10 Years of CS:GO: Most memorable moments (part 2)

During the decade of its existence, Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has created plenty of esports highlights, unforgettable moments, and infamous scandals that notably impacted the CS:GO scene and went down in history.

On the occasion of the 10th CS:GO anniversary, Fragster brings you the second part of our summary of the most memorable moments that made CS:GO.

The CS:GO skin gambling scandal

About halfway through 2016, CS:GO scene has been hit with arguably the biggest scandal in the game’s history. Many unregulated gambling sites with CS:GO skins emerged around that time, among which was the CSGO Diamonds, which sponsored popular streamer and former pro player m0E. Following a public dispute, it turned out that m0E, while streaming himself gambling on CSGO Diamonds site, was playing with skins provided by the site and also that he’s been provided outcomes ahead of time. The scandal exploded simultaneously with multiple other stories of CS:GO skin gambling sites, and included several other streamers and even FaZe Clan leadership.

Astralis domination

January 2017. The first major where coaches were no longer allowed to talk continuously was held in Atlanta by ELEAGUE. In the final of this major, one of the probably best matches in CS:GO history was played between Astralis and Virtus.pro. Astralis ended up winning their first Major title and Kjaerbye became the youngest Major MVP ever. 

The following 2018 was the year of many changes, most notably Valve implementing a new battle royal game mode Panorama UI, and announcing that CS:GO is freely available to play. Furthermore, ESL created the Intel Grand Slam, a $1 million title that is won by the team that wins 4 top-tier competitions in a given time.

Astralis marched from one tournament to the next. Although not as sovereign as 2013 NiP, they still won many tournaments and together with FaZe dominated the scene.

The ELEAGUE Major in Boston was the first Major in CS:GO history that crowned an American team. Cloud 9, featuring legends like skadoodle, Stewie2k and tarik, won the title in a legendary final against heavy favorite FaZe Clan. To date, probably the most exciting final ever.

Team Liquid on the hunt for Astralis

The next year was the year of Astralis and Team Liquid rivalry. After the Danes’ outstanding season, Liquid tried to unseat them from the throne. Liquid won so many tournaments in a very short time that they were able to win their second Intel Grand Slam title at ESL One Cologne. They became the clear number one at the time. However, Astralis won 4 major titles in a row. Insanity.

Covid-19 overshadows the CS:GO scene

The worst year in CS:GO history was undoubtedly 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic put the world into lockdown. Traveling was impossible, there were no LAN tournaments and everything had to be done online. 

The saddest experience for the community was probably the IEM Katowice 2020. Because the virus continued spreading in Europe, the tournament had to close its doors to the on-site audience just a day before the start of the playoffs. But the pandemic also had something good. Never before so much CS:GO has been watched and played as at this time. 

The coaching bug and ESL vs. Flashpoint battle

The Coaching Bug brought another scandal that impacts professional CS:GO to this day. Polish coach Loord posted scenes showing how coaches in official matches were bugged in certain positions and able to pass information to their team. Tragically, many coaches have been using this bug since 2016, which is why, after a long investigation, many coaches have been banned from the game, sometimes for years. Big names like pita, HUNDEN or Rejin were there.

In the meantime, many changes have also been made to the competitive landscape. BLAST, ESL and Flashpoint all signed agreements with partner teams, which was followed by the infamous conflict between ESL and Flashpoint.

NAVI reign

It was year 2021 when NAVI overtook the reign over the scene, winning the majority of events they attended, including IEM Cologne 2021, the first event where teams could play on LAN again. More and more tournaments were played again on LAN with the highlight being the PGL Majors in Stockholm in front of an audience. NAVI won this one too and with a total of eight prestigious titles became was the undisputed number 1, both as a team and s1mple as a player.

FaZe finally claim Major title

With the pandemic a little more under control, almost every tournament takes place offline and with spectators, who undoubtedly contributed to the unforgettable atmosphere of the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, which saw FaZe Clan led by Karrigan finally claim the Major title after letting it slip in Boston back in 2018. With the signing of ropz earlier in the year, Karrigan now has his super team that took the reign from NAVI and continues winning prestigious titles. 

Considering CS:GO’s ever-lasting popularity, we are certain that many more memorable CS:GO moments are still ahead of us. Read Part 1 of the Most memorable CS:GO moments series by Fragster here.

Header: Valve Corporation