Whereas CS:GO may be chock-full of gifted gamers and machine-like crew cohesion which separates one of the best of one of the best from the lower-caliber squads, there has at all times been room for upsets. The match scene offers followers greater than they might ever dream of, with occasions occurring all year long virtually weekly.
In these weeks, there are groups that pull rabbits out of the hat, forcing their approach via any tier of competitors to win all of it, and it’s occurred a couple of occasions this season.
Listed here are essentially the most sudden performances in 2022. (The importance of the win, their kind previous to the occasion, and naturally, the gamers within the squad had been considered for this Counter-Strike record.)
FaZe Clan successful IEM Katowice 2022
Whereas FaZe Clan is now often known as a powerhouse CS:GO roster sporting a set of lethal aimers, this was the beginning of the squad’s almost-record-breaking 2022.
The crew copped one unhealthy hand after one other, with the COVID-19 pandemic ripping gamers from the roster left, proper, and middle. Robin “ropz” Kool had simply joined the crew, and the transfer was seen as a game-changer for the crew. FaZe had carried out properly on the BLAST Premier Spring Teams 2022, Katowice was their second occasion collectively, and so they began off robust.
The crew was seen as a possible trophy winner, however the pandemic had different concepts. Gamers got here out and in of the roster, forcing the crew to regulate positions to even stand an opportunity.
That is the place Justin “jks” Savage got here in. The Australian stood in for FaZe, taking each ropz and Håvard “rain” Nygaard’s locations because of sickness, requiring the Aussie to change roles on a number of events.
Elsewhere on the now star-studded Counter-Strike roster, Finn “karrigan” Andersen confirmed he’s in competition for the G.O.A.T. in-game-leaders, placing jks in one of the best positions with a view to take residence the trophy. The roster beat the likes of Gambit (now Cloud9), G2, Heroic, and Liquid (granted with shox), all with a stand-in.
FaZe went on to win a bundle of occasions after Katowice, however this was the beginning.
Outsiders lifting the IEM Rio 2022 Main trophy
Previously often known as Virtus Professional, the Outsiders roster has at all times been a harmful crew to play in opposition to.
Outsiders have been a titan killer within the CS:GO scene for years, destroying the desires of extremely robust groups because the begin of the roster. They’re formulaic. Their ways grind groups down, bringing video games all the way down to the wire, and making their opponents work for his or her win. Their financial mindset ensures they’re at all times saving for the subsequent spherical, however when push involves shove, they’ll all clutch when essential.
Whereas their IEM Rio run was simpler than others, it doesn’t take away the actual fact they survived in opposition to an arguably stronger Heroic aspect within the grand finals.
The stress didn’t section the CIS roster. They lived as much as the earlier Virtus Professional roster’s legacy, taking residence one other main win for the group. Of their run, Outsiders took on every upcoming underdog within the scene. MOUZ, Fnatic, and Spirit fell by the hands of Outsiders, leaving them in opposition to the remaining fave, Heroic, to then win in Rio.
In the identical occasion, Dzhami “Jame” Ali solidified his standing as among the best IGLs in CS:GO proper now, bringing his roster of younger weapons to the principle stage and grand finals as soon as extra.
This was additionally the match the place Petr “fame” Bolyshev proved he might tackle any caliber of participant, and do harm.
Nobody anticipated them to win, however they took residence one of many greatest CS:GO trophies.
G2 successful the ultimate match of the 12 months
It had been over 1,000 days since G2 had gained a map in a last. In 2017, the group gained DreamHack Masters Malmö with a completely French roster. Now they’ve a number of the most impactful aimers on this planet, however they hadn’t achieved something noteworthy for years.
The squad suffered from a number of roster strikes annually, making crew cohesion an uphill battle. The crew has had three totally different IGLs in 2022 alone, leaving a hive-mind-like last kind nigh unimaginable to realize.
The penny dropped at IEM Rio Main when G2 did not qualify after shedding the groups like GamerLegion and 1WIN within the Street to Rio. This 12 months, it didn’t really feel like G2 was going to elevate any trophies. This might have been their final 12 months collectively as a squad.
G2 has been in disarray for what seems like an eternity. Poor performances got here day in and day trip for the squad, with a glimmer of hope arriving at ESL Professional League Season 16 the place they beat each main successful groups in 2022 within the group stage.
The squad was undefeated till they reached the BLAST playoffs. They took down NAVI within the quarter-finals however had been stopped of their tracks by Vitality, who went on to win the occasion. For followers, it felt like after a number of failed occasions Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen’s crew was on the point of collapse, and the BLAST Premier World Ultimate 2022 match was a breath of recent air.
Ilya “m0nesy” Osipov earned the MVP of the match. The CIS prodigy gained each single 1v2 he was thrust into and was an integral participant all through the entire match. On solely two events did the Russian AWPer go beneath a 1.00 rating in 12 maps.
G2 beat each huge participant within the scene. For the second time this 12 months, they beat each main successful groups, taking down virtually all the opposite contenders within the course of. Vitality, Liquid, Outsiders, and FaZe suffered defeats by the hands of G2, leaving them the ultimate champions of the 12 months, and taking residence the $500,000 prize.
Honorable mentions
- Spirit making the playoffs in PGL Antwerp Main 2022
- Movistar Riders putting 3-4th at IEM Cologne 2022
- Dangerous Information Eagles putting 1-2nd at IEM Rio Main 2022 Challengers Stage
- GamerLegion eliminating G2 at IEM Street to Rio Europe RMR A