Lag Blank were a team who took Counter-Strike back to its roots, a team untouched by the dizzy heights of fame, reminiscent of a time when it was all so simple. Everybody’s favourite underdog, but one who was put down and is now reserved only for the history books.

The Alchemists can fill that space. They are the ultimate underdogs, a team of individuals who have been vaguely known in various teams but somehow know how to work together. They attended this event at the last minute, admitting to poor practice given the time and have never attended a major event before in their lives.

A mix of Four Norwegians and a Swede, The Alchemists claim to fame is winning The Gathering in Norway, which apparently opened the doors for them in terms of sponsorship and the ESWC Masters of Cheonan.

They have now progressed to the semi-finals of a lucrative international competition, but their future as a team hangs in the balance. They have come to the crossroads that will define whether they will be forgotten as another mix team that fell apart, or as a team that have what it takes to go the distance. It will not be as simple as a win secures their future and a loss discards it, it will be their attitude and passion that will seal their fate.

As of yet they have only faced mid-tier teams despite reaching the semi-finals. They faced known names with big sponsors, but not teams with line-ups with major accomplishments to their name outside of their home countries.

WeMadeFox are still in an evolutional stage as are Team EG, and wNv have had issues with stability for a long time with continious line-up and roster changes. Now The Alchemists are center-stage, the masses are watching, they play their first match against a team who already served Fnatic and WICKED a beating.

If they can put up a fight here, they should definitely have a premise to stick around and continue to develop. Counter-Strike needs more Lag Blanks, to prove that there is still room in this antique game for new blood.

[photo by Nils Johannsen / Readmore.de]