There are multiple game modes with different objectives which you can play, but it all boils down to a showdown between the Terrorists against the Counter-Terrorists. As with any game, high-level competitive play can create shocking and unbelievable moments that long stand the test of time. Since its release, Counter-Strike has generated more than its fair share of unbelievable snipes, clutch bomb defuses, and moments that elevate players into legends. Here are just a handful of the best moments that happened during the CS:GO Major.
What is the CS:GO Major?
The CS:GO Major is an annual event that first came to be in 2013 in Jonkoping, Sweden. It was first announced at that year’s DreamHack Winter and has been going strong ever since. Earlier Counter-Strike games also had tournaments, but they weren’t sponsored by Valve and didn’t have nearly enough recognition.
CS:GO Majors are formally sponsored by Valve and generally have a prize pool of $1,000,000. However, even the newer CS:GO Majors didn’t start with a full million’s worth of prize pool money. They started with a quarter of a million, growing in time to what it is today. Some of the recent Majors even had double the amount of the prize money, an unfathomable $2,000,000. That is mainly because of the lack of offline competition during the pandemic, but still, a whopping amount just waiting to be cashed in by the best of the best.
Unforgettable Moments from the CS:GO Major
Happy vs. TSM
We are starting off really strong. For someone just passively playing the game, this one is unimaginable and borderline unattainable in a regular match you might have with your friends or random people. You have 5 opponents on the other side, you have your trusty Desert Eagle, and you have all the willpower in the world.
Without knowing too much about the game, that would sound incredibly unfair, wouldn’t it? It still is unfair, but in this regard, it was unfair to the other team. Vincent “Happy” Cervoni Schopenhauer managed to kill all five members of Team Solo Mid with his Desert Eagle, with four of the shots being headshots. The commentator proceeded to rightfully lose his mind, as we all did.
GuardiaN vs. mousesports
Quickscoping is a fine art that not many can do. It takes a lot of practice (that’s an understatement) to be able to pull it off consistently. Even being a sniper can be incredibly difficult, let alone a mobile, agile sniper, covering all sides and going against assault rifles and shotguns in close to medium range.
I just explained the exact opposite of what a sniper should do, but Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovács couldn’t care less. He took out four people with a sniper, which included a quickscope or two, and then finished the last person off with a Desert Eagle. Incredibly enough, that last Desert Eagle kill might’ve been the farthest one out of the five. These types of moments are what the CS:GO Majors are all about.
coldzera vs. Liquid
We have already established how challenging it can be to kill with an AWP. Okay well, now try jumping whilst shooting. Of course, what’s jumping and shooting really worth if you don’t eliminate anyone in doing so. Funny, right? Well, yes, but that is also exactly what happened. Marcelo “coldzera” David’s team, Luminosity, was down 9-15. It’s clutch time; if you get eliminated, the map ends then and there. The pressure is on. Coldzera knew what he had to do, but the odds were stacked heavily against him.
The first enemy that reared his head was instantly shot down. Then, almost immediately after, he jumped, lined up his shot without even using the scope, and pulled the trigger. No scope, one bullet, one jump, two kills. Coldzera then proceeded to kill another member of the opposite team to complete a pure masterclass of a performance.
shox vs. Selfless
One of the worst possible situations you can find yourself in during an online competitive shooter is being boxed in by the enemy team. When you feel their grip tightening around your virtual throat, that’s when you start to panic. Your crosshairs start flying around uncontrollably, you don’t know where to turn so you just don’t stop turning altogether, and you lose your orientation and confidence. Or is that just me? Whatever the case may be, the pros don’t function like us mere mortals do.
Richard “shox” Papillon found himself in a tight area surrounded by many points of entry. All five enemy team members started circling around like vultures on a carcass. The real vulture turned out to be shox himself. Against all odds, which is a bit of a theme when it comes to the best CS:GO Major moments, he managed to take down all five of them. All he needed was his pistol and the opponents stood no chance. It’s one of those “pics/vids or it didn’t happen” instances where you have to see it with your own eyes to appreciate it.
dupreeh vs. FaZe Clan
Headshots are essential in these kinds of games, especially at upper levels where the pros play. They’re usually the quickest way to kill an enemy, but they’re also the hardest to pull off. The hitbox is quite small, the opposing players constantly move and jump around whilst trying to kill you back, and there are environmental difficulties to overcome. While it sometimes seems easier to hike to the top of Mount Everest barefoot than to actually get a headshot, it’s well worth the trouble.
Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen is one of those people that went through the trouble of learning how to be consistent in getting headshots. He took down five enemies single-handedly using his Desert Eagle, claiming that elusive Ace that all CS:GO players aspire towards. It was one of those sequences where you think “all right, this is enough now, there’s no way he can keep going”. Spoiler alert, he does keep going; bodies dropped one after another. All in all, it was an incredible moment that showcased a ton of skill.
Counter Strike has been going strong for over two decades now. The release of the original game was way back in the ancient year of 2000. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, on the other hand, has been up and running since 2012, and the CS:GO Major is still one of the biggest tournaments on the esports calendar. All that’s left is to wait for the next event to get shocked by another scenario that could fit this list!
