End of an Era: The Story of CS:GO's Last Major

you don't always know when it will be the last time to make it short yeah I'm retiring from competition you don't always get to choose when an era is over and it's all on the coach one verse is true to try and keep his team alive keep the dream alive for them well they're right up behind him the flick not connecting and he is brought down we knew for sure that as the last CS go major Paris would be the end of something but it's still managed to surprise us present and correct and if they were in the feed to start jail hey the chosen one is here the Paris major showed us exactly how far a Counter-Strike has come knock he's only got one two OC nervous nervous no way [Applause] and he's getting edged up he needs some backup and he will not be there in time siphon with the jewel he's now one versus two trying to hunt them down oh they're staying here he should be dead when he hits the headshot coming back he's looking for it and there's no way and just like the game itself it wasn't what we expected but it was even better than we thought look around you we own this Arena CS go came to France for its final farewell say [ __ ] them as old foreign Counter-Strike Global Offensive was a bridge that brought two communities together source and 1.6 France mostly known for their Source skills stood out early on pacing himself he's gonna spot nbk first he goes down a ldlc they pick it up and look at that they can hardly believe it but the country's triumphant run didn't last and even though France won two CS go Majors its competitive scene was racked by controversy cheating match fixing and personal conflicts kept French players away from another major title after their 2015 Victory and nearly compromised even that win France waited on the sidelines as Brazil and then Denmark dominated different eras of the game it felt to many like French CS was doomed to never win again the blast TV Paris major was announced in September of 2022. it was going to be the first ever CS go major hosted in France but the last of the entire game this was a big deal not just a French CS fans but to France as a whole president Macon while seeking re-election in 2022 promised to bring a CS go major to his home country and Mac Hall announced the major two a few months after winning that re-election the blast TV major combusters foreign the stage was set for a French CS Revival but whatever we expected once it actually got started the Paris major continued to surprise the major didn't exactly start with a bang but by the legend stage things really went off the rails some of the strongest teams in the world measured themselves against newcomers and came up short a lot of utility in the mix okay Cipher in the feed a quick headshot between the eyes too to start off proceedings he is the brunt and The Brute of this attack it's all Cipher take them all starting with a bang starting as he means to go on he is within touching distance of making history for the UK they already have him go he wants the ace call him baby and that's gotta feel good so much damage crucial should be a dead man smoking come down crucial magnificent in the finish it was a bloodbath as anyone who did Pickens can attest hop out Alexi goes beyond him knock shoots him in the back as Alexi just writes off the possibility and Knox gonna get ever closer catching bows it's gonna be tough with the awp rez already starting to clear out some of these angles in the bomb site Brolin's walking knock hits the shot Rez is gonna stick this or not gets him off and now time is gonna decide there is no chance for the ninjas teams that everyone expected to win teams who were looking to cement their legacies by taking home the last ever CS go major went down in disgrace instead we've got Crimson sight Dodges The Flash he's looking for his moment and fire at the feet of the Moto play now faster still with nothing and the a side itself is holding oh crims he's losing his teammates but fights the King of Kings inside will take that 15 for fnatic but has that been a problem they can fixate forward oh and a first one on Nico straight through the smoke a dive under the bomb but he doesn't stop playing even doubt and hooks he wastes no time Nika does right there backs turn hits the shot a second and Nick adoles is now one away as the kid Prodigy whose dreams will be crushed alongside the Kovach and all the sudden he peeks he goes down g2's failure to qualify for playoffs was a huge disappointment for a roster that had never managed to clinch a major despite adding young hot shot monessy to bolster the presence of one of the game's greatest ever riflers I was close many chances has slipped away uh new chapter starting in CS2 and that's it Navi with the goat himself simple at the helm we're looking for a second major and an emphatic statement that this was their era but their chances Slipped Away First losing to Monty a team that had beef with simple listen I like the balls of this kit to come out publicly on Twitter and call out symbol who is the greatest player of all time in Counter-Strike Global Offensive and say something like you're watching right now in this quotation is is speaks confidence you know speaks belief in his own abilities that Molly implies as such especially with bit Juan But Here Comes krasnell he's still on the site has his foreign just like that Warroad takes a step in that direction one back but that's all it's all wore out one more on that Warpath 16 secure Monty up in the lead in this Grudge Match for a spot in the champion stage and then at the final hurdle they were stopped by International Powerhouse Face Clan this could actually still grow bad for Navi there's a good pick off green 20 seconds he picks up the one ready as they come through and oh my God Reign with the last spray down taking bit a triple on the Norwegian and it's all on The Gulch one versus two to try and keep his team alive keep the dream alive for them oh they're right up behind him the flick not connecting and he is brought down Brookie to send Navi out of the major of the top eight teams that made it to the playoff bracket a staggering five of them qualified from the Challenger stage and among the Titans left standing were Vitality the sole French organization in the tournament and the one hope for the home proud but they stood almost entirely alone most of the other massive CS go names had fallen before even reaching the final leg of the race and in their place were teams that few expected to make it this far Monty into the breach Apex gamer Legion not exactly the biggest names in the game but look more closely and you'll see something bubbling beneath the surface these seams represented years of changes that CS go brought to the scene and the potential Counter-Strike 2 could bring on Monty ukrainians some Die Young and war02k got their revenge on the greatest player ever and their Kinsmen and prove that they could be the next generation of Cs Talent it's only simple he's still thinking about the 18th of September there's Monty securing top eight one frag away can for us ended here yes he can that is beautiful for Apex it was a Resurgence of oldenings and a younger players hungry to find Glory that knocked out North America's Only Hope sneako still sneaking one I am in disbelief [Applause] first stage no problems but gamer Legion best embodied the chaotic bloodbath of the Paris major and they reveled in it they were an international team cobbled together from across Europe and had made it this far through sheer persistence despite an atrocious 0-2 start in Challengers how do you do this though when he's solo on hellframe one little mistake not that he's even making one right now he has no idea where to look oh awkward scenario a little sprayed still unlikely he can win the round but he knows where both of them are at the very least Crim's just hiding back there recording a bit good headshot hold the phone there should have been no way he should have been dead inside of the smoke to begin with looking right over the spray is good coming up with a mass one versus two clutch gamer Legion were led by shuhi a 20 year old polish igl who was attending his second major shuhi came up through a talent development pipeline that simply didn't exist when some of his opponents got their start in the early days of csgo he played his first games at 15 and after being scouted by polish Esports organization izako bores he spent over a year on the Mohs NXT developmental roster while living and studying in Northern Ireland an opportunity like this for a young player to affiliate with an established Esports organization and play tier 2 Counter-Strike in a stable environment wasn't always a possibility the opportunity arise to play Miles NXT and the only option for me to join that team was basically to become an igl there was no other role for me there was no other option and because I already showed some attributes or characteristics of an igl before in my first team I decided to give it a try I I don't think I was doing too bad at it I was also getting praised in music from my for my teammates and and my coach so I decided to give it a try and I think it clicked instantly the very first day whenever I had it CS Go's explosive popularity made Counter-Strike into a real industry and if that hadn't happened the path that shoe he took to the top would have been impossible for an aspiring CS Pro instead the 20 year old stepped onto the playoff stage in Paris having already igl'd for almost two years he'd been signed with Esports organizations for over three years and had already attended the Rio major where two of gamer legion's three Challenger stage losses were to eventual top 8 teams so maybe we didn't all expect shui and gamer Legion to show up like this at the major but thanks to those who came before them they definitely had the tools to do it shoe hey nurtured in the academy League he was destined to be next he got a taste for what's the championship mentality requires and it was instilled in him and once the playoffs began game religion showed Paris exactly the kind of threat they represented and the chemistry behind it and here he is now kios fan favorite he who was chatted for on his approach vitality's homeboy frag grenade goes out not destined to find either two oh the queen now interesting position Emma he steps up and says Monty step down bomb down again forces sdy to double back and they're gonna jump on this in an instant but kiosk oh there's an answer written off each and every time the curse of Rio that loomed over them Shuhei watched all his old teammates do what he wanted and now he has done it himself he leads by example here on overpass with every member of the Legion taking it A step above defeating Monty another Dark Horse in this unpredictable race even with their victory over Navi was one thing but taking on heroic led by legendary Danish igl Canadian was another thing entirely the bomb is still in the hands of sui oh they're gonna run right and join him with the spray down he moves them all right down USB and boiler the only Presence at this bomb site in okay well doesn't even get really a chance Eva Antoine is going to spray them all down quad kills and it's 12 to 11. it's going to draw him back that's a huge red flag they know what's coming soon on the kill as well and now yabby and Katie are showing up Emma with the spray down he's so good is Immortal it's just Tess is left and there's nothing to do very Legion with a Legendary Run to make the grand finals of the final nation in CS go gamer Legion were in a major final they were winning hearts and Minds even in hostile territory how nice is it to have these guys completely on your side I honestly just [ __ ] love it but the home crowd was still hoping that their own team would join them there since the end of the online era team Vitality struggled to find consistent footing we couldn't we couldn't beat them today it's [ __ ] happens but we have three more tournaments at the end of the yearbook then we get one I swear we'll get one if you keep playing like this and you keep holding out we get one of these tonight and throughout it all there is the underlying question what exactly needed to change for the French organization to find consistency for some the answer was getting rid of Apex now a 30 year old French rifler who took over as the in-game leader in March of 2020. he had won the last major for France at collusionapoca in 2015. it was the only player to win an International Tournament in every year of Cs go competition but at times Vitality seems to fold when it should have been able to hold including at the pgl Stockholm major and more often than not Apex was blamed for his team's failures there had been flashes of Brilliance from the lineup of course with a roster of this talented the ceiling was never in question but even the addition of sphinx a Hotshot Israeli rifler who had proven himself with a breakout performance on ends failed to really kick-start the roster's results at the subsequent Rio major or the blast World final later in 2022. still if you can't find true consistency then the next best thing is to get hot at the right time and vitality did just that plenty of players to defend against this and they want to be aggressive they don't want to give any room over not a lot of utility for Vitality to manage it and give themselves some room to work with that's a good find they need the head shots to create the space but they swing out a little bit too wide double kill for Rollins all the trades are there and through with the rebuttal into the breach of they're not good enough but Roland is responding one quick kill retake still gonna be tough and it's Magis to deliver a couple a new one 1v1 ridiculous you hunted him down with a head shot now Cipher is looking for him but that bomb is down there taking away sign for yeah [Applause] busted out of it the Sting from Meg is too much for into the breach to handle a quad kill to begin with and vitality a kill away from the semi-final crucial he's being hosted and mortality they've made history tonight [Applause] in the semi-finals for the first time what feels like a date with Destiny favorites to win the trophy and they will not be stopped here by into the breach a strong Victory Vitality went undefeated in the legend stage turning French fans into Believers for the first time in years but again the lineup of teams waiting for them in the bracket wasn't exactly what they expected in a way not having to play teams like Faze or heroic was a blessing on the other hand Vitality had the pressure of being heavily favored in front of their home crowd and the other teams put a Target on their back but make no mistake Vitality had experienced despair before joining the French team magisk had won three Majors with legendary Danish lineup astralis and Dupree had four young French Superstars xiwu was still looking for his first but his performance Against The Underdogs didn't betray any Nerfs either Apex forward Newark on that off has to be a contributing member here is Apex goodbye and space for Vitality here it may not be of concerned touches propels three three that is Pedigree and look at that for the Finish brought down 15 is all the damage dealt Steve goes deep no way no not now how is he still alive he's down to two HP he somehow lives on and now they're pushing again unlike so many of the other big names Vitality were able to cut through their side of the bracket and meet gamer Legion in the final it's been so much I don't know how to describe it but the feeling I have is the best in my life and for an end to Counter-Strike Global Offensive the symbolism on display was absolutely perfect vitality's roster was composed of two Danish Legends a rising Israeli star and two Frenchmen one a long time veteran of the game the other a young Superstar hungry for his first taste of major Glory standing on home soil across from them were game religion a pan-european mix team with an average age of 22 nearly four years younger than vitalities the roster had greatly benefited from the infrastructure built during the game's period of dominance and looked remarkably calm as they faced the arena what's more the two igls could hardly have been more different a 30 year old veteran who was proving he still had it versus a young star whose path existed only because players like Apex had shown us all what Counter-Strike could be and who had everything to prove old versus new experience versus potential the old game versus the new one one team that represented everything Counter-Strike was and one that represented everything it could be the home crowd was firmly behind the French side and vitality got off to a hot start the only way we lose this is we lose ourselves and that's not gonna happen then one player issue he could outperform Apex and that could be a game on our hands starting to press in timing looking like it is perfection double spray down from debris every time gamer Legion step on the ball to repel they fall Spinx steps behind pillar repeats with Apex alongside him can vitality and now Apex is left to clutch they're close so close Point Blank blank he shoots it's so damn close this is all he needs there's a bit of space offered up from both sides but now time decides we're beyond that halfway point smoke goes tap on bomb shoe hay Nails the first kill zaiwu Taps it yet again but it is too late to close one more kill and vitality find themselves map up in a major Grand Final there it is [Applause] their first showing of golden moment after losing their own map pick of overpass game religion seemed like they'd be doomed on vitality's pick nuke but they were determined to make it count on the top of this ramp has gone unchecked a beautiful Moment by seven snaps two kills from the corner and a third with just the sidearm there he is aim high be high says never ever shoot the low the neck bout time on top of that dual Vitality give them that bit of space nice run boots off no a car broken Beamers Capri and Zaid will pop back up good amount of money for capris in with one in a clean conversion for Vitality I was got him now he's making a ton of sound the bush with the ball back oh it's the multi cyber's got that fresh mag ready for some more ready for a third serving how many courses to this meal as zaiwu pops right back up oh the ramifications of losing the losing this one would be one thing if you're able to just look at a single pinpoint moment where where something could have gone your way it was close but it wasn't enough [Applause] [Applause] surrender France had earned their third CS go major on home soil at the absolute last possible moment Apex won his second after more than seven years Sphinx became Israel's first major Champion zaiwu didn't miss his last chance in CS go and his earth-shattering performance earned him an MVP to boot and for the two Vitality players from Denmark they each made history with majisk earning his fourth major and Dupree forever immortalized as the only player with five and Apex well after all of the doubt and pressure here at the game's end he proved the haters wrong how does it feel I don't know what to describe right now it's so much joy you know I've been criticized from day one being in game leader but no I win the [ __ ] major so [ __ ] you and the assembled French crowd did the thing that they had waited so long to do they're Champions standing before them they sang France's national anthem La marseillaise around the world more than a few fans sang along with them France's impact could have faded away after its early glory in CS go instead a new roster and a new Superstar Opera lit the torch for a new generation at the perfect moment and for gamer Legion who followed their 20 year old igl all the way to the end it was a setback sure but it was also a reminder of why we all love this game I remember I was watching virtus Pro play and I watched like them stand on the stage and all these fans and just having the support they had back then and then suddenly 10 years forward it's apparently Mis is standing on the stage and I remember even after we lost the Grand Final I was standing on the side of the stage and I was looking over all these people just basically they are the ones making my dream come true even though they're cheering for the other team I was just thinking what would we actually do without these people coming here today and even those guys at home watching those are exactly the people that made my childhood dream come true and many hundreds of other people the Paris major gave us the poetic send-off that CS go deserved even if it didn't shake out the way we expected it showed us that in the modern game you have to be on every time if you want to succeed because the competition is better than it's ever been and if the next game's last major is even half as good as this one it will mean the Counter-Strike isn't just alive it isn't just thriving it's forever thanks for watching if you want more content like this hit the sub button and ring the notification Bell for Unique bite-sized videos you won't find anywhere else hit us up on our Twitter Instagram Facebook and tick tock [Music]

Channel: theScore esports

Views: 200,995

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Id: eCJW7hgJ9IA

Length: 26min 44sec (1604 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 25 2023