A new CS2 controversy has surfaced during the BLAST Open Lisbon. Falcons coach Danny ‘Zonic’ Sørensen failed to find words during a tactical timeout at a crucial juncture of the game.
Tournament organisers often post clips from the team’s internal communication to give viewers interesting insight into how it is done at the game’s highest level. While these clips cut off the tactical stuff, the rest of it helps the audience feel the vibe of the team at that point.
During a 4-hour-long series between the Falcons and VP in BLAST Open Lisbon, Zonic called a tactical timeout as Falcons were blowing away their lead. BLAST managed to post a section of the clip where Zonic fails to figure out a tactical solution, or so can be deduced from that instance. BLAST posted the clip on Twitter, elicited mixed reactions, and therefore sparked a community-wide debate.
The clip was deemed “funny” by the fans, given that Zonic is one of the highest-paid coaches, if not the highest, and he failed to support his team when they needed him the most. While the clip only showcased a few seconds, it portrayed Zonic as unfit to be a coach of a roster of this calibre.
What really happened?
As BLAST is not allowed to share the tactical discussions, the clip was restricted to Zonic fumbling his words, which many argued is a misinterpretation of the situation, given tactics were discussed later into the timeout.
Zonic is one of the most decorated coaches of all time, certainly one with the most Major titles, and when his image gets tarnished, Falcons triggered a complaint to BLAST. This led to the organisation receiving further hate because they are notoriously famous for complaining about trivial issues. While Zonic was getting bashed online, notably, figures like apEX, TaZ, and mithR came to his rescue. TaZ and mithR’s posts suggested that incidents like this render teams less likely to let TOs share their clips.
Zonic is leading one of the most expensive rosters in the world, and unless they deliver on big stages, hate will keep coming his way. The CS community is not as forgiving as the others, which makes Zonic’s job much more difficult. As things stand, BLAST has not taken steps to remedy the situation yet, and it looks like it will pass with time.