DeKay Mailbag Part 2: Judging Cloud9, FLASHPOINT timing, and Who Chose Which League to Play In

Welcome to Part 2 of the DeKay Mailbag, a monthly feature in which Counter-Strike reporter and insider Jarek "DeKay" Lewis answers questions from readers on Twitter. Do you have a question you'd like to see in a future mailbag? Tweet @dekay. Read Part 1 here

That comparison is extremely subjective, so I don't know what would qualify them as accomplishing that feat if it ever happened. If they got unbanned, I wouldn't expect anything from Dazed because it looks like he has moved on. Steel is still just about the best in-game leader in North America and could absolutely lead a team within the top ten of the world.

My answer to this has been and will always be pretty much the same. Until Asian teams can live and play against top teams on a regular basis, I don't see them getting any better than they are now. I'm not sure what hurdles exist to prevent that from happening, but hopefully one day it happens so we can see their potential realized.

Deciding whether or not it's a good acquisition depends upon their expectation for the team to begin with. I can imagine that with Cloud9 having been the most vocal about how much money teams lose on CS:GO, they weren't looking for the best team in the world when they got this roster. They probably wanted something that made some financial sense that also had upside later down the line. With that in mind, I don't think it was a bad pickup.

While he had trouble getting people to buy into him as an in-game leader towards the latter end of his playing career, I don't think he will have trouble finding a coach or manager position within a prominent organization. He would be on my short list, but I haven't heard any rumors just yet about anything. We will see.

I don't see them as a top team, due to the sheer level of talent in the top ten teams right now. Although, I do think they will play much better than just about everyone expects them to. It's been made clear to me behind the scenes that they are treating this run as redemption for all of the issues they dealt with at NiP. They want to prove what they can do with proper resources and support behind them.

I have not heard his name mentioned in rumors for a very long time. I think he has to build his reputation as a player from scratch, if he is to ever play on a top team again.

They are both extremely passionate players that will do anything to win and have had success in the past leading their teams at different points. When everyone on the team has lost faith in the person calling the shots, they are two guys that are always first to step up and do whatever they can to fix things. Sometimes the capped ceiling that accompanies their leading style is better than letting the entire team implode.

There are a few reasons. First, the EPL deal was intended to get done towards the beginning of the year, but as everyone knows it extended well into February. They couldn't finalize their team list until they knew which teams would or wouldn't be joining. Then, you have to factor in United States labor laws and all of the ground work that is necessary to make sure everything is done by the book. It's a very complicated process building a new league with a new structure, while also making sure it checks every legal box. I agree that not knowing the teams still is a bit awkward, but it's for the best.

That is anyone's guess at the moment. Substantial profits are still a pipe dream, at least with how things are structured now. We still have so much room to grow as far as providing value for viewers and members of the community. I think the FLASHPOINT league model will be a hit and a huge step in the right direction, but only if they execute properly. The new ESL Pro League structure will definitely help stem the bleeding but that's about it. We have a ton of room to grow still.

I do think that they have that kind of potential, but I know nothing about the organization at all. Hopefully there is a decent amount of support there. Felps is someone who I still think can make an impact internationally, so lets see if he proves that with this lineup.

I have not heard anything regarding him in a long time, which is a shame. I can see him coaching or managing if that is something that interests him.

Every team and organization likely had a different approach to the situation. Some orgs told their players the $2 million buy-in was out of the question, so the discussion was very brief. Others were very interested and even signed a term sheet FLASHPOINT before returning to Pro League, like Astralis did. It's safe to say players on the top teams of very established organizations had a ton of input. Saying much more than that would be too much of a generalization.

Either the players love the idea of the revenue share increase compared to Pro League and/or ownership likes the idea of creating something more financially sustainable for the organization. Probably a little bit of both.

I don't have a ton of information about the specifics of the league but I don't believe their model is anything out of the ordinary, at least to start. I could be wrong, but I believe their intention is to provide more content value first before they venture out and try anything extreme.

I have not heard anything that would lead me to believe they plan on rebuilding a roster to re-enter CS:GO at this time. I can only assume they'd try to offload their younger guys, if possible. They have all but disappeared, from what I can tell. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Due to the sheer quantity of pro players and community members that don't like how powerful it is, I do expect some sort of change. Perhaps increasing the price of the gun, following the Major. That seems like the most likely option to me, following the Rio Major.

I agree, he is a bright spot in that team and looks very promising. I have not heard anything relating to him, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes knocking after the Major. We will have to wait and see on this one.

At the moment, it appears that they are on their own. It's been quiet in general as far as roster talk, but I haven't heard their names come up in any discussions.

It really depends on the team right now. Many of the best players on top teams, have different contracts with higher salaries than their teammates, but not all of them. At one point, dev1ce had a different deal than the rest of the current Astralis roster, for example. It really depends where you're looking.

The TSM talks died down over a month ago, despite them being the closest they ever have to returning. I never got a final word about why the deal didn't get done, but TSM backed off once again when it came to that Wardell roster.