Rising Stars: NertZ and Ultimate Lead Team Liquid's Resurgence in 2025

Team Liquid Counter-Strike has long been one of the most prestigious names in the game, but in recent years, the team has struggled to find the consistency that once made them a dominant force not just in their region, but in the world. Since moving away from an all-North American roster, Liquid has undergone multiple roster overhauls, shifting playstyles and leadership structures in search of stability. The failed cadiaN-led experiment in 2024, the benching of YEKINDAR, and the internal turmoil surrounding leadership have all contributed to the turbulence. Now, with a reworked lineup and renewed ambition, the team is looking to turn the page and re-establish itself as a title contender in 2025.

Two of Liquid's newest recruits are at the heart of this resurgence: Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak. Both players arrived with the raw talent and hunger that Liquid needed to reinvigorate its roster, bringing fresh firepower to pair with the experience of veterans like Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken, Justin “jks” Savage, and Keith “NAF” Markovic. NertZ, a breakout star from his time with ENCE and Heroic, is expected to inject a new level of explosiveness into Liquid’s playstyle, while ultimate has represented another bold gamble as the team’s new AWPer.

For ultimate, his ascent to Team Liquid was nothing short of dramatic. Coming from relative obscurity, he had to grind his way through the ranks, proving himself at every step.

“It started pretty normally,” he recalled. “Some friends from school got me into Counter-Strike, and I played casually at first. I wasn’t addicted, but I noticed I was improving quickly and might have some talent.”

His journey into professional play began in Poland. He first gained real traction when he joined AGO in 2022. Though not yet recognized internationally, it was a significant step for him. 

“That’s when people started to notice me within the Polish scene,” he explains. “Before that, I was mainly playing with people I enjoyed playing with.”

After a few years of grinding through Polish squads, he eventually found himself on an international roster with Illuminar. He said that experience helped him “tremendously,” especially when it came to learning how to comm in English, something he’d never done before.

Then came the unexpected call from Liquid.

“It was completely unexpected,” he explained. “It happened very fast because Liquid was in a rush. The season was starting soon, and they still needed players, so they had to move quickly. My contract with Illuminar was ending, so I was essentially a free agent. Then, I got a call from Liquid. They said they wanted to talk, so we had a discussion where they explained their vision. I shared my perspective, and we came to an agreement. It took me about four seconds to decide before saying, ‘Yes, of course, I want to do this.’ And here we are.”

ultimate’s rapid rise was met with questions from the community. HLTV Confirmed Co-Host Chad “SPUNJ” Burchill hinted that nobody had probably ever heard of this new AWPer that Liquid was after. Ultimate was, for lack of a better term, the ultimate unknown. Despite his time with two internationally known organizations, his arrival was completely unexpected as the organization made a daring move for a new talent. 

NertZ’s journey took a different route. He first gained prominence during the COVID era while serving in the Israeli army.

“When COVID started, I was still serving in the army. I finished my service in 2020 or 2021, and during that time, I was grinding FPL and FACEIT,” he says. “I was playing a lot—so much that I barely had a social life.”

In Israel, most youth are required to complete mandatory military service at age 18, typically for a 32-month period for men. Other professional players, like Jere “Sergej” Salo, have also had to complete their military service while attempting a career in Counter-Strike. 

His big break came when Israeli player FlameZ, now with Vitality, reached out to connect him with Endpoint. 

“Back then, my English was terrible,” he admits. “Understanding British accents in-game was a struggle, but after three months I understood everything, and by the end of 2022, I felt like I was dominating in the Tier 2 and 3 scenes.”

After solid performances at Endpoint, NertZ attracted interest from ENCE but initially lost a roster spot to Valdemar "valde" Vangså. However, after just a few months later, they came knocking again.

“It happened just one day before the open qualifier for the Major,” he said. “The negotiations lasted less than three hours. ENCE contacted Endpoint, asked for a price, got the deal done, and within three hours, I was officially an ENCE player.”

NertZ shone in ENCE. He earned the Rookie of the Year title in 2023 and, along with it, international acclaim. He would later move on to HEROIC for 2024, but his year-long tenure was almost cut short as Liquid had approached him over the summer with an offer — which he turned down. 

“I felt like I hadn’t done enough with HEROIC yet,” he explains. “I wanted to prove myself more.”

By the end of the year, though, he felt the timing was right. 

“I knew Liquid was the right place for me,” he said. “Since joining, everything has been great - the staff, the environment - no complaints at all.”

The move to Liquid is not just about a new team but a new challenge. NertZ wants to redefine his role and prove he can be a consistent force at the highest level.

Both players acknowledge that Liquid’s transition phase has been an adjustment. With experienced players like jks and NAF on the roster, the team is still working out its identity.

“For 2025, I believe we should aim for the playoffs in every tournament we enter,” NertZ states. “Right now, with me joining, we are making a lot of changes to our in-game approach. Some players are still adjusting, but I think we are heading in the right direction. The team is constantly improving.”

Ultimate echoes that sentiment. “ I can learn a lot from NAF and jks. They achieved what I'm aiming to achieve already. I have plenty, plenty to learn and they're willing to share this knowledge, which is a nice thing.”

One of the biggest challenges has been handling the increased pressure that comes with playing for an organization as big as Liquid.

“It comes with a little bit of pressure,” Ultimate admits. “ A lot of people were doubting me - if I can play on this level or if I cannot. So yeah, the beginning was rough. Right now I think I handle it. It's good. I'm fine with it.”

Despite their talent, both players emphasize how much they continue to learn from their veteran teammates.One of the biggest lessons? Learning how to handle failure.

“ They taught me that I'm allowed to have a bad game,” ultimate reveals. “ I had a hard time processing it at the beginning, when I had mostly good games for the first two months. Then the bad games came and it was hard. They taught me that it’s fine. You're allowed to have a bad game. It's okay.”

NertZ, now two years into his Tier 1 career, still considers himself a student of the game. “ I would say I still have a long way to go about the experience.  I learned a lot about myself, about how to play in front of the crowd, how to play in the group stage,” he says. “ I also feel like every player can learn small details from someone else. I can also learn from ultimate. I can learn from even a 16 year old kid that comes into the game. And for me, that’s important. This is something that personality-wise, you need to understand, even if you want everything. You can still learn from other players. Even Twistzz, who has won everything, still has an open mindset that he has brought to the team and considers everyone. I feel like this is a good mindset to have.”

Team Liquid has faced its share of challenges since moving away from an all-North American roster. While past years saw strong performances with an international mix, the transition has been far from seamless. 

Consistency has been elusive and leadership questions have plagued the team with Twistzz beginning his journey as a new in-game leader to the squad. The Canadian made his way in the world as a famous rifler for FaZe and Liquid previously in his career, so his transition into a more cerebral-focused player is a challenge for him and the organization with fans, commentators, and more questioning if this will work out. 

“I don’t pay attention to background noise,” NertZ says firmly. “ I feel like everyone will say that, on paper, ‘Twistzz should not be IGL because he's one of the best players in the world’.  He's super mature, he knows the game well, the meta, and how to connect any scenario during the round.”

Ultimate agrees. “ I don't really care about that, some HLTV yapping.  He's always nice to every teammate, to everyone. He's nice to be around as a person, He's nice to play around as a player, so what more could I want?”

While there may be some truth to Liquid’s struggles with leadership in the post-cadiaN era, the team remains steadfast in their belief that they can make the new system work. With the season underway, both players have high expectations for Liquid.

“Championships,” Ultimate says simply. “That’s the goal.”

“For the next six months, I want us to be a Top 5 team in the world for at least three months. We have everything to perform as a top five team,” NertZ adds. 

As Liquid moves into 2025 with fresh faces and renewed ambition, Ultimate and NertZ stand as proof that hard work, adaptability, and the right mentality can push anyone to the top. And for them, the journey is just beginning.