Top 5 Greatest Wins in Counter-Strike History (by Peacemaker)

Counter-Strike has long been a cornerstone of the esports world, captivating players and fans with its intense matches and thrilling moments. Over the years, the game has witnessed numerous memorable victories, but some stand out as monumental moments that reshaped the landscape of competitive CS.

Cloud9 vs. FaZe Clan – ELEAGUE Major 2018 – Grand Final

The ELEAGUE Major 2018, held in Atlanta, Georgia, was a turning point in Counter-Strike history. The grand final featured Cloud9 and FaZe Clan, two teams with very different trajectories leading up to the match. FaZe Clan, with its star-studded lineup including karrigan, NiKo, rain, GuardiaN, and olofmeister, was the overwhelming favorite. Cloud9, on the other hand, was considered an underdog despite having a solid roster, including Skadoodle, Stewie2K, and tarik.

The match started with Cloud9 taking a commanding lead (7-1) on Mirage, with Skadoodle shining. However, FaZe Clan managed to adapt, fix some of their mistakes, and win the first map (Mirage). Cloud9’s resilience, however, shone through as they managed to win the second map (Overpass) quite comfortably (16-10). The series culminated in a nail-biting final map, Inferno, where Cloud9 staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in Major history.

Cloud9 was down 8-14 on the final map but managed to claw their way back to 15-15, forcing overtime. In a series with lots of dramatic overtimes, Cloud9 secured the victory with a 22-19 score, clinching the championship. This victory was historic not only because it was Cloud9’s first Major win but also because it marked the first time a North American team had won a Major, solidifying their place in CS history.

Luminosity Gaming vs. Team Liquid – MLG Major Columbus 2016

The MLG Columbus 2016 Major Championship was a significant event in the Counter-Strike calendar. Luminosity Gaming, led by FalleN, entered the tournament as one of the teams to watch. The Brazilian squad had been building momentum, and the Major was their opportunity to showcase their prowess on a global stage.

The match between these two teams was played in a best-of-three series, with Mirage, Cache, and Cobblestone chosen as the maps.

The early stages of Mirage were played at an incredibly high pace, with rounds going back and forth following insane individual actions. But this series is one of the most unbelievable victories because of what happened towards the end of the first map. Team Liquid managed to get a massive lead of 15-9 and needed only one point to finish. Then, the insanity happened—Coldzera pulled off a miracle B defense by stopping an apartment push with four kills with the AWP, including a jumping double kill. Luminosity started picking up round after round. Liquid was crumbling under pressure, and not even a timeout at 15-13 allowed them to prevent the game from going to overtime, in which the Brazilians strung together four rounds to take the lead in the series.

On the second map (Cache), after a tremendous performance by Team Liquid, led by Hiko, who had a 24-5 score at the end of the first half, Liquid managed to bring the scoreline to 15-6. Many believed that the game was about to come to a close and that we would have a third map, but it was a repeat of the first map as the North Americans were unable to apply the finishing blow. As rounds went on, Liquid spiraled into a state of disarray, and some very questionable decisions in a number of rounds allowed Luminosity to force overtime once again and end up beating them in what became one of the most remarkable upsets and biggest chokes in Counter-Strike history.

Astralis vs. Virtus.pro – ELEAGUE Major 2017

The ELEAGUE Major 2017, held in Atlanta, Georgia, featured a dramatic grand final between Astralis and Virtus.pro. The match was notable not only for its high level of play but also for the sheer unpredictability of the outcome. Virtus.pro, known for their experienced lineup, was up against Astralis, a team that had been steadily rising in prominence but was struggling and famous for choking in crucial moments. The end of this series is one of the most memorable moments in Counter-Strike.

With both teams winning a map, and the last one being Train, a classic for the Polish veterans, it seemed that this time they would defeat their opponent, and it seemed so until the 21st round. Virtus.pro was leading 13-7 on defense (which is considered easier on Train), and then Andreas Xyp9x Højsleth won a very important duel with an accurate headshot from a Tec-9. Astralis basically won the round they needed to break Virtus.pro’s winning streak, which helped them tremendously to finish the map and win their first Major together.

ENCE vs Team Liquid (IEM Katowice 2019 Quarterfinal, Inferno)

After ENCE’s miraculous run in the New Legends Stage of the IEM Katowice Major, waiting for another miracle to happen was simply being greedy, but another happened anyway on the second map of their quarterfinal match vs. Team Liquid.

Recovering from a 5-10 deficit seemed manageable, especially after winning a pistol round. However, things started looking grim for the Finns quickly. In the 23rd round, they couldn’t stop Twistzz from getting the game to map point for Liquid at a comfortable 15-8 scoreline.

FaZe vs Astralis (IEM Sydney 2018 Grand Final, Train)

When this comeback happened, FaZe, with Xizt on board, had a 2-0 map lead in the IEM Sydney 2018 Grand Final Bo5 series but were far from finishing it off due to struggling on the T side on Train—they were down ten rounds to zero at one point.

It all started with a timeout for FaZe, after which GuardiaN managed to pull off a 1v3 in a post-plant situation on the A site. Later on, karrigan won a 1v2 in a similar situation on the B site, which eventually led to a manageable 4-11 score for the first half.

In the second half, every member of FaZe Clan chipped in to help the team. GuardiaN and Xizt denied all of Astralis’ attempts at executing onto the B site, while rain, karrigan, and NiKo traded effectively on A.