Underperformance would have been completely reasonable - expected, even - but this is Astralis we are talking about. Victory was far from a formality though, especially after dupreeh’s father passed away the day before Astralis were due to fly to Poland. However, by solving the role conflict of dupreeh and Kjaerbye, the addition of Magisk proved to be one of the best roster moves in Counter-Strike history.Īstralis conquered all before them, coming into IEM Katowice 2019 as heavy favourites. They were Astralis' last trophies of 2017, and after Kjaerbye’s departure in early 2018, the team were again rebuilding. That, though, didn’t even matter dupreeh’s desert eagle ace turned the tide and Astralis won the next three maps to get their hands on an IEM trophy for the first time.Īn era beckoned, but the wins in Atlanta and Katowice proved to be a false dawn. They were not truly tested until the final, where FaZe comprehensively won map one and took an 11-9 lead on map two. IEM Katowice was the second big event of the year, and Astralis would repeat their Major success. The leading contenders to end this parity were the Danes of Astralis, who had seemingly conquered their semi-finals curse by winning ELEAGUE Atlanta in January 2017. And, naturally, they made it six.Īfter the aforementioned fall of Fnatic, and apparent heirs SK’s slump, Counter-Strike entered an era of parity in 2017.

Going into IEM Katowice, they had won the last five LAN events. Come 2016, Fnatic had swapped pronax for dennis, but they remained the best team in the world. Losing just one map on the way (to NIP in the final) Fnatic got the Major to cement their status as the best team in Counter-Strike. But, after being told to replay their quarter-final against LDLC because of a certain pixel boost Fnatic withdrew from the tournament, leaving the path clear for LDLC to win the Major.ĮSL One: Katowice 2015 was the next Major - and Fnatic’s shot at redemption. Going into DreamHack Winter, 2014's next major, they were favourites. A silver medal at the ESL One Cologne Major in August 2014, just two months after the lineups formation, was the foundation for them becoming the best team in the world by the autumn. Fnatic reacted swiftly, adding KRIMZ and olofmeister. This team had already won a major, DreamHack Winter 2013, but as the game developed their firepower deficit to other top teams was made clear. And Katowice was the first brick in that.īy 2015, NIP had been toppled but CS:GO still had a Swedish king in Fnatic. The Golden Five was no more, but TaZ and NEO were building a new legacy. NEO, though not a star player by 2014, was f0rest’s true rival for GOAT status at the time.īy winning in Katowice, VP denied NIP and f0rest their first Major in a game they had dominated, adding another string to NEO's already considerable bow.

Yet, they were not just any number one team - they had history with VP. Their 87-0 streak had ended, but they remained the best team in the world. The win was made even more special by who they defeated in the final: Sweden’s Ninjas in Pyjamas had been the dominant team in CS:GO.

It was also the squad’s first truly S-tier event win in CS:GO, after TaZ and NEO had won eight (unofficial) majors in Counter-Strike 1.6: one WSVG, three WCGs, two IEMs, and two ESWCs. Of course, he is slightly biased - 2014 was his team’s first Major win in CS:GO as well as being the first Major in their home country of Poland. Reflecting on EMS One Katowice 2014 in 2017, Virtus Pro’s TaZ said that “majors these days feel as special as first Katowice event, where we had 10 thousand people roaring on the stage'.

Sc2 flawless victory