YEKINDAR And His Possible Future In CS:GO

The 22-year-old Latvian player is one of the most desired players on the scene due to his enormous talent and youth. However, the future of Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis is one of the big unknowns in the CS:GO competitive scene. With the start of the war in Ukraine, the limitations imposed on Russian organizations are seriously damaging the plans of this shooter. After the end of the Antwerp Major, he left Virtus.pro (aka Outsiders) and had to decide his future. 

Mareks is currently competing in Team Liquid as a stand-in after the departure of Richard “shox” Papillon from the North American organization. With the end of the IEM Cologne tournament, a continuous movement of signings will begin for several players and teams in CS:GO to prepare for the second half of 2022. YEKINDAR is possibly the most desired player on the market for the rest of the season. So, he could end up on any team, but getting his services will not be cheap.

In this article, we want to clarify why the Latvian is considered one of the best riflers in CS:GO, taking his performance for Liquid at IEM Cologne as an example. Without further ado, let’s get started!

What Does YEKINDAR Contribute to Liquid?

Despite the high level of the players, Team Liquid struggled to show their excellent CS in the first half of 2022. When the NA organization announced that YEKINDAR would play as a new stand-in, many were hopeful that this star could bring a fortunate start to Liquid’s run in the German tournament. Thus, all eyes were concentrated on the Latvian star inside and outside the server. 

Actually, Team Liquid has been one of the big surprises at IEM Cologne 2022 after getting the playoffs classification. Though they began the Group stage losing to Team Spirit, the team managed to qualify for the Quarterfinals after beating 00Nation, Cloud9, and FURIA in the lower bracket. YEKINDAR and ELiGE have been a deadly duo that helped their team to secure a place in the Playoffs.

Profile on the Server

YEKINDAR is one of the best players in the CS:GO world, a prestigious entry fragger for Team Liquid, and a machine to get the first kill. What distinguishes him from the others is his consistency. Though Mareks Gaļinskis does not stand out for having exaggeratedly high peaks such as NiKo or Xantares, his game is much more consistent. According to cover.gg, his precision for the last three months contributes to the 68% success rate for opening duels with 32 maps played. 

In addition, something that surprises the player a lot despite being an entry fragger, is his dynamism within the game in each round. He can reposition himself like almost no other and does not lose importance or weight within its main role.

Tactical Depth

YEKINDAR is a multipurpose player, as it has been demonstrated on the server for a long time. Although his main role is entry fragger, he can act as an AWPer without dropping his rings.

This ability to versatility will give a very interesting depth to the team. In addition, the Latvian player has already offered a different viewpoint to EliGE, giving him additional space to improve.

His Future at a Key Moment of the Season

After a great run of the first two stages of IEM Cologne, the former Virtus.pro player gave an interview to the hltv platform about his future after the tournament. In that interview, YEKINDAR leaves the door open to become a starting player of Team Liquid. He said in the American media that maybe he was going to stick with the NA team if it was possible.

Anyway, the Latvian is one of the most desired players on the market and there would be no shortage of teams interested in signing him. That’s why so many people are interested to know the final decision about his future.

YEKINDAR in the Playoffs of IEM Cologne

Team Liquid will debut against Movistar Riders in the quarterfinals of IEM Cologne 2022. The Latvian assures that the Spaniards’ performance surprised many people in the last two months and that they are in good shape. According to Mareks, it is going to be a great matchup for both teams because they are the two underdogs of the Playoffs. With all this in mind, we think that YEKINDAR will do his best for Team Liquid as he has to think about the competitive future and career.