The switch to Counter-Strike 2 is not only causing a stir among hobby players. The victory of FaZe Clan shows that even the pros are still struggling with the switch.
E-sports fans from around the world looked to Sydney in recent days as the first major tournament in Counter-Strike 2 was held there.
The Intel Extreme Masters Sydney 2023 was the tournament premiere for the new CS and fans were in for a treat. There was a Underdog story, a historic record and of course the world first CS2 champions: Faze Clan.
Counter-Strike 2’s first Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/2vMcXIBVIs
– FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) October 22, 2023
Faze Clan wins first major CS2 tournament
That Faze could take home the $100,000 prize money was anything but certain at the beginning of the tournament. They lost the first game against GamerLegion 19 to 15 rounds in overtime.
But the internationally ranked team fought their way into the tournament playoffs and opened the final rounds with a historic record On the second map Anubis they beat ENCE 13 to 0, not giving up a single round to the opposing team.
An especially impressive record, as ENCE is currently considered (the second best team in the world) . Other top teams such as NAVI and Team Vitality also fell short of expectations with the gymnast.
Surprise finale
While Faze had already secured a spot in the preliminaries of the tournament, her final opponent had yet to fight his way through the qualifying tournament in North America.
In the final, things got even more exciting. After both teams had won one map each, it went into overtime again on Ancient Faze won the map with 19 to 16 rounds and secured the tournament victory.
In the next few months, all the major tournament organizers are switching to Counter-Strike 2, but they, like the players, have no choice.
With the release of CS2 came the end for CS:GO. How have you coped with the change so far? What do you miss most from the old Counter-Strike? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments.
