5 Facts about the CS:GO Major in Rio – The rollercoaster ride of a Russian team

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In addition to the sensational victory of the Outsiders at the IEM Rio Major 2022, there have been other unforeseen events.

History was made several times during the IEM Rio Major 2022. In the first Brazilian mega-event of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive era, some notable novelties and curiosities occurred. The five most important facts about the winner, an attacked superstar and the greatest German hope, which for once is not called BIG.

Outsiders win first major title under neutral name

A new star has shone in the CS:GO Major sky. In Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, the Outsiders crowned themselves champions with a 2:0 victory after maps against the Danish top team Heroic. The squad around Dzhami “Jame” Ali had rewarded themselves for irrepressible nerve – despite an uncertain future since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict.

Due to the political situation, the CS:GO pros from Russia and Kazakhstan were not allowed to continue competing under the name of the Russian organisation Virtus.pro. Without further ado, they renamed themselves “Outsiders”. However, the CS:GO team shed this image in Rio when they celebrated one victory after another during the event.

It would have been the second Major victory for the Virtus.pro organisation under different circumstances. In March 2014, the then legendary Polish lineup around Wiktor “TaZ” Wojtas won the ESL Major Series One Katowice. But instead, for the first time ever, a CS:GO team that played under a neutral name took the top spot. Now the victory went to the Russian squad around Jame and Alekseı “qikert” Golýbev, who have both been in a Major final before. In September 2019, still in the colours of AVANGAR, they had to admit defeat to the then high-flyer Astralis in the final of the StarLadder Berlin Major.

A meme becomes MVP and a clutch for the ages

“Jame Time” – This meme has been inevitably associated with Rio”s crowned MVP for years. While Jame is known for saving his AWP when shorthanded (It”s Jame Time), he proved otherwise several times in this tournament. In the end, he showed how important he is to the team”s success with his consistent accuracy. “If I”m bad, we lose,” was the star”s honest response.

Jame provided one of the most memorable scenes of the tournament in the semi-final against MOUZ. Instead of taking the classic jame time on the second map overpass, he held his own in the one-on-three and surprised his opponents with three precise AWP shots on the wrong foot. This action ensured that at no point could MOUZ feel confident of Jame backing down.

His teammate Qikert also had an extravagant story to offer reporter James Banks. “It feels so good. When I started CS six years ago, I had 120 FPS and 130 ping. I was playing with a two-dollar mouse with no pad.” Now he and his team have won the lion”s share of the €500,000 Rio prize money.

A German as far as almost no other

Reaching the semi-finals was German professional Jon “JDC” de Castro”s biggest achievement with the German organisation MOUZ. It is the first time that a German player or an organisation from the Federal Republic has reached the semi-final round of a CS:GO event in this category.

The previous best seed was BIG with a quarter-final appearance in the 2017 PGL Major Krakow, MOUZ defeating true greats like Team Liquid, Team Vitality and ENCE en route to the playoffs. A sensational success against Cloud9 followed in the quarterfinals.

Although JDC and co. lost in the semi-finals to the eventual winners Outsiders, this in no way diminished the performance. Via tweet on Saturday, JDC himself wrote: “It”s heartbreaking but it was an incredible experience.” He joyfully added: “Thank you Brazil for the best experience ever. “

s1mple fights back against spitting attack

For the great CS:GO star Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, the end was already in the quarter-finals. In an emotional match, NAVI was defeated by the Brazilian local heroes from FURIA. Although s1mple showed himself to be a fair sportsman, he did not want to let an unpleasant action go to his head.

“Great experience with the fans except for spitting on our teammate after the first map,” s1mple wrote on Twitter on Saturday. User “Eduardoblara” confirmed s1mple”s accusation. According to him, several offenders were expelled by the security. A confirmation from the ESL regarding this incident is still pending. NAVI was booed from the beginning by the Brazilian fans.

First Major event in Brazil with mixed feelings

Despite the unpleasant action against NAVI, the Brazilian fans in Rio showed how positive, euphoric and rousing a CS:GO event can be. Especially for home teams like FURIA, the reactions triggered real goosebumps.

CS:GO was celebrated in the Jeunesse Arena. It became clear how much the Brazilian scene cares about Counter-Strike and how much they care about their teams. From loud cheering choruses and La Ola waves to choreographies and costumes, everything was there. True, there were plenty of empty stands in the absence of Brazilian teams, especially early in the afternoon. Still, in many ways, this event will stick in the minds of those involved, players and spectators alike.