Team Liquid has made a significant change in its CS:GO roster just ahead of the BLAST Premier Showdown. The North American esports organization has officially removed Bulgarian rifler Aleks "Rainwaker" Petrov from their active lineup. Furthermore, they've announced that their head coach, Damian "daps" Steele, will be taking up the mantle as a stand-in player for the upcoming tournament.

Team Liquid's CS:GO Roster Shake-Up

The decision to bench Rainwaker comes on the heels of a mediocre run for Team Liquid since they transitioned to an international project in June. This transition saw the departure of long-time players EliGE and nitr0, making way for Rainwaker and Robert "Patsi" Isyanov. However, the team's performance has been less than stellar, prompting the organization to take action.

Team Liquid's woes were evident in their recent tournament outings. Under the leadership of YEKINDAR, they failed to qualify for IEM Cologne's main stage in July, stumbled in the ESL Pro League Season 18 group stage in September, and found themselves among the lower-placed teams at Gamers8 in August.

Rainwaker's performance statistics during his three-month stint with Team Liquid painted a grim picture. With an average rating of 0.96 since his official signing on June 22, he found himself at the bottom of the team's performance charts. It's worth noting that Rainwaker was tasked with challenging roles within the team, including anchoring bombsites and providing support for the star players.

The question now looms as to what Team Liquid's next steps will be. While they haven't explicitly stated whether they are actively seeking a new fifth player or contemplating a more permanent move for coach daps to the active roster, it's clear that changes are afoot.

Damian "daps" Steele, Team Liquid's head coach, brings a wealth of experience to the table. Despite being inactive as a player since April 2022, he briefly competed in VALORANT before returning to CS:GO. Throughout his career, daps has successfully led North American rosters, including OpTic Gaming and NRG, albeit without being known for standout raw aim and mechanics.

Team Liquid's revamped lineup, featuring daps as the stand-in, will face their first challenge against Forsaken in the BLAST Premier Showdown on Thursday at 1pm CT. The tournament promises fierce competition, with teams like Imperial, Complexity, FURIA, and Evil Geniuses vying for a coveted spot in the BLAST Premier Fall Finals.

As Team Liquid seeks to regain their competitive edge, all eyes will be on how coach daps performs in his dual role as leader and player, and whether this change will be the catalyst for a resurgence in their CS:GO fortunes.