From there, it took the top prize at the ELEAGUE Atlanta Major and never looked back. The team posted a number of solid performances in 2016 before truly breaking out during ELEAGUE season 2. The all-Danish squad that split off from Team SoloMid in 2015 has enjoyed a fairly steady roster in the years since, and that has been made easy given how consistent its success has been. Though Fnatic was the dynasty from 2013 until 2016, Astralis was the team that picked up in their stead. Despite all of this, Fnatic still stands as a world-class team and a regular contender at bigger tournaments. However, it managed to rebuild in the following months. The team was rocked in 2016 when three of its players left for the newly formed Godsent team. Its loaded roster led by Robin “flusha” Rönnquist made it to the grand finals of four Majors, taking the championship in three. That said, certain organizations have managed to weather that storm and while few have been able to maintain a level of legitimate dominance over a prolonged period of time, several have managed to enjoy high-level status for years on end.įnatic, for example, enjoyed one of the greatest runs in recent esports history from 2013 to 2015. At any moment, an organization can go from collecting trophies and paychecks at huge tournaments to struggling to field a roster at minors. Indeed, despite having one of the most mature player bases and the continued investment of almost every major esports organization, CS:GO generally struggles to have even a basic level of continuity in its teams. And CS:GO teams? Well, that’s like trying to find stability in a pool of quicksand. Who are the Best CS:GO Teams?Įsports as a whole is a volatile industry. That extra layer of strategy, coupled with the frequent opportunities for clutch performances, makes CS:GO a particularly entertaining esport.
That makes for huge momentum swings over the course of a series as teams can quickly go from fully loaded to wielding just pistols within just a few rounds, only to climb their way back to better gear. Extra cash can be earned in a variety of ways including getting kills and securing objectives, but winning rounds gives the biggest windfall by far. Instead, everyone receives money at the start of a round that they need to ration as things progress.
Players do not simply spawn with their favorite guns in Bomb Defusal. In addition to those unique win conditions, the game has a deep economic system that influences how a set can play out. It isn’t just the bomb that sets CS:GO apart from other FPS esports, though. Those aren’t the only objectives, though. For non-professionals, a set that ends 15-15 is scored as a draw.
The first to 16 rounds gets the victory, with overtime in pro games being decided in six-game blocks with teams playing three games on either side.
If the Counter-Terrorists defuse a planted bomb or prevent the bomb from being planted within the time limit, the Counter-Terrorists win.Įach set has 30 rounds, with the competing teams switching sides after 15. If the bomb goes off or Counter-Terrorist side is exterminated, the Terrorist side wins. After the bomb is planted, it has a 40-second window before exploding where the Counter-Terrorist team can defuse it. The Terrorists are tasked with planting a bomb in one of two designated areas while the Counter-Terrorists need to prevent it from detonating. In Bomb Defusal the two teams, terrorists and counter-terrorists, spawn on opposite ends of the map.
It ranges from run and gun death matches to “level up your weapon by getting kills before ending the game with a backstab” wackiness.Īt the professional level, however, CS:GO is very unique due to its one of a kind game mode, Bomb Defusal. The casual experience has all the standard game modes that can be found in a Call of Duty or Rainbow Six. That’s justified on some level, of course. How do you Play?Īt a quick glance, CS:GO looks like like any other first-person shooter out there. We also talk about who its most influential figures are and how you should approach it as a new fan. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a deep dive into the game to discuss what it is. When it comes to the CS:GO pro scene, its teams, players and tournament structures define it. It’s one of the most accessible games in esports and that fact has helped it grow into one of the cornerstones of the industry.īut while the game itself is easy to digest, there is a lot to take in. CS:GO is two teams armed with guns, going after one another. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive doesn’t have that problem, though.