Once again we're sat in the aftermath of the US CGS Draft, one of the most intense experiences in eSports history, where for the second time in as many years there has been a multitude of shocks and surprises. Whether it be Belle's inclusion for the second year coming, grt going to OptX, or HahN being picked up by Chicago Chimera, there was no shortage of upsets. This article will discuss the picks for Counterstrike : Source.

---

The first CSS pick of the draft was Stevenson returning to the Chimera. Although Brian Flander let him go back into the pool, he would have been too tempting for the likes of 3DNY and Dallas Venom, so he was picked up in the first round. A solid choice, with Stevenson proving himself as a very competent AWPer throughout Region 1 and the World Finals, it also provides a bit of stability for the team.

No surprises with the second pick either, where Warden was brought back to his roots in Complexity. The only surprise here really was the speed of it, with Jason Lake wasting his second round pick on a player I wouldn't consider that desirable to the other GMs. However, Dickens did mention when drafted that Dave Geffon had been approaching him, and maybe this changed Lake's game plan.

The third pick was a shocker, as Chicago Chimera's grt was snapped up to the SF Optx. This pick wasn't neccesarily shocking because of the skill of the player, it surprised a lot of people to see Kat Hunter making changes in one of the only consistent teams in the US, especially since they took a fair while to build the chemistry. However, grt is an incredibly competent player, as well as a strong motivator and a positive team influence, which Hunter may have thought the team needed.

Next up was Sonny being picked to return to the Core. After winning the combine, having a very succesful first season and a great run in the world finals, Dolven must have deemed chemistry more important than individual skill, and returned Sonny to the team. I'm not implying that Sonny is not a competent player, but with players like juan, paradox, LiN, da_bears, and Haqshot available, I would argue that he was looking for more than the best individual.

The fifth pick was for Chicago Chimera, and they picked none other than da_bears, one of the most recognised players in US counterstrike. With a wealth of experience, and some incredibly performances as a stand in in the first season, he was an obvious choice and a clever pick for Flanders.

Venom made their first Counterstrike pick next, picking up Mustang of Pandemic. A somewhat surprising choice in my eyes, as Mustang is a prolific player, but wouldn't neccesarily be my first choice from the Pandemic roster. However, it will not be a regrettable choice, as I feel he will complement the rest of the squad perfectly with his rifling.

After having a bit of a disappointing season last year, New York were anticipated to make some serious roster changes, and the first took place in round three, where they picked up Pandemic's juan. One of the best leaders in CSS history and bringing bucket loads of knowledge along with him, I think he may provide the authorative figure that 3D have needed for so long.

This was followed by another easy pick for Mark Dolven, where Torrez returned to the Carolina Core squad, ensuring their squad will remain the same as in the first season, with the obvious pick up of org a few weeks ago.

The first pick of round four turned a few heads, as Classified of x6 was picked up by Dallas Venom. After going out in the first round of elimination at the combine, and not really doing anything prolific in the run up, it was a very surprising pick, and arguably a mistake. After winning CEVO and improving 10 fold recently, it seems an odd choice to break up the chemistry which has laid the foundations in the team. Even if you were to make changes, I don't think Classified was the obvious choice. Given Alex Garfield's position I would have picked up a more influential player, such as n0it or Haqshot, as I feel Venom have missed those big hitters in the past. However, Classified is by no means a weak player, and given the right motivation and direction he should slot in fine, even if he won't send them that extra mile.

The next pick was followed by a sigh of relief across the world, as nickn0it of Pandemic was drafted to 3D. One of the most incredible players in the world, and a hugely influential player, it surprised a lot of people to see him go this late, and was an excellent pick to complete a hugely promising NY3D squad. The only problem here is the conflicts that may arise between n0it and Ksharp, as both of them are very predominantly AWPers, and it may be difficulty to slot them both into the equation. However, when you're working with players of that calibre and experience minor problems like that can normally be overcome, and this leaves 3D with one of the best looking squads in the league.

The fourth and final Pandemic player to get drafted was Paradox, who completed the SF OptX lineup. Although Paradox is a fantastic player and would normally be considered an obvious choice, this shocked a lot of people, due to the same reasons as Classified's choice. When looking at a team like Optx, it seems surprising to go for individual prowess above chemistry, as that is clearly what was made them develop so much as a team over the past year. I would however consider Paradox a better pick than Classified, as I think he will make a bigger impact in their games rather than just slotting in as another player.

The final CSS pick was arguably the most controversial, as HahN of x6 was picked up by Chicago Chimera. The only reason I can think of for this was that Flanders was thrown off by grt's transfer to Optx, and didn't really have a back up plan. It sounds extreme, as HahN is by no means a bad player, but there was so many obvious choices who could have slotted in where grt left off, and HahN really wasn't one of them. With players like shaGuar, LiN, Haqshot, and Sunman all taking similar roles in their respective teams, and bringing a lot more experience and better resumé's with them, Flanders shocked everyone with his final pick.

---

Overall I think Moto made the best choices in CSS, as he needed two specific changes and he picked them well. They were in a different position to a lot of their competition though, as most other teams needed stability, and only Mark Dolven and Jason Lake were able to provide it. OptX and Venom both made unnecesary changes in my eyes, as well as Chicago Chimera who made the wrong changes. However, no GM gets a perfect team, and they all have to balance it off against the other games, so while some may have done better than others here, it may not reflect their success as a franchise later in the year.