10. Mickael ‘mSx’ Cassisi (France)
MSX was an absolute monster on the server. Capable every single weapon in the game, he was equally deadly pistol round as he was with an AWP or a rifle in his hands. He can open a round up kills, it can clean up the three boys in the middle and he can win his fair share of grip too. One of those players that not only they can do everything, they actually do during a match and their careers. MSX was held back by only two things: lack of quality mates for long enough in his career and his time of peak. A quick read of this article on a stretch 13 months he continued to highlight the level of play he had reached his peak.
Take away nothing and added nothing as he played on the server and all MSX needed to be in the conversation for best player of all time was the best achievements of career and more opportunities for performing level top notch. In emulate his line-ups of 2007 and 2008 he got a taste of being able to show his amazing high end competition CS, but that was partly because of the scene being slightly weaker in 2007 and then the real monsters of the game just emerging as 2008 progressed further. Beyond that his team-mates often failed to play at the same level, leaving him a star solo downs great performances individually but ultimately lost before the final, as his performance GameGune 2007 could prove to .
Even in recent years, much like REAL, MSX will show these flashes of brilliance in teams much diminished, never able to compete with the real as a team, but still showing that he was one of the talents of individual big game. If MSX had a couple of good mates, in particular a star reliable second, and all hit a year stacked like 2006, 2008 or 2010, then we may have seen one of the greatest players of ever to come from France. Go back and look at WCG that emulate won in 2007 and this is perhaps the performance of the single most dominant individual in history, in as much as the amount of aid it receives from team-mates of it is so incredibly small when contrasted against the other great players who have won majors.
In the end, all things considered, it is far from being able to claim the title of greatest player ever CS, but not as a result of what this man can do within the CS server
The sniper rifle is truly one of the most adored weapons in the history of Halo. So many of us praise it for its high difficulty of use and satisfying reward. For some odd, unexplainable reason, there is nothing more satisfying to so many Halo players than to run around the map, constantly hitting headshots with your sniper rifle. For many of us, this weapon is the real test of true marksmanship in Halo and some may even argue that your ability to use this weapon will determine whether or not you are destined to be a great player.
Halo’s sniper rifle has evolved over the years, but its significance on the battlefield has remained the same as one of the most dangerous weapons if put in the right hands.”The Early Years”
Halo: Combat Evolved
During the time of Halo: CE, the sniper rifle was a weapon that threw off many players. With it being the first game in the Halo series and having a wide variety of close range, mid range and long range weapons to chose from, it took the community some time to truly understand just how powerful the sniper rifle could be. Although the mechanics during this time forced the game to play much slower than today’s Halo 5, with there being low aim assistance, no sprint, high gravity, extremely reduced health and sometimes even a death when falling off of platforms, the sniper could still have a large impact on the game if the player could put himself in a good position and maintain good accuracy.”A Dramatic Change”
Halo 2
Once Halo: CE came to an end and preparation for Halo 2 began, the sniper rifle became one of the most popular weapons in the community. Already receiving so much praise, many were interested to see what Bungie would do to improve the sniper come Halo 2. Bungie made using the sniper significantly easier than in CE by increasing the auto aim, lowering gravity, completely removing any health reducement due to falling and the addition of unexpected glitches. At first the community was very conflicted with these changes, but over time, many were able to take full advantage of the benefits that came with the new mechanics to hit sniper shots that would be nearly impossible to hit in CE. The faster pace that came with Halo 2 also allowed the sniper to have more of a fair ground to play on with its added tweaks.”A Balance of Both”
Halo 3
Come Halo 3, there were two kinds of sniper fans Bungie would hope to satisfy with their new game. Those who remained loyal to the traditional Halo: CE sniper and those who enjoyed the changes that came with Halo 2. Bungie hoped that the new changes they made with the Halo 3 sniper would be enough to satisfy both sides by providing them with the best of both worlds. Bungie would keep many of the Halo 2 game mechanics such as low gravity, but they would slow down the firing rate of the sniper, sleightly raise the reticle after a shot, lower the aim assistance and get rid of all weapon glitches. This would allow the sniper to continue to be an efficient weapon in fast paced games, but require a high level of marksmanship to do so. From a competitive standpoint, this is the perfect balance and it allowed the sniper rifle to become a much more respected and praised weapon than it already was in previous games. Many, including myself, would argue that the Halo 3 sniper rifle was the sniper that launched the new competitive era of sniper driven players and players such as Eric “Snip3down” Wrona are a perfect example of how impactful the sniper rifle truly was back in Halo 3. Although CE and Halo 2 had amazing snipers, no game has been able to have a sniper balance as well as Halo 3 had.”Another Revolution
“Halo: Reach
Come Halo: Reach, many were once again getting prepared to see what Bungie had waiting for us in their last Halo video game. After nearly ten years of hard work and dedication to our community, Bungie wanted to leave with a bang and they did just that. With odd mechanics, new features and a fresh new feel to the game, the sniper rifle changed dramatically. For me, the best way to describe the Halo: Reach sniper rifle is by saying Halo: CE, 2 and 3’s sniper had a baby and it was a very unique looking baby. Sharing features from all three games such as the high gravity from CE, the increased aim assist in H2, the firing rate from H3 and its own new features that made it unique like any other baby. The Reach sniper was one of those weapons you either loved or hated just like the game itself.”The Great Climax”
Halo 4
Under new development from 343 Industries, there was a lot of hype around Halo 4 to see what 343 could do to revive a dying franchise that was nearly destroyed after all the chaos that came with Halo: Reach. 343 promised to provide fans with a great competitive experience and, as many of us know by this point, the sniper rifle needed to be a factor. When it came to the sniper, 343 made several adjustments to how it worked. Descoping was no longer a factor when someone would shoot at you and instead there was a massive recoil to your reticle and scope. Additionally, the added sprint, armor abilities, lower gravity and increased aim assist made the Halo 4 sniper arguably one of the easiest snipers in the franchise. Many argued that its ease of use caused the weapon to not be as exciting to use or see in action compared to previous snipers, therefore ruining their experience. The H4 sniper, just like the Reach sniper, was a weapon that stirred up a lot of controversy.
“The Beginning of Something New, and Possibly Great”
Halo 5
Halo 5 has been considered by many to be 343’s new approach on competitive Halo. A new style of play that many believe will help make our game look more appealing to others as years go by. A style that has discouraged veterans, but is proving to be an effective way to attract the attention of younger gamers who will soon be the face of our franchise. This forward thinking mindset is shown in all aspects of Halo 5 and the sniper is no exception. Due to several new additions to the game’s mechanics such as thruster, clamber and hovering provide a much more faster paced experience to the game. The sniper rifle has been heavily impacted by this. Although finding a good position to snipe at still remains as one of the key aspects every sniper needs to master, I would argue that rotating around the map to constantly find good positions is more important than ever with Halo 5 due to the fast paced action. The added slight decrease in aim assist and re-addition of descoping also adds a bit more of a challenge to sniping compared to Halo 4, which makes using the weapon much more satisfying to use compared to its previous game.
The sniper rifle has gone through many stages of evolution throughout its lifetime, but its main purpose has remained the same. To this day, the sniper is still one of the most powerful power weapons to use when put in the right hands and it still maintains its popularity amongst a vast majority of players both competitive and casual.
There is no doubt in my mind that the sniper has had a massive impact on our community. Its high demand has caused developers to take it into consideration in almost every mechanical change they make, making me unable to even imagine competitive Halo without a sniper on any map. It is truly one of the most fun weapons of all time.
This is my fifth mailbag article. The plan is to get one out each month here on , answering any and all Counter-Strike related questions that you may have. To get your question(s) submitted, send an email to – I will review all questions prior to next mailbag, so waiting until explicit requests to send questions in is unnecessary. Now, let us get to it.
“Will fnatic continue to have better results than GODSENT? How long can the SK era last? Will the French make a roster change, and what would be the best outcome?”
Interestingly enough everyone seems to think fnatic is doing exceptionally well, or at least significantly better than GODSENT – whose results have admittedly been very poor – despite having attended zero offline events. I for one would not give fnatic much credit for their 8-6 record in EPL’s fourth season. With that being said, they do remain winners, because GODSENT’s results have been so poor. But keep an eye out on ESL One New York this weekend, because they may have won the initial battle – almost by default – but the war is on-going, and by no means is the outcome determined yet.
The question on SK is interesting and frankly impossible to answer. I wrote prior to MLG Columbus about how quickly the window of opportunity for championships can fade, and we cannot know whether SK’s have already closed. Their results were poor with SHOOWTiME – though that is 100% meaningless – and they have continued to suffer disappointing losses with fer against the likes of Immortals and OpTic. ESL One NYC is days away, and they do not look – based on online play – to be in tip top shape. But you would be a fool to judge SK, the two-time defending major champions, based on online play. They may not be ready this week, but given their work ethic and drive they have showcased since moving to the U.S. in 2015, I see them returning to the absolute top. As for the era… Well, it may not be their era anymore, already. But no one else has claimed it, either.
EnVyUs as a team baffles me. I tweeted a couple of weeks ago about there being massive dis-synergies in the team – because I cannot imagine the players not being better elsewhere. But they must be one of the best paid teams out there, and hold spots to events such as ELEAGUE, EPL and ECS. The incentives say you stick together, unless you can combine with G2 in a way that leaves both of you with spots in those. On the other hand, it is unclear whether G2 is a true contender, still. They may be, especially with bodyy improving, but I am not fully sold on it. Time will well, but to me it seems the only thing holding these two rosters together is inertia.
“What is your approach/method on deciding predictions when there has been a long break since the last big tournament, for example at ESL One New York, for a match-up between two tier-one teams?
Predictions should be based on past results with analysts given the chance to interpret them as they wish – i.e. if you feel a black swan swung the result one way last time, it can make sense to predict last time’s loser to win. Similarly, there can be other factors to consider. The less data you have to process, the more assumptions you have to make. The more assumptions you make, the more there can be that goes wrong, and often trying to parse out complicated theses for teams without having seen them play recently can be no more effective than a pure guess, between two similarly skilled teams.
If I were to predict the result of e.g. Na`Vi versus Liquid – two teams with no history of facing each other with these rosters, and questionable results to base predictions on – this is how I would do it. I would break down their ability in different categories, e.g. individual skill, team work, and tactical approach. I would then weigh the importance of each, with an eye on the map(s) that are likely to be played. For example, each team will lack their coach, neither’s results have been encouraging, and both have undergone a change that makes previous results largely meaningless.
However, to me Na`Vi remains a much more skilled team, albeit so far unable to use that skill. Liquid’s bull case for me is that they get explosive plays out of the likes of EliGE and jdm64, with Hiko holding his own… But there is little else – to me, s1mple was always their most important ingredient at the majors. For Na`Vi though, they will have had better practice now – the Los Angeles bootcamp did nothing but harm them ahead of SL i-League StarLadder Finals – and I simply see the team being better in terms of tactics and skill. At the end of the day it almost comes down to guesswork, but there are things you can break down the prediction into – though it could also lead to a false sense of control.
