The North American powerhouse Complexity recently announced that junior will replace Hallzerk and its core sniper Håkon “Hallzerk” Fjærli will miss the first stage of BLAST.tv Austin Major due to visa issues. This focus event, originally scheduled for early June 2025, has become a key stage for the North American division to enter the Major. However, Hallzerk’s absence disrupted the original tactical deployment.
Complexity quickly announced that Paytyn “Junior” Johnson would play as a temporary substitute. This decision was not officially announced until the eve of the event, forcing the team to quickly adjust its tactics to adapt to the lineup changes. Hallzerk has averaged 1.10 ratings per game in the past 6 months and is the backbone of the team’s key breaking point role in T-side. His sudden absence undoubtedly doubled the pressure on Complexity.
Junior‘s temporary appearance: both an opportunity and a test
As a temporary replacement, Junior is not the first time to wear the Complexity jersey. He played for the team briefly in 2022. Although the record was not ideal at the time (average rating was only 0.97), this return is different from a regular signing, but a mission in a critical situation. From a tactical role point of view, Junior will directly assume the main sniper responsibility, which is a position he has also played in EG and FURIA in the past.
It is worth noting that Junior’s status in FPL and ESEA leagues has improved recently. His overall rating in the past three months is 1.06, and he has performed steadily against Tier 2 teams, especially on Dust2 and Overpass. In the first round of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, if Complexity draws the above maps, Junior may become a potential X factor.
Data Analysis: Complexity’s recent performance and impact
From the data, Complexity’s performance in the first half of 2025 was fluctuating:
Win rate (past 3 months): 48%
Win rate against TOP 20 teams: 33%
Win rate on key maps: Ancient 45%, Inferno 40%, Overpass 53%
Hallzerk’s absence has a particularly strong impact on the maps that rely most on AWPers in the above results, such as Ancient and Overpass. Although Junior has some experience in positional matchups, his operating style is more defensive and conservative, which may slow down the team’s rhythm.
However, some tactical analyses have pointed out that Junior’s style may play a role in stabilizing the morale of the team in the chaotic first round. Especially in the BO1 competition system, stability is more important than burst.
North American Division Situation:Opportunities and Crisis
The first stage of the BLAST.tv Austin Major includes 16 teams, of which 6 are from North America. After the defeat in IEM Dallas, Complexity needs to prove its Major competitiveness through this event. However, the combination of personnel changes, tactical adjustments and visa emergencies has made its prospects more complicated.
More importantly, teams such as Liquid and M80 have been in good form recently. If Complexity fails to quickly adapt to the addition of Junior, it is likely to be squeezed out of the Major qualification.
Conclusion
The addition of Junior as a substitute is not an ideal choice, but for Complexity, maintaining combat effectiveness and avoiding morale collapse is the current priority. Data shows that the team needs to rebuild the A-point defense and default map control system around Junior, while strengthening the mid-to-late game command response.
The next few weeks will test Junior’s adaptability and the team’s overall stress resistance. If he performs well, he may get a formal contract again. Otherwise, Junior’s reserve status may become the next step. To continue to follow the event information and case opening activities, please follow Gocsgo blog.