The HLTV rankings are the way to gauge who is the best in the world of CS:GO esports, and Team Liquid has now grabbed the top spot after Danish side Astralis spent 14 months there.
Liquid's win at the DreamHack Masters Dallas might have something to do with this, and Astralis coach Danny 'Zonic' Sørensen had this to say on their movement down to number two:
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Team Liquid. They have fought hard and proven that they are worthy for a long time now. The number 1 spot is obviously important, but back in January, we chose to prioritize things that we knew potentially could cost us the spot. We have made a conscious decision that it's more important for Astralis to play in the right tournaments and perform our best than to participate in everything. That vision remains the same. "
"When we planned our schedule at the beginning of the year, we knew it could have consequences for our ranking spot. It's all about optimal preparation, to keep a healthy mental and physical balance and to perform the best we can. That's the way we have won our trophies in the past. We believe in that model. It helps us to perform our best and reach the goals we have put in front of us."
Liquid has won the IEM Masters competition in Sydney as well as the iBUYPOWER Masters this year already, so it's unsurprising to see them at the top, and elsewhere on the list Finnish side Ence are third, with Team Vitality in fourth.
How long can Liquid stay there?