- NAF\'s brutal take on NA CS2 and VALORANT in 2025
- How the 2025 CS2 calendar and Major changes hurt NA
- Why NAF thinks the NA CS2 path is broken
- NA grassroots CS2: A framework that needs help
- NAF and Liquid: Results from 2024 to 2026
- How siuhy and DeMars are reshaping Liquid
- Travel, oversaturation, and mental toll on pros
- Liquid\'s Asian bootcamp and Shanghai run
- CS2 skins, the economy, and trading safely on uuskins
- The future of NA talent: NAF\'s advice for young players
NAF\'s brutal take on NA CS2 and VALORANT in 2025
Keith \"NAF\" Markovic has never been the kind of player to sugarcoat things, and his view on the future of North American Counter-Strike 2 is as honest as it gets. Looking at the new 2025 CS2 landscape, the Liquid rifler believes that grinding from NA simply isn\'t a realistic path to the top anymore.
In one of his most talked-about quotes, NAF says that if you\'re a talented player trying to go pro while staying in North America, you might be wasting your time. His advice is harsh but clear: either move to Europe, where the competition and infrastructure exist, or seriously consider swapping to Riot\'s FPS and chase an opportunity in VALORANT.
This isn\'t coming from a washed veteran on the way out. NAF is still posting strong results, attending top-tier events, and navigating the same overloaded calendar as every other elite player. That perspective makes his criticism of the NA ecosystem hit even harder.
How the 2025 CS2 calendar and Major changes hurt NA
The 2025 CS2 competitive calendar ushers in a new era. Franchise leagues have been phased out and replaced by a more open, tournament-driven circuit. On paper, that should mean more opportunities. In practice, NAF believes this shift may be brutal for smaller regions like NA.
The end of franchised leagues
For years, NA teams could rely on fixed slots in franchised competitions like ESL Pro League or BLAST groups. Even if a roster wasn\'t world-class, it still had guaranteed exposure to tier-one opposition, LAN experience, and a reason for organizations to keep investing.
With that system gone, invites and qualifier spots lean even harder toward Europe. Top EU teams aren\'t just stronger; they\'re also closer to most tournament locations, easier to schedule, and safer bets for event organizers chasing viewership.
The removal of traditional RMR qualifiers
The switch away from the old Regional Major Ranking (RMR) qualifiers for CS2 Majors is another massive blow. Previously, teams from North America, South America, Asia, and CIS had a clearly defined path: grind regional events, play the RMR, and earn spots at the Major via regional performance.
Now, Major qualification is heavily tied to Valve points and performances across a broader range of events. Not every tournament feeds directly into the Major circuit, and many of the point-rich events are Europe-based. That makes it far harder for NA squads to accumulate enough points unless they:
- Relocate to Europe for extended stretches, or
- Receive a significant number of invites to big events — which is unlikely if they\'re not already established.
NAF sees this as a structural problem: the system naturally funnels opportunities to EU, while NA teams have to fight twice as hard just to show up in the same lobby.
Why NAF thinks the NA CS2 path is broken
NAF\'s assessment of the current North American ecosystem is blunt: it barely functions as a pipeline to tier-one Counter-Strike anymore.
No realistic path to tier-one from NA
From his perspective, sitting at home in NA and grinding pugs, ESEA, and the occasional qualifier isn\'t enough. The jump from tier-two NA to tier-one international play is bigger than ever, and the local competition isn\'t deep enough to prepare players, even if they\'re individually talented.
He points to rare exceptions — like NRG qualifying for ESL Pro League — as proof that it\'s still technically possible. But in his view, those are outliers, not a reliable development path. Without consistent regional events that connect meaningfully to the global circuit, and without strong org investment, the odds of turning NA ladder dominance into a real pro career are tiny.
NAF\'s controversial advice: go VALORANT or go EU
That\'s why NAF goes as far as saying there\'s almost no point trying to go pro in CS2 while staying rooted in North America. Instead, he suggests two realistic options for young prodigies:
- Relocate to Europe and immerse yourself in tier-two and tier-one CS2, where the scrim culture, event density, and level of play are much higher.
- Swap to VALORANT, where North America still has a healthy competitive ecosystem, franchised leagues, and more structural support for talent progression.
It\'s a brutal message for old-school NA CS fans, but NAF isn\'t saying it to farm drama. He\'s highlighting how far the region has fallen compared to its peak years of Liquid, Cloud9, and Evil Geniuses battling for trophies.
NA grassroots CS2: A framework that needs help
Despite his pessimism, NAF doesn\'t pretend that NA CS2 is completely dead. There are grassroots projects and tournament series trying to keep the scene alive — they\'re just not enough on their own.
Fragadelphia, Mythic, and the Revival Series
Long-running events like Fragadelphia still provide vital LAN experience for up-and-coming rosters. Meanwhile, community and org-led projects, such as Mythic and Complexity\'s Revival Series, add extra layers of competition for teams that would otherwise have almost nothing to play.
These events are important, but they sit a long way from the top-tier circuit that decides the future of careers. Without a healthy bridge between regional LANs and international events, NA players are forced to either:
- Dominate local tournaments with no guarantee of progression, or
- Take massive financial and personal risks relocating to Europe or switching games.
\"Not enough to commit your life to CS2\"
NAF touches on one of the most painful realities: for many up-and-coming players, the NA scene is no longer something you can reasonably commit your life to. While ESL Pro League and Challenger League still exist, he believes they don\'t form a stable enough ecosystem on their own.
That means fewer players willing to take a shot at a pro career from NA, fewer orgs willing to invest, and fewer tournaments willing to schedule NA-based competition. It\'s a feedback loop that makes NAF question whether it\'s even possible to reach tier one without leaving the region entirely.
NAF and Liquid: Results from 2024 to 2026
Despite the chaos surrounding the competitive structure, NAF\'s own career hasn\'t stalled. From 2024 into 2026, he\'s remained a consistent presence near the top of the CS2 food chain with Team Liquid.
Looking back at 2024
In 2024, NAF and Liquid delivered solid performances at some of the biggest events on the calendar. Key highlights included:
- Top-eight finish at the Perfect World Shanghai Major – A strong showing at one of the most important tournaments of the year.
- Participation at the BLAST Premier World Final – Cementing Liquid as a team that could still earn invites and compete against elite lineups.
Even when they fell short of titles, these events reinforced that Liquid remained relevant internationally — something very few NA-based organizations can say today.
NAF\'s mixed but promising 2025
The 2025 season was more up and down for NAF, but it still featured several standout results across different regions:
- 3rd place at the CS Asia Championships – Proving Liquid could contend in Asia against hungry local and international squads.
- 3rd place at the Birch Cup – Another deep run that added valuable points and confidence.
- Top-eight finish at IEM Melbourne – A key benchmark event that showed clear improvement compared to their previous struggles.
For a team still rebuilding and integrating new pieces like Kamil \"siuhy\" Szkaradek, these weren\'t just decent results — they were signs that Liquid was moving in the right direction.
Where NAF stands in 2026
Heading into 2026, NAF is still competing at a high level. He kicked off the year with a top-eight finish at BLAST Bounty Winter, coming off a strong closed qualifier performance. That kind of consistency over multiple years is exactly why his opinion on the region carries weight: he\'s not just speaking as an analyst; he\'s actively living the modern CS2 grind.
How siuhy and DeMars are reshaping Liquid
One of the biggest turning points for Liquid during this era has been the arrival of in-game leader Kamil \"siuhy\" Szkaradek and coach DeMars DeRover. In a conversation with Esports Kingdom around IEM Melbourne 2025, NAF highlighted just how quickly their influence started to show up in results and team atmosphere.
Fast progress with siuhy on board
Liquid entered IEM Melbourne 2025 still in the early stages of their project with siuhy. Only a short time before, they\'d endured a nightmare 0-3 run in Bucharest, failing to win a single map. In Australia, the story flipped.
NAF pointed out that in Melbourne, Liquid:
- Beat top-tier teams like NAVI and Virtus.pro in the group stage.
- Only lost to Team Vitality in groups, one of the most stacked rosters in the game.
- Reached the quarterfinals with a very real shot at making top four.
From a winless event to taking series off giants in just a couple of tournaments, NAF saw that as surpassing expectations and proof that the new structure was starting to click.
siuhy\'s leadership style: freedom over dictatorship
One detail NAF emphasized was siuhy\'s approach to leading the team. Unlike more rigid in-game leaders who micromanage every move, siuhy built a system focused on:
- Allowing players freedom in their roles instead of forcing them into uncomfortable positions.
- Trusting his teammates to make good decisions and take initiative.
- Balancing structure with creativity so players like NAF can leverage their experience and instincts.
According to NAF, siuhy isn\'t a dictator. He provides guidance and direction in-game, but he doesn\'t cage his players. That philosophy meshes well with Liquid\'s personnel and has helped rebuild confidence after some rough stretches.
Coach DeMars and behind-the-scenes work
NAF also highlighted the importance of coach DeMars DeRover. While players get most of the spotlight, a good coach is crucial for:
- Structuring practice schedules and scrim blocks.
- Breaking down opponents in detail and preparing counter game plans.
- Helping manage the mental side of constant travel, losses, and pressure.
With DeMars and siuhy pulling together, Liquid looks far more stable than the chaotic NA environment NAF criticizes so heavily.
Travel, oversaturation, and mental toll on pros
The 2025 CS2 calendar might offer more tournament slots than ever, but it comes at a price. Players like NAF and FaZe\'s rain have spoken publicly about oversaturation and how difficult the schedule is to manage mentally and physically.
Limited practice time due to travel
NAF and Liquid\'s late 2024 schedule is a perfect example. After competing at IEM Rio in Brazil and missing playoffs, they had to immediately focus on visa issues for the Shanghai Major. NAF stayed in Canada while the rest of the team based themselves in Europe, and as a result, they only had about five days of real practice before the BLAST World Final.
That kind of fragmented preparation isn\'t rare anymore — it\'s becoming the norm. And for NA players, the extra travel across continents amplifies the problem. Being forced to choose between grinding events for points and actually having time to practice and rest is a constant tradeoff.
Oversaturation and mental fatigue
Rain has openly said that 2025 is going to be mentally brutal due to oversaturation, and NAF is on a similar wavelength. Constantly flying between continents, playing back-to-back tournaments, and dealing with jet lag makes it hard for teams to stay sharp.
For European squads, stacking events in the same region can ease the burden. NAF notes that when tournaments are concentrated in Europe, it\'s easier to chain events without painful travel. For teams like Liquid, who have already relocated largely to Europe to survive competitively, that\'s become part of their reality.
Liquid\'s Asian bootcamp and Shanghai run
One of the smarter adaptations Liquid made was how they approached the combination of Asian events and the NA RMR qualifiers. Instead of constantly bouncing between regions, they looked for ways to minimize jet lag and maximize high-quality practice.
Staying in Asia to avoid jet lag
Following BLAST action in Singapore, Liquid made the call to stay in Asia instead of flying back to Europe and then returning again for further events and qualifiers. The logic was simple:
- Flying back to Europe would mean several days of jet lag recovery.
- They would then have to fly straight back out for RMR-related events.
- Staying put allowed the roster to acclimate properly and focus solely on playing.
NAF was also excited about scrimming against top Asian teams, seeing it as a valuable way to diversify practice and prepare for the regional NA RMR without losing sharpness.
The NA RMR and regional threats
On paper, Liquid should be favored to qualify for NA spots at the Major, but NAF made it clear that nothing is guaranteed. Teams like FURIA, paiN, Complexity, and M80 all have the firepower to ruin a qualifier run.
By staying in Asia, scrimming strong opponents, and cutting down on jet lag, Liquid aimed to enter the NA RMR in peak form rather than limping in exhausted from travel.
CS2 skins, the economy, and trading safely on uuskins
While pros like NAF are grinding events around the world, the wider CS2 community is constantly engaged with another crucial part of the game: skins. The CS2 skin economy has become a massive part of the scene, shaping how players express themselves in-game and even how some people invest their time and money.
Why CS2 skins still matter in the CS2 era
CS2 may have replaced CS:GO, but the core love for cosmetics hasn\'t changed. Whether you\'re dropping 30 frags or anchoring a bombsite on an eco round, your weapon skins are part of your identity. A clean AK, a rare knife, or a flashy AWP can be as much of a flex as your actual rating.
Many players who built large csgo skins collections have now migrated their inventories fully into CS2, and new players are looking to start from scratch. That\'s where reliable third-party marketplaces come into play.
Buying and selling CS2 skins safely
If you\'re looking to build out your loadout, upgrade your existing items, or cash out some of your inventory, it\'s important to use platforms that focus on security, pricing transparency, and user-friendly tools. Sites like cs2 skins marketplace uuskins.com are designed specifically for this ecosystem.
On a platform like uuskins, you can:
- Browse a large catalog of weapon skins, knives, gloves, and more with clear pricing.
- Compare values of cs2 skins and csgo skins that have transitioned into the new engine.
- Sell items quickly instead of waiting for Steam Market listings to be purchased.
- Avoid common scams by using a trusted, integrated system rather than risky peer-to-peer trades.
For players in regions like NA who might not have access to constant top-tier events, the skin economy often becomes a big part of staying engaged with the game. Building a dream inventory, flipping items for profit, or finally picking up that knife you\'ve always wanted can keep CS2 feeling fresh even when the local competitive ecosystem is struggling.
The future of NA talent: NAF\'s advice for young players
NAF\'s comments aren\'t meant to kill dreams — they\'re meant to recalibrate expectations for the next generation. If you\'re a young North American player trying to decide whether to sink thousands of hours into CS2 in 2025 and beyond, his message is brutally honest but still actionable.
When it still makes sense to grind CS2
If you love CS2, there are still valid reasons to keep grinding:
- You\'re willing and able to relocate or bootcamp in Europe for long stretches.
- You already have a team with strong backing and a realistic chance at international qualifiers.
- You treat NA events like stepping stones to something bigger, not the final destination.
- You\'re ready to accept a rough, unstable path and put in work without guaranteed payoffs.
For these players, CS2 can still be a career — but it probably won\'t be a region-locked NA career.
When to consider VALORANT or other paths
On the flip side, if:
- You can\'t feasibly move to Europe,
- You don\'t have org support, and
- You\'re relying entirely on the NA ecosystem to carry you to tier one,
NAF believes you should seriously think about swapping to VALORANT or another title where North America still has stronger infrastructure and more predictable circuits. Riot\'s ecosystem, for example, continues to maintain franchised leagues in NA with clearer paths to the top.
NAF\'s legacy vs. NA\'s reality
For many fans, NAF is synonymous with the golden years of NA Counter-Strike — deep Major runs, iconic Liquid lineups, and constant playoff appearances. That history makes his current assessment of the region feel bittersweet. He\'s living proof that an NA player can reach the absolute highest levels of CS, but he doesn\'t believe the same path exists today without going abroad.
Until tournament organizers, publishers, and organizations reinvest in North America with a proper pipeline, his advice is likely to remain the same: if you want to be world-class, be ready to leave home — or be ready to change games.
Whatever route you choose, staying informed about the scene, managing your time smartly, and using trusted platforms for your in-game economy — whether it\'s trading on cs2 skins markets or following global tournaments — will help you get the most out of CS2, even in a shifting landscape.
