LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 22: Broadcasters Graham "HiRezHinduMan" Hadfield (L) and Brandon "DMBRANDON" Nance attend the grand opening of Esports Arena Las Vegas, the first dedicated esports arena on the Las Vegas Strip at Luxor Hotel and Casino on March 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Esports Arena Las Vegas)
SMITE: NRG eSports loses its edge for winning
The fifth season of SMITE has brought a lot of new things. One of these things has been the true downfall of NRG.
After a hot start to SMITE competitive play and barely missing the LAN in the first split, NRG has lost its grip. The trade for Emilzy seemed great at the beginning, even after many doubts. Now, however, iRaffer and Obey Alliance have made a comeback and are challenging Dignitas and Rival.
NRG was finally able to defeat Rival this split for the first time this season. Many will want to blame the losses on Emilzy or Maniakk, but that shouldn’t be the case. Many of these problems we are seeing now were also seen in the last season.
More from SMITE
They have won two world championship titles in Season Two and Three. Going back to Season Three, it is amazing to see how good they were. This was the season that changed SMITE. NRG won a landslide victory for the first two splits and was only contested against Obey Alliance in the finale.
The beginning of Season Four, however, displayed all of the great teams ready to go. Teams like Dignitas and Obey challenged the world champs. The competition grew.
The downfall began in Season Four against the worlds runners-up, Obey. NRG lost their first set in over a year and eventually replaced Dimi later that season for Maniakk. NRG struggled, but they made it to worlds.
After losing to Rival at the Season Four worlds, they wanted some change. Emilzy replaced iRaffer as support for Season Five. Where none of this seems important, all these events have led to their demise.
Dimi claims that before he was replaced was the time when he was most fired-up. Having just lost a tournament, he was ready to go and wanted to win. However, he was removed from solo lane and added as a coach to make room for Maniakk.
It is a bit different story for iRaffer. His story it is still shrouded in mystery. He was replaced in the downtime between Season Four and Five. His replacement was a surprise to many and maybe their last straw.
NRG has been a good team, but all of the changes could have hurt more than helped. I will always remember watching NRG (or Panthera early on) during Season Three. Those will always be the glory days of NRG.
