Rise of FNATIC with smooya; m0NESY & ropz to G2? | HLTV Confirmed S5E67

malbsMd joins for the middle section of the show to talk about his origin, first teams, joining G2, playing with and without NiKo. Before that, we talk about PGL Cluj results with MOUZ winning the event, and SPUNJ leads a deep-dive into CS ecosystem.➡️ Follow us for updates:   / hltvconfirmed  📺 Watch live:   / hltvorg  🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltvHLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place:📗 1xBet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop0:00 - IntroRecent news5:02 - Valve rulebook update14:46 - Long leagues no longer possible?PGL Cluj Conclusions24:40 --General impresions29:10 - MOUZ win! How?33:23 - FaZe fumble or something more?40:38 - Promise from Astralis42:54 - “Losing to SAW is shameful” - SPUNJ43:36 - VRS implications51:30 - WATO: NAVI to play MRQ?malbsMd58:10 - malbsMd joins!1:01:52 - malbs takes Skinionaire on past teammates1:11:03 - Origin of malbsMd1:18:25 - Three languages of malbs1:20:38 - M80 time, dephh1:25:55 - Joining G2 & rookie season1:28:42 - Change of positions1:39:18 - Post-NiKo role adjustment1:44:22 - malbs rates his positions1:49:13 - TaZ impressions1:50:32 - 2025 roster & expectations1:52:51 - Move & going home1:55:00 - Rating aggressive riflers2:01:26 - Nickname, native food & closing wordsCS ecosystem explained2:05:48 - The basics & Valve rules2:14:33 - PGL, BLAST & ESL incentives2:48:10 - Franchised leagues & talk2:52:40 - Competition between the TOsHLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike.  / g2malbsmd    / professeur_cs    / spunj    / strikerhltvorg    / lukaswiinholt  #HLTVConfirmed#podcast#cs2

26 Feb 3h 20min

smooya joins to talk about what happened with ITB, what he's been up to, big team impressions after PGL Cluj, oversaturation, cheating scandal, Cloud9 fading away but not letting Perfecto go, and more!➡️ Follow us for updates:   / hltvconfirmed  📺 Watch live:   / hltvorg  🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltvHLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place:📗 1xBet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop0:00 - Introsmooooya3:50 - smooya joins!5:02 - ITB embezzlement situation9:30 - Hypothetical UK roster11:06 - smooya’s WoW career14:48 - smooya IGL?16:11 - Will smooya get a team? WATOPGL Cluj-Napoca22:56 - Is CS oversaturated?37:52 - MOUZ debut with Spinx43:38 - Falcons first playoffs & roster impressions52:38 - “zonic fraud watch”1:01:12 - SPUNJ’s Aussie bias1:02:50 - FaZe at PGL - why?1:04:23 - FaZe roster & positions1:15:02 - EF: players stepping up1:26:05 - Imperial V run ends1:37:41 - smooya takes Skinionaire (very hard)Recent news1:47:05 - oxygeN cheating accusations1:51:10 - Integrity measuers for online1:56:34 - SAW changes2:01:10 - automatic break2:04:25 - Cloud9 take break 2:06:04 - Perfecto jailed… Why?!2:12:12 - smooya’s plans & FPL issuesHLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike.  / smooyacs    / professeur_cs    / spunj    / nohte    / lukaswiinholt  #HLTVConfirmed#podcast#cs2

19 Feb 2h 19min

Snappi, Teemu of YaLLa, and messioso join the show to discuss all things wrong with Valve rankings in detail. Before that, we talked about Katowice results and tournament impressions.➡️ Follow us for updates:  / hltvconfirmed  📺 Watch live:  / hltvorg  🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google):https://anchor.fm/hltvHLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place:📗 1xBet:https://cropped.link/hltvtwb🔪 Skin Place:https://p.skin.place/hltv5👕 HLTV Merch:https://hltv.org/shop0:00 - Intro3:52 - PGL Brno?!IEM Katowice5:20 - Katowice impressions8:25 - apEX gets his trophy12:19 - Shutting donk down?14:45 - Spirit’s run18:02 - Medals debacle?19:51 - WATO: ZywOo more MVPs than donk in 2025?25:35 - ZywOo matches s1mple’s record27:28 - SPUNJ takes SkinionaireVRS issues and fixes33:51 - Forfeit = loss?39:00 - Snappi joins: VRS from tier-2 POV43:49 - HLTV coverage issue?55:21 - No way to make the Major?1:02:34 - No open qual slots?1:08:57 - Teemu from YaLLa joins1:10:15 - Why not run open quals?1:18:50 - Running events in VRS1:27:00 - messioso joins, suggest wildcards1:29:09 - Are Play-ins pointless?1:38:18 - 32-team Swiss for the Major?1:45:25 - IEM Krakow, PGL Katowice?! Salacious headlines1:48:15 - Should take Valve care of coverage?1:53:25 - Forfeits abuse?1:59:20 - How many teams can be sustainable?2:01:25 - Open letter to Valve; messioso objections2:04:06 - Should all Major stages matter the same?HLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike.  / professeur_cs    / spunj    / strikerhltvorg    / lukaswiinholt  #HLTVConfirmed#podcast#cs2

12 Feb 2h 13min

HLTV Confirmed and Talking Counter crossover live from Katowice! Joined by Moses and YNK, we're discussing the Katowice results, new teams, and what to expect from playoffs.➡️ Follow us for updates:  / hltvconfirmed  📺 Watch live:  / hltvorg  🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google):https://anchor.fm/hltvHLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place:📗 1xBet:https://cropped.link/hltvtwb🔪 Skin Place:https://p.skin.place/hltv5👕 HLTV Merch:https://hltv.org/shop0:00 - Intro2:50 - HLTV Confirmed x Talking Counter!Recent news6:33 - VRS early impact 11:25 - Cluj skips19:11 - VRS discrepancies27:35 - VRS effect on tier 240:50 - HLTV doesn’t cover enough for rankings?48:10 - Moses & YNk take SkinionaireHit the headlines!57:39 - No interviews for Striker :(59:55 - Analysts near players during matches1:07:14 - Gun update1:10:03 - SPUNJ’s rage quit after ultimate’s blunder1:12:30 - “Frenchman finds pleasure in Poland”1:14:18 - PR’s 1:15:12 - FL4MUS not 1:16:20 - bodyy to join 3DMAX?More Katowice takes 1:20:55 - “VP hate undeserved!” - YNk1:30:00 - Are Liquid cooked?1:34:05 - Train talk1:38:41 - FaZe1:44:22 - G21:55:21 - Falcons2:02:00 - Mongolz2:06:05 - NAVI vs. Spirit matchup?2:15:15 - Will donk win MVP? WATO2:24:04 - sh1ro play style2:26:22 - ropz’s impact & Porsche meme2:32:00 - Why don’t we have guests often?HLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike.  / ynk    / mosesgg    / spunj    / strikerhltvorg    / lukaswiinholt  #HLTVConfirmed#podcast#cs2

10 Feb 2h 38min

Self-inflicted rants from reading forum posts as well as more serious discussions of Valve forcing to comply, Major regional invites, VP & FaZe performance at Bounty, and first Train impressions in this episode of HLTV Confirmed. ➡️ Follow us for updates:   / hltvconfirmed   📺 Watch live:   / hltvorg   🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltv HLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place: 📗 1xBet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb 🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5 👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop 0:00 - Intro 7:05 - Skinionaire 18:10 - Bits of news VRS circuit updates 20:20 - CCT & YaLLa compliance with Valve 26:45 - CCT shadowbans 44:46 - Major regional invites explained 51:12 - Liquid split region situation 1:05:05 - Skyesports canceled the event BLAST Bounty so far 1:20:04 - Bounty impressions 1:27:21 - LAN vs. Online 1:33:09 - “Offliners” 1:35:40 - EliGE FaZe takes 1:40:10 - VP washed?! 1:43:45 - New Train analysis 2:00:43 - More silly takes 2:04:00 - SPUNJ rants about more takes 2:09:11 - Top 8 playoffs 2:15:40 - WATO: underdog in the final? HLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike.   / spunj     / professeur_cs     / strikerhltvorg     / lukaswiinholt   #HLTVConfirmed #podcast #cs2

21 Jan 2h 28min

NER0 joins Confirmed to talk about the Awards decision-making process (and accidentally leaks Rating 3.0), Valve's circuit interventions, Train replacing Vertigo, BLAST Bounty and role situations in G2, FaZe, and Liquid. ➡️ Follow us for updates:   / hltvconfirmed   📺 Watch live:   / hltvorg   🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltv HLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place: 📗 1xBet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb 🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5 👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop 0:00 - IntroAwards aftermath 3:26 - Awards impression 8:44 - All-star match? 10:00 - Highlight of the year 13:02 - ZywOo placement explained 15:32 - Decision-making process explained 23:42 - Rating 3.0 in 2025?! Recent news 30:42 - Valve listen & judge 48:31 - Major Regional Qualifier 57:28 - 2027: battle lines drawn 1:09:55 - FaZe skip EPL 1:12:32 - Train replaces Vertigo 1:22:30 - WATO: Train at Bounty 1:33:28 - NER0 takes Skinionaire BLAST Bounty 1:45:10 - Matchup selection process 1:58:43 - Bounty expectations 2:09:54 - G2 with HeavyGod role check 2:12:40 - FaZe with EliGE role check 2:20:17 - Liquid with NertZ role check 2:28:00 - tN1R on Heroic   / ner0cs     / spunj     / strikerhltvorg     / professeur_cs     / lukaswiinholt   #HLTVConfirmed #podcast #csgo

14 Jan 2h 33min

All the new roster updates, Major goes 32-teams, season timeline, which tournaments are gonna have the best teams, and time capsule for 2025 in this episode of HLTV Confirmed! ➡️ Follow us for updates: https://twitter.com/HLTVconfirmed 📺 Watch live: https://twitch.tv/HLTVorg 🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltv HLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place: 📗 1xbet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb 🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5 👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop 0:00 - Intro Roster change rumblings 7:00 - Falcons falling in places 8:36 - Heroic buy a core 16:01 - Nice NIP purchases 28:45 - WATO: NIP reach MRQ 38:48 - EF replace Calyx 42:16 - fnatic get fear 48:25 - FlyQuest add regali 51:41 - Complexity +cxzi +nicx 57:05 - Legacy +lux +n1ssim 59:10 - OG +spooke Season 1 2025 1:05:00 - Striker & Prof take Skinionaire! 1:13:42 - 32-team Major & "Minors" 1:25:35 - What will the season look like? 1:32:55 - "Just don't watch" - SPUNJ on viewer fatigue 1:36:50 - Event timeline for S1 2025 1:51:23 - Who's cooler: ESL, PGL or BLAST?Time capsule 2:13:21 - Prof 2025 prediction 2:20:00 - Striker 2025 prediction 2:25:33 - SPUNJ 2025 prediction https://twitter.com/SPUNJ https://twitter.com/StrikerHLTVorg https://twitter.com/Professeur_CS https://twitter.com/LukasWiinholt #HLTVConfirmed #podcast #csgo HLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike. https://twitter.com/SPUNJ https://twitter.com/Professeur_CS https://twitter.com/StrikerHLTVorg https://twitter.com/LukasWiinholt #HLTVConfirmed #podcast #cs2

7 Jan 2h 37min

Talking through every big change that was announced or reported in the off-season so far: Falcons to get Heroic's core, ropz to Vitality, EliGE to FaZe, NertZ to Liquid, VP pick up FL4MUS, Cloud9 fall apart, and more! ➡️ Follow us for updates: https://twitter.com/HLTVconfirmed 📺 Watch live: https://twitch.tv/HLTVorg 🔊 Listen to audio (Spotify, iTunes, Google): https://anchor.fm/hltv HLTV Confirmed is presented by 1xbet & Skin Place: 📗 1xbet: https://cropped.link/hltvtwb 🔪 Skin Place: https://p.skin.place/hltv5 👕 HLTV Merch: https://hltv.org/shop 0:00 - Intro 4:24 - Christmas gifts & air fryers 2024 Awards temp check 7:04 - Top 20 begins - and so do critiques. 16:21 - Role based finalists revealed 21:52 - Imperial fe Valve ranking qualification Rostermania speculation 24:25 - Skinionaire: roster changes 34:45 - Rostermania kicks off! 38:09 - ropz to Vitality 50:25 - EliGE to FaZe.. more changes needed? 1:11:05 - Liquid: -YEKI +NertZ; b*tch roles who? 1:30:21 - Heroic $10m buyout?! 1:31:45 - Falcons get Heroic trio 1:41:12 - Falcons roster future 1:46:44 - VP keep repeating their mistake 1:57:42 - BetBoombI4 2:02:02 - HeavyG2D 2:10:52 - ENCE rebuild in Heroic?! 2:13:20 - fnatic fear? 2:19:17 - FlyQuest regali 2:21:24 - kyousuke made Academy TOO GOOD? Other news 2:22:33 - Falcons wildcard invite - what players?! 2:32:42 - Calendar predictability issue 2:35:47 - Imperial fe invites: “not fair” HLTV Confirmed is a Counter-Strike (CS2) talk show featuring Chad "SPUNJ" Burchill, Zvonimir "Professeur" Burazin, and Milan "Striker" Švejda, with guest appearances from community members such as s1mple, device, ropz, Twistzz, karrigan, smooya, dupreeh, cadiaN, Pimp, and more. The show is based around interviews, breakdowns, analysis, and discussions about the esports and casual side of Counter-Strike. https://twitter.com/SPUNJ https://twitter.com/Professeur_CS https://twitter.com/StrikerHLTVorg https://twitter.com/LukasWiinholt #HLTVConfirmed #podcast #cs2

31 Des 20242h 48min