Majors are the events where the most memorable, unbelievable and crazy CS:GO moments happen...
While CS:GO Majors can definitely be chaotic spectacles, there are always opportunities for the most adept players and teams to do something awesome, and for unforgettable moments to emerge.
As the beginning of the ELEAGUE Major looms just around the corner, we look back at some of the most memorable moments from the past nine CS:GO Majors.
Ninjas in Pyjamas – a Major success
When discussing CS:GO Majors, it would be churlish not to mention the team that, to this day, has the best record of any big team in the Majors.
They’ve had their ups and downs, but NiP’s legacy still stands out as CS:GO’s most prestigious.
The team synonymous with CS:GO has a record number of attendances at the grand finals of Valve’s nine Majors, snugly wrapping their hands around five of them.
Not only that, they have been present at all nine and have only failed to progress from groups once.
Painful to have seen them falter the way they did at the ELEAGUE Major Qualifier, this will be their first no show at a Valve Major.
Blood s1mple at ESL One Cologne
CS:GO Majors have had more than their fair share of epic plays; but one moment won’t be forgotten easily.
At ESL One Cologne in 2016, Team Liquid’s s1mple astounded fans, commentators, his opponents – and probably his teammates – by pulling off an insane clutch in a 1 v 2 situation against KRiMZ and dennis.
Playing on Cache, s1mple enters the B-bombsite via Heaven and while falling, no-scopes dennis, then proceeds to take out KRiMZ as soon as his feet touch ground.
It all happened within barely a couple of seconds.
Such a display of skill and swift reactions, this play was godlike – it’s that s1mple. FMPONE was quick to mark the spot with some awesome graffiti on the map, as well as s1mple getting the artwork tattooed on his arm.
Fnatic about controversy
Among the memorable moments of the DreamHack Winter 2014 Major, one stood out as being particularly entertaining and caused quite a bit of controversy.
It was the quarter-finals between Fnatic and LDLC.
Not only had LDLC never taken out the Swedish powerhouse before, they entered the matchup after just losing to them in the finals of two back-to-back tournaments.
So, cue the controversy.
At 13-3 Fnatic changed the pace of the game using a previously unknown pixel boost which gave them unprecedented vision over the map.
olof proceeded to reign down death from above, picking off a dazed and confused LDLC with this game breaking exploit, winning the entire match 16-13.
This boost proved to be so outrageous that it was later contested and a decision was made by DreamHack to replay the second half of the third map.
So why didn’t they just hand it to LDLC? Well turns out they were also using an illegal boost to gain the upperhand.
Fnatic however, forfeited and withdrew from the tournament. With the Swedes out of the way, LDLC finally made good on their potential and went on to lift the trophy.
Luminosity sets the scene alight
Brazil’s Luminosity made CS:GO history in 2016 becoming the first non-EU team to win a Major, at MLG Columbus. In doing so, they also became the first winners of a Major with a $1 million prize pool.
The team had previously made it to the playoff in all three 2015 Majors, but fell short of making it to the quarter finals.
And then at MLG Columbus in 2016 it happened.
Lead by FalleN under the Luminosity banner, coldzera pulled it back in a matchup on Mirage against Team Liquid.
15-9 down, he wowed onlookers with a remarkable no-scope, jumping AWP 4k play and started the rolling comeback that secured the team victory.
This feast of remarkable CS:GO play was so good it was immortalised both on Mirage in the form of graffiti, but also on coldzera’s skin as a tattoo – much like s1mple.
Now SK, the team then went on to secure ESL One Cologne 2016, winning two Majors back to back.
Finally, boosted to $1,000,000
Since the beginning of Valve-sponsored Majors back in 2013, the tournaments have served as a sort of rallying point, a way of uniting the existing community, as well as attracting new viewers and aspiring players.
There’s no denying that professional CS:GO has been growing since then at a remarkable rate; its events being among the largest eSports tournaments in the world.
With millions of viewers globally, it was only a matter of time before the prize pools reflected the value of the scene.
The beginning of 2016 marked the first Majors with a prize pool of $1,000,000 at MLG Columbus, boosted from the previous $250,000.
It’s safe to say that sometimes the most unforgettable moments are the ones that no one ever planned, and we can’t wait to see what will emerge from ELEAGUE 2017.
