Opinion: Why EliGE marriage of convenience could be a perfect fit for Liquid
Team Liquid have finally announced the long-anticipated return of Jonathan ‘EliGE’ Jablonowski to the organisation following the return of Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken to FaZe.
Darragh Harbinson takes a look at the dynamics of EliGE’s return to his former organisation, and how he could help a Liquid roster who have struggled for much of 2025.
EliGE’s return to Liquid: A marriage of convenience
Let’s not kid ourselves, EliGE’s return to Team Liquid is not the result of a careful courtship, of years of planning to return one of North America’s brightest stars to a Liquid jersey in which he won a historic Intel Grand Slam.
While the nostalgia of EliGE’s career heights in that remarkable Liquid lineup might fill the minds of Counter-Strike fans everywhere, EliGE’s return sparks ‘marriage of convenience’ vibes rather than romantic ones when all is considered.
Liquid, as an organisation, likely did not want to lose their top performer in Twistzz, but Liquid’s reunion with Twistzz was not a particularly romantic one either.
Twistzz expressed regret from day one of parting from FaZe, as the organisation failed to offer a renewal of Twistzz’s contract until it was too late. He already had plans with a Liquid who wanted him, when FaZe were negligent.
Finally, Twistzz has gotten what he always seemingly wanted in reuniting with FaZe and his mentor, Finn ‘karrigan’ Andersen, calling FaZe “Home” in his post following the announcement.
If any aspect of this story is romantic, it is Twistzz’s love for FaZe. For Liquid, they required a superstar to fill the gap, and FaZe have one on their bench.
The move seemingly comes as part of a straight swap deal between the two, with minimal financial compensation, if any. A prudent move for both organisations, a convenient one for two organisations who would rather not spend huge sums on buyouts.
Why EliGE might be perfect for Liquid
Despite the pragmatic undertones of the move, the return could be a perfect match for Liquid.
Liquid struggled to get a single positive result in 2025, with their solitary strong placing coming only after Twistzz’s departure was announced, a Third/Fourth-place finish at Fissure Playground 2.
However, Liquid were competitive in many of the series that saw them eliminated early at events, with their low seeding meaning that they often drew tough opposition out of the gate, notably 2025’s top team, Vitality.
Despite those matches being close affairs, a loss is a loss, and a 9th-16th place finish is recorded brutally in posterity as a failure for the organisation.
EliGE noted Liquid’s close matches in his interview upon returning to the org, stating, “Liquid is a great team in Counter-Strike right now, and I think that they have had so many close games this whole year. There’s just been something that’s been keeping them from getting over that final hump, and I think that I can help get the team over that hump.”
But how does that impact come about, and what does EliGE offer that can create those conditions? I believe two main factors make EliGE a good fit for Liquid.
1) EliGE provides Liquid with much-needed aggression
While Liquid with Twistzz had a strong lineup, they lacked natural aggression. The result was an inability to take space throughout the map, suffocating the roster and resulting in stifled T-sides.
EliGE as an entry was putting up strong stats for FaZe, despite never clicking with the roster’s overall philosophy.
EliGE identified his qualities, “I’m a little bit more aggressive than most of the guys naturally are… So, I’ll be able to help bridge the gap between players who are naturally more passive.”
In taking those roles, EliGE will not only create the space that Liquid need on T-sides, but also free up other players to play the part of the round they want to play, as the second man in or lurker.
The chief beneficiary of EliGE addition, in theory, will be Guy ‘NertZ’ Iluz, who has largely been in space-taking roles in Liquid despite his time at Ence and Heroic pointing to a playstyle that favours being a lurking piece that can flourish on the peripheries.
2) Flashie and EliGE could be Liquid’s brain trust
Despite EliGE and FaZe not being a match made in heaven, karrigan was quick to praise EliGE in an interview with Esports News UK.
karrigan stated, “I think Jon is a very good player and a very underrated player.” However, he continued, “He does a lot for the team, but he’s very into the system. And I think what we have done over the past few years is controlled chaos.”
EliGE’s incompatibility with FaZe’s system may be a positive sign for a Liquid combining Kamil ‘siuhy’ Szkaradek and new coach, Viktor ‘flashie’ Tamás Bea.
flashie’s work as an analyst at NaVi, a highly structured and system-based team, points to a compatibility with EliGE.
The North American shared his thoughts on flashie in his interview with Liquid, stating, “Just hearing about the structure on Liquid was really enticing to me, because I feel like we’re speaking the same Counter-Strike. I think that when we’re all on the same page about how we want to communicate ideas and how we want to go about things, it just makes things a lot easier.”
He later added, “I really believe in the structure of everything I’ve heard on Liquid.”
EliGE stressed that he had already worked hard to engage with flashie’s system, to understand it by the time his first official comes around at Birch Cup.
Familiarity with the system will allow EliGE to be a second strong voice after his IGL, replacing Twistzz in that sense also.
While EliGe also stressed his tactical malleability in Liquid’s interview, past experience points to EliGE having strong opinions on how the game should be played. He admitted in the interview, “Obviously, I’m going to have my ideas; that’ll never change.”
Keeping EliGE happy in that system may be key to Liquid having success, so early signs point to an alignment that may be productive.
karrigan told Esports News UK of FaZe’s journey with EliGE, “I think for me, the biggest point was that we were not strong mentally.”
While EliGE has developed as a player throughout his career, maintaining a positive mindset seemingly remains an issue.
For a Liquid team that has struggled to rouse themselves for much of the year, EliGE and Liquid must find a way to make the marriage a happy one, even if it is a marriage of convenience.
Stay Updated with the Latest News
Get the most important stories delivered straight to your Google News feed — timely and reliable
From breaking news and in-depth match analysis to exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes content, we bring you the stories that shape the esports scene.
Monthly Visitors
User Satisfaction
Years experience
Latest Counter-Strike 2
Trending Stories
