Nobody Believed in Them: Top Most Surprising Major Victories in Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike Majors aren’t just tournaments – they’re true esports sagas where legends are born. Every player dreams of winning the main VALVE trophy, and even legends like s1mple or ZywOo have only one victory each, despite having over 20 titles to their names. NiKo still hasn’t conquered this event, as the title often goes to teams no one expected to triumph. In this article, we’ll tell you about five Majors where unexpected champions turned expectations upside down, giving fans unforgettable emotions and proving that anything is possible in CS.
ELEAGUE Major: Atlanta 2017: Astralis — Birth of a Dynasty
Winner: Astralis
Context: At the beginning of 2017, Astralis made a bold move, replacing experienced captain karrigan with young gla1ve and adding 18-year-old talent Kjaerbye. The core trio – dupreeh, device, and Xyp9x, along with coach zonic, was already a formidable force, but the changes caused skepticism. Everyone expected the title to go to the Poles from Virtus.pro, who dominated in 2016 and won the first major event of 2017.
Path to the Final: Astralis confidently passed the group stage, winning 3:1, with their only loss to SK Gaming. Their new style, based on gla1ve’s tactical discipline and Kjaerbye’s aggression, surprised opponents. In the playoffs, they defeated Natus Vincere (2:1) and Fnatic (2:0), showing that their risky roster changes paid off.
Grand Final: In the final against Virtus.pro in the packed Atlanta arena, Astralis showed a true miracle. On Nuke they lost 16:9, but on Overpass the Poles gave away the map with a minimal margin of 16:14, although they were first to reach 14 rounds. The deciding map Train became gla1ve’s triumph when, at a score of 12:14, he unexpectedly called a force-buy with Tec-9s, while everyone expected them to eco and give away the 15th round. This decision stunned VP, they won the force round, and the Bears could never get back into the game, losing 16:14. This Major showed that gla1ve’s new tactical approach laid the foundation for Astralis’s future era.
Epilogue: The Atlanta victory was just the first step. However, Kjaerbye soon left the team, joining their rivals North in a scandal that undermined his career. Astralis, after replacing him with Magisk, began an era of dominance, winning three more Majors.
PGL Major Krakow 2017: Gambit — Triumph and Collapse of a CIS Legend
Winner: Gambit Esports
Context: Before PGL Major Krakow 2017, Gambit looked like a team on the verge of collapse. Captain Zeus honestly admitted in his bootcamp vlogs: preparation had failed, the team was losing all scrimmages, and internal conflicts were tearing the roster apart. The lineup with Kazakhstani players AdreN, mou, and HObbit, along with Ukrainian Zeus and Russian Dosia, seemed talented but unstable. The community favored teams like SK Gaming or Astralis, while Gambit were considered dark horses with minimal chances.
Path to the Final: Against all predictions, Gambit dominated the Swiss system group stage, finishing 3:0. In the quarterfinals, they dealt with Fnatic (2:0), and in the semifinals sensationally defeated defending champions Astralis (2:1), where the deciding map was that same Train that brought the Danes victory in Atlanta at the previous Major.
Grand Final: The final against Brazilian team Immortals became a real drama. On the first map Cobblestone, Gambit lost, but on Train and Inferno, AdreN and HObbit took the game into their hands, securing a 2:1 victory. The key moment was Zeus’s clutch on Inferno, which brought cheers from the Krakow arena as he won the final round. Gambit became the first CIS team to win a Major, and AdreN received the MVP award.
Epilogue: The victory was Gambit’s peak, but soon after the tournament, the roster disbanded due to internal disagreements. Zeus left for NAVI, and the team never returned to its former glory. Nevertheless, their triumph in Krakow remains iconic for the CIS region.
ELEAGUE Major: Boston 2018: Cloud9 — American Sensation
Winner: Cloud9
Context: Cloud9, competing at the home ELEAGUE Major in Boston, were considered mid-tier. Their roster with Stewie2K, autimatic, Skadoodle, tarik, and RUSH was a mix of experience and youth. US fans dreamed of triumph, but absolutely everyone favored FaZe Clan, who had assembled a dream team with NiKo, GuardiaN, and olofmeister, or SK Gaming. Many didn’t even see Cloud9 making the playoffs.
Path to the Final: Cloud9 struggled through the group stage, finishing 3:2. In the quarterfinals, they sensationally beat G2 (2:0), and in the semifinals handled Brazilian SK Gaming (2:1), who at that time came to any tournament as title contenders.
Grand Final: The final against FaZe Clan was epic. FaZe hadn’t lost a single map before the final and were considered unbeatable. On Mirage, Cloud9 lost by a minimal score (16:14), but on Overpass tied the series (16:10). The deciding map Inferno turned into a thriller: with the score 11:15 in favor of FaZe, Cloud9 made an incredible comeback, winning in overtime (22:19).
Epilogue: Cloud9 became the first North American team to win a Major. Their victory remains one of the most emotional moments in CS history, but the roster soon disbanded, and the region never repeated this success.
IEM Rio Major 2022: Outsiders — Victory Without a Tag
Winner: Outsiders
Context: IEM Rio Major 2022 became the most unpredictable tournament in CS history. Outsiders, formally a mix of Virtus.pro players (Jame, n0rb3r7, fame, FL1T, Qikert), competed without an organizational tag due to VP’s ban. Only 0.1% of Pick’em Challenge participants guessed their victory, which speaks to the sensational nature of the result. The team under Jame’s leadership was considered solid but certainly not championship material.
Path to the Final: Outsiders confidently passed the group stage (3:1) and the playoffs went quite routinely. While in the other bracket NAVI, FURIA, and HEROIC were playing, where the local crowd supported their players so loudly that monitors were shaking from the noise.
Grand Final: Brazilians also love Jame very much, and the team received active crowd support in the grand final against HEROIC. On Mirage they won 16:12, and on Overpass demolished their opponents 16:5. Jame became the first captain-MVP of a Major, and their victory in Rio became an example of discipline and teamwork.
Epilogue: Soon the players returned under the VP banner and made an absurd roster change, which triggered a whole series of strange decisions, and the team didn’t even qualify for the next Major, which also became the first case in history when the previous VALVE tournament winner missed the next one.
PGL Major Copenhagen 2024: NAVI — Revival in CS2
Winner: NAVI
Context: The first CS2 Major in Copenhagen in 2024 found NAVI in crisis. s1mple’s departure, the transition to CS2, and unstable results made them underdogs. Favorites were considered to be FaZe, Vitality, G2, Spirit, but B1ad3’s charges definitely weren’t on the list.
Path to the Final: NAVI barely made it out of the group (3:2), and in the playoffs unexpectedly began gaining momentum, defeating Eternal Fire (2:0), then G2 (2:1) in a tense semifinal, and it was noticeable how the entire team’s confidence grew with each match.
Grand Final: The final against FaZe Clan became the culmination. On Ancient, NAVI won (13:9), then completely dissolved on Mirage (13:2), after which viewers decided that the first map was a fluke. On Inferno, an absolutely unexpected picture unfolded, where NAVI demolished FaZe (13:3) and lifted the trophy. Aleksib’s emotional reaction, jumping on the table, went viral on social media and shows how phenomenal this result was for that roster. For jL, iM, and w0nderful, this was their first tier-1 victory.
Epilogue: NAVI proved they could win without s1mple, opening a new chapter in their history, becoming the best team of 2024, playing in 8 finals and winning several other tournaments.
