was available in this draft to the CGS, there will need to be more than just the hope of making it into the CGS next year. With the talent pool now degraded for CS:Source outside of CGS, there will be, now more than ever, a need for opportunities for teams not contracted to play on a pro level on established teams, tournaments and leagues.

For N.A. 1.6

The implications for the CS 1.6 competitive community will be slightly different. Since not all of the “rest of the best” have been taken by the CGS, there is a chance of a revival of sorts for North American CS 1.6. Last year's draft was devastating to the 1.6 community but this year not so much. With names like shaguar, sunman, kam, p0s, exodus, pham and more out there, its possible to see some return to the glory days of CS in north America.

There are still a lot more opportunities to maintain a professional CS team outside of the CGS in CS 1.6 than CS:S. ESWC, WCG, KODE5 and many other leagues and tournaments should provide the sponsors and money necessary to maintain a professional CS 1.6 team of decent caliber. If more tournaments or leagues are added to the already established set, this year could see a resurgence of 1.6.

Now that it is apparent that Complexity and 3D won't be returning to the 1.6 fold, everyone won't be counting on their return as the “savior” of 1.6. In reality, only twenty or so of the top CS 1.6 players in North America are under contract to the CGS. That's only four teams collectively missing from the 1.6 pool and new talent is being realized everyday. As we are starting to see in Europe with the likes of SK, the rest of the world may be catching up on talent with the old vanguard players. Is it possible we could see the return, at least in some form, the likes of EG with a shaguar, United 5 or others with kam and pham and p0s? Has the (bad pun) sun set for good on these players or will we see them again? The possibilities are there.

Common Ground

The 2008 CGS Region 1 Draft has left the collective Counter Strike community with more questions than there were before the draft. It has also, maybe, opened more doors in both versions of the game. The CGS is now established for the year and now both communities know what talent is available for both sides. The North American CS 1.6 talent pool may not be as devastated as once thought and could potentially rise to a competent international level as new talent progresses.

Neither version of the game has “died” as predicted by both sides and there is now an established line between the two and room for both to operate. The CS:Source competitive community is stable in the fact that it has CGS and the CS 1.6 community still enjoys a much larger community, variety of leagues, tournaments and a rabid community that still wants to see the game progress in professional settings. Much will depend on the attitude of the community and sponsors as to whether the cup is half empty or half full.

Dead or Alive

It would appear to some that U.S. Counter Strike has the opportunity to grow in professional stature this year for both versions. The reverse of that argument would be that the CGS has taken the last of the real North American CS 1.6 talent and have also effectively disbanded the majority of CS:S teams outside of the CGS. Did the draft kill what was left of CS in the U.S., outside of CGS? Or now that the lines are drawn, will both versions and Counter Strike as a whole continue to thrive? That is the underlying question for this collective community in the wake of the draft.