The GStew miracle at IEM Dallas: One year later

The best of competitive Counter-Strike comes to the fore when the impossible becomes possible. Miracles happen before our very eyes, as teams defy the odds and etch their names into history. Almost one year on from G2’s unlikely IEM Dallas 2024 win, it’s clear with hindsight that we bore witness to something akin to a miracle. The return of North American legend Stewie2K had Dallas on its feet, as he tasted glory one last time in front of an adoring crowd years after his prime had come to an end. So, how exactly did the GStew miracle run of IEM Dallas 2024 happen? Let’s take one last trip down memory lane as we gear up to crown the next champion of IEM Dallas.

It all started with a wedding…

How can attending your sister’s wedding end up costing you your job? Just ask poor old HooXi, who missed out on IEM Dallas 2024 due to the aforementioned family commitments. With their IGL out of action, star rifler NiKo would take the reins for the event, taking on a job he hadn’t touched in years. But G2 still needed a fifth player.

With the United States proving notoriously difficult in recent years to get a visa, it was going to be a struggle to find an adequate replacement who would actually be eligible to play in Dallas. G2 put their thinking caps on and came up with one name.

Step in, Stewie2K. 

By the time IEM Dallas 2024 rolled around, Stewie2K had been out of competitive Counter-Strike for over two years. A disastrous stint on Evil Geniuses in 2022 had sandbagged his career, leaving the former Team Liquid Grand Slam winner effectively iced out of the scene. But he wasn’t officially retired, still played the game on a regular basis, could shoot straight once upon a time, and wouldn’t require a visa. He’d be a crowd favorite, too, should G2 reach that point. Stewie2K accepted G2’s offer, and the team had their man.

On the outside, it felt like G2 had sacrificed IEM Dallas at the altar in the name of content. After all, who wins a tournament with a makeshift IGL and a ‘washed’ Stewie2K?

The early stages of IEM Dallas

As things got underway, it was clear that things weren’t going to be pretty for G2. An opening win against Falcons was quickly forgotten after a dominating 2:0 loss to Vitality, leaving GStew needing two consecutive wins to even make it to the Playoffs. Their first opponents were MOUZ, a team that at the time were hot on the heels of an ESL Pro League Season 19 win.

It felt like the end. After all the hype, no Stewie2K on the big stage in Dallas. Against all odds, G2 produced the upset, a real team effort keeping them alive. Stewie2K himself had some enormous rounds along the way. Now, all that stood between G2 and the Playoffs were Team Liquid. Stewie’s old team, no less. Again though, it was the same story, a NiKo and m0NESY masterclass for G2 while Stewie2K continued to hold his own. G2 had done it – Playoffs were secured, and North America would get to cheer on its hometown hero at least one more time.

The dream ramps up

Okay, so G2 made the Playoffs of IEM Dallas 2024, but there was an overwhelming feeling that the fun had run its course. FaZe were up next, and it was time to let the real teams step in and put a stop to the Stewie2K love-in. Nope. Two maps were all G2 needed to dump karrigan’s squad out of IEM Dallas, including a 13:2 Nuke in which Stewie2K looked the best he had all tournament.

Was it too early to get ideas above their station? Maybe. But when G2 looked at the fixture list and saw 9z Team as their Semi-Final opponents, I know each and every player on that team had silverware on their mind. Another 2:0 followed, with NiKo and m0NESY going nuclear to lock in the unlikeliest of Grand Finals. Stewie2K, on his return, had brought his winning aura along for the ride, and he was just one match away from arguably the biggest achievement of his already illustrious career.

The Grand Final of IEM Dallas 2024

Nowadays, Vitality are kind of the final boss of competitive Counter-Strike. But back at IEM Dallas 2024, they were a team in a trophy drought, looking to correct that and end the GStew party. As the Final kicked off, the crowd made no secret of whose side they were on. A repeated rendition of “F*** you apEX!” rang around all corners of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, serenading the Vitality leader with a chant he would become all too familiar with over the next few hours.

Map one went all the way to Overtime, but G2 nonetheless prevailed. The Counter-Strike community held its collective breath.

One more map.

When G2 fell to 12:5 on map two of Anubis, it felt like three maps would be required to get the job done, although a comeback to Overtime left fans with some hope. It proved to be a fake comeback, with Vitality eventually securing it 16:13. Nuke was where it would all be decided. Would Stewie2K fall at the final hurdle with G2, or would he and the team complete one of the most iconic Counter-Strike achievements of all time? You already know the answer.

Armed with the sixth man on their side in the form of the crowd, G2 felt unbeatable. Vitality were stronger on paper, sure, but the intangibles were all in G2’s favor. They were a middling team who, thanks to circumstance, had been enveloped in an aura of invincibility throughout the tournament. You know the rest. G2 saw it out 13:8, and were crowned IEM Dallas 2024 champions. To this day, it’s an unbelievable story that puts the magic of Counter-Strike on display better than anything else.

Post-tournament, Stewie2K’s words were simple. “I’m back.” He has since failed to find a team and played a couple of maps as a stand-in for Wildcard in some online qualifiers. Perhaps it’s better this way. Why not let that moment on the stage in Dallas be fans’ lasting memory of you as a player, leaving in a blaze of glory with the crowd cheering your name. We have plenty of players who need to be saved from themselves when they’re past their primes. For Stewie2K, his IEM Dallas 2024 run almost a year ago might just be the fairytale ending.

With IEM Dallas 2025 set to begin in just two days, it has the toughest of acts to follow.