NA’s next top IGL?
Topic: Austin “mesamiduck” Dardar - The story of a young and upcoming IGL
Once again I got the chance to sit down with Austin “mesamiduck” Dardar, last time around was before his ESEA ECL debut with his new team "Brazen". As of recent Mesami and his team had a great season, finishing in fifth place in the Western Conference, and soon afterward making playoffs due to GODSENT dropping out of the division.
The video with the interview will be released on our YouTube channel tomorrow, make sure to follow us there in order to not miss it!
Expectations and Goals
In my last talk with duck, one of our big discussions was expectations, specifically his for the team, and himself individually. Austin said his main goal was to stay in the ECL and make playoffs the next season, and that initial goal was achieved. However, due to the technicality that Brazen achieved playoffs off of mesami had this to say…
“Our first goal was to stay in Premier and avoid relegation. I had no idea how well my calling would have worked against these better players.”
Afterward stating that the playoffs ended up being a bonus goal as well that pressure was not high due to the "low expectations" of spectators.
It's a different level
Obviously, ECL is the highest division of play within ESEA however the skill gap is not always apparent for outside players. Duck had some great insight regarding the difference as an IGL calling throughout the divisions.
“It’s a different class the way CS is played. You can tell there's just a different pace, everything makes a lot more sense. Really solid teams like PAIN and GODSENT those guys are really good, they have everything. In Advanced, those guys might not have everything, teams in Premier have all different types of pops, splits, and fakes, these guys have one of everything.”
Mesami put a huge emphasis on playing the game together and correctly.
- “Everyone can mechanically aim at this point” - One major flaw in North American counterstrike, in particular, is the self-important mindset of being the hero and winning games by themselves.
As mesami said this playstyle is inconsistent, and it won’t always work. At any given moment someone else can hit a shot.
“Finding more ways to win rounds via macros and map control, then comes consistency… Maximizing and minimizing all that is very important.”
Playoffs
Even though it was not expected of them Brazen did make playoffs, and although their run is over they went beyond what was seen as feasible. The roster ended up facing off against Evil Geniuses as well as Mythic, two squads that have been mainstays in ECL, and neither series went as expected.
Against EG, Brazen was able to pull off a huge upset on map one Mirage, where they bested them 16-10. However, the rest of the series went on the way it was expected to from the start, a clean reverse sweep from the more experienced Evil Geniuses roster.
Their first and last series in the lower bracket was against the roster Mythic, who now house names like Cooper and fREAKAZOiD, two veterans of the game. Map one was a furious 16-5 domination for Mythic on Inferno, but Brazen retaliated with a 16-12 win on Mirage. Map three was Overpass, which saw Mythic take the win 16-13 after a back-and-forth affair throughout both halves.
Closing words
Brazen is an exciting up-and-coming roster, that people need to keep their eyes on, and Austin “mesamiduck” Dardar is still a hot talent that people should take note of. Duck’s rise through the ranks was fast and successful, and he might still possibly be NA’s next top IGL.
Thanks for reading today's article. We wish you a great weekend and make sure to check out the full interview on our YouTube channel tomorrow!
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