It’s not long now until the start of the first CSGO Major of the year, which all CSGO fans know means the start of the esports year proper. There may have been some kind of event in China featuring a MOBA, but the FPS crowd have been starved of their triple-A tipple and cannot wait to see how things shake out in Katowice. To get you in the mood, we’ve picked our five favourite CS moments from the city for you to enjoy, so sit back, have a relaxing trip down memory lane, and let us know if you think we’ve missed something that deserves a mention.
Dupreeh, deagle, death
IEM Katowice 2017
There was a time long ago, back when FaZe were in finals, but before they had GuardiaN and Olof, that people still questioned Astralis’ claim to be the best in the world. Part of that was the strength of other teams, and part was a lingering suspicion that they would crumble in the crunch moments. Dupreeh proved that more than wrong, stepping up to the plate and decimating FaZe with his .50 cal friend.
Snax holds back
EMS One Katowice 2014
The legend of Snax is known still to this day, although very new fans of the game will struggle to remember him at his prime. Even those who saw him carrying hard in the 2016/17 Virtus.pro lineup might not have seen this moment, from way back in 2014, when he demonstrated his intelligence, instincts and aim in one brutal moment versus NiP in the Grand Final. VP would go on to win the event.
GeT_RiGhT kills (nearly all of) TSM
ESL One Katowice 2015
The Ninjas were looking to reach their fifth consecutive final, while TSM had just added karrigan to their roster, and were hoping he could help them get over the hump and to the promised land of prize money and podium waving. The series went in favour of the Swedes, who made it to the final, where they would fall to Fnatic in a close affair, and this play from the legendary lurk certainly took the win out of TSM’s sails.
Flamie finds the headshots
IEM Katowice 2016
Today, flamie is a controversial figure, with some believing he can still play at the top level and others lumping him into the "holding s1mple back" group on Na’Vi, but that was not always the case. Facing off against the Luminosity team that would go on to rule the world as SK Gaming, he managed to hold B site with nothing more than his USP, a dream, and the iron will of a Russian god.
Markeloff clutch
EMS One Katowice 2014
We go back to 2014 again, and this time it’s the legend Yegor ‘markeloff’ Markelov supplying us with the memories. Back then, five years ago, the likes of Smithzz, NBK and shox actually played in major finals, but their skills were no match for the Ukrainian legend (and man who inspired s1mple). The group stage match on Inferno went in favour of HellRaisers, in no small part to this crazy clutch from the man himself.
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