CS:GO – All About fnatic’s Iconic 4 AWPs

“Oh, apeX. Not in this lifetime.” The Frenchman could only watch in horror as four deadly lead birds flew towards him; a sacrifice for the gods of Counter Strike. This iconic play gave the legendary Dust 2 its only graffiti ever.

Prologue

After recovering and growing bigger than the demons that haunted fnatic in 2014, the general crowd mostly, the Swedes reached unimaginable levels in 2015. After winning the first Major of 2015 in Katowice, fnatic went on a tear, reaching the Grand Finals of 8 S-Tier tournaments within 5 months. In the second Major of 2015, Cologne, fnatic were on another strong rally, humiliating Team eBettle and NaVi 16-2 both, in the Group Stage.

In the Quarterfinals, they faced the Brazilian squad in Luminosity Gaming, whom they sent packing with a fairly easy 2-0 defeat. Things got a little more difficult in the Semifinals, where Virtus Pro dumped fnatic in the first map 16-6. But fnatic fought back and soon turned it around with an impressive 2-1 win. The world-conquering Vikings were through to the Grand Finals.

They faced the darlings of the most stubborn scene of Counter-Strike: France’s EnVyUs. The French had a similar Playoffs journey, where they brushed away NaVi 2-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, they had a tougher fight, but fended off Team SoloMid 2-1. It was time for the clash of the titans.

The Play

The first map to be played was the classic old Dust 2, picked by EnVyUs. The first half highly leaned towards the Frenchmen as they won their T side 10-5. But the tenacious Vikings made a comeback on their own T side. They came back from 14-7 to tie it up 15-15 and forced overtime on their opponent’s map pick. That’s where one of the most iconic CS:GO plays was produced by the most controversial team in the world.

Continuing their T-side momentum into overtime, fnatic convincingly won the first two rounds of overtime, keeping 3 alive in both rounds. That meant they had crazy amounts of cash going into the third round, and the Vikings used it for a shocking affair. Four T AWPs terrorized the Mid Doors, as cash strapped CTs couldn’t afford a smoke to waste.

apeX instead lobbed a flashbang over the doors, but pronax could be bothered in the least by that, as he shot apeX with a quick flick. The French IGL’s last sight would be of four fatal terrorists staring at him through their scopes, a myriad of guns lying at the feet of the Vikings. The only man without the AWP was the real AWPer of the side, JW, which gives the iconic play a beautiful poetic touch.

The Aftermath

fnatic won that round with ease, and followed that with a CT side round win to create a perfect overtime. They had defeated the Frenchmen on their own map pick, and EnVyUs was left to make a comeback against the best team in the world in the Grand Finals of a Major. Needless to say, it was too much to ask for from the Frenchmen, as creating even a respectable scoreline in the second map became a challenge. After a decent 9-6 first half favouring fnatic, the Swedes put up an insurmountable defense, winning the second half 9-1 on Cobblestone.

The legendary Swedes had put behind their ghosts and won two Majors in a row after the shameful olofboost fiasco. They had created history, and had won their third Major, as major powerhouses still searched for their first.

flusha was awarded the MVP for the Major for his dominant performances. After creating history in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, fnatic dropped off drastically, winning not a single tournament before the final Major of 2015. At the third Major in Cluj-Napoca, EnVyUs had their revenge as they made a comeback win in the Quarterfinals to knock fnatic out of the Major.

The Frenchmen soon went on to win that Major, with prodigal AWPer kennyS winning the MVP. After a brief stint at the top during the end of the year, fnatic finally gave up their last breaths, as they, alongside EnVyUs, disappeared after 2015.

The Legend

Valve put up a memento at T spawn for this unconventional strategy that amazed the CS:GO world.

A man in orange, holding four AWPs near T spawn. A perfect tribute. Or is it? The graffiti was removed by Valve in the October 2017 patch, and the reasons are still up for debate. That makes this graffiti the only one to be removed, unlike others who enjoy their status to its fullest. Regardless, this play has found a home in the cerebrum of millions, and for that, it is already immortalised through the love and essence of the CS:GO universe.