MIBR is competing in the European region during the currently ongoing ESL One Cologne 2020 Online; a move that perplexed some due to their poor showings against Tier 2 teams as of late.
The stars were not in their favor as they went head to head in their first match of ESL One Cologne against G2 Esports, and it was the fastest match-up yet of ESL One Cologne 2020 Online with MIBR managing to put up a total of six points across two maps against G2.
Many are bluntly wondering why MIBR was even offered a position in the ESL One Cologne, as multiple teams (namely Godsent) were ranked higher than them in ESL’s own rankings and it doesn’t appear as though they can put up adequate numbers any more against the more heavy-hitting teams.
Considering that MIBR struggles against Tier 2 teams recently, it’s a fair statement to make that they should perhaps be looking at more regional tournaments rather than occupying space that other teams are, some argue, more deserving of.
Granted, since the Chaos incident where MIBR sent fans to attack kids that they lost to, it’s admittedly difficult not to rally against them every time they suffer yet another ignoble defeat at the hands of literally anyone.
Their Twitter accounts showing angles of clips that somehow proved that Chaos was cheating in an unimportant match rallied a massive Brazilian fanbase against the team that had to set their social media to private so as to avoid the swelling of death threats that pointed at the upcoming Rio Major as the stage to carry out said death threats.
It didn’t help that Gaules, one of the largest Twitch streamers in Brazil, if not the world, consistently played the clips as ‘irrefutable proof’ that Chaos (namely Leaf) was cheating, further inciting the fan base.
It’s all relatively immaterial now, however, as MIBR has quickly dropped into the lower bracket in their first appearance within the ESL One Cologne 2020 Online, and it doesn’t bode well for them there, either.
MIBR will be facing off against FaZe Clan on Friday, August 21 (1230 EST) in what will likely be an extremely difficult match-up that has the scent of yet another one-sided foray, unless FaZe softballs it.
The question if MIBR struggles again is precisely what the organization does from that point: the org has more than a few splinters in its side from recent months and years, ranging from the roster sending death threats at finals to where the police needed to be called, to racial slurs on streams that resulted in fines.
The MIBR that was once legendary back in 2015-2016 is now a shell of its former self, kept alive by a rabid fanbase and former glories that were once bestowed upon them.
