Author: Nik Ranger

CSGO pro embarasses himself after falling off stage at tournament A professional CS:GO player has gone for an unexpected trip during WePlay Esport’s Forge of Masters tournament in Ukraine, falling off the stage after going over to congratulate his opponents. Stages in esports aren’t designed to be the most practical arenas to walk around on. While the player booths and podiums are usually structurally sound, other parts of the stage are there primarily for the show factor. Between the barrage of sponsor banners, the swarm of cables on the floor space, and other restrictions, it can get pretty tight for players to walk around for trophy presentations and post-match salutations. This means whenever a foot goes astray, accidents happen. Cables are kicked, wires are broken, players fall, and that’s what happened to one Russian player, who embarrassed himself after falling off stage when congratulating opponents after a CSGO match in Ukraine. Gambit Youngsters’ Vladislav ‘nafany’ Gorshkov was walking across stage to say “GG” to his opponents, GODSENT, at the WePlay Esport’s Forge of Masters tournaments. However, as he walked away from the player booth, he missed the landing and fell a few feet down off the side of the stage. Read more: New CSGO Operation Shattered Web released – The commentators didn’t even really note nafany falling off the stage, although his teammates were laughing at his expense. Fortunately, nafany appeared uninjured, trotting around to the stairs at the front of the stage to get back up and pack up his gear before scattering off with his tail between his legs. Gambit Youngsters are a team with a lot of promise coming out of the CIS region. Coming into the Forge of Masters top eight finals, they were expected to at least pull out a top four finish, and they did just that after taking down Copenhagen Flames and Heretics. However, their run was cut short by a newly reforged GODSENT roster, who took down the young Russians 16-9 on Dust 2 and 16-7 on Overpass. Nafany himself was outshone by his more experienced opponents, who ended up taking out the tournament for themselves. He finished the game with a 0.76 rating, the third-lowest in the game. While nafany might be careful when he’s walking down Catwalk or trying to sneak through Apartments, he will need to be a bit more wary of where he is stepping on the stage next time he plays at LAN.

CS:GO pro facecrack pulls off incredible 1v5 vs MiBR at BLAST Pro Moscow ESL / StarLadderForZe’s professional CS:GO player, Dmitriy ‘facecrack’ Alekseyev, managed to impress fans with a 1v5 clutch against the popular Brazilian roster, MiBR, at BLAST Pro Moscow. Following Forze’s disappointing showing at the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, placing Top 18, they seem to be bouncing back strong at BLAST Pro Moscow after some impressive matches have secured them a place in the grand final. The Russian side fell short against recent Major finalists Avangar in the final, after topping their pool in the six-team invitational tournament, for their share of the $250,000 prize pool. Although they came out on top during the round-robin stage, ForZe struggled to close out their map against MiBR, despite some heroic plays from facecrack including an incredible 1v5 clutch against the Brazilian side. The two teams were competing on fan-favorite map Dust 2 when facecrack, who started the round with only a desert eagle, began to make light work of the Brazilian line-up when the rest of his team had fallen around him. The Russian star quickly found himself an M4A4 Rifle in-game after dispatching of fer and started to isolate the rest of the members from MiBR, winning gunfights against each of their players before finishing with a clean burst through smoke to win the round. Despite MiBR’s best efforts during the map and managing to close out the win, their earlier loss in the tournament to Avangar meant that their finals hopes were completely out of their hands, resulting in a 4th place finish in the event for the Brazilian roster. Although forZe have won events such as the CIS minor over the course of the year, Avangar proved too much for them in Final, 1-2 after losses on Overpass and Dust2.

CS:GO pro DickStacy gives hilariously explicit interview at StarLadder Asia Minor Popular CS:GO pro Oliver ‘DickStacy’ Tierney did not hold back his feelings in a post game interview after winning the StarLadder Asia Minor. The StarLadder Asia Minor was one of the more important tournaments for teams in the region, as the top two teams at the event would book their place to the Berlin Major Qualifier on August 23 alongside the likes of Vitality and G2 Esports. The Winner’s finals of the Minor saw TYLOO and Greyhound Gaming go all the way to double overtime in the final map of the intense series to see which team would be the first to qualify. The Australian squad, Grayhound Gaming, eventually managed to come out on top in the series, off the back of an incredible performance from Liam ‘malta’ Schembri, who picked up 45 kills in the final map. The Grayhound players were clearly relieved to have come away with the win, especially fan favorite CS:GO star DickStacy, who was more than impressed with his teammates MVP performance. “Ah Malta, he did it all. I just want to suck his dick tonight. That’s what I want to do” He expressed, catching everyone off guard before turning to Malta, “You’re so fucking hot.” The popular CS:GO pro is no stranger to entertaining fans with some of his explicit outbursts in many of his previous interviews at tournaments. DickStacy is also known for his incredible attempts at trying to get Valve to add a hilarious NSFW sticker added to the game for the previous major, which unfortunately did not go the way he wanted. The Australian star may have another chance to submit a funny sticker, however, as he and his Grayhound teammates have now earned their spot for the Main Qualifier at StarLadder’s Berlin Major 2019 in August. DickStacy, who takes inspiration for his name from former CoD pro Ricky ‘Ricky’ Stacy, will hopefully be in fine form for any interviews he participates in at the Major too.

CSGO pro criticized over homophobic in-game knife name Twitch: PGL[jwplayer fPrzsHYu]Professional Counter-Strike player Destroyer faced criticism after displaying what appeared to be a homophobic phrase on a borrowed skin during a tournament. During the Perfect World Asia League Summer 2020, Chinese team Invictus Gaming were taking on the Mongolians on D13 when, after a great round from Invictus Gaming, Invictus’ ‘Destroyer’ displayed his knife with a homophobic phrase emblazoned across it: “LGBT Slayer.” This quickly came to the attention of commentator Jason Kaplan, who was casting the event, and tweeted a screenshot of the knife, saying that you have to be a “f**ked up” person to name your knife as such. I’ve seen some disgusting names for people’s skins in @CSGO but this one from @invgaming Destroyer takes the cake. How fucked up of a person are you to name your knife “”LGBT Slayer”” pic.twitter.com/BCh5rQ1ewy — Jason Kaplan (@JKaplan) July 10, 2020 Many who saw the tweet quickly condemned it, naturally saying that there is no place for things such as this, even saying that it should come down to Valve to punish and penalize players that display such content. On the other hand, however, many also added that as he’s Chinese, it’s entirely possible that Destroyer purchased the knife and it was already named as such, and he might not have any inclination over what the knife name actually means or represents. Kaplan later followed up with another tweet, saying that he had been informed that it was a borrowed skin and will no longer be used. He added, though, that “being a professional player, you are held to a higher standard and shouldn’t allow something like this to happen.” I’ve received an update that it was a borrowed skin and he will no longer use it. I just hope if people aren’t sure what a knife says or means, they will look it up. Being a Professional Player, you are held to a higher standard and shouldn’t allow something like this to happen — Jason Kaplan (@JKaplan) July 10, 2020 Though it’s not yet clear whether Destroyer knew what the knife was named or not, it seems to have been brought to the attention of himself and his team, and he won’t be using it going forward. Neither Destroyer nor Invictus Gaming have commented on the matter, though based on Kaplan’s update, it appears the issue shouldn’t be one any longer.

CSGO pro claims fellow pro players are signed to illegal contracts StarladderProfessional CS:GO player, Kirill ‘ANGE1’ Karasiow, has claimed that many of his fellow esports competitors may currently be signed to “illegal contracts”. Despite its rising popularity, esports is still a relatively young industry, and many upcoming players have been seen to be taken advantage of with unscrupulous contracts from organizations in the past. ANGE1 has claimed that some players are still finding themselves in tough situations when signing to a team, and expressed that he wants to help his fellow players. The Ukranian star, who is currently captain of the CIS roster on Hellraisers, revealed that he was aware of numerous players who had been bound to “absurd contracts” in esports. ANGE1 also suggested that players from the CIS region have it particularly bad compared to other esports pros, and revealed that when he finishes his career as a professional player, he will look to help as many others as he can. “You can’t even imagine how many players have absolutely illegal or absurd contracts in esports, not to mention what is happening in the CIS. I swear the day I finish playing I will try to help all these people.” ANGE1’s claims come only days after the CSGO star’s entire roster was benched by HellRaisers after their elimination from the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019, which saw them place in Top 20 overall. This is not the first claim that an esports star has made about unfair contracts, with one of the more recent examples in Tfue’s lawsuit regarding his original contract with popular organization FaZe Clan. I would like to start an interesting topic. How to correctly calculate the transfer value of a player so that it is beneficial to both the organization and the player? It will be interesting to hear to different points of view.— ANGE1YL (@OfficialANGE1) September 6, 2019 Although it was unclear what aspect of esports contracts that ANGE1 saw as being “absurd”, many suspect that after being benched from HellRaisers it is possible that the Ukranian has problems with his or his teammates’ current buyout situation.

CSGO pro bruttJ’s family sues former team for negligence after his death CBCSThe family of Matheus ‘bruttJ’ Queiroz is suing his former teams, Team Reapers and Imperial Esports, for negligence after claiming he was forced to play in pain, and the team houses provided to players were not “adequate.” 19-year-old bruttJ passed away in December 2019 due to “health complications” reported by his team Imperial Esports. The player had taken a hiatus off CS:GO 10 days before his passing, which has been linked to a brain infection, as reported by Brazilian news site UOL. Now, his family is suing his former teams, Team Reapers and Imperial Esports, for negligence, claiming poor living conditions in the team house were the reason for the player’s death. Não existem palavras que conforte a dor da perda, você ficará para sempre em nossos corações. Essa final vai ser por você!#JogandoPeloBrutt pic.twitter.com/ndkjYEgDCq— Imperial Sportsbet.io (@imperialesports) December 16, 2019 According to a news report by UOL, bruttJ suffered from “severe headaches, constant vomiting, and loss of vision” after moving into Team Reapers’ house in August 2019. Other players on bruttJ’s team reported also feeling nauseous, and suspected the cause could have been from the water supply. “Some people had intestinal problems, but we’re not sure if it was because of the water or the food,” said a former player. The problems continued when he swapped teams to Imperial in November 2019. bruttJ’s mother claimed the players had difficulty resting due to the house’s proximity to a local airport, and there were constant food shortages. After reporting the issues to management, the players eventually moved out, but bruttJ passed away because of complications just days later. Imperial did offer around $150 USD to support the family’s medical costs, before sending $1,000 after his death. Among the accusations are not supplying the team with proper housing, enough food, a clean living environment, and more. The Org has responded and denied all accusations made by Bruttj’s mother. — Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) April 15, 2020 However, the family believes the negligence of both teams caused bruttJ’s death, and have filed a labor claim against both Imperial and Reapers. “There is a lot of evidence that reveals the lack of adequate health conditions in the gaming house,” the lawyer representing the family told UOL. “Above all, there is even more robust evidence that the teams did not provide healthcare to the player and failed to act when events under their responsibility were indicated.” Imperial have denied the allegations, stating the conditions of the team house didn’t contribute to the player’s death, as he was only there for 15 days. They also stated they worked with the family to find a solution, but couldn’t get one in time. Team Reapers have also knocked back the accusations, telling UOL that while bruttJ was living in the team house he showed “no symptoms” of any illness. There is no set date for the case, at the time of writing.

Former Envy CS:GO pro banned, could miss Major qualifiers Valve / StarLadderFormer CS:GO player Taylor ‘Drone’ Johnson has received an Overwatch ban for apparently griefing – not hacking or cheating – in a matchmaking game. Unfortunately, this could rule him out of participating in the ongoing StarLadder Major 2019 qualification stages. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s Overwatch tool allows players to watch back footage of reported games to determine if another player has broken the game’s rules by cheating, ‘griefing’ or taking part in other malicious or rule breaking behaviour. Griefing is intentionally disrupting a match by annoying annoying other players through team killing, constantly flashing your own teammates, intentionally blocking them on more than one occasion and various other disruptive practices, and it appears that Drone has been punished for breaking one or more rules that fall under the ‘griefing’ banner. Drone revealed on June 1 that he had received a 40 day Overwatch ban, tweeting at the official CS:GO account for assistance with the issue. I was too powerful for mm boys@csgo_dev could i get some assistance maybe? pic.twitter.com/0Oa6CMZ1Hh — Taylor Johnson (@Dronecsgo) June 1, 2019 Issues then arose regarding his main account, which is currently unable to connect to any VAC servers, meaning he could possibly miss the NA Closed Qualifiers for the StarLadder Major 2019. “I got entirely falsely reported and convicted by an abusable Overwatch system,” wrote the former Team Envy player on Twitter. “[I am] unable to play or connect to any VAC servers, thus making me unable to literally work for over a month. Peeker’s Advantage, the pickup team that the American currently plays with, were originally told that they would have to play the online portion of the qualifier with a substitute, or play it 4v5 if this was not possible. as long as its only a game ban, which it is. And here is what we’re left with.@csgo_dev @FACEIT Surely you dont stand behind this decision? pic.twitter.com/24NaSPIVkB— Taylor Johnson (@Dronecsgo) June 1, 2019 Drone was eventually allowed to compete in the online portion of the qualifier using an alternate account following an intervention from StarLadder themselves, but questions still remain as to whether he will be allowed to play in the next portion. The pro player confirmed that his main account still remains banned, and that “appealing it is a must” ahead of the closed stage of the Americas Minor qualification. After a lot more debating with officials, @cssltv intervened and is allowing me to play the match with an alternate account. I appreciate them coming forward to resolve the situation, thought my mains are still banned and appealing that is a must. @csgo_dev https://t.co/Uij5AzueeZ — Taylor Johnson (@Dronecsgo) June 1, 2019 Drone continues to dispute his ban for griefing, claiming that the ban is “unjust” and he has been falsely accused. The pro player states that he was playing with his friends and, in a clip taken from one of his gameplays and posted on Reddit, can be seen running after and throwing a grenade at a friend who had shot him. Unfortunately for him, Valve will likely need to step in if the temporary ban is to be reversed. Valve have since responded to the Overwatch ban placed on Drone’s account, following efforts from the pro player to get in contact with the developers to get the ban removed. The Americas Minor North America Closed Qualifier kicks off on June 12, with teams hoping to secure their spot in the Americas Minor, and move one step closer to Major qualification.

CSGO pro allegedly defrauded teammates by gambling their skins away Team NKTAn Asian CS:GO pro has found himself in hot water after allegedly gambling away skins borrowed from his teammates. His team claims that the player has confessed to the scheme. Team NKT, a Thai esports organization founded in 2021, announced on June 5 that Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold had been “found guilty of a fraud scheme that affected our players and management earlier this year.” With no more details provided, the CS:GO community began to speculate what the young player, who is just 16 years old, had done. NTK added that Senzu had “confessed to his actions” and that it is now “working diligently with all parties involved to resolve this matter.” And on June 6, NKT veteran Hansel ‘BnTeT’ Ferdinand confirmed the allegations and revealed that Senzu gambled away CS:GO skins that his teammates had lent him. “He then attempted to lie to us and avoid paying us back,” said BnTeT, one of the most accomplished Asian CS:GO players. It remains unclear when exactly Senzu gambled away the skins and whether this played a role in his benching from the team, in April. Some skins in CS:GO have very high prices, often reaching into the thousands, or even tens of thousands, of dollars. According to NKT, Senzu remains under contract, but the organization is willing to entertain offers for the player, who is regarded as one of Mongolia’s top prospects. Prior to joining NKT, an international team with players from multiple countries, in December 2022, he played for a number of Mongolian sides, such as The Black Company, The Shine and The MongolZ. “Another blow for Asian CS,” said Australian commentator Jordan ‘Elfishguy’ Mays.

CS:GO pro under fire after suspicious tournament clip surfaces Sebastian Ekman / CS:GOA Finnish pro Counter Strike: Global Offensive player has been accused of cheating after their Loot Bet match was livestreamed on Twitch. CS:GO is still one of the most popular games in esports right now, despite the game releasing almost seven years ago. Pro tournaments are held all the time, with teams desperate to prove that they’re the best players in the world. Finnish pro player Juho ‘Juhob’ Lampinen is no stranger to such tournaments, playing with several teams over the years, such as Epiphany Bolt and nerdRage. He recently participated in a Loot Bet event, where eagle-eyed viewers spotted something they thought was suspicious. Why did people accuse him of cheating? In the clip, Juhob is seen firing at a wall that has zero sightline of his opponent, before randomly shooting in circles as though he realized he’d messed up by showing a cheat on stream and was trying to throw off the scent. (Click here to watch the following clip on Streamable.) “Oh yeah he’s 100% cheating, even did the typical “oh shit I fucked up and shot the guy through the wall so let me start shooting randomly to make it look like I’m checking spots then turn it all the way to just shooting in circles to celebrate,” one Reddit commenter said. “Lmaoo the fucking panic after he realized he fucked up only made it worse,” another user laughed. The clip even made its way to Twitter, where even more people were confused by his bizarre actions. “It’s more sketch that he starts spinning in circles and shooting to hide the fact that he just gave it up that he’s walling,” tweeted one person. “Yeah, the stuff he started doing after that ‘aimlock’ makes it extremely suspicious tbh,” another said. yeah, the stuff he started doing after that “”aimlock”” makes it extremely suspicious tbh — m (@manletmezi) June 12, 2019 It’s hard to say for sure whether he was cheating or simply just acting erratically for some other reason. But it is easy to see why people could have found his behavior a little strange, especially since it seemingly came out of nowhere. Speaking of cheating… Popular CS:GO YouTuber ‘Zuhn’ was banned by Valve back in May, after allegedly uploading two videos demonstrating how he uses cheats in the past. The player protested his innocence though, and tweeted, “Welp. The only thing I can think to say right now is [a] false overwatch ban. It’s obvious I don’t cheat but we’ll see what happens. I don’t know what’s going on.” Overwatch is a system where fellow players can monitor suspicious behavior on Steam. Zuhn had allegedly been cheating for some time, so it’s hardly a surprise that his actions finally caught up with him. They say “cheaters never prosper” for a reason, and it’s always a matter of time before people get caught out.

CSGO pro accused of defrauding teammates finds new org months later ValveA Mongolian CS:GO pro who allegedly gambled away skins he borrowed from his teammates three months ago has found a new organization to represent. On June 5, Team NKT, a Thai esports organization, announced that Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold, then 16 years old, had confessed to defrauding his teammates. According to one of the other players on the team, Senzu had gambled away CS:GO skins that his teammates had lent him and then lied about the situation. NTK said at the time that the young prospect would remain under contract with the team, just not on the active roster, and that teams interested in trying him out should get in touch. Now, over three months later, Senzu has signed with another organization, The MongolZ. CSGO player accused of defrauding teammates signed to new squad On The MongolZ, Senzu will replace Chinguun ‘hasteka’ Bayarmaa, who left the team on September 4, and will get the chance to compete on one of the best Asian CS:GO teams in the world. The squad is currently ranked No. 24 on the HLTV world rankings and placed in the top 16 at IEM Cologne 2023, where they shocked FURIA in the Play-In Stage. This is not Senzu’s first time on The MongolZ’s books, having previously played for the team during a four-month period in 2022. Senzu will make his big-stage debut with the team in October at the BLAST Premier Fall American Showdown against top teams like Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and FURIA Esports.

CSGO players with six-figure skin collections being banned amid Steam crackdown ValveCSGO players with skin collections worth up to six figures are being banned amid Steam’s crackdown on scam skin trading. A staple of CSGO since its Arms Deal update in 2013, skins and case openings have been the subject of controversy, investments, and a point of pride for many collectors on the market. However, skins traders and collectors could be banned due to Steam’s recent crackdown. For as long as CSGO skins have been valuable, there will be people who will try to scam you out of it. And a common point of contact between skin owners and scammers has been through profile comments on Steam. It’s here where a scammer could reach out to you to enquire about your skins. Lately, Steam has been cracking down on these particular scams. However, it seems a method in which they have been moderating it is by restricting accounts that comment “suspicious” content on the profiles of others. A skin trader, and developer of the CSGO Trader Extension tool, Gergely Szabo, wrote on Twitter that he was banned on Steam a few minutes after commenting on a person’s profile page while trying to trade a skin. The comment reads, “I bought your M9 on gamerpay, your trade link is broken, please fix.” The fairly innocuous comment about a trade resulted in a ban on his account with an inventory worth $457,000. The ban is a community ban. Meaning users cannot trade items, buy from the market, make changes to the account, or play on VAC-secured servers. However, he did get unbanned just a day later after by reaching out to Steam Support about the ban. So there is hope for any accounts wrongfully caught in the ban wave. Anyone hit with this community ban for commenting on profiles simply needs to reach out to Steam support to have the ban lifted. Other CSGO skin traders also replied to his tweet with their own accounts of being banned after sending similar comments on profiles about trading. However, much like the original case, many others also had their accounts unbanned after reaching out for help.

CSGO players torn as classic map causes Mandela Effect ValveCounter-Strike: Global Offensive has been out for nearly a decade with constant updates to keep it fresh. While there have been many debates throughout the CS:GO’s history, the map Mirage is tearing people apart with the Mandela Effect. CS:GO is arguably one of the best FPS shooters in all of gaming. The tactical shooter released in 2012 involves tons of patience and precision. Mirage, a map that has been around since 2013 is causing quite the debate as the community argues if a red tarp has always been on the map. While it may seem like a silly argument, the Mandela Effect is taking over the CS:GO community as players go back and forth to decide if it was really there or not. Mandela Effect in full swing over CS:GO community For those that don’t know what the Mandela Effect is, it’s when you believe that a distorted memory is in fact real. This happened to the CoD community earlier in the year but the Mandela Effect is taking on CS:GO. While Counter-Strike has been around for years players are still unsure if a tarp was on the map Mirage. This Reddit post by ‘lalitthepr0’ put players into a frenzy as they are confused over a simple map feature that some never noticed. On Mirage’s B-site there is a red tarp that hangs over “bench.” For anyone that plays this position, they are all wondering how on earth they haven’t seen that before. One Redditor wasn’t aware this was there and said, “It’s crazy what you miss when you’re not actively looking out for it.” However, another player knew it was there because of a grenade lineup. They said, “Only place I recognize this from is for mollying bench from apps. If I didn’t look at the corner of the red every time I would never guess this was here.” While the rest of the community debates whether or not this was actually there, the truth of the matter is that this tarp has always been a part of Mirage. As most of the comments mention, this is a great example of the Mandela Effect as it creates a fun debate in the CS:GO community.

CSGO players slam Valve’s “stupid” changes to PGL Major Stockholm stickers ValveCSGO players and stars alike are up in arms over Valve’s decision to make PGL Major Stockholm signature stickers limited to those who reach the top-eight playoffs, making it harder for pros to be immortalized in the game. CSGO players and fans around the world have been eagerly waiting for the PGL Major Stockholm 2021 signature stickers to release. They finally got their wish in a patch that went live on October 21, and players quickly rushed in to see what goodies were waiting for them in the Major update. However, it confirmed what some feared — signature stickers are only available to players in teams who make the quarterfinals, semifinals, and grand finals. 2021 PGL “”Finalists”” signature stickers will include signatures from the following teams: –Quarterfinalists –Semifinalists –Grand Finalists— CS2 (@CounterStrike) October 22, 2021 The community isn’t impressed with their decision, dubbing it “stupid.” They claimed it doesn’t account for the player’s best interests, considering how hard they work and how much they look forward to being immortalized with these stickers. “So sad for the 60 players who won’t all get their signature stickers in the game for the first time,“ wrote one fan. Another wrote, “Pretty f**ked up. These players work hard and look forward to these stickers.” The consensus is it’s “not the move” and seems “harsh” for players who will miss out considering only eight teams can make it far enough to receive stickers. It’s not only fans who have been voicing their opinions, either. Professional players are doing it, too. FaZe Clan’s Russel ‘Twistzz’ van Dulken was one of the first to speak out against it, and he didn’t hold back. “Have to say that I disagree with the changes that happened for this major,” he said. “It’s been two years since the last one, and everyone was looking forward to the normal things a major brings, stickers for all qualified players and souvenir signature drops.” “I would be more okay with this if they made this change after the 2020 RMR stickers, so players understood before qualifying. Obviously, for the many new players in the major, it’s disappointing to know that they haven’t secured in-game player signatures yet.” I would be more okay with this if they made this change after the 2020 RMR stickers so players understood before qualifying. Obviously for the many new players in the major it’s disappointing to know that they havent secured ingame player signatures yet. — Russel van Dulken (@Twistzz) October 22, 2021 Other players, including Alistair ‘aliStair’ Johnston, Emil ‘Magisk’ Reif, and Joshua ‘INS’ Potter, felt the same way about it, although they expressed themselves in different ways. Alistair was the first to speak up, stating, “Just got to make top 8 then I guess.” Just gotta make top 8 then I guess https://t.co/zr1rsKLsfv — alistair (@aliStair_CS) October 22, 2021 Magisk meanwhile hypothesized that Valve had simply “forgotten” PGL Major Stockholm was starting soon, and so had rushed to release some news before the event began. “Honestly feels a little like they forgot the Major was starting this soon,” he said. “Doesn’t make sense to make it playoffs stickers at this Major, so many people have looked forward to their sticker and simply not get any now. “I could understand it, if this was communicated way before.” Honestly feels a little like they forgot the Major was starting this soon. Doesn’t make sense to make it playoffs stickers at this Major, so many people have looked forward to their sticker and simply not get any now. I could understand it, if this was communicated way before. https://t.co/LH9PuRq2ko— Emil Reif (@MagiskCS) October 22, 2021 INS was a little succinct in his response, simply sharing an age-old meme of a person absolutely furious under a smiling cartoon face. Twistzz believes others will be disappointed, too. He added, “Feeling bad for the players that wake up and read the update.” Backlash over the decision is building by the minute. Valve hasn’t commented on it yet; we’ll update this article with more information if they do.

CSGO players reporting game-breaking ‘stutters’ following latest updates ValveThe CS:GO community is reporting recurring instances of stutters throughout the game, making it “practically unplayable” in certain situations. It remains unknown what the cause of the frame issues are but players have been noticing the quirk since the February updates. The problem causes CSGO to sputter at random times with no known correlation to low-end hardware. People with specs ranging from Intel Core i9-9900K processors to higher-end AMD Ryzen chips, and even top tier GPUs are still reporting the issue in modes including Matchmaking, Deathmatch, and more. Reddit user ‘Kamekou’ showed how the frames can appear to freeze seemingly at random. Whether they’re finishing a kill or trying to get a spray to connect at long-range, the stutters create a disorienting effect. “Is it normal to have these ‘micro stutters’ when I just start up the game or just join in a retake or DM server?” Kamekou said, explaining the problem they’ve been encountering. Their gameplay clip even showed them barely missing an alignment immediately after one of these stutters appeared. For others, the problem showed up at the worst times, making it difficult to play the first-person shooter that relies so much on pinpoint accuracy. “The game keeps stuttering which makes it practically unplayable at certain situations when you have to aim at the enemy,” user ‘Gergalro’ said. “The screen stutters for like a millisecond and then back to usual.” Certain players have been finding correlations with the issue that could give some clues on a temporary fix by encountering all of the character models in the game. “It seems to be player model related,” user ‘poppelicious’ said. “Every new model you encounter causes a stutter. That’s why it stops happening after a minute or so when everyone’s loaded, then it occasionally happens when you encounter new players that joined the server.” It’s not a confirmed fix, but some have had levels of success dealing with the frame issues by making sure to get first contact on everyone in the server. CS:GO is heavily reliant on stable frames making this something that Valve will be sure to fix as soon as they can.

Valve forces CSGO players to pay for ranked in Prime Status revamp ValveCSGO players will now need to pay up to get drops and experience, and even play ranked and grind to Global Elite, after Valve confirmed new changes to the Prime Status system will force free-to-play players to cough up for the luxuries in a bid to stop “bad actors.” Since CSGO went free-to-play in December 2018, the Prime Status system has been the only thing keeping legitimate players separate from toxic teammates and cheaters (outside of VAC). Free-to-play players also got access to everything those who coughed up $15 USD, and could work towards getting their Prime Status for free. However, Valve has leveled out the playing field, giving paying Prime Status players an edge over their free-to-play counterparts. Players will no longer be able to earn Prime Status for free by grinding to Level 21 each season. Instead, if you want to get Prime Status, you’ll have to pay up. On top of that, a lot of content is now being locked behind the Prime Status paywall. Non-Prime players will no longer receive experience, drops, ranks, or skill groups. You also need to pay to receive the yearly Service Medal. The biggest change of the update, though, is to CSGO ranked play. Non-Prime players will be thrown into “unranked” every time they queue up for competitive, or any game mode that would use skill-based matchmaking and ranks. Ranked queues will be exclusively for Prime players. Today we’re making adjustments to non-Prime accounts. We’re also introducing Unranked matchmaking. Information about these changes can be found in today’s Blog Post: https://t.co/W6m42EUTAH — CS2 (@CounterStrike) June 4, 2021 Valve cited “bad actors” abusing the system as the reason for the backflip. “We see new players entering CS:GO all the time, and it’s as important as ever that anyone in the world can pick up and play the game for free,” they said in a June 3 blog post. “Unfortunately, over time, those benefits have become an incentive for bad actors to hurt the experience of both new and existing players. So today we’re revising the offering for new players.” The June 3 patch also removed the Scrimmage game mode, which has been replaced by Unranked, and can be used by both Prime and non-Prime players.

CSGO update removes bots from competitive & players are furious: January 7 patch notes, map changes, more ValveCS:GO’s January 7 patch was headlined by an interesting change to remove bots for AFK and disconnected players in competitive. The new Counter-Strike update has been almost universally disavowed by the community, who are outraged by the change. Bots have been a contentious issue in CS:GO for some time, especially in ranked. Stacks would abuse the system to kick underperforming players to get a bot they can play with instead post-death, although that also posed its own problems. The AI characters would take weapons away from the players, make poor buys, and other questionable decisions. However, their existence was taken for granted — some solace in losing a teammate if you could grab a bot and get back on the battlefield for a fair 5v5. Valve has shut that down though. In a drastic change on January 7, the CS:GO developers have removed bots from competitive “when a player disconnects or is kicked.” This means there’s no more 5v5s if a player leaves, you’ll always be stuck a man down. Release Notes for today are up. Among other things, bots are no longer granted to teams in Competitive matches. Full notes are here: https://t.co/seG0oTAY1E — CS2 (@CounterStrike) January 8, 2021 In addition to that, if an entire team leaves, there will only be a singular bot spawned. This idle AI will be there for an easy kill so the opposing team can blaze their way to 16 rounds. However, the changes have been almost universally slammed by the CS:GO community. Players agreed that bots were a problem in competitive, but removing them was not the way to deal with it. “We wanted bots to be better, not gone,” one Reddit user said. Prominent CS:GO YouTuber Anomaly also questioned the changes. “They legit removed bots from competitive. If someone on your team leaves, it’s instantly GG. We wanted more control over the bots, being able to have bots drop guns and have more complex commands, not removing them completely? “Today me and Linda got disconnected from a game because of internet drop. [We] managed to reconnect and while we were gone our team didn’t do horribly because they had 2 bots. With this new update they would have 100% lost all the rounds we were gone.” They legit removed bots from competitive. If someone on your team leaves, it’s instantly GG. WE WANTED MORE CONTROL OVER THE BOTS, BEING ABLE TO HAVE BOTS DROP GUNS AND HAVE MORE COMPLEX COMMANDS, NOT REMOVING THEM COMPLETELY?????? https://t.co/8K4bgSinlF — Anomaly (@anomalyxd) January 8, 2021 That wasn’t the only issue players had with the contentious January 7 update. Valve also removed a function with pings, no longer highlighting weapons in competitive for allies to pick up. This has also fallen flat with players. “No more bots? Pings don’t highlight weapons? What the f**k is this update Valve? Now literally every time someone leaves it’s a guaranteed loss… this is so random, what issue does it solve,” another Twitter user added. Valve are yet to comment on the community feedback. You can find the full CS:GO January 7 patch notes below. CS:GO January 7 patch notes and changelog Gameplay When a player disconnects or is kicked in classic competitive and wingman modes, they will no longer be replaced by a bot. If the entire other team leaves, one bot will be left on the other team, idling in spawn. – Fixed bots not navigating properly in Warmup arenas. – View models Reduced size of SWAT sleeves matching all existing models. – Misc Fixed a crash in Windows dedicated server when “version” command is issued. – Pings no longer move when walked over by characters, and will no longer highlight weapons in competitive matches. – Adjusted Retakes clip areas in Mirage and Train – Perfect World Accounts that completed government identity verification have been upgraded to CS:GO Prime Account Status for Steam China. – Maps Ancient Further optimizations – Fixed some clipping bugs – Cache Fixed a pixel-gap in the Cargo containers in T-Spawn (Thanks to the perceptive individual that reported it to 3kliksphilip!) – Fixed Cargo containers not having their proper colors. – Fixed bomb explosions being visible above the A site. (Thanks markman2575!) – Engage Removed several boost spots – Added stairs in the garage for better rotation flow – Breakable glass ceiling around A-site and Mid. Smokes and flashes can now be used on A-site – Removed “office” area on mid – Added ladder on A upper CT side – Both entrances of the hut are now wider for better player traffic flow between A-site and Mid – Lowered A upper and bridge to make entire bombsite more readable – Removed several awkward angles on A-site – Removed excessive areas on A-site – Removed clutter on A-site – Better FPS around the whole map – Guard Widened inner part of connector – Reduced size of restaurant corner – Adjusted tarp positions on truck to eliminate some angles – Lowered half-wall at stairs – Adjusted timings by pushing CT spawns back a bit – Shifted crates next to tower further towards pit – Enhanced visibility for various long range angles – Removed electric box next to bikes – Reduced amount of breakable glass at shop – Blocked angle from CT boost to pit – Increased size of ladder hole – Added location names – Fixed players being able to see into the tower area when boosted at dumpster (u/ReVoLTimE) – Fixed some Z-fighting and intersecting geo (Thanks Joaokaka1998) – Fixed various visible nodraw textures (Thanks Joaokaka1998, Fnugz, u/TheSpudd, u/ReVoLTimE) – Fixed various bomb stuck spots (Thanks Joaokaka1998) – Fixed player stuck spot on street (Kerluck) – Clipping adjustments throughout the map (Thanks Joaokaka1998, u/ReVoLTimE, Kerluck) – Minor visual adjustments and enhancements –

CSGO players outraged as Valve ignores Trusted Mode problems ValveNearly 12 months after Trusted Mode in CS:GO, players are still having trouble with the problematic system. It comes after Valve closed down a “loophole” that allowed streamers to launch OBS and play — one of the programs now blocked by Trusted Mode. Trusted Mode was added to CS:GO back in July 2020 in a major crackdown on cheaters. The system forced players using third-party programs in the background while playing CS:GO to either close them, or get blocked from playing in official servers. However, the system has been flawed since Day 1. It took less than 24 hours for hackers to get a workaround, while legitimate players using even the most mundane software couldn’t launch CS:GO without problems. Now, the community has had enough. The straw that broke the camel’s back was Valve patching out a useful loophole that permitted streamers to use OBS and play CS:GO without issues. Valve response to CS:GO Trusted Mode “loophole” angers players Reddit user ‘LuaStoned’ created an OBS plugin that allowed players to capture CS:GO with Trusted Mode enabled. Streamers have been unable to stream CS:GO with OBS since Trusted Mode launched without encountering major performance issues. Hours after the plugin went viral, developer John McDonald closed it down, threatening players with VAC bans if they tried to use it. Read More: – “I highly recommend against using this, or any other Trusted Mode injection bypass. Using any method to bypass Trusted Mode protections that result in third party code being injected into CS:GO can and will catch you a VAC ban, which absolutely will not be rescinded,” he stated. The suggested solution was to use a launch option to allow third party software, which automatically disables Trusted Mode and forces players into low-priority queues. Players petition to remove CS:GO’s Trusted Mode The dismissive reply infuriated the community. After months of issues, and CS:GO’s cheating problem getting worse, players just want Valve to remove Trusted Mode. Read More: – ‘We get zero communication. Matchmaking is completely f**ked and overrun with hackers. Overwatch seems to not be working, [Trust Factor] seems to not exist anymore. We get nothing. Hackers literally spinbot in matches for months,” one player said on Reddit. “Please just backtrack and remove it from the game. It does nothing to prevent actual cheaters since they all bypass it without issues. It’s such a joke,” another added. Valve doesn’t seem willing to take action on Trusted Mode just yet, but as community outrage hits fever pitch, their hand might be forced.

CSGO players no longer allowed to wear Crocs, according to new ESL rules Robert Paul/Riot GamesCS:GO players will no longer be allowed to wear Crocs on stage at ESL events, according to new rule changes from the tournament organizer. ESL FACEIT Group has announced changes to its rulebook ahead of the start of IEM Cologne 2023. Some of the changes are minor language clarifications, like replacing ESEA with FACEIT for the tournament platform, or moving on from CS:GO to simply CS as the esport is set to transition to CS2 sometime soon. ESL also added language that allowed the company to police team names. The tournament organizer can now reject team names under certain criteria. But, the change that has caught everyone by surprise is ESL’s ban on Crocs, as first pointed out by Dust2.us. The tournament operator no longer sees the popular shoe brand as a closed-toe shoe and has thus been banned from event stages. CS:GO players cannot wear Crocs at ESL events The rule, under 4.3 Clothing, states that players need to ensure they are all in “equal colored team attire, long trousers and closed shoes” when playing at events. The rules now mention Crocs by name as an example of shoes that are not allowed. However, it’s worth noting that Crocs have been banned at other esports events before ESL. In 2022, Evil Geniuses had to pause one of their League of Legends World Championship 2022 matches because one of their players was wearing Crocs. The player, mid laner Joseph “jojopyun” Pyun was eventually fined for wearing “inappropriate footwear.” According to the ESL rulebook, CS:GO players can also be fined a minimum of $250 for wearing the open-toed shoe. Many pros like to be as comfortable as possible during stage matches, so foam clogs are a popular option for some players. Other players also prefer to wear open-toed shoes, or slip-on shoes, so they can take them off while they are competing on stage.

CSGO players let down by February 2 update with no Operations in sight ValveCSGO players are dissatisfied after another minor update, as a February 2 patch arrived with minimal map tweaks and no new Operations in sight. Valve has just released yet another minor update for CSGO, however, it hasn’t exactly gone down well with the community. The update consists of minor optimization fixes to Anubis, and minor bug fixes to Boyard and Chalice. That’s all there is to the fairly minor patch notes. This follows a year of constant minor updates to the game, with the only patch of note being in November 18, 2022, when Anubis replaced Dust 2 on the Active Duty map pool and when the AWP and M4A1-S received nerfs. Beyond gradual meta shifts, the game hasn’t been met with any new content or Operations over the past 12 months and now, fans are growing tired. The CSGO community is not happy with the glacial updates to one of Valve’s biggest titles. Operations usually mark the release of new maps, cases, weapons, and game modes for players to try out, and players have been hoping to hear news on the next one very soon. The last Operation the community received was in September 2021, with Operation Riptide. It brought in new maps, new skins, meta changes in droppable nades, and M4A1-S and Dualies buff. Devs even brought back an old classic from CS1.6, the Riot Shield, which was available to use in Casual Hostage Maps. It was well received by the community as many saw it as a sign of Valve starting to care for CSGO’s player base once again, as before Operation Riptide, and the other two preceding it, Broken Fang and Shattered Web, there was an infamous drought of Operations which lasted from 2017 to 2019. Ever since, CSGO received at least one new Operation every nine months, but that has changed since Operation Riptide. It has been a year since Riptide finished in February 2022, and there are still no signs of a new one. As a result, players took the February 2 update as a chance to express their frustrations. The legendary CSGO team Navi tweeted a dissatisfied GIF in response to the tweet announcing the update. Esports commentator and analyst Raul Ribeiro sarcastically complimented Valve, and then posted a clip of a bug that occurred during a recent match between BIG and Furia in IEM Katowice 2023 where a dropped AK-47 clipped through the map. He politely asked Valve to fix it. Many commented in reply to their tweet asking for a new Operation, and begging Valve for new content. Others are asking why Sticker Capsules from the major at IEM Rio 2022 are still up for purchase despite them saying they will be unavailable by December 15.

How CS:GO players can improve their game with new Scrimmage Maps ValveThe Counter-Strike: Global Offensive devs introduced new Scrimmage Maps to their competitive matchmaking offerings to the game, giving players a valuable mode to play with. CS:GO features legendary maps that have been around for years, but even pros and diehard players routinely find new angles and nade lineups throughout a location. While it’s fun to explore different maps, Ranked games aren’t the ideal place to try out new ideas or learn how a certain area work. It’s because of this that the CS:GO community are very hopeful for the potential that Scrimmage Maps could bring to the long-standing game, especially in relation to new maps that may come out. In the July 31 update, Valve added maps in Ruby, Breach, and Seaside to the Scrimmage Maps offerings. Even though this playlist falls under the competitive matchmaking tab, its biggest draw is that games are unranked and a team composed of any skill-ranking can party up together. This makes playing the game a lot more forgiving for people who want to experiment or just learn a new map in a live setting instead of the stale environment of jumping into an offline practice session. Popular CS:GO YouTuber TheWarOwl was rejoicing that the game’s developers implemented the feature. “Scrimmage allows players to try out new maps without the fear of deranking,” TheWarOwl said. “[The mode gives] new maps a chance to be accepted by the community.” Since there are no penalties for losing or the like, TheWarOwl thinks that Scrimmage Maps will give the CS:GO community an avenue to “try out new strategies” with minimal risk of backlash from teammates. Additionally, if Valve sees positive feedback for the Scrimmage playlist then the possibility of expanding the feature to include more traditional maps could benefit every player, from Silver to Global Elites. “If I get really good at Mirage, Cache, Inferno and I rank up to Legendary Eagle,” TheWarOwl explained. “But then I want to learn Overpass, I’m going to be scared to queue for it because I won’t have the map knowledge for it.” This could lead people to shun out maps entirely simply because they don’t have an option to get meaningful practice in with unfamiliar terrain. Scrimmage Maps might feature a few trolls in there for kicks, but as a whole it could be used as a helpful feature for the CS:GO community.

CS:GO players have discovered a way to fly with new in-game bug A new in-game bug has been discovered in CounterStrike: Global Offensive that is allowing players to hover above the ground. Reddit user ‘Mr_VirustYT’ posted a clip online about what players need to do to activate the effects of this bug, and the process seems simple enough. Essentially, two players on the same team need to sprint at each other on a straight line and jump and the same time so their bodies collide midair. This then connects the two players midair and allows them to stay well above the ground, although it appears that the two cannot move and are stuck at the spot that they collided. The video below shows both the player’s first person perspective and a side view for what needs to be done for the new flying bug to be activated. It appears that the only way this flying effect can be stopped is by eliminating one of the two players, as their body dropping to the floor disconnects the pair and causes the surviving player to do the same As the video shows, the players are able to clearly turn and look around from their midair position, although whether or not they can actually fire their weapon remains unclear. However, shooting may not be a priority anyway when taking advantage of this bug as it would more likely be used to boost teammates and give them access to ledges and areas that would otherwise be unreachable. Funnily, the comments section under the Reddit post was filled with references to Fnatic using the Olofpass boost to beat the old LDLC team during a major tournament, a massive comeback win that was eventually cancelled and replayed due to the use of the exploit. As rumor has it, Fnatic’s team managers learned the move from an online video and contacted the creators of the video and asked them to take it down so that the organization would stop receiving hate. While that rumor has never actually been confirmed or acknowledged, the hilarity of the prospect of it has been turned into a meme which users now use in their comments on videos of new bugs, exploits, and glitches in CS:GO.

CSGO players have already spent an eight-figure fortune on new Anubis skin collection ValveCSGO players have already spent a whopping $11 million on the new Anubis skin collection, mere days after the new batch of cosmetics went live. The relationship between CSGO and its skins is baked into one another. CSGO was largely the pioneer of in-game loot boxes and cosmetics, and its skins in turn helped popularize the game. Eventually, as we now know, morphing into an entire in-game economy of its own. Thus, it is not surprising that CSGO players spend a lot of money on opening fresh skins, even to the tune of $54 million a month as skin trader and YouTuber Anomaly calculated. And now, with the release of what might be the last skins for the game before Counter-Strike 2’s release, the Anubis Skin Collection, players have already spent a wild sum in just a few days. The Anubis skin collection was a surprise dropp on April 25 in a new update, and in just a few days players have already made Valve a lot of money. Skin trader and YouTuber TDM_Heyzeus decided to crunch the numbers, and he concluded players have collectively spent at least $11 million on the new collection already. Using an equation created by Reddit user Fjedik to calculate total cases opened from just the number of skins in inventories, TDM_Heyzeus took the numbers from float.db and found there have been 5.5 million Anubis collections unboxed. “Using the float.db database and some quick (corrected) maths reveal that the community has already opened up at least 5.5 million Anubis cases” he wrote in the tweet. “That’s $11 million dollars of revenue (at least) for Valve.” These are, as he points out, just a low minimum estimate. As float.db can only include skins that are in publicly viewable inventories. Meaning, the $11 million figure is just from cases that were already opened in public inventories. Not counting potential skin investors stocking up on hundreds of cases of the collection or private users. Thus, the overall sum is sure to be even greater. All this in just a few days.

CS:GO players have already found a way out of new map Biome Clever Counter-Strike: Global Offensive players have already found a way to escape the confines of the new Biome map. The technique requires two people, and sees the players start on the Terrorist side of the map. Both players run through the door directly in front of them, then make their way to the metal railing on the left-hand side of the walkway. Both players need to jump on top of the railing, with one player crouching down to allow the other to jump on top of him. The player is then able to jump off his partner, and glide down to a silver pipe in front of him. From there, the player performs the same trick, jumping up off the pipe, and soaring through the air to the other side of the map, where the successful gamer is then able to exit the map. Read More: FaZe Clan’s NiKo hits out at ECS on Twitter The player is able to make their way around the outside of the whole map, and can see through walls, allowing them to see where their opponents are at any time. Biome is a community created map that has been added to the Casual matchmaking map pool alongside another fan designed map named Subzero. The map was added to CS:GO in the 1.36.5.3 update for the game, that brought with it a massive update to the way economy works in the rounds immediately following the pistol round. Also included in the update are buffs for the CZ75a and the Tec9, while the purchase prices for the AUG and the SG553 rifles have been lowered.

CSGO players frustrated by annoying Overpass hitbox issues ValveCS:GO players are complaining about the hitboxes for the dumpsters on the A Site of Overpass, which aren’t matching up with the in-game models. Being able to peek around cover and shoot your enemy before they tag you is a key part of CSGO, but when the game itself throws a wrench into your plans, things can get frustrating quickly. Located near the bank, the A Site on Overpass is filled with dumpsters, which provide ample cover, but also appear to be getting in the way of players. Reddit user bustamasta found out just how infuriating the messed up dumpster hitboxes are when it cost them a kill during a round. As busta waited by the trash receptacle, it seems like they should have had the unsuspecting enemy dead to rights – that is, until they actually tried to shoot them. They didn’t seem to be aiming at the dumpster itself, but most of the shots still reacedt as if they were striking the side of the container. This caused the enemy player to only take partial damage while busta – who had every advantage in the fight – ended up being the one eliminated. “I’m not as mad as I could have been,” bustamasta admitted on Reddit. “For once I know it wasn’t my fault I died.” While the hitbox issues on the dumpster might be jarring, they’re far from the only spots on Overpass’s A Site, which has become infamous for problems just like this. The truck on A Site also loves to eat shots it shouldn’t be able to, along with most of the other vehicles and crates scattered around the area. Other players suggested that the entire map is riddled with hitbox issues and other problems, with one user calling it “outdated and janky.” Overpass was CSGO’s first new defuse map and was designed specifically to be used in competitive play, but some players obviously think it’s time for a major rework. If Valve has any plans to retune the classic setting though, they haven’t shared them with anyone else, so be sure to watch your corners the next time you find yourself near a dumpster.

CSGO players facing new VAC verification issues after Steam crash ValveIt’s not like it’s been difficult enough to get into a game of CS:GO with Trusted Mode and its issues. However, there’s now a new problem facing CS:GO players after Steam’s crash on August 6 — VAC verification issues. CS:GO has been a bit of a finicky beast as of late. Since the Trusted Mode update in July, players have struggled to log onto the Valve FPS title, often being blacklisted for having applications like OBS or certain mouse drivers open. While the kinks are being slowly ironed out, a new problem has appeared. After the Steam crash on August 6, it appears like Valve’s servers are slow to get going in CS:GO. 16:09 PDT 🟥 Major @Steam connection manager servers downtime (at least 99% down). https://t.co/m0NlDb8Z4P — Steam Status (Unofficial) (@SteamStatus) August 5, 2020 Numerous players from across the world have reported new VAC verification issues when trying to launch CS:GO since the crash. The problems are separate from anything players have experienced with Trusted Mode, but the two could be tied together. Players are receiving the error “VAC unable to verify game” when trying to get into queue for any matchmade mode in CS:GO. This ultimately means players can’t join VAC-protected servers. While verifying game files has done the trick with fixing this in the past, players have reported the usual workarounds are failing. Uninstalling and reinstalling CS:GO doesn’t seem to work. Neither does deleting Steam, or verifying the integrity of the game files. Until it’s fixed, there’s no real way of playing CS:GO. No VAC authentication equals no game time for most. Some players have found a workaround by going into the Steam files and overwriting the SteamService.exe file. Here’s how you can do that, thanks to Redditor ‘MotoNomadic’. Navigate to your Steam folder in Program Files (x86) if you are on Windows. The directory is typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam. – Go into your “bin” folder and find the SteamService.exe file. – Copy and paste it into C:\Program Files (x86)\commonfiles\steam. – Replace the existing file. – Boot up Steam and CS:GO again to test if it’s worked. – If this doesn’t work, you’ll just have to hold tight. Valve are yet to comment on the issue, so until a permanent fix is discovered you might just be out of luck.

CSGO players creeped out by new easter egg on Cache ValveA newly discovered easter egg in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is pretty creepy and players who notice it on Cache won’t be able to unhear it. Cache got a massive update on October 2019 that changed how players approach the classic map. Along with many updates to its build, the devs added in a variety of easter eggs not previously seen on there. It seems like Valve implemented an audio file that triggers when players go into the Sunroom and stand as close as they can to the chain-link fence across the playground that sits out of the map’s bounds. “When you go into Sunroom and look toward the playground on the new Cache an audio file will play,” Reddit user ‘OwangeSquid’ explained. “When pitched down five octaves it turns out it is children’s laughter. Kind of ominous but cool nonetheless.” It’s not a difficult easter egg to activate, but people might not have noticed the sound queue because of the louder bird chirps in the area that masks the audio of the ghostly children at play. In fact, that’s what OwangeSquid thought too when they initially heard the playground’s audio file – that is until their friend did a little more digging. “When I initially realized what I was hearing it kinda freaked me out,” user ‘Hado-’ explained after finding the easter egg. “This kinda makes me a little interested in some easter egg hunting on other maps now that I’ve found this.” The audio gets even creepier after realizing the official map description for Cache reveals that players are fighting to secure “a hidden weapons cache beneath Chernobyl.” Disease and direct radioactive contaminants of the infamous Chernobyl disaster of 1986 resulted in thousands of lives lost with the surrounding areas abandoned, including the many playgrounds, residential housing, and facilities. (Warning: Loud audio) This isn’t the first time Valve sneaks in creepy audio for a derelict playground either. In Half-Life 2, players walking through the playground can hear children screaming and laughing even though everything nearby is similarly rusted and abandoned. But the easter egg in CSGO is a bit out of the norm for the company’s multiplayer FPS since it takes a more grounded approach to its design. Hopefully, the sounds of Cache’s ghost children don’t distract you from the game when maneuvering through Sunroom near the abandoned playground.

CSGO players claim there are more cheaters after Trusted Mode update Valve[jwplayer aSfMGDlF]Valve’s new anti-cheat system in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is apparently having an adverse effect on matchmaking, as more players are reporting a spike in hackers after the Trusted Mode update. The launch of CSGO’s Trusted Mode had a lot of people optimistic that it would be the first step in cleaning up the game’s servers from all of its notorious aimbotters, wall-hackers, and other malicious players that can appear in lobbies. Along with it is a ‘Trust score’ tied to each account that puts people in matches with players of a similar level, with the worst scores usually depicting those who would either cheat or grief in a game. While the initial launch was rocky due to complications with Trusted Mode and regular third-party apps, now people are saying that hackers are starting to show up in more numbers than before. “Since the ‘Trusted’ launch update I have been experiencing much more cheaters in high Elo than before,” user ‘vule25’ said. “People just overall have less badges and medals and newer accounts. This caused a lot of boosted players or players with bought accounts, and with them came the cheaters.” Valve intended for their Trusted Mode to “significantly restrict the types of programs and files that can interact with the game” in an attempt to weed out cheaters using third-party apps. Unfortunately, players are saying that the situation against blatant hackers has actually gotten worse since the update. “He reconnected and basically started to cheat really obviously,” ‘johnvonbieten’ said. “Not the first time this has happened. It’s just not fun anymore to play this way.” You guys really need to fix your game @CSGO. This is my first game this morning & had a full team cheating & a guy on my team start Spinning. Not to mention the team kill at the start & the guy on Palace having a anti-aim to flick me away from him. Fix the damn game. Fuking joke. pic.twitter.com/9q6atNjhMg — Xperia (@XperiaFPS) July 21, 2020 Since it’s July 8 release, Trusted Mode has had two separate updates to its system, each tinkering with interactions pertaining to third-party systems. Even as Valve is making progress on the new anti-cheat measure, it’s not yielding the results many were hoping for. “I literally keep getting matched against blatant cheaters match after match,” ‘NiccoloZaza’ said after playing games with a low Trust Factor. “It is literally impossible to deal with that type of gameplay.” Developers are investing more into proprietary anti-cheat programs like Riot’s Vanguard for Valorant, which takes an aggressive approach to cheaters in their game. Seeing how unapologetic that system can be toward hackers, there’s a demand among CSGO players for an effective way to keep malicious members of the community out of matchmaking.

CS:GO player smooya hits out at Epsilon Esports, warns players not to join L: Dexerto / R: Epsilon EsportsCounter-Strike: Global Offensive pro Owen ‘smooya’ Butterfield hit out at Epsilon Esports on Twitter, advising players to avoid the organization. Epsilon Esports are one of the oldest esports organizations in the world, running from 2008, and are best known for their Call of Duty, CS:GO, and FIFA squads. They came under fire in early 2019 after accusations of failing to honor player contracts. On August 6, the organization announced on Twitter that they are looking to pick up new teams, which was something that ex-Epsilon star smooya chose not to ignore. “I’d recommend not joining at all. That goes for everyone!” said the Englishman in response to the announcement from the organization. Read More: Steel loses his mind during CS:GO stream – The Englishman was a part of Epsilon from 2017-2018, during that time he had some problems with the organization, including contract issues in which the player claimed he had received a massive wage reduction due to being benched, and had an absurdly high buyout that was limiting his ability to leave. Despite his grievances, he remained with Epsilon and appeared to be happy on the team for a few months after that, until his eventual departure to BIG Clan. Smooya’s statement comes at a time where players are voicing concerns against the behaviour of teams and organizations. In July, ex-Ninjas in Pyjamas player Robin ‘Fifflaren’ Johansson accused his team of mistreating players, which has since been backed up by other ex-players. Dexerto have reached out to both Epsilon and Smooya for comment on the matter, and will be sure to update this article if either party responds.

CSGO player shows how confusing low ranks can be with bizarre ace A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player showed just how silly competitive rounds at low ranks can get with an absolutely ridiculous ace. Like in most first-person shooters, CSGO players can battle it out in a competitive setting through the game’s ranked system. Most of the time this leads to intense matches where two teams battle it out, however, sometimes things can get hectic and open the door for hilarious moments. Reddit user ykm618 shared one of those moments on November 5, when his ranked CS:GO game turned a straightforward eco round into possibly one of the most unexpected and absolutely bananas aces in Counter-Strike history. Read More: Stuchiu’s Stance: The arT of Space Creation – The setting was Inferno, with the Counter-Terrorists on a full eco after losing the pistol. Ykm decided to go for a cheeky Zeus x27 and flash play down banana, which ended up going better than he could have dreamed. A quick flash over the wall hit the entire enemy team and the CT charged out, only for everyone to get hit by another flash, causing mass confusion. When ykm618 recovered he had somehow found himself behind four enemies and quickly pulled out his knife, charging down banana and slicing through his opponents like butter. Before anyone could even react he had amazingly picked up four quick kills. It’s a mystery how no one noticed the rogue CT sneaking by, and how he was able to get four knife kills without the Terrorists turning around, but he somehow managed to pull off this miraculous and incredibly silly play, before finishing off the final opponent with a scavenged AK-47. The player didn’t reveal how the game ended, but with an almost unbelievable moment like this, there’s no doubt the remainder of the match would have been an entertaining one to watch.

CS:GO hacker showcases cheating device after being banned during official match After being kicked from an official game for cheating, Latvian CS:GO player ra1f took to Twitter to show off a photo of his PC with a device that presumably made it all possible. The photo in the tweet appears to show a PCI Express Lane screamer that would allow a cheater using two computers to bypass anti-cheat clients and gain information of the enemy team’s positions in-game. Ra1f, was kicked out of a live ESEA Advanced match – a league two levels below the ESL Pro League where top CS:GO teams play – between his team, Scotchtape, and Nemiga on November 27. His teammates, Amadeuz and 1Tap, were also kicked. All three of the ESEA accounts linked to the kicked players now have a notice that reads: “This user is currently banned until 11/26/2020 at 8:12pm for Cheating (1st).” ESEA breaks down how the cheating method would have operated on their rules website. They state that some hackers believe it is ‘undetectable’ but confirm that they have been working towards cracking down on the exploit. The process is described as such: a cheater would have two PCs – one running the game and another running their attack. The PC being used to play would have a DMA (Direct Memory Access) device plugged into it. The DMA Device, PC used to play and attack PC would be connected by a USB cable. The attack PC would then gather data and memory from the PC used to play and be able to send that information via a Raspberry Pi device which would in-turn send the in-game player locations of the enemy team to an attackers mobile. The Latvian confirmed in a later post that the image was showing a webpage radar that shows the information of all players in the game. He also added that the exploit cost him around €400 and, while he doesn’t feel guilty about cheating, he knows plenty of other players who are using the exact same cheat but aren’t banned by ESEA.

CSGO player reveals struggles of coming from OCE as IEM Sydney looks to spotlight region Joao Ferreira for ESLWe spoke with Grayhound superstar Alistair ‘aliStair’ Johnston about the struggles endured as CSGO pros look to climb from OCE as IEM Sydney 2023 seeks to spotlight the region for the first time in years. 2019 was the year OCE as a region undoubtedly saw its greatest hope to win some of the biggest trophies in CSGO. This was the year local fans cheered on Renegades, a squad led by Australia’s brightest stars at the time, JKS, Liazz, and AZR. A team that made an unlikely appearance in not one but two Major playoffs. Now four years on from this high point during the 2019 Majors, no OCE team has come close to replicating the successes of the Renegades just yet. But that’s not to say none are vying for history in their own right, looking to eclipse even our region’s top performances. One such lineup pushing OCE back to the top is Grayhound Gaming. Led by veterans INS, Sico, aliStair, and Liazz, the powerhouse core is joined by a younger prodigy who carved his path through OCE in Vexite. Now with IEM finally returning to Sydney, with ESL billing it as “The Big Reunion”, the spotlight is back on the region once again. To speak more on the significance of the event and what it means not just for local players, but OCE esports as a whole, Dexerto sat down with aliStair to get his thoughts on it all. Grayhound clear fan-favorites heading into IEM Sydney aliStair has been competing since 2016 and has played at every single IEM Sydney event to date. For the past two years, it’s been him and Grayhound (the roster also played under the now-defunct ORDER) who have been holding the banner for OCE, and he knows the stark contrast between playing overseas and on home soil. “Oh, it’s completely different,” he said without hesitation. “You’re gonna have probably 80% of the crowd actually going for you, compared to overseas, nobody really cares about you.” To show just how little support OCE gets overseas, he gave an anecdote from the IEM Rio Major. “I remember when we were in IEM Rio, we had the whole crowd cheering for ZywOo against us.” That just so happened to be Grayhound’s elimination match, going home at the hands of the eventual last Major winners of CSGO. In that tournament, Grayhound was picked the most of any team to bow out with a 0-3 record. However, that never came true. A Challengers match against Cloud9 resulted in their only win, and in an act of defiance to everyone’s presumptions of the region, it was aliStair who proudly shouted the now famous words after their unlikely victory. “F*** your pickems.” Coming into IEM Sydney, aliStair admits Grayhound’s goals are the same for pretty much any event, explaining how, “We’re not just going to try and upset teams, as disappointing as our results may have been for the past year or two.” As for how aliStair feels Grayhound will hold their own at IEM Sydney, he joked, “Hopefully we get some home timezone buff. We’ve just got to catch everyone while they’re sleeping in, jet-lagged. “But no, on a more serious note, I think the timeline leading into it, if we have some solid practice and really keep our heads down, I think we do have a good chance to make playoffs. Especially having a home event with the home crowd as what’s on the line basically, it’s gonna motivate us even more, which is really good.” The struggles of a CSGO player coming up from OCE When the conversation drifted into OCE’s historic performance on the international stage, aliStair’s response to it all was simple, “It sucks,” he said bluntly. “Like, what’s there to say?” “Australia is literally this isolated island and we only get to play and practice against the same two, three, teams. So, practice is very grim here.” Additionally, he was quite blunt about another glaring issue that OCE faces today, a severe lack of funding compared to more established regions. This is something aliStair also knows well as he was once part of the now-defunct ORDER. To make his point on how little funding there is for world-class talent on our island, he gave us his estimation of how many paid players there are in OCE right now. “I could be mistaken, but I’m fairly sure there’s no more than three, maybe four teams, actually getting paid and it’s not enough for people to step away from their jobs. “People are playing [CSGO] as a hobby and for actual passion, and I’m fairly sure the other team that’s probably pushing for second or third isn’t actually getting paid.” He continued to explain that because of the lack of credible organizations willing to pay players, in turn, players can’t dedicate their time to improving CSGO. “It’s really difficult and hard for people to commit time and improve at the game, not only individually, but as a team, when they have to be working.” And when Australia does shine on the global stage, OCE teams are often torn apart as key players are plucked by international orgs. Despite OCE’s best leaving, aliStair feels there’s no problem in sending Australia’s best overseas. “Obviously we’d like the best of our country to represent for OCE, but I would rather see players from this region succeed than just stand out in an Australian team. Nobody wants to hold anyone back.” He continued to give an example of JKS, who is now the most decorated OCE player, “It’s amazing, either way, seeing JKS win Cologne, that’s a big win for Australia and Australian players. It should motivate a lot of up-and-coming players, which is a huge thing.” As for which teams we might see Grayhound’s bumping into at IEM Sydney, invited teams have already been announced, and Aussie legends like JKS and Fnatic’s Dexter will indeed be playing on home soil for the first time in a very long time. There couldn’t be a more fitting tagline than “The Big Reunion.” IEM Sydney kicks off from a sold-out Aware Super Theater on October 16.

CS:GO: Is this the luckiest Deagle shot in history? ValveA Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player showed off what could be the luckiest Desert Eagle shot ever. CS:GO is one of the most popular first-person shooter games in the world. In the game’s competitive mode, two teams of five compete to attack and defend bombsites. Generally, the team with the best aim and teamwork wins, but sometimes all it takes is a little bit of luck. In a clip shared on July 31, one player was blessed with an incredible amount of luck as he turned a round on its head with an unbelievable Desert Eagle shot. It started on Mirage as the player was moving to the A bombsite from the Counter-Terrorist spawn. There was a smoke grenade in the way meaning he was blind, but he ran through the smoke anyway and took cover behind a small wooden ticket office. Read More: CS:GO July 31 update patch notes – Armed with only a Desert Eagle and a dream, he aimed towards the bomb site and began to shoot through the wooden structure. One shot, two shots, three shots, nothing. Then the fourth shot hit, and miraculously, two enemies fell. He hadn’t seen or heard anyone, but, out of nowhere he was able to take down two opponents with one bullet and completely change the course of the round. The clip was posted on the CS:GO Reddit, and the community couldn’t quite believe it either. One user replied “At least two reports were submitted immediately”, joking that the lucky player would have been suspected of cheating. Another wrote, “Oh wow dude. That’s god-tier luck right there.” The community joked that his opponents would have been convinced that he was hacking due to those shots, and of course, appreciated the amount of luck that this took. Chances are a one-in-a-million shot like that will never happen again.

CSGO player hilariously slips Among Us creature into Major autograph sticker Valve/InnerSlothRicky “floppy” Kemery, a rifler for Complexity’s CSGO team, decided to slip the Among Us creature into his Major autograph sticker, with many other players also deciding to make their mark with CSGO’s very last Major sticker autographs. 2023 seems to be Complexity’s year of trolling. Kicking off the year with Håkon “Hallzerk” Fjærli’s new haircut, spawning a plethora of memes of the Norwegian AWPer’s transition as a full-bred NA player, in addition to his absurd crosshair and aspect ratio. And now, it seems it’s floppy’s turn to get in on the fun, as he decided to slip the Among Us creature into his Paris Major 2023 player autograph sticker, which is the last CSGO will get before its transition to CS2. CSGO players are getting creative with their signatures “SUS” is all floppy wrote in his reveal tweet, tagging the CS Twitter account. We at Dexerto would recommend pairing this sticker with the AWP POP AWP skin featuring the Among Us pattern. Somehow, this hilarious signature made it through Valve’s often-stringent checking process. For now, it appears it’ll remain in the game for the long run. And it seems floppy isn’t the only one who has decided to go wild with their autographs in this final batch. MOUZ’s IGL Christopher “dexter” Nong stylized his signature to read “sex”, no doubt in line with fellow Aussie Oliver “DickStacy” Tierney’s infamous autograph, which just says “DICK”. But not all players have decided to become “sus” in their autograph designs, as some of them actually include references to the players. So here is a slideshow of all the interesting and unique autographs we’ve spotted in the newest Major sticker set. Some of these designs are no doubt much more unique than previous Major autographs. When CSGO first brought in player signature stickers, most just saw it as nothing more than additional cosmetics to sell to their players. However, over the years it has morphed into players one-upping each other into who can make the most unique designs. But at times, Valve tends to reject some of the more wilder suggestions. Though it seems with Paris being the very last CSGO Major, Valve has decided to loosen up with the designs.

CSGO player GooseBreeder on CLG’s shutdown: “Everyone was heartbroken” Fredrik Nilsson/DreamHackFormer CLG Red player Mounira ‘GooseBreeder’ Dobie spoke to Dexerto about the end of the organization and what the future might hold for her CS:GO team. As someone who spent the last five years — an eternity in esports terms — playing under CLG, GooseBreeder has a better perspective than most to talk about the impact of the organization’s shutdown. The 27-year-old Canadian was by far the longest-standing member of CLG Red, the organization’s women’s division, which included a team in CS:GO and one in Valorant. Recruited from Dignitas in 2018, she became the cornerstone of the CS:GO project as it went through multiple rebuilds over the years and her initial teammates, one by one, either left the team or retired from the game. CLG’s players and staff were informed on Tuesday, April 4, in a company-wide meeting that they were being let go, with the acquisition by NRG being confirmed two days later. The only ones who kept their jobs were those working in the League of Legends department, who will transition to NRG. The news came as a shock to many, both within the company and outside of it. Unlike other esports organizations, CLG had not been reducing focus, streamlining their operations or downsizing their esports section. “I think everyone was heartbroken, on our team and in the rest of CLG” she says. “I wasn’t necessarily suspecting this, but with the current economy in esports, I wasn’t too surprised, either. “In terms of CLG, I thought we were on the up and creating something really powerful. I think [Head of CLG] Greg was doing a great job alongside all the staff and players. It’s a bit of a surprise from that perspective.” When it became clear that CLG would eventually cease to exist after the acquisition (Riot Games still has to formally approve the rebranding to NRG in the LCS), many took to Twitter and Reddit to lament the loss of an iconic organization that had been a staple of North American esports for over a decade. But CLG’s shutdown is about much more than a historical competitive brand vanishing into thin air. Tournament success was not, after all, the only metric by which CLG wanted to be judged. In recent years, the organization had taken significant steps towards building a community that connected fans across multiple esports titles. CLG FGC, the organization’s Fighting Game Community division, ran a unique weekly tournament series called ‘CLG Run It Thursdays’ with East and West Coast brackets. CLG was also committed to empowering women in the gaming and esports industry through its CLG Red division and initiatives like the CLG Red Carpet Mixer. “I always liked CLG and felt that we understood each other,” GooseBreeder says. “CLG was always an org that stood for something and wanted to be more than just an esports org. “They were always trying to do things for the greater good, help the community, be there for the players, etc. CLG wasn’t just taking care of its own but cared about others outside of the org as well. Being in the esports industry, I think having what we had can be rare so I definitely cherished it. The org had its highs and lows in terms of performance but I think we were definitely on the up.” The future of CLG Red’s CS:GO team CLG’s shutdown leaves GooseBreeder’s team, of the best women’s sides in the world, on the market. The Valorant squad, meanwhile, has been picked up by Moist Esports to represent the Moist Moguls brand in the VCT Game Changers North America Series 1. GooseBreeder is confident that her team will be able to find a new home. “I think it’s very realistic,” she says, adding that there have been talks with a number of organizations already. But that appears to be far from a sure thing. Shortly after CLG’s fate became clear, Vivienne ‘BiBiAhn’ Quach, who, like GooseBreeder and Coline ‘Kaoday’ Le Floc’h, is in the United States on a visa, said that she’s open to playing in Europe and is prioritizing co-ed offers. “Of course, everyone is a free agent and open to doing what they like, but that [sticking together] is our main goal,” GooseBreeder notes. Interest in women’s CS:GO esports has never been higher, with organizations like Guild Esports, G2 Esports and Team Spirit having all recently signed teams. Part of that is because of ESL’s Impact circuit, which offers regular online competition to teams from Europe, North America and South America, in addition to LAN events with big prizes. At the same time, many organizations see all-female teams as a way to attract brands and connect with a significant segment of the gaming community. GooseBreeder’s team, which has started playing under the name ‘Red Ded Redemption’, is in line to attend the ESL Impact League Season 3 event in Dallas, in June. CLG may be gone, but the spirit of CLG Red lives on in those who helped the brand to become a success — and the community that the organization spent so many years building is rallying behind GooseBreeder and her team in every match. “I think we accomplished a lot throughout the history of CLG,” GooseBreeder says. “The only times CLG were not at the top were during different rebuild phases. Now we’re in a rebuilding phase but we’re on the up. “As someone who has been a champion many times, I know what it takes and what it looks like to be the best. I think we can look back and be happy about our accomplishments. We would all like to go to Dallas together and make our stand.”

CSGO player goes viral after getting the luckiest kill of all time ValveOne Counter-Strike player has gone viral after sharing a clip online of “the luckiest” CS:GO kill of all time, on Vertigo. CS:GO has some of the most intricate movement-firing mechanics of any game, which makes it pretty much impossible to keep your weapon accurate when moving. However, one player seemingly defied all laws of physics in-game, after pulling off a ridiculous kill to clutch a 1v1 during their match. Reddit user u/JaX148 uploaded a brief clip from a competitive match on CS:GO’s skyscraper map, Vertigo, as they were hunting for the final opponent in the B site. After realizing that bomb was being guarded by the last enemy standing, JaX148 decided to peek a sneaky angle near the edge of the map to catch them off guard. Unfortunately, despite the clever tactic, the player stepped a little too far off the building’s edge and began falling down towards their death. However, inexplicably, they managed to catch a glimpse of where their opponent was before falling and fired his M4 directly up while plummeting, somehow killing them through the railings on the side of the skyscraper. The kill was mind-blowingly lucky, considering that when players are falling or jumping in the air, their weapon becomes totally inaccurate, as can be seen by the bullet spray in the clip. Throughout that wild spray, the player miraculously landed a wall bang headshot, which caused the final blow and secured the round for their team, just seconds before reaching the death barrier. The once-in-a-lifetime clip was shared to Counter-Strike Reddit, which resulted in the player going viral for his last-ditch efforts.

CSGO player gets revenge on cheaters by creating hilarious fake cheats Valve / YouTube: ScriptKidSick of cheaters in Counter-Strike? How about beat them at their own game? That’s what YouTuber ‘ScriptKid’ did, creating a new “cheating” software for CS:GO that sabotaged would-be hackers. Getting matched against a cheater in CS:GO — or any game — is infuriating. It saps the fun out of the game, getting headshot from across the map by a guy spinning around with a Negev. While Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) does its best to snuff out the hackers, it’s not perfect. However, there is a solution outside of that. Software engineer and CS:GO fan ‘ScriptKid’ took it upon himself to code a cheat client for the game. However, instead of giving everyone who downloaded it cheats, it only intended to sabotage their gameplay. He created a “bait software” that looked like a cheat, even promising it was “100% undetected by VAC” while being totally free. Too good to be true, right? Despite that, 1,021 people downloaded the software in the space of just two weeks. Instead of giving players the promise of an incredible aimbot, or walls beyond what the server could render, ScriptKid’s client made cheaters look like fools. He installed multiple “punishments” for cheaters to get mocked by. These punishments included shooting teammates, screwing up grenade throws, and even stopping defuses just before they finished. They would apply randomly, so it was hard to know when they would sabotage cheaters next. The full list of punishments can be found here: Burning Man: throw grenades straight down and unbind movement keys for a few seconds. – No Plant or Defuse: cancel plant or defuse at the last second, and play a fake sound to confuse them. – Big Spender: waste the cheater’s money by buying bad weapons, like shotguns. – NoSpray4U: 50% chance to drop weapons when spraying. – Invert Mouse ADS: invert mouse while aiming down scope. – Violence Speed Momentum: ups sensitivity to 100 for a few seconds. – Butter Fingers: drops weapon every time they try to shoot. – Do You Even Aim Bro: “basically the opposite of an aimbot.” – Blood Brothers: fires the cheater’s weapon when hovering over an ally. – This isn’t the first set of cheaters ScriptKid has sprung a trap on. He’s done this in the past with PUBG hackers, tricking them into installing his “bait software” that made them jump out of moving vehicles, shoot teammates while reviving them, and dropping grenades on them. Given ScriptKid’s “cheats” would probably get picked up by VAC eventually for altering the game’s files, it would be a double whammy for the thousand-odd players who fell for the bait. However, if it means less cheaters in CS:GO, then so be it. If you’re going to cheat, at least do it right.

CS:GO player dresses up as a woman to play female only tournament CS:GO / PanYijingFloraA male CS:GO player was found to have dressed up as a woman in an attempt compete in Lenovo’s Legion of Valkyrie event – a female-only tournament. Lenovo’s Legion of Valkyrie event featured an all-female online CS:GO tournament where 32 teams get the chance to compete for a $1,000 prize pool. The tournament had implemented preventive measures to prevent identity fraud and stop males from competing, such as requiring players to play with a camera on during their matches. Despite the countermeasures that were in place, one male player still fancied his chances and dressed up with a wig in an attempt to fool the tournament organizer and referees. The player wore a convincing black wig, glasses, and even a face mask while playing. However, despite somewhat looking the part, he was quickly found out after lowering the mask ahead of the games. Screenshots of the bizarre incident were shared by PanYijingFlora, who highlighted the gamer’s disguise attempt with a series of images. Lenovo’s female CSGO event requires players to play with the camera on. But someone was found to be a guy with a wig LMAOOOOO pic.twitter.com/OvDHf1z2pS — Flora ୧⍤⃝? ??? (@PanYijingFlora) May 19, 2020 While face masks have been seen more frequently as of late with the ongoing health crisis, the tournament refs had still suspected something peculiar and seemingly instructed him, in Discord messages, to lower the face mask ahead of the match. Some viewers criticized the player for attempting to cheat the tournament’s rules, with one fan even labeling him a “disgrace.” While it is unclear what transpired following his attempt to compete in the event, the male CS:GO player and his team did not make it out of the first round, according to the bracket, likely disqualified from the event.

CSGO’s player count keeps growing despite no updates from Valve ValveCounter-Strike: Global Offensive officially turned 10 years old last year, but, despite its legacy status, the game continues to gain players and bring old ones back – even as Valve goes months without any major updates. CS:GO has always been exceptionally popular, and as the leading shooter available on Steam, it has always dominated the PC shooter market. Despite increasingly stiff competition, particularly from Riot Games’ Valorant, the game continues to grow. During lockdowns in 2020, CS:GO reached its highest peak player count of over 1.3 million concurrently, and an average of over 850,000 players at any time. Since then, the average has held strong at around 600,00, hitting over 700,000 in January 2023. And on Sunday, January 29, a peak of 1.2 million concurrent players was reached, according to data from Steam Charts. CSGO continues to grow with no updates Making these numbers even more impressive, they have been achieved with little involvement from Valve. The game has not had any new content added since July 2022, and the last significant update came in November, which just nerfed two weapons and replaced Dust2 with Anubis in the active duty map pool. Every CS:GO tweet is filled with replies practically begging for any kind of update that would add some new content to the game, be it a new skin case, some new ways to play, or, for the most optimistic, a new Operation. Operations are CS:GO’s big events, and the last one was back in September 2021. Over a year later, there is not even a hint that there is anything planned. Thankfully, CS:GO’s core gameplay is enough to keep players coming back, no matter what. While other PC shooters, like Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch and PUBG pump out new content every few months, CS:GO just sits back and watches the player count steadily rise. This increase in players has also coincided with a lull in professional play. Top teams have just returned the player break, and the next major tournament, IEM Katowice, doesn’t start until later this week. Big tournaments and Majors can increase the player count even further.

CS:GO player count highest in almost two years thanks to Battle Royale and free-to-play The concurrent player count for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has reached its highest peak since January 2017, following the addition of the new battle royale mode ‘Danger Zone’ – and going free-to-play. Launched on December 6, Danger Zone is CS:GO’s answer to Fortnite, PUBG and Blackout, as it attempts to steal back players who have migrated to the new battle royale phenomenon. It still has all the signature aspects of Counter-Strike’s gunplay and mechanics, but in a new innovative setting, and this combined with the move to become a free-to-play game has helped the player count soar. The same day as it was released, CS:GO also shot up the rankings on Twitch for concurrent viewers too, which likely also attracted a new audience of potential players. CS:GO’s all time concurrent player count peak sits at 850,485, set in April of 2016, and it has only crossed the 800,000 mark once since, in January 2017. Since then, the player count remained steady before seeing a slight decline through 2018, with most months seeing a peak of only 400,000-500,000, but on December 8, the player count shot up to 747, 896. Traditionally, January is CS:GO’s strongest month for player counts, meaning with such a strong start to December, there is hopes that a new peak record could be set. Although the move to becoming a free-to-play game is certainly a major factor, this is still a remarkable achievement for a game which will soon turn six years old – with the Counter-Strike franchise almost two decades old. Danger Zone is still a little rough around the edges, at least compared to other top BR games, but with some improvements could certainly be a tempting alternative for players who are tiring of their current go-to battle royale.

CSGO player banned live on Twitch stream for cheating in Major qualifier BLASTThe first NA open qualifier for the BLAST.tv Paris Major was thrown into disarray on February 14 after a player was caught cheating live on stream. As the qualifier’s Round of 16 was about to get underway, the player ‘pawt’ of team Fun MIx was banned by Gamers Club, the platform where the tournament is being held, before the start of the match against Strife Esports. Confusion ensued before it was revealed that the player had been banned for a cheating offense. The moment was caught live on stream by Dust2.us’ Twitch channel, which was about to stream the match. Gamers Club disqualified Fun MIx after the incident and overturned the team’s Round of 32 victory against goomba stomp, who went on to lose to Strife by a 16-2 scoreline. The incident further adds to what was already a rocky qualifier, on a platform with which most North American players are not familiar. Gamers Club, self-described as “the biggest esports platform in Brazil”, partnered with BLAST to host the qualifiers for the upcoming Major in both South America and North America. Open qualifiers for the vast majority of international competitions are run on FACEIT, which recently merged with ESL, BLAST’s biggest competitor, after the two companies were bought by Saudi Arabian government-backed Savvy Gaming Group in January 2022 for a combined $1.5bn. The first North American qualifier was marked by low signups, with only 36 teams registering for the tournament. Eight teams will progress from the open qualifiers to the closed stage, in which they will join teams like Complexity, MIBR and Evil Geniuses.

CS:GO pro stuns viewers with insane Vertigo wall-bangs ValvePopular Polish Counter Strike: Global Offensive player Daniel ‘STOMP’ Plominski performed a series of incredible wallbangs on Vertigo, prompting Twitch users to jokingly accuse him of hacks. STOMP was playing at the ESL Mistrzostwa Polski – or ESL Polish Championship – for Team x-kom. The tournament takes place in Poland, from April 29 to June 4 2019, with a total of 520,000 PLN on the line – roughly $135,000. X-kom were 4-8 down against Nemiga on Vertigo, when the insane play happened, much to the surprise of the casters and the watching Twitch chat. CS:GO, much like many other FPS esports, has a specific spectator mode in which enemy outlines are visible to the viewer, so they can better contextualize events and understand the set ups the teams are using. The professional players are not able to see the enemy outlines in the same way the viewers are. STOMP had a sniper rifle out in the thirteenth round, and perfectly lined up a ‘wallbang’ shot on a Nemiga opponent, all the way through elevators, firing two shots, hitting the first and only narrowly missing the second after the enemy began to retreat. If this wasn’t crazy enough, STOMP then re-positions, and perfectly lines up another shot through a different wall. Both the players he tagged escaped with their lives, but on considerably less health than if he hadn’t hit the back-to-back blind shots. The insane play was clearly a shock to the casters, who responded animatedly, shouting STOMP’s name and expressing their disbelief. The Twitch chat responded in typically hilarious fashion, with many spamming ‘VAC’ – in reference to ‘Valve Anti-Cheat’ – the in-game system deployed by developers Valve Corporation to combat cheating players. This was of course done jokingly, as STOMP’s impressive wallbanging ability seemed only understandable through illicit activity.

CSGO pistol skin sells for over $1000 because players call it the “p**sy pattern” @leafycs / @ZeusperCSGOA skin for the five-seven pistol in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has fetched a very pricey sale, because of what is dubbed the “p**sy pattern”, a very rare but desirable pattern, for obvious reasons. Skins in CS:GO can reach very high prices as they can be traded between players’ accounts or sold on the Steam Community Market. You can see the most expensive skins in CS:GO here. Each skin has 1000 possible patterns, meaning two of the same ‘skin’ can look very different. That’s why, for example, the AK-47 Case Hardened with pattern ‘661’ sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars – because this pattern has more blue on it than other Case Hardened skins. This time, another CS:GO skin has sold for a steep price, and for a pistol no less, because the particular pattern, players believe, looks like a vulva. The rare Five-Seven CS:GO skin This particular Five-Seven skin is called the ‘Kami’, and as a pattern-based skin, there are 1000 variations of it. But one variation, with pattern number 909, is considered the best, or most valuable, because of what appears at the back of the weapon. Dubbed the “p**sy pattern”, the design lands on the weapon in such a way, as to create… well, whatever this is. On Twitter, CS:GO skins trader pops confirmed the sale, for €1,300 ($1,430 USD). This is the third-best-condition version of the 909 Kami Five-Seven, which will also increase its price slightly. The buyer, a collector called Leafy, then applied four Cloud9 Katowice 2015 Holo stickers, worth around $350 each, meaning the total cost was around $2700. The 909 Five-Seven was made most famous by Twitch streamer ohnePixel, who of course owns his own one too. His also features four Katowice 2014 Dignitas stickers, worth around $600 each. Although $1,400 pales in comparison to the prices of the truly high-tier items in CS:GO, it’s still significantly more than a normal Five-Seven Kami, which you can buy for around $1. CS:GO skins have been increasing in price a lot lately, following the announcement of Counter-Strike 2, coming in Summer 2023.

CSGO: PashaBiceps throws out analyst and takes over desk in skit L: V4FutureSports (Twitch)/R: DreamHackCS:GO legends Jarosław ‘pashaBiceps’ Jarząbkowski took over the analyst desk in hilarious fashion, as the pro player made an appearance at the V4 Future Sports Festival in Budapest. Pasha, a former member of the Virtus.pro squad that forged the Polish dynasty, has struggled to find his former self since his departure from a five-year stint with the organization. After moving to an inactive role on VP at the beginning of 2019, Pasha joined fellow Polish organization, AGO, in a bid to revitalize his CS:GO career. Following a short stint with the lineup though, Pasha currently sits without a professional team. Within the same month of his departure from AGO, Pasha has now found himself at the V4 Future Sports LAN tournament, where his ex-teammates in Virtus.pro are competing for the lion’s share of the $300,000 prize pool. After VP overran mousesports with a clean 2–0 sweep, the analysts desk was breaking down the match before they conducted a spoof designed to rile up Pasha, involving both Matthew ‘Sadokist’ Trivett and Hungarian caster, Balázs ‘Draulon’ Lengyel. By way of a ‘good cop/bad cop’ routine, the analyst duo angled their spoof towards mocking VP’s “fluke round” vs. mousesports, in which Draulon sarcastically insinuated that Sadokist was “just a Virtus.pro fanboy.” Trivett subsequently requested security, which was a cue for Pasha to march behind the analyst desk and live up to his namesake, by carrying the Hungarian off stage. Disclaimer: No analysts were hurt in the making of this Oscar-worthy lampoon. After the comedic skit was said and done, pashaBiceps hopped onto the analyst desk to discuss the dominant showing from VP, with Sadokist introducing him by jokingly adding: “That was the biggest clutch you’ve had in about the last year” as he settled onto the desk. Although the Polish powerhouse currently has no team to compete at events such as this, his frequent appearances and community interaction are exactly why he remains a fan favorite.

CS:GO Paris Major reportedly brought in over $110 million in sticker sales BLASTThe BLAST.tv Paris Major is reportedly the most successful CS:GO tournament in terms of sticker sales as the amount of money teams and players earned is over $110 million. Valve has slowly been revealing just how much teams and players have been getting from sticker sales over the past few years. The developer claimed in 2019 that the StarLadder Major Berlin earned its 24 participating teams and 120 players over $11 million. In 2022, the developer revealed that the PGL Antwerp and Stockholm Majors brought in about $70 million from all teams and players combined. Both prize pools are dwarfed by the 2023 Blast Paris Major, according to reporting from HLTV and Dust2 Brazil, the tournament paid out all teams and players over $110 million. Paris Major stickers bring in over $110 million combined The report broke down just how much each team and player got from the cosmetic sales with Contenders teams coming away with about $4.5 million and players walking away with almost $250,000. Teams in the Legends grouping earned about $3.5 million with approximately $200,000 going toward the players. Lastly, Challengers teams left the event with $2.6 million while their players earned about $200,000. The actual prize pool of the event was $1,250,000 with the winners earning $500,000. The event was also one of the most-watched CS:GO tournaments ever. The difference in sticker sales in this tournament versus previous events is thought to be because of the launch of Counter-Strike 2 while the cosmetics were up for grabs, and their extended sale period. The Paris Major sticker sale lasted almost five months because it was the only Major tournament in 2023. Team Vitality won the Blast Paris Major after battling through a stacked European qualifying stage. This tournament also saw the rise of GamerLegion, who placed second, and Apeks, who placed fourth.

CSGO: OpTic stun Team Liquid in insanely one-sided match at DreamHack Malmo DreamHackCounter-Strike: Global Offensive fans at DreamHack Masters Malmo after dominantly defeating favorites Team Liquid in their opening match. Team Liquid were one of the favorites going into the event, having dominated in 2019 and maintained their place at the summit of the CSGO world rankings after a disappointing 5th-8th place finish at the StarLadder Berlin Major. However, things couldn’t have started worse for them in Malmo as they were completely destroyed by one of the perceived weaker teams at the event, OpTic Gaming. The Danish team got off to a flying start and were able to keep up the pressure throughout, with veteran in-game leader Mathias ‘MSL’ Lauridsen putting in one of his best individual performances since claiming MVP at last year’s Dreamhack Masters Stockholm event to shut down Liquid. The first half ended up being a completely one-sided affair with Liquid managing only one measly round while struggling to find anything, and even being embarrassed by a sneaky ninja defuse from Nikolaj ‘Niko’ Kristensen. Team Liquid attempted to mount a comeback during the second half and put up a solid fight, managing to win six in a row before MSL stepped up yet again, securing a crucial entry kill to break the number one team in the world. The game ended shortly after that, with young star René ‘TeSeS’ Madsen securing four incredible kills to complete the amazing upset victory. OpTic now move on to the upper match of their group and will face off against Natus Vincere on October 2 for a guaranteed place in the playoff stage. If they are able to keep up their impressive form then they should be able to take down the famous CIS side, however, no two matches of CSGO are ever the same.

When does CSGO’s Operation Shattered Web end? New update confirms date ValveFour months on from its release, CS:GO’s Operation Shattered Web is in its final days, with Valve confirming the event will be finished by the end of March. After waiting over 900 days for Operation Shattered Web, CS:GO players will finally have to bid the expansion farewell at the end of March 2020. Valve confirmed Shattered Web will be wrapping up after 19 weeks of play, although you still have a couple more weeks if you haven’t completed all your missions. In the March 3 CS:GO update, the game’s developers stated Operation Shattered Web will be finishing on March 30. “Players have until March 30 to play missions, earn progress, and redeem Operation rewards.” While the operation is ending at the end of the month, today’s update shipped the final set of missions available to players. This will give players two weeks to play catch-up and finish any missions they are yet to complete. If you have been diligent in completing every mission in the Operation, you’ll be rewarded this week, with Diamond Operation Coins being sent to players from March 3 onwards. Operation Pass holders have until March 30th to play missions, earn progress, and redeem Operation rewards. This and more in today’s Blog Post: https://t.co/bN1nEmeUQ5 — CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 3, 2020 Operation Shattered Web brought a breath of fresh life into Valve’s hallmark FPS title as Global Offensive approaches 10 years. Four new weapon collections were released, alongside agent skins for your characters, and a new battle pass. It was the biggest drop of content CS:GO had seen in years, at least since the Danger Zone release at the end of 2018, and the first operation since Operation Hydra in May 2017. Players are now hoping that the gap between Shattered Web and the next operation isn’t as long as the last one, and with the release of Valorant — Riot Games’ competitor to CS:GO — being imminent, Valve will be looking to retain as many players as they can. Finally, part of today’s update today addressed recent reports of reduced performance and/or stuttering: -Materials now store an internal parameter precache to reduce the need for disk access during gameplay. We’ll be keeping an eye out for similar reports going forward. — CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 3, 2020 The March 3 update wasn’t big outside of the Operation Shattered Web announcement. The Vertigo server lag exploit was patched out, while a band-aid fix for stuttering issues reported by players was also deployed. So, if you want to grind out those final few missions and get your hands on those sleek Operation Coins, among other rewards, be sure to log into CS:GO before March 30 and finish off your Shattered Web pass.

CSGO Operation Riptide: Patch notes, new Riot Shield weapon, skins, maps ValveCSGO is getting a new event to round out 2021: Operation Riptide. The major update is the game’s first since Broken Fang in late 2020 with new weapons and maps, major balancing changes to the M4A1-S and Deagle and — of course — new skins. Christmas has come early again for CSGO players. Broken Fang dropped just before the festive season in 2020, and now Operation Riptide will be keeping players company throughout Fall and Winter (or Spring and Summer, depending on your hemisphere). The latest Operation to drop into Counter-Strike brings more new content than ever before. A new weapon is being added for the first time since 2015 in the Riot Shield, new Deathmatch game modes, maps, and skins. There’s also plenty of balance changes that’ll shake up the meta. https://twitter.com/CSGO/status/1440495601565659144 Everything in CS:GO Operation Riptide New Riot Shield weapon comes to CSGO For the first time since 2015, CSGO is getting a new weapon. However, you won’t need to worry about Riot Shields rushing through tunnels into B site any time soon. The new weapon has been added to the Hostage game mode as part of the CTs arsenal. The Riot Shield will block bullets from hitting you — and whoever is behind you. However, it has a set amount of HP before it breaks apart. The Riot Shield will block head and body shots, but the players’ legs are still exposed unless they’re crouching. FFA Deathmatch and TDM game modes added No longer will you have to look for community servers for a decent warmup: Valve is finally adding official free-for-all (FFA) Deathmatch servers to CS:GO. With this and Retakes, the developers are taking popular community tools and implementing them into the base game. FFA Deathmatch isn’t the only new game mode coming either. There’s now a new Team Deathmatch (TDM) mode, where instead of fighting for yourself you partner up with the rest of your side to take down the enemy. There’s a new short match feature coming in Operation Riptide too. If you are strapped for time but still want a competitive game, you can opt to search for a shorter, first-to-9 battle. The shorter competitive games will last around 25 minutes, but it’s unclear if it will count towards your in-game rank. Plus, if you want to play with just your friends on a private server, but can’t rent one out, Valve has added new private queues so you can do just that. CS:GO Operation Riptide skins As with every update, a host of new skins are dropping into CS:GO. The Riptide case features 17 community skins, as well as a new Gamma Doppler finish, for players to pick up as they grind the Operation. However, it’s not just Operation Riptide skins coming in the update. Valve has updated the Train, Mirage, Dust 2, and Vertigo collections with new 2021 renditions. The skin lines will be available by playing the game and collecting drops, and could mean an update to souvenir cases is due for the first time since Global Offensive’s launch. CS:GO Operation Riptide new maps Five community maps are dropping into CS:GO as part of Operation Riptide, and they’ll likely be a part of the missions you have to grind to get that Diamond Coin. Read More: Allu shrugs off criticism for ENCE downfall – Ravine, Extraction, Insertion II, Basalt, and County are all being added in the update. Basalt and Insertion II will be added to all game modes, while Ravine and Extraction are going to be Wingman only. County is a Danger Zone-exclusive map. Riptide patch notes: M4A1-S, Deagle, Dust 2 changes It’s not just new content coming as part of Operation Riptide. Valve is finally making some proper balance changes to CS:GO in what seems like the first time in forever. The M4A1-S is in line for buffs, with the silenced CT weapon having played second fiddle to the M4A4 for some time. It will receive a damage buff to body shots, so while the CTs won’t have a one-shot headshot gun yet, the M4A1-S won’t be outshone anymore. The Dual Berettas are also being buffed. The Dualies will now cost less, reduced to $300 from their current price tag of $500. The Desert Eagle, on the other hand, is facing nerfs with less body damage on the cards. The handcannon has been a staple for years, but now you’ll really need to aim for the head for those sweet clips. Map-wise, there is an update coming to Dust 2 which is cutting off mid visibility from T Spawn. This is a huge change for the attackers, who will no longer be able to look through double doors to count the amount of crosses — and maybe snag a pick. Finally, players will now be able to drop grenades to teammates like they can drop guns. No need to worry about having to spread utility thin now. You can find the full CS:GO Operation Riptide patch notes below. CS:GO September 22 update: Operation Riptide patch notes Operation Riptide Introducing Operation Riptide, featuring new maps, new missions, and new ways to play your favorite game modes! Activate an Operation Riptide Pass and complete your missions to earn rewards including all new agents, weapon collections, stickers, and patches. Game modes Private Matchmaking Queues Generate a Queue Code and share it with your friends to create a private Premier match on Valve servers – Or, select one of your Steam Groups and play a match exclusively with other members of that group – Short Competitive Added the option to select a preference for match duration in competitive Matchmaking: Short (MR 16), Long (MR 30), or No Preference. – Deathmatch Added the option to select Classic Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch (first team to 100 kills wins), and Free-for-all Deathmatch (all players are enemies). – Demolition Reduced max rounds to 10 and eliminated half-time team swap. – Reduced round time – Adjusted weapon progression – Arms Race Adjusted weapon progression – Players now receive a health-shot after three kills – Gameplay Grenades can now be dropped just like weapons. – Vision after death reduced from 3.0s to 2.0s (vision by headshot reduced from 1.0s to 0.5s). – Deagle Reduced body damage – – M4A1-S Increased body damage – – Dual Elites Reduced price to $300 – – Riot Shield Added the Riot Shield heavy weapon to the buy menu, currently purchasable by CTs in Casual Hostage map groups. – – Maps County has been added to official matchmaking in Danger Zone game mode. – Basalt and Insertion II have been added to official matchmaking in Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch game modes. – Ravine and Extraction have been added to official matchmaking in Wingman game mode. – The following maps are no longer available in official matchmaking: Grind, Mocha, Pitstop, Calavera, Frostbite. – Dust 2 Slight visibility tweak from T spawn through mid – Improved visibility into B back site from upper tunnels – Inferno Made gate at top of banana solid – Revised 1v1 layout – Minor bug fixes – Ancient Increased size of plantable area in both bombsites – Fixed bullet penetration on plywood surfaces – Further optimizations – Added 1v1 arenas – When does CS:GO Operation Riptide launch? Operation Riptide is going live on September 22, with all the new content available to players on Day 1. You might have to pay for the battle pass to make the most of it, but it’s Christmas come early for CS:GO players who have been waiting for almost a year for new content since Broken Fang’s release.

CSGO Operation Riptide missions: Weekly objectives and rewards ValveOperation Riptide is here in CS:GO with some fresh new content for players. The best way to get through it all is by buying the battle pass and playing the weekly missions. Here’s what you need to do to grind out those sweet rewards. Okay, you’ve hopped on (or reinstalled) CS:GO to play Operation Riptide — with all its new maps, skins, game modes, and even the Riot Shield added to Hostage mode. You’ve bought your battle pass, and you’re keen to try out everything. What’s the best way to do that? By playing the weekly missions. Each week, Valve will drop a new set of missions for players to complete. They typically take you around bits of the new content. With those missions, you can earn some pretty sweet rewards (if you have the pass). Here’s how it all works. How do missions work in CSGO Operation Riptide? Like we said just before, each week during CS:GO’s Operation Riptide there’ll be a new set of around six to eight missions for players to complete. You can complete the missions with or without the battle pass. However, you won’t be able to earn any rewards (see: stars) unless you cough up some cash. These stars can be cashed in for in-game rewards, including Agent and Weapon skins, and Riptide cases. You can earn a maximum of 10 stars a week, but the missions will last the length of the event — so space them out so you get the maximum return. CSGO Operation Riptide missions Below are the missions you can complete each week during Operation Riptide. We will keep this updated as the event progresses, so be sure to return every Tuesday for the new objectives!

CSGO Operation Riptide battle pass details: cost, rewards, missions ValveOperation Riptide has added a hit of new content to CS:GO, and the best way to access it all is with the battle pass. We’ve got the lowdown on all the new rewards, missions, and how much it’ll set you back to make the most of the expansion. Christmas has come early again for CS:GO players with Operation Riptide launching on September 21 to much fanfare. There’s an abundance of new content: Game modes, skins, maps — even a new weapon. However, if you want to make the most of your CS:GO experience, getting the battle pass is the way to go. Here’s what you need to know about Operation Riptide’s battle pass in CS:GO, including how much it costs, the missions and rewards on offer, and just how long you have to grind. How much does the Operation Riptide battle pass cost? The CS:GO Operation Riptide battle pass will set you back $14.99 USD, but if you want to get the most out of the event. You need the Operation Riptide pass if you want to complete missions and earn progress on your coin. After all, you only get the coin after coughing up some cash. You can always choose to buy it later on once you do a few missions and get your stars backdated though. You get access to a catalogue of rewards to tap into, including some of the new agent and weapon skins. Plus, some of the new Operation content is gated behind the pass — so if you want to try it early, buy it early. Upgrading your Operation Riptide Coin Once you buy the Operation Riptide pass, you get an equippable coin dropped right into your inventory. If you play CS:GO across the event, your coin will level up from Bronze to Silver to Gold to Diamond. You level up your coin by completing missions and earning stars. You can earn a maximum of 10 stars a week towards your coin — even if there’s more stars on offer in that week’s objectives. Silver Coin: 33 stars – Gold Coin: 66 stars – Diamond Coin: 100 stars – So, if you play your cards right, you can have your Diamond Operation Riptide coin in time for Christmas come 10 weeks from now! CS:GO Operation Riptide missions Once you buy the pass, you can start grinding out the missions. Each week, Valve will drop anywhere from six to eight new missions worth between one to three stars. Obviously, the more stars on offer, the more effort you’ll need to put in. The missions will typically focus around the new content, so you’ll likely be thrusted into different game modes and maps and forced to use different guns from your typical Competitive experience. What rewards are in the Operation Riptide battle pass? The stars aren’t for just leveling up your Operation Riptide coin. You can cash them in at the in-game shop for a bunch of goodies. Unlike progress towards that Diamond Coin, there’s no cap on the amount of stars you earn each week — if you complete all the missions, you’ll get all the stars. Spend them wisely! CT Master Agent skins: 25 stars – T Master Agent skins: 25 stars – Superior Agent skins: 10 stars – Exceptional Agent skins: 7 stars – Distinguished Agent skins: 5 stars – Selected skins from new collections: 1 to 100 stars – Operation Riptide case: 2 stars – Operation Riptide patch: 2 stars – Operation Riptide sticker: 1 star – Riptide Surf Shop sticker: 1 star – CS:GO Operation Riptide end date CS:GO’s Operation Riptide will run from September 21, 2021 until February 20, 2022 — a total of 152 days. Read More: Allu shrugs off criticism for ENCE downfall – Players will get new missions weekly for the first 16 weeks, so be sure to check back each week so you can get the stars you need to grab that Diamond Coin.

How to complete CSGO Operation Broken Fang Week 7 missions ValveA new week means new missions for CS:GO players in Operation Broken Fang. With 11 stars on offer, you best get cracking if you want to hit that Diamond coin. The halfway point of Operation Broken Fang is almost upon us. The expansion was an early Christmas present for CS:GO players with a host of new content, most of which can be accessible through these missions. These events are meant to give players a chance to test out new content, as well as play around a few modes they might not otherwise. Week 7 is definitely going to have some players excited — especially if you’re a fan of Nuke and running around with SMGs. CS:GO Operation Broken Fang Week 7 missions The seventh week of missions in Broken Fang revolve around those two things — the map Nuke, and SMGs. Three of the four missions can be completed on Nuke across Competitive, Guardian, and Deathmatch modes. The other one, you’ll need to hop into Arms Race and dash around with SMGs once you work your way up to them to get kills. They’re pretty straight forward missions, and should only take you a couple of games in either mode to complete. No Plan Survives First Contact: Win rounds in Competitive: Nuke 7 rounds: 1 star – 15 rounds: 2 stars – 20 rounds: 3 stars – – When In Doubt, Use More Bullets: Get 20 SMG kills in Guardian: Nuke. 2 stars. – Keep Your Friends Close…: Get SMG kills in Deathmatch: Defusal Group Delta 20 kills: 1 star – 40 kills: 2 stars – 60 kills: 3 stars – – …And Your Enemies Closer: Get SMG kills in Arms Race. 4 kills: 1 star – 8 kills: 2 stars – 12 kills: 3 stars – – With 11 stars on total, you can get ever closer to that elusive Diamond coin. Better yet, you can cash them in for some in-game rewards like agent and weapon skins. While there’s no timer on these missions, you’ll want to get them done before the weekly refresh on January 19. Given you can only earn 10 stars a week towards your Diamond coin, getting them done on time will make sure you can have that in your inventory by Week 10.

CSGO Operation Broken Fang battle pass details: cost, rewards, more ValveAfter over a year of waiting, CS:GO’s next Operation, Broken Fang, is here. Among all the new content, that means a new battle pass is available, giving players the chance to earn skins and other rewards for just playing the game. It may not have been 910 days like the last time, but it’s been a long time between drinks for CS:GO players. Over a year after the release of Shattered Web, Operation Broken Fang has dropped out of the blue on December 4. Valve’s premier FPS title has gotten a new lick of paint, with nearly 100 new skins, seven new maps, and of course, a battle pass. If you are going to grind out Broken Fang, picking up the battle pass and gunning for that Diamond coin is a must. https://twitter.com/CSGO/status/1334617343859650560 How much does the Operation Broken Fang battle pass cost? The CS:GO Operation Broken Fang battle pass will set you back $14.99 USD. However, its cost is worth it to players who want the best access to all the new content. Right off the bat, you’ll get an Operation Broken Fang Coin which you can display on your profile. The more missions you complete, the higher tier coin you’ll get at the end. Read more: New CS:GO Operation Broken Fang revealed – That’s on top of smaller rewards, like access to the new in-game stats page, and XP boosts when completing missions, so you can look at getting your 2020 Service Medal. You don’t have to buy the Operation Broken Fang battle pass to complete the missions, but you need it to get all of the in-game rewards. If you decide you want to buy it at a later date, all your mission progress will be backfilled. Upgrading your Operation Broken Fang Coin Getting your event coin to Diamond is a big thing in CS:GO, and Operation Broken Fang is no different. The conditions haven’t changed from previous events. There are four tiers of coins, and you’ll have to play the game if you want to progress from tier to tier, completing missions in the operation. Bronze: Received for purchasing the battle pass – Silver: 33 stars on the battle pass – Gold: 66 stars on the battle pass – Diamond: 100 stars on the battle pass – How many tiers does the Operation Broken Fang battle pass have? The Operation Broken Fang battle pass doesn’t use a traditional tier system. Instead, you use the stars you earn from missions to buy the content you want. Want a sticker, patch, or case? You can spend your money there. Agent skins? The power is in your hands. You get Operation Stars by playing missions. However, if you want more, you can buy extra ones in the in-game shop in bundles of one, 10, or 100. They cost around 75c each. What rewards are in the Operation Broken Fang battle pass? There are hundreds of rewards available in the Operation Broken Fang battle pass. You can choose to pick up the 20 new Agent skins, or one of the 100-odd skins from the new collections. There’s even stickers and patches on offer. Here’s exactly how much each reward will set you back: Master Agent — Commander Mae: 25 stars – Master Agents — Sir Bloody Darryl: 25 stars – Superior Agents (choice of 5): 10 stars – Exceptional Agents (choice of 5): 7 stars – Distinguished Agents (choice of 4): 5 stars – The Control Collection (random): 4 stars – The Havoc Collection (random): 4 stars – The Ancient Collection (random): 4 stars – Operation Broken Fang Case: 2 stars – Metal Skill Group Patch Collection (random): 2 stars – CS:GO Graffiti #3 Collection (random): 1 star – Broken Fang Sticker Collection (random): 1 star – Recoil Sticker Collection (random): 1 star – Operation Broken Fang is live now, and available for download in CS:GO.

When is CSGO Operation 10 coming out? Everything we know ValveThere’s a lot of hype building in the CS:GO community right now. It’s been about 12 months since Operation Shattered Web started, and there’s been every indication the game’s next operation is just around the corner. Here’s what we know. It’s been a pretty dry year for CS:GO players. Since Operation Shattered Web finished back in March, there hasn’t been a whole lot going. A couple of new maps, the Krieg got nerfed, but that’s about it. However, there’s every indication that a new operation is just around the corner. With CS:GO once again hitting record player numbers, Valve are finally starting to take action and really put on something for the community. What we know about CS:GO Operation 10 According to sources close to Valve, Operation 10 is locked in for some time soon. It comes after game files were found that were eerily similar to the Operation Shattered Web files, which released in November 2019. Valve insider ‘Nors3’ said back on November 6 that the Operation was set to be released within a week, and that he was being intentionally “silent about this for the hype.” That’s since come and gone, but the hype hasn’t gone away. Exactly what players could expect isn’t yet clear though. Operation Shattered Web had a battle pass system which gave players access to plenty of in-game content. There were also new maps, and the all-new Agent skins for players to equip. Given it’s been a year without any new CS:GO content outside of a couple of cases, Operation 10 will hopefully be the Christmas present players deserve. Picture 1: 18 hours ago on CSGO’s steamdb page, 1 day before Operation 10? Picture 2: Last year, 1 day before Operation Shattered Web was released (19 November) Picture 3: End of Operation Shattered Web (13 March 2020) I think it’s time to prepare for Operation 10 people 🧐 pic.twitter.com/XcZjtzalpX — Julien 🇳🇱 (@Hollandje97) November 6, 2020 When will CS:GO’s next Operation be released? Well, Valve time is a thing, so this is a hard question to answer. Everyone can’t seem to agree — the operation could be days away, weeks, or months. It’s almost impossible to put a timer on it. Many sources do believe though that the latest operation should be out by the end of 2020. Keep your eyes peeled throughout the end of November and December if that’s to be believed. We’ll keep you updated as more information arises.

CSGO player has their lucky stars align to hit a one-bullet ace ValveEvery AWP player dreams of hitting a collateral in CS:GO. However, what if you landed an ace with just a single bullet? Well, imagine no more, as one player has managed to do the seemingly impossible and get a collateral ace. Nothing is better than getting two birds with one stone as an AWPer. We’ve all seen the clips — from the “jumping cold” to whatever s1mple is doing nowadays — but never failed to get the right line-up. The AWP isn’t just limited to two kills with one bullet though. With the right setup, you can land an ace — if you nail a few headshots in a line. While you’re more likely to win the lottery than land it, one player has managed to do it. The clip, which shot to the top of the CS:GO subreddit, couldn’t have come at a more clutch time for the CT side either. Up 13-12 on Inferno, the terrorists ran up Banana to launch a fast assault on the B site. However, one AWP, and a couple of grenades, stood in their way. With a double grenade stack, the attackers were chunked out heavily. However, even then, the ace wasn’t secured. Instead, with the wide swing, the AWPer managed to lay down the law on all five at the same time, nailing three headshots and four collaterals to get the one-bullet ace. While the AWPer was assisted by a good grenade stack from his teammate, the amount of luck you’d have to cash in to get all five enemies at the same time is incredible. First, the terrorists executed a B rush, lining them up perfectly for their grenade stack. Not only that, they conga lined all the way up Banana, making the perfect wide swing possible. Then, all they had to do was not whiff the shot. The reaction was just as you’d expect — a lot of confused players wondering what the hell just happened. It’s probably the first time everyone in that lobby had seen such a play, and they’ll probably never see it again outside of the replay. While it might not be a true one-bullet ace to some purists, who could argue that the AWPer was assisted, the fact that it happened is remarkable. There’s no discounting how lucky this play is from start to finish. If you are preparing to launch an attack down Banana though, be prepared. A few copycats might be trying to mimic this AWPer’s success, and there’ll be nade stacks for days.

CSGO update brings long-awaited crosshair change: October 8 patch notes L: ValveThe latest CS:GO update introduces some long-requested quality-of-life changes to the game. Counter-Strike fans are accustomed to minimal and infrequent updates to their game of choice which, unlike many popular titles which receive consistent balance and content patches, remains largely the same. The latest update is no different, but it does come with some minor fixes that will nevertheless be popular with players who like to have everything set up exactly the way they like in search of even the tiniest edge in competitive play, even if it’s just personal preferences. The most significant change is that for the default crosshair style, switching to the knife won’t make the crosshair disappear, bringing its behavior in line with the other crosshair styles. Meanwhile, the friendly fire warning is no longer tied to the default crosshair, instead being moved to a separate option. As a result, experienced players who are well aware of the risk of friendly fire can turn it off to avoid unnecessary UI clutter. The update also brings a change to standard Deathmatch that grants players a Healthshot for every 3-kill steak, giving more potential for extended streaks for players who are consistently winning duels but otherwise may simply run out of health without a means of regenerating it. With a new version of Cache having been debuted at ESL One New York, many fans will undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing the overhauled map make it to the live game, but unfortunately for them it seems it will be at least one more update before it appears. With Valve having no set schedule for patches, there’s no way of judging when another may appear. The full patch notes for the October 8 update can be found below. CS:GO October 8 Patch Notes [DEATHMATCH] – Players now get a Healthshot for every 3-kill streak, if they don’t already have one. [UI] – Added winners of all CS:GO Major Championships to the watch tab. – Fixed a UI issue where non-Prime players appeared as Prime on ‘Looking to Play’ tab. – Friendly fire warning on crosshair is no longer tied to default crosshair and is now a separate option. – When holding a knife, the default crosshair will now behave like other crosshairs. – Fixed the purchase button for coupons being invisible in some cases. [MISC] – Added logaddress_add_http_delayed command which allows tournament operators to delay http log data for subscribers. – Added most recently completed match token to the help site match history authentication code page for convenience.

CS:GO: October 2 update patch notes – New Cache, Mirage updates Valve Corporation: Counter-StrikeThe latest update to the Valve’s marquee FPS title Counter-Strike, has seen a massive shakeup for the overall map pool. In Valve’s October 2 update the Scrimmage Matchmaking playlist map pool was shifted slightly, with Cache added to the host of options in the more casual mode. Furthermore, Mirage has also finally been added to Scrimmage Matchmaking. The Moroccan-based map has been one of the most popular Bomb Defusal options in the game since 2013. The arrival of Cache and Mirage to the scrimmage pool hasn’t affected both maps’ availability in the title’s competitive playlists yet either, Valve confirmed with the update. Therefore, you can expect to see the old variant of Cache in your competitive sessions ahead of the expected release of the newly redesigned Cache on October 10. The reworked Cache map was first teased at ESL One New York 2019 late last month, with the CSGO community given their first glimpse at the new design. Fans have been hotly anticipating the revamped model after the map was first pulled from competitive playlists in March 2019, and it seems the wait won’t last much longer. Release Notes for today are up. Mirage and Cache are now available in Scrimmage Matchmaking (as well as Competitive). Breach has been removed from Scrimmage and Ruby has been rotated out of the game. This and more here: https://t.co/qvVD37OKxw — CS:GO (@CSGO) October 3, 2019 The October 2 update also saw two maps shifted out of the scrimmage playlist, with both Breach and Ruby pulled from CS:GO to a certain extent. Breach has only been removed from Scrimmage Matchmaking, while Ruby has been “removed from official game servers” entirely. Many community members have also speculated that Mirage’s addition to the more casual playlist could herald its removal from the comp pool in the near future. “I wonder if Mirage being added to Scrimmage indicates it may be the one removed from the competitive map pool to make room for Cache,” Reddit user Gnud speculated. It remains to be seen whether Mirage will be the next map to depart from the competitive playlists, however this theory could certainly come to pass in the very near future. Now live throughout the competitive Counter-Strike landscape for one final week, the older version of Cache will likely be replaced by the latest redesign on October 10. You can watch an insightful clip from the map designers themselves here to learn all about what changed in the recent redesign. Feedback from pro players has also been taken into account with the latest changes. You can read the full list of patch notes below. CS:GO update for 02/10/19 – Patch Notes [MAPS] – Mirage and Cache are now available for Scrimmage Matchmaking – Breach has been removed from Scrimmage Matchmaking. – Ruby has been removed from official game servers. [MISC] – The X-Ray P250 Package is now available for purchase. This package contains a single custom painted P250. – The French one-time exclusive non-tradable P250 | X-Ray weapon has been converted to Genuine Quality. – Updated dedicated servers Steam client library to the latest version. – Added ‘New’ Settings tab that highlights recently added or changed game options.

CSGO observer outlines boothless solution to crowd noise dilemma CS:GO observer Connor ‘Sliggy’ Blomfield has weighed in on the crowd noise debate, giving his own solution to the problem that has plagued professional Counter-Strike for years. Crowd noise has been a problem in Counter-Strike for years. Players have been playing the crowd to get more information, using the crowd’s cheers to determine the location of players and whether something surprising is going to happen. The debate has restarted again after claims that Astralis used the crowd to make plays at the ESL Pro League Season 10 finals, including checking angles they otherwise wouldn’t. The solution that’s always tossed around is player booths, but CSGO observer Sliggy has another idea that could solve multiple problems at once. Foregoing the booths, Sliggy believes the problem can be solved with a new approach to observing and producing ‘live’ broadcasts. The professional observer has recommended that tournament organizers take up a delayed broadcast approach, even in the arena, to make the game as fair as possible for players. “Players are on the server in real time, [but] the observer’s main feed is on a five second GOTV delay, which is what is broadcasted to the crowd,” he said. The delayed approach will mean the crowd can’t give away plays before they happen, but a number of issues arise. Read more: Xyp9x offers solution to crowd noise at EPL – Player cameras will need to be delayed, otherwise it could make for some awkward celebrations. However, to avoid the issue where it counts — at match point — Sliggy pointed towards having a backup live feed. I thought I would end the year, by looking forward. So I have posted my thoughts on reddit about the ‘crowd reaction problem’ in CS. Apologies for it being so long!https://t.co/TZKPQHsmS4 — Liquid Sliggy (@Sliggy_) December 18, 2019 “After match point is achieved, production go to a crowd shot in the buy time and swap over to the Backup PC on real time for match point,” he said. When the final kill goes down, the crowd will be able to celebrate with the players in real time, and not on a five-second delay, he added. The cost of the setup would also come in significantly cheaper than a booth setup that has been popularized in Korean Starcraft and at Dota 2’s The International. Booths cost upwards of $100,000 each to implement into stadiums, and can pose a fire risk in some countries. Not only that, they can’t block out everything. Once you take into account airflow and other considerations, the soundproofing of the booth becomes compromised, and vibrations still reverberate regardless. The delay has been trialled before at the PGL 2017 Krakow Major, albeit with a different intention. After criticism of poor observing in previous events, PGL implemented a delayed observer approach to catch more kills. CS:GO fans were skeptical about the approach, but it paid off in two ways. At the PGL 2017 Krakow Europe Minor, the percentage of kills caught live jumped from 36.5% to 58.9%. On top of that, aside from a few comments about players cheering early, nobody noticed the delay. Sliggy believes implementing it in the right way would make for a better player experience on top of the viewer one. “Adding five seconds in house just means we get ‘fairer’ play, putting CS back to its core,” he said. “We remove all of these ‘tricks’ players are currently using and let pure skills and team work speak for itself.” Members of the CS:GO community have come out in support of Sliggy’s idea, with mousesports star Robin ‘ropz’ Kool saying the idea “would be great to test.” The observer has offered to try it out during a major broadcast by himself, and hopes a TO will take him up on the offer. ESL Head of Broadcast Innovation Vlad Petrescu has mentioned “there’s a solution coming in 2020 for the crowd issue,” but Sliggy’s solution could be a band-aid for events in the meanwhile.

CSGO November 9 update finally adds PGL Stockholm Major autographs: Full patch notes ValveWaiting for your s1mple signature from CS:GO’s PGL Stockholm Major 2021? The game’s latest update on November 9 has finally added the player autograph stickers following the Major, as well as some bug fixes — here’s the full patch notes. For anxious players waiting for CS:GO autograph stickers following the PGL Stockholm Major 2021, you’re in luck in the game’s November 9 update — they’re finally here. Oh, and so is a music kit of Flashbang Dance — The Verkkars and n0thing song performed in the Avicii Arena. On top of that, bug fixes to smokes and map changes to Insertion II and Extraction are also being shipped. Here’s what you need to know about CS:GO’s November 9 update, with the full patch notes right here. Today we are releasing the @pglesports Stockholm Major Finalists and Champions Autograph sticker capsules. We’re also releasing the Flashbang Dance Music Kit by @verkkars and @n0thing. More in today’s Blog Post: https://t.co/SbiorzPHSe — CS2 (@CounterStrike) November 10, 2021 What’s coming in CS:GO’s November 9 update? PGL Stockholm Major 2021 autographs finally launched The Stockholm Major might be over, with s1mple finally walking away with his long-awaited title, but there’s still one last bit of content: The beloved autographs. With Valve changing up the sticker system for the Stockholm Major, only the top eight teams will receive individual autographs: Natus Vincere, G2 Esports, Gambit, Heroic, Vitality, FURIA, Virtus.pro, and Ninjas in Pyjamas. The other 16 teams who attended already have team stickers in the game, but will not receive individualized autographs. Like all esports stickers in CS:GO, 50% of the purchases will go to the players and their organizations. Map fixes to Insertion II, Extraction CS:GO’s November 9 update also shipped a couple of changes to Insertion II and Extraction. The two hostage maps, added as part of Operation Riptide, have received some general visual and sound upgrades. Also, a bug with smoke grenades acting abnormally when detonating over burning fire while players are running through has been fixed. You can find the full CS:GO November 9 patch notes below. CS:GO November 9 patch notes Stockholm 2021 Stockholm 2021 Autograph Capsules for Champions and Finalists are now available for purchase. 50% of the proceeds go to the players and organizations. – Music – A new music kit “Flashbang Dance” by The Verkkars & n0thing is now available for purchase in-game. Miscellaneous – Smoke grenades will ignore players when detonating over burning fires and tracing to ground. – Stability fixes. Maps Insertion II Tweaked hostage rescue zone making it smaller around the back side – Fixed issue behind pizza where weapons fell through the ground – Added one extra cubicle and desk in orange office – Fixed so you can fit inside the top of the slide in playground – Removed glass from the salad bar prop in Pizza that was unbreakable – Various graphical, clipping and collision issues fixed – Extraction Upgrades to middle, visually and to the gameplay – Fixed loud door sound – Added a powerful selfboost at the T side of middle – Cubby at middle is now deeper – Added a new piece of cover in the wine room hallway – Windows at middle are now broken into pieces due to a classic smoke grenade issue. Before, players were visible inside the smoke when close to the breakable windows (Thanks Dapplication) – Removed raised planters at CT spawn and middle – Changed some building architecture – More glass is now breakable – Removed clipping atop the coushin boxes at T main allowing for a new boost spot (Thanks Quoting) – Replaced nodraw on rooftops with roof textures – Lowered volume of the helicopter – Small tweaks to clipping around the map – Updated radar image –

CSGO November 4 update introduces major Breach changes – Patch notes The latest CS:GO update introduces some significant changes to the map Breach, but doesn’t address the complaints many players have with the current state of the SG 553. Often referred to as the Krieg – the name the weapon was given in earlier iterations of Counter-Strike – the SG 553 has been a major topic of criticism regarding the current state of the game, with many pro players speaking out about the scoped rifle being too powerful. While many players await each new patch in the hope that the weapon will finally receive a nerf, it has once again been overlooked in the latest update. The November 4 update to CS:GO instead focuses largely on changes to Breach, one of the maps that features in the unranked 5v5 playlist Scrimmage. While there are no adjustments to the fundamental layout, there are a variety of small updates to multiple areas of the map that will undoubtedly affect angles, timings, and utility usage. A complete look at the changes can be seen in the following comparison video made by Canals Report. In addition, the Mac10 has received a minor cosmetic update that may change how certain skins appear. Meanwhile, the game will now default to the Casual game mode for new players. The full patch notes can be seen below. CS:GO November 4 patch notes MAPS Breach has been updated to the latest version from Steam Community Workshop and is now available in Scrimmage mode on official servers. – Bombsite A Redesigned A long – Removed entrance walls – Removed pit – Added blinds to A window – Moved globe monument slightly – Blocked access to top of SWAT van – Bombsite B Replaced vents with electrical room – Reworked cover placement – Improved bombsite markings – Mid Reduced number of firing angles in mid – Redesigned B connector – T paths to lower and upper mid have been combined – CTs cannot push upper mid as quickly – Fixed unintended angles in lower mid – Other Redesigned CT spawn – Removed glass in various places – Fixed a bug where enemies outside of B could be spotted from mid – Replaced the wall outside of B with a chain link fence – enjoy the view! – Improved clipping – Fix bomb stuck spots – Cache has been updated to the latest version from Steam Community Workshop. – Visual improvements and visibility increases map-wide. – Fixed FPS drops in Z caused by bad model collision mesh. (Thanks Oakz!) – Optimizations – Allowed planting closer to A site fence. – Fixed pixel-walk on A site. (Thanks ALJN!) – Fixed bomb-stuck spot by squeaky entrance from T side. – Allowed players to hop onto forklift without crouch-jumping. – Fixed bomb passing through B ramp displacement. (Thanks jorba666!) – Fixed unusual collisions for grenades at Mid Boost. – Fixed ability to see under cover at B. (Thanks g0gerff!) – Fixed getting stuck on ladder at Mid. (Thanks wTy_!) – Lowered boxes in corner of A Main. (Thanks Don Haci!) – Fixed several wallbang bugs – Seaside is no longer available in Scrimmage mode on official servers. – WORKSHOP Mac10 UV map has been updated. – Mac10 cavity map updated to fix wear pattern discrepancies. – If you have workshop feedback please send mail to CSGOTeamFeedback [at] valvesoftware.com with [Workshop] in the subject line. – MISC New users will now default to Casual game mode. –

CSGO noob unboxes $200k “blue gem” knife after just starting the game ohnepixel/CS:GOA new CSGO player decided to open some cases after just getting into the game, only to unbox a Karambit Case Hardened blue gem knife worth upwards of $200k. CSGO skins have gotten extremely expensive over the past few years. While it’s possible to get some cool skins on the cheap side, there are skins that are coveted by collectors and heavily valued, leading to a number of players gambling on and with some of the most expensive skins – something Valve doesn’t like. That said, knives are the cream of the crop. Even bad knives are worth 60-70 dollars, and good ones are worth thousands. However, the blue gem Karambit Case Hardened is on a whole different level. Even “bad” case-hardened knives are worth almost $1000. But, for those lucky enough to get one of 1000 patterns for their Karambit Case Hardened, a knife that’s already extremely rare, there’s a fortune to be had. And one 18-year-old player with only 34 hours in CSGO unboxed one of (possibly) 12 knives in existence with this extremely rare pattern. New CSGO player gets Karambit Case Hardened blue gem knife When it comes to CSGO skins, there are a few major factors that determine a skin’s worth, the least of which is its rarity. Once you get past the extremely common skins, anything that’s Purple and above can be worth some serious cash depending on how the skin looks and the community sentiment around it. For instance, a skin’s float number indicates the quality of the skin from a shiny Factory New skin all the way down to Battle Scarred. Ideally, players want the lowest float number possible to get a Factory New, with a few rare cases of high-float Battle Scarred skins being just as valuable. Additionally, with pattern-based skins, players can get one of 1000 possible patterns that determine how the skin’s map wraps around an item and alters its appearance. In the case of the Karambit Case Hardened, the 387 pattern is considered the “blue gem”, the most sought-after pattern that puts a ton of blue on the side of the knife players see when wielding it. Regardless of the skin’s condition, that pattern makes it worth thousands. And an 18-year-old player who’s new to Counter Strike so happened to get one of few Karambit Case Hardened 387 blue gem knives in CSGO. Even with it being Field Tested and not Factory New, this knife could end up being worth upwards of $200k. ohnepixel, a CSGO skin expert and streamer, called the person who obtained this knife only to learn they were an extremely new player. While 34 hours of playtime may sound like a lot, it’s not much in comparison to the thousands of hours players have put into the game over the past 10 years. ohne advised the 18-year-old on how much he could sell the skin for, saying that an offer he received for $150k was too low and that he should really push to get value out of the knife if he can. A Karambit Case Hardened blue gem in slightly worse condition sold for $118k, but, considering it was a duplicated skin (something that was possible in CSGO’s earlier days), it’s worth much less. $200k is a speculative price considering how rare these knives are and how little sales there are to pull a number from, but it’s not an unrealistic price whatsoever. If this young player’s knife was Factory New instead of Field Tested, he could be a millionaire. While it’s unfortunate that he didn’t win as big as he could have, it’s still one of the most expensive skins you can possibly get. Lucky unboxings within CSGO usually net players hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars. However, thanks to a one-in-a-million roll on a knife, this young player has essentially won the lottery.

CS:GO: Ninjas in Pyjamas announce return of former star DreamhackNinjas in Pyjamas have announced a change to their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster – with the temporary return of former star William ‘draken’ Sundin as Dennis ‘dennis’ Edman takes a step away from the game. NiP currently have a packed schedule ahead of them with three premier events just around the corner. Following a sixth-place finish at the IEM Katowice Major, the Ninjas accepted an invite to the WESG Global Finals before changing course and withdrawing from the lucrative competition. The team announced on March 11 that dennis would be stepping away from competitive play due to energy fatigue and will undergo a medical examination – meaning they will need a temporary stand-in for dennis. Former NiP member William ‘draken’ Sundin has been announced as the player who will step up and take his place in the starting line-up on a temporary basis until dennis is ready to return to action. Draken formerly played for the team, having represented them for 15 months between 2017 and 2018. During his stint, Draken helped the Ninjas to victories at both IEM Oakland and Dreamhack Valencia with dominant performances. Dennis “”@denniscsgod”” Edman takes a break from competitive play due to fatigue. William “”@drakenCSGO”” Sundin temporarily steps in for upcoming tournaments.#GONINJAS #CSGO — Ninjas in Pyjamas :flag-se: (@NiPGaming) March 11, 2019 Since departing from NiP in June of 2018, draken has found himself on a number of different line-ups – looking to work his way back to the top of the Swedish scene. He joined Fnatic after his time with NiP, but that lasted less than four months before he headed to Red Reserve. The AWPer had recently teamed up with Belgian star Adil ‘ScreaM’ Benrlitom on the orgless ‘Uruguay’ roster following the dissolving of the Red Reserve team. He tweeted his delight at returning to NiP, even if it is only temporary, once the team had announced the move. Once a ninja, always a ninja? Its nice to be back, even if its temporary.I wish Dennis the best! :heart:️ https://t.co/Q692y8tgAu — Dr. Drako (@drakenCSGO) March 11, 2019 Just how long draken will stay with NiP remains to be seen as the team has yet to announce how long dennis will be sidelined for.

CS:GO: NiKo addresses FaZe Clan roster speculation after IEM Katowice exit Epicenter / FaZe ClanFaZe Clan’s Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač has clarified rumored roster moves for his team after defeat in the quarter-finals of IEM Katowice Major, at the hands of Natus Vincere NiKo has been in the conversation for the best CS:GO player in the world in recent years, and to many, it came as a shock when FaZe had a shaky run through the Legends stage of the major and were then defeated by Na’Vi in the quarter-finals. In an interview with HLTV, NiKo explained his mindset going into the event and what the future holds for the FaZe Clan roster. The Bosnian professional was also surprised at how the major played out for them “We got really surprised by the way we played at this event, we expected us to play way, way better. Going into this major, we really thought that we could win this whole thing.” Some fans have been wondering if a roster change is on the cards for the all-star lineup as they haven’t had the usual success since benching their in-game leader Karrigan in December. NiKo has clarified that their new coach, Janko ‘YNk’ Paunovič will be “100% staying for now” after his trial period with the roster. He also confirmed that although he does not know what the future holds for FaZe Clan’s roster, their stand-in player, Dauren ‘AdreN’ Kystaubayev will be remaining on the roster “for now, for upcoming events.” Despite this performance, however, NiKo has remained confident in his team and took away a lot of positives from the major. “This was a really good experience for me, I think I changed a lot.” He now looks to improve with his team before competing once again at before Blast Pro Series São Paulo on March 22. FaZe Clan CS:GO roster Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač – Dauren ‘AdreN’ Kystaubayev – Olof ‘Olofmeister’ Kajbjer – Ladislav ‘GuardiaN’ Kovačs – Håvard ‘Rain’ Nygaard Janko ‘YNk’ Paunovič (Coach) – –

CSGO Mythbusters: Is Xyp9x the clutch king? Astralis’ Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth has been hailed the clutch king of CS:GO for some time, but is that merely an old wives’ tale? Mythbusters breaks down the stats and paints the picture. The likes of Richard ‘shox’ Papillon and Xyp9x are names synonymous with clutch for anyone who has followed the highest level of Counter-Strike for some time. With the pair constantly turning up for their teams in high stakes situations, they have both garnered a reputation for being incredibly dangerous as the last man standing. But with some fresh blood on the scene, are they about to be dethroned as the top clutchers in the modern era of CS:GO? While there is no doubt that the Astralis veteran has a knack in 1vX situations that cannot simply be taught, a dive into some recent statistics shows that the Danish legend has some stiff competition. French prodigy, Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut is the protagonist leading that narrative. However, there are various metrics by which we can define whether Xyp’s ‘Clutch Minister’ title is under threat. In this video, we cover numerous angles from a quantitative standpoint to determine if there is a new kid on the block, or if Højsleth’s ability to clutch remains unparalleled. While the stats paint one picture, there are many intangibles that make it virtually impossible for numbers to define. Although, one thing is for sure… The Clutch Minister continues to show up big at when it matters the most — which is all thanks to his shrewd, methodical approach that most definitely puts him in a league of his own.

CS:GO YouTuber MojoOnPC ‘exposes’ Anomaly for ‘brainwashing’ fans with shady skin sites Twitter: AnomalyXD/MojoOnPCCounter-Strike: Global Offensive YouTuber Jordy ‘MojoOnPC’ Janssens has dropped a diss track on Swede ‘Anomaly,’ in a bid to ‘expose’ his fellow content creator for being shady. Who is MojoOnPC? Janssens, a YouTuber from Belgium, had taken a ten-month long layoff from YouTube and his MojoOnPC channel – sticking to other social media websites like Twitter in the interim. He recently made a return to the site to explain his absence, before following that up with a diss track aimed at Ludvig ‘Anomaly’ Lagerstedt and his YouTube content. The diss track explained The YouTuber gave his explanation for making the song in the video’s description, stating: “I’ve been quiet for years but it’s time to expose Anomaly and show the world who he really is, with a diss track.” Mojo also took time to advertise a CS:GO skins website, using the link to take shots at Anomaly. In the track, Mojo accused Anomaly of quite a long list of things, including tax evasion, but continued to circle back to his advertising, as well as the use of gambling and skins websites in videos. What’s said in Mojo’s diss track? After a few early shots, the catchy beat paused for a few moments as Mojo explains why he is making the video. The YouTuber said: “Bro, like quite honestly, Anomaly is one the shadiest guys in the CS:GO scene. “His fanbase is clearly not older than sixteen and he’s just brainwashing them bro. He literally said in one of his videos ‘if I’m not going to make gambling videos, my dad will die.’ We know how many videos he has to make to retire his dad – it’s one. He made 25.” Towards the end, Mojo even took shots at other members of the community by handing Anomaly over to the ‘CS:GO police’. Upon ticking Anomaly’s name off the police’s waiting list, other names like Trevor ‘Tmartn’ Martin, Tom ‘Syndicate’ Cassell and James ‘Phantoml0rd’ Varga, who have all had their own problems with CS:GO skin gambling websites on YouTube, also appeared. Anomaly is yet to respond to the accusations, with his only comments on the song coming prior its release. “Diss tracks in 2019,” the Swede tweeted with a thinking face emoji, on March 28. Disstracks in 2019 :thinking_face: How long did you stay in your coma?! :joyful:— Anomaly (@anomalyxd) March 28, 2019 It remains to be seen if the Swede will respond to the track via YouTube as he is yet to do so in the videos he’s uploaded since the song’s release.

Baffling CSGO model bug creates confusion by mixing up CT and T sides A bug in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is sending people for a loop since its giving players the wrong character models for their faction. CS has two sides to every game, the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. Since both sides have distinct color schemes and styles to the characters, it’s easy for a player to pick apart friends and foes at a glance. But the scheme was thrown off the rails with a glitch that enlists a character model of the opposite side onto their team – which is making for hilarious in-game situations. A spy among the Counter-Terrorists Reddit user ‘NuBRandsta’ showed the post-game lobby of their competitive match which showed which accolades the CT’s had earned throughout the game. The only problem was amid the members of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) there was a single Phoenix Connexion terrorist among their ranks. Apparently the NuBRandsta’s teammate was giving a T model throughout their CT side, confusing “the hell out of everyone.” https://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/e5dhcu/my_friend_gets_a_t_model_on_a_ct_gamecausing/ Even though there are still plenty of in-game markers to distinguish teammates from foes others than the character model, there was still some repercussions to the bug. NuBRandsta said that while there weren’t many team kills against the CT spy, “teammates mistakenly shot him a lot.” Read more: How to unlock the Halo music kit in CSGO – While it’s unknown what caused the glitch to occur, the user suspects that it has something to do with the latest character model variety introduced with the release of Operation Shattered Web on October 18. Soon enough other players started to chime in explaining their experiences with the glitch, which has been showing up in more games. But the problem seems to have appeared even before the launch of the latest operation. One person said that “loads of models were messed up” in a casual game they had participated in a few months prior. They linked to a bizarre picture which showed a T-sided character defusing the bomb planted on the B-site of Cache. While the bug can be easily worked with if a team happens to come across it in a high-pressure situation, Valve might look to clean up the glitch to prevent any more mishaps for players.

CSGO modder creates in-game pro skins for player to rep favorite teams A talented Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player-created in-game designs to integrate pro team logos with the character models players can use. Valve has been shaking up CSGO’s appearance since Operation Shattered Web introduced a franchise-first feature that lets players change their in-game character to more robust models. Some people have been noting the inherent advantages or disadvantages of the skins – with tournament organizers outright banning the new models – but a different kind of in-game design could be more popular with players, especially with fans of the exciting esport. Providing a way to celebrate CSGO’s top teams, Reddit user ‘firexstudio’ gave players a peek into what they think will be an inevitable addition to the Valve shooter in due time. There are a lot of people that would pay a good price for ‘supporting’ their favorite team by wearing a themed jersey,” they said. “… As crazy as it sounds, I do believe it is a big possibility, especially considering how much money there is in it.” Their concept shows a basic T-side model sporting a pullover hoodie with the color scheme and branding of the biggest esports teams. The designs would have minor changes from one team to another but are similar in approach with a large logo of the org on the back accompanied by a much smaller one on the front. So far designs included feature Team Liquid, FaZe Clan, Astralis, Natus Vincere, Virtus.Pro, OpTic Gaming, North, Ninjas in Pyjamas, mousesports, and more. Valve has been steadily adding more customizable options to their games. Weapon skins have long been a feature in Counter-Strike, but glove skins and now character models are mixing up aesthetics in CSGO. The wide assortment of proposed skins would likely increase if Valve implemented the concept to spotlight more teams. Still, the mockups that firexstudio and CSGO modder B.T.Daniel created are a good look into what might be coming in the future. It’s unknown if the devs are thinking of heading toward this direction, but as the esport around CSGO grows there are sure to be more players looking to rep their favorite org in-game.

CSGO mod shows why Valve should copy a Valorant feature Riot / ValveCounter-Strike has a longstanding issue with smoke grenades, so could Valve’s tactical shooter turn to Valorant for the answer? While CS:GO has reigned supreme as the top FPS esport for years, the game has had a troubled past with weapon balancing (too soon?), various map glitches, and utility usage. Of course, these have been ironed out to a point where Global Offensive is in a pretty good position right now, but one issue that has persisted is the inconsistency of smoke grenade textures. Counter-Strike modder ‘ZooL’ has turned to Valorant – the tactical shooter which is garnering attention from all corners of the esports world (and for all the right reasons) – in a bid to find a solution for the issue. Essentially, Valorant’s smoke clouds are clear-cut in the way that they consistently block out the same cross-sectional area on a map, while offering the same render each and every time. .@CSGO, I’ve fixed the Smokes VALORANT style. No more issues related to alpha sorting at least now ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) pic.twitter.com/B1BohMgYKV — ZooL (@ZooL_Smith) April 28, 2020 ZooL ran around each smoke grenade to highlight any irregularities and the render held strong, completely blocking out the location of the enemy bots. Read more: New vampire Valorant Agent supposedly leaked – The modder also attempted to use a molotov (which has also been known to cause player silhouettes to ‘glow’ inside the smoke, and again, no outline was visible. Of course, the graphic looks completely foreign in CS:GO, given the distinct visual differences between CS and Valorant. But it definitely offers an option for Valve to look into, as none of their previous updates have offered any form of solution. Given that inconsistencies in crucial elements like smoke grenades can hinder the game’s competitive integrity, this could be something that Valve wants to prioritize on their snag list — and ZooL could be the person for the job.

CSGO players pull off mind-boggling five-man runboost on Nuke YouTube: TrilluXe / ValveSeeing a two-man runboost is pretty common in Counter-Strike nowadays, but one group of Russian players found a way to get all five players on a team to swing around a corner and surprise their enemies on Nuke. Runboosts have become part and parcel of CSGO. Being able to send a player on a huge swing through a corner and surprise the enemy can be the difference between winning and losing a fight. It’s pretty commonly used in pro play. However, while two or even three-man runboosts are experimented with, a five-man stack is almost unheard of. One group of Russian CS:GO players have managed to pull it off on Nuke though, even if it took a few attempts to master. The idea behind the five-man runboost is pretty simple, even if it looks confusing. Prepping for the boost outside of T-spawn on the pathway to redbox, the group built a double-stack on the ground to start. Then, from there, one person climbed on top from T roof, while the other two flew in from Silo to get the full stack. The thing with the five-man runboost is that it’s a lot simpler in theory than in practice. Coordinating the efforts of five people to move perfectly in unison is a lot to ask for, and such a runboost can very easily fail. For mobile readers, the related segment begins at 0:29. However, after a few practice runs, they managed to perfect it to the level where the five-stack were happy to take it into matchmaking and confuse their foes. CTs casually holding Outside didn’t even know what hit them when the five-man boost came rolling around the corner, much to the laughter of the players. One player who was hit by the runboost in full force just stood in awe, not even shooting a shot as he tried to take in what behemoth just rocked around the corner. While the five-man runboost just crumbled, instead of launching each other past redbox into secret, it’s still a sight to see. If you want to try this runboost for yourself, it’s entirely doable, albeit very difficult. Assemble yourself a five-stack to start with, have a practice run on a private server, and if you are feeling confident after doing so, take it into matchmaking. It might not be the most viable strategy, but it’s a lot of fun being able to pull it off and surprise your enemies even more than your conventional boost.

CS:GO: MiBR star to set miss upcoming Blast Pro Series Lisbon event ELEAGUEMade in Brazil (MiBR) are going to be searching for a stand-in for the upcoming Blast Pro Series: Lisbon event. The Brazilian-American mix team has gone through a difficult period as of late, recently finishing second at the ECS Season 6 Finals in Texas on November 26. However, after the upcoming ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals, they will be searching for a stand-in player due to medical grounds. MIBR star Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga will undergo surgery to fix a problem with his right ear that, he revealed, has seen him bleed during games. Following the ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals in Odense that runs from December 4-9th, the Brazilian will return home for surgery on the 14th. It’s unknown just how long Fer will miss but he will definitely miss the event in the Portuguese capital, meaning the mixed team will have to search for a stand-in. Photos surfaced of Brazilian player Lincoln ‘fnx’ Lau hanging out in Texas this weekend whilst MIBR played in the ECS finals, sparking speculation that the former SK Gaming player could be used as a stand-in for Fer. However, that speculation was quickly rubbished, when former MIBR coach and current manager Ricardo ‘dead’ Sinigaglia told ESPN Brazil that Fnx was not an option for them. One option for MIBR could be Ricardo ‘boltz’ Prass. The 21-year-old, who played with the MIBR core before being replaced, has not moved teams since and is still an inactive member of the team’s roster.

CS:GO powerhouse MiBR officially sign LUCAS1 to the starting roster MiBR YouTubeSouth America’s premier Counter-Strike: Global Offensive squad, Made in Brazil, have confirmed the signing of Lucas ‘LUCAS1’ Teles after weeks of speculation of the roster change. Multiple sources had previously told Dexerto that the player and team were in serious discussions leading up to MiBR’s official announcement. Before the signing, MiBR’s collective of talent was an incredible lineup to match on paper, but the team was never able to utilize that talent during competition. The org is certainly looking for LUCAS1 to be the consistent offensive force they need to push through their struggles and into the next level. QUE OTA Bem vindo @LUCAS1 à família #MIBR!Welcome to the MIBR family @LUCAS1!#SomosMIBR :tv: https://t.co/zmsAuWVnOj pic.twitter.com/V0pDunRVUl — MIBR (@mibr) June 25, 2019 In a June 25 announcement, MiBR’s video welcomed LUCAS1 to the squad while serving as a ramp up to seeing the new teammate draped in the org’s kit inspired by Brazil’s legendary yellow and green colors. MiBR coach Wilton ‘zews’ Prado gave LUCAS1 a warm welcome before handing over the new uniform that he will now be representing: “Brother welcome to the team, here’s the sacred mantle. We want QUE OTA.” With the change of teams, the 23-year-old Brazilian will depart his former club Luminosity Gaming as well as his twin brother Henrique ‘HEN1’ Teles, marking the first time in their CS:GO careers where they’ll compete under separate banners Along with their announcement, MiBR said they would also be parting ways with João ‘felps’ Vasconcellos. Felps, 22, had won various events with the same lineup during their SK Gaming days but failed to repeat similar performances during his latest stint with the core group. LUCAS1 has been a favorite of MiBR captain Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo for a long time, and it won’t be long before they play alongside each other as the new signing is already bootcamping with the rest of the team. With the signing, MiBR snuck LUCAS1 in just before the June 25 StarLadder Berlin Major roster lock which will let them field their complete team for the event. Now bolstered with the firepower LUCAS1 will bring, the new MiBR lineup will show off what they can accomplish when they hit ESL Cologne 2019 July 5-7.

CS:GO: MiBR announce former Cloud9 member as Blast Pro Series stand-in MiBR (Made in Brazil) have announced which player will be standing in for Fernando ‘Fer’ Alvarenga during Blast Pro Series Lisbon. MIBR fer will miss the event as he undergoes surgery to fix a problem with his right ear that, he revealed, has seen him bleed during games. Following the ESL Pro League Season 8 Finals in Odense that runs from December 4-9th, the Brazilian will return home for surgery on the 14th. Fer announced the news during the ECS Season six finals in Arlington, Texas on November 25 – sparking plenty of questions about who would be MiBR’s stand-in. Team manager Ricardo ‘dead’ Sinigaglia rubbished reports that former SK Gaming player Lincoln ‘fnx’ Lau would stand-in after he was spotted in Texas during the event. The team has now announced that current Swole Patrol player Braxton ‘Swag’ Pierce will head to Lisbon with the Brazilian-American mix team. Swag, who is banned from Valve events, played with MiBR’s Jake ‘Stewie2k’ Yip under the Cloud9 banner in 2017 as a stand-in on two occasions. Read More: CS:GO: Tarik opens up about recent struggles following MiBR’s heartbreaking ECS loss to Astralis – This will be a great opportunity for me, and I look forward to playing alongside such legendary names,” Swag said in the team’s announcement video. “I think it will be a great experience. Playing on stage is a feeling that I miss and I am super excited. I will do everything I can to prepare and try to get some wins for MIBR and the fans. Thank you to everyone who supports me and I look forward to seeing you guys in Lisbon.” Precisando de cirurgia, @fer não irá jogar a @BLASTProSeries Lisboa. Hoje anunciamos o seu stand-in!Needing a surgery, @fer won’t be able to play @BLASTProSeries Lisbon. Today we announce the stand-in!#SomosMIBR:flag-br::tv: https://t.co/r3u0920Lpb pic.twitter.com/ekwzrDl4fR — MIBR (@mibr) December 2, 2018 With Swag joining their squad, MiBR will look to improve on their sixth-placed finish at Blast Pro Series Copenhagen – where they failed to win any of their five games. The Blast Pro Series event in Lisbon gets underway in two weeks time on December 14, and runs until December 15, with a $250,000 prize pool on offer.

CSGO May 4 update revitalizes kill feed, adds Inferno 1v1 map & more ValveA new update is live for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The May 4 patch included a long-awaited change to the kill feed, a new Wingman 1v1 map for Inferno, and some major updates to Chlorine. The latest patch for CS:GO may not have major gameplay implications, unless you’ve been queuing up a lot of Chlorine recently. However, there’s some nice quality of life changes on the way. From the kill feed update, to new 1v1 arenas for Wingman, and select bug fixes, the May 4 update is still noteworthy. Today we’re adding kill feed icons for blind kills, kills through smoke, and no scope sniper kills; all kill feed icons feature the bullet on the same line. We’re also adding a 1v1 arena for Inferno and more. Here’s today’s Release Notes: https://t.co/jPXto5zOSo pic.twitter.com/zpROBziKZ2 — CS2 (@CounterStrike) May 4, 2020 CS:GO kill feed now includes blind kills, smoke kills, and no scopes Ever wanted to rub the salt in the wounds of your opponent after landing a dirty no-scope? Well, CS:GO has got your back now. The kill feed has been updated with new icons indicating how players were handed their death. Getting a kill while blind, through smoke, or no-scoped with the AWP or Scout will add some extra flavor to the killfeed from May 4 onwards. Blinded: Eye with cross through it. – Smoked: Cloud of smoke with bullet. – No-scope: Scope with cross through it. – This is on top of flash assists, which were added to CS:GO in 2019. While one could argue the feed could be getting a bit cluttered, the flex is probably worth it. Inferno 1v1 warmup map added to Wingman Inferno has become the fifth map on the Wingman roster to get a 1v1 warmup arena. The patch notes haven’t opened up about where the warmup zone on the map is, however. It joins Train, Vertigo, Nuke, and Overpass as maps with the special arenas. Players can duel with their duo partner in the Wingman warmup arenas when they queue up for their matches. Commonly, the arenas are on a designated bombsite, but sometimes an entirely new zone is created for the 1v1 maps. Read more: Top 20 most expensive CS:GO stickers – Inferno isn’t the only map in line for a 1v1 warmup map though. Cache map designer Shawn ‘FMPONE’ Snelling has pushed some through to the Workshop, and it’ll only be a matter of time until they’re added to the game. 1v1 Arenas are now available on Wingman Cache 🌿https://t.co/3HIGFutWzr pic.twitter.com/FgZWq6XqUI — FMPONE (@FMPONE) May 4, 2020 Outside of the kill feed and Inferno 1v1 map, numerous changes were shipped to Chlorine. One of CS:GO’s newest maps hasn’t found its way into the competitive pool yet, but with these changes it’s well on its way. Servers will also now kick players who’s game memory files aren’t present on the game’s server. This will stop people from booting up custom games to remove certain textures from maps. You can read the full CS:GO May 4 update patch notes below. CS:GO May 4 update patch notes Gameplay Added kill feed icons for blind shooter, kills through smoke, and no scope sniper kills; all kill feed icons feature the bullet on the same line. – When spawn immunity time is set to a negative value then spawning players will not have immunity even during warmup period. – Fully disabled player immunity in 1v1 Wingman warmup period arenas, and added logic to clear blood decals for each encounter. – sv_pure servers will now kick clients that have loaded asset files into game memory from files not present on game server filesystem. – UI Fixed showing observed player crosshair in the editor menu. – Fixed strings on crosshair import dialog being truncated in some languages. – Fixed crosshair codes storing incorrect values for values out of range. – Maps Chlorine Tweaked ambient color light to make it bluer. – Made bombsite A plant zone bigger. – Fixed bombstuck spots on A bombsite pillars. – Removed bamboo fence near CT upper on A bombsite. – Added bamboo fence near T main on A upper, moving the gap closer to the tank. – Added bamboo fence near big rock on A upper to cut direct line of sight from CT upper to T main entrance. – Added light source on lazy river tunnel near CT spawn. – Added bamboo fence on the back of CT main entrance to A bombsite for better visibility. – Tweaked textures in lazy river tunnel and connector to make them more vibrant. – Added light source on B upper. – Tweaked lazy river texture to make it brighter. – Added cover for T’s on middle. – Removed a head peek angle from CT mid to A bombsite. – Fixed pixel boost on B bombsite. – Made main lights on B bombsite brighter. – Fixed see through stairs near CT spawn. – Fixed wooden door on B being bangable. – Added bamboo fence near tank on B bombsite. – Removed water from lazy river at CT spawn. – Tweaked sky box to be less purple. – Added bambo fences in high traffic areas for better player model contrast. – Removed foliage models in some places. – Optimization. – Updated radar image. – Misc Updated third person pose for G3SG1, and taught Terrorists a better way to hold AUG in the buy menu. – To welcome the sunny weather outside, switched main menu movie scenery to Nuke. – Added ability to purchase coupon items from Steam Store, e.g. https://store.steampowered.com/buyitem/730/20170 for “StatTrak™ Masterminds Music Kit Box”. – In-game blog will now render in Greek if game interface is set to Greek language. – Fixed prediction errors occurring sometimes when crouch-walking or in noclip mode as listen server host. – Enabled animation blending for chickens. – Updated several agent voice lines for Perfect World version of the game. – Optimized textures for separatists player models. – Several stability fixes. –

CSGO May 3 patch notes: Ancient joins Active Duty maps, new 360 stats feature ValveCS:GO’s May 3 patch marks the end of Operation Broken Fang. Valve are making some big changes, permanently adding the Premier stat tracker feature in “360 Stats”, while also adding Ancient to the Active Duty map pool over Train and a new case. If you thought the end of Operation Broken Fang would mean the end of new content for at least the next little while in CS:GO, you’d be wrong. Valve have broken a huge update on May 3 featuring three big things: Ancient being added to Active Duty, a new stat tracker, and the new Snakebite case. Most importantly, new chickens and today’s Release Notes: https://t.co/h2QBdeNOYe pic.twitter.com/hLibdwf67m — CS:GO (@CSGO) May 3, 2021 Ancient replaces Train in CSGO Active Duty pool Ancient was added as part of Operation Broken Fang to be a “brand new competitive map.” Now after three months of testing during the operation, it’s ready to be added to the Active Duty pool. While many players were hoping it’d replace Mirage — the only CS:GO map to not be removed from the Active Duty pool since its 2012 release — it is instead replacing Train, which was reworked and re-added to the competitive pool in 2017. Ancient also received a handful of changes to be a bit cleaner all up. This includes a fully reworked A-site giving CTs more ways to enter, while a plateau has been added in Tunnels to change the footing of long-range fights. 360 Stats added After the Operation stat tracker went off without a hitch, Valve is pushing to make it a permanent addition. Called 360 Stats, the new stat tracker lives up to its name. It doesn’t just give players a simple K/D, but also how they perform with certain guns, their performance on certain maps, and even heatmaps of where they play, get kills, and more. The only catch? It’s set behind a paywall. It’s not a steep one, costing only $0.99 USD a month. The small investment could help you get better, or it can just be used to flex on your friends — it’s totally up to you. New Snakebite case adds 17 skins for M4A4, AK-47, more Finally, it wouldn’t be a big update without a new case. The Snakebite case features a bunch of bright and bubbly skins for the M4A4, AK-47, and more. You can find the full CS:GO May 3 patch notes below, courtesy of Valve. CSGO May 3 patch notes Operation Broken Fang Operation Broken Fang has come to an end. Players who have unredeemed operation stars will have until May 15th to claim their operation rewards. – Introducing CS:GO 360 Stats – A subscription service for players that want to continue collecting official Competitive and Wingman stats. – Premier Competitive remains available for all players featuring pick/ban process across the entire Active Duty Group map pool. – Retakes remains available and has been moved into Wargames. – Maps Ancient has been added into the current competition map pool Active Duty Group and Train has been removed from Active Duty Group. – Grind and Mocha have been added to official matchmaking in Scrimmage, Casual, and Deathmatch game modes, replacing Apollo, Engage, and Anubis. – Calavera and Pitstop have been added to official matchmaking in Wingman game mode, replacing Elysion and Guard. – Ancient New route from CT spawn to A site – Widened T entrance to left side of mid – Opened up skylight in T tunnel to A site – Extended plantable bomb zone in B site – Opened up ledge in A site – Various minor bugfixes – Nuke Fixed a clipping issue on window in T lobby – Centered a lamp that was bugging me – Frostbite Overhauled interior lighting – Fixed delivery drones being stuck in the bottom right corner of the map – Added drone clips to improve delivery drone navigation – Fixed rare cases of loot spawning in inaccessible areas/inside terrain – Made a window frame in Alpha non solid (thanks Musti) – Clipped wood railings in the frozen lake area – Improved the look of the ice texture when Shader Detail is set to Medium or lower – Fixed a missing face on a wooden beam in Town – Added a sound effect in server room – Snakebite Case Introducing the Snakebite Case, featuring 17 community-designed weapon finishes, and the Broken Fang Case set of gloves as rare special items. – Misc Chicken models have received a visual upgrade. – Fixed community maps whose textures would appear black as a result of previous security fixes. – The \ key can again be bound to commands. If you were using this key before, you will need to bind it again. – Additional security and stability improvements. – Added an option for large community maps to fade the Boost Player Contrast feature beyond the far-Z fog plane by setting fadeplayervisibilityfarz to ‘true’ in info_map_parameters. –

CSGO May 11 update improves grenades, fixes “pure server” issues ValveCS:GO has released an update on May 11 targeting grenades and server performance. Grenades will no longer block you from picking up weapons and will detonate more reliably, while the “pure server” issue of last patch is no more. The latest update to Valve’s premier FPS title has fixed some problems that arose in last week’s patch. Constantly getting kicked off servers due to a “pure server” issue? That won’t happen anymore. On top of that, grenades have received a massive quality of life change. They’ll interact more reliably when laying on the ground, and when exploding on uneven terrain. Release Notes for today are up. We’ve improved reliability of picking up weapons with +use when near dropped grenades, HE grenade damage around small obstacles (like stairs) will now apply damage to players more reliably, and more: https://t.co/GDg00yZFXe — CS2 (@CounterStrike) May 11, 2020 Grenades are now more reliable Grenades have always been a bit weird in CS:GO, especially high explosive nades. When exploding on some terrain, it would do seemingly no damage, while it would clip on other surfaces in a weird way. That’s all being fixed with this update. According to the patch notes, “explosive grenade damage around small obstacles such as stairs will now apply damage to players more reliably.” On top of that, grenades will no longer block players from picking up weapons on the ground using the +use command. “Pure server” disconnect issue solved The last CS:GO update made official servers more secure — perhaps, a bit too secure. There were changes to how servers read players’ individual game files to try and crack down on players exploiting certain elements of the game. However, the changes led to thousands of players being blocked from matchmaking. They would instantly be kicked, and would receive competitive cooldowns. Read more: Neon Rider V M4A4 skin revealed – This has been patched out on May 11’s update. Instead of blocking players from servers, servers will instead ignore “third-party files” on players’ computers when launching the game. If you’re a modder, this will be welcome news to you. No updates were pushed to weapons or maps in the latest patch. There were, however, some smaller changes to hostages not being able to block Flashbangs, and improved weapon animations in the buy screen. You can find the full CS:GO May 11 patch notes below: CSGO May 11 update notes Gameplay Improved reliability of picking up weapons with +use when nearby dropped grenades are present. – Explosive grenade damage around small obstacles such as stairs will now apply damage to players more reliably. – Hostages will no longer obscure flashbang traces, allowing players behind them to be blinded. – Players that start the round with a taser and no pistol no longer have their taser deleted, and rechargeable tasers are now recharged at round start. – Fixed Danger Zone piloted drone self-destruct timer resetting due to zone damage or repeated player input. – Pure Servers Added a setting sv_pure_allow_loose_file_loads for game servers to control whether third-party files can be loaded by clients. Users are allowed to have third-party files on disk, but the files will be ignored when playing on such pure game servers. If users already loaded third-party files into game memory, then their game client must be restarted in order to connect to such pure game servers. – Added a setting sv_pure_allow_missing_files for game servers to control what happens to clients that load files missing on the game server. When disabled, if a connected player loaded third-party files into game memory that game server is missing, the player will be kicked. – Added a message explaining to the client which file mismatched the pure server configuration and caused a user disconnect. – Miscellaneous Improved loadout animations in buy menu for several agents and weapon combinations. – Fixed certain game instructor hints displaying incorrect key bindings in certain languages (e.g. “sfrutteranno” in Italian). – Added a setting con_allownotify to allow hiding top-right corner notifications if “Overflowed CClientRenderablesList” notification appears in 21:9 resolutions. –

CSGO March 31 update adds two new maps, Prisma 2 case, more ValveCounter-Strike: Global Offensive’s March 31 patch marks the end of Operation Shattered Web, but Valve have kicked right into action with adding new content, releasing two new maps into the pool and a case full of new weapon skins. Valve has wasted no time cranking out new content for CS:GO after the end of Operation Shattered Web. A patch shipped on March 31 has added two new maps to the official matchmaking pool in certain modes, while a case jam-packed with new skins will now be available in drops. This is on top of a couple of small bug fixes. Agency and Chlorine community maps added Valve recognized two of the top finalists in the Mapcore Exotic Places map contest, and gave them a place in official matchmaking as a prize. Anubis and Chlorine will be added to scrimmage and casual official servers, but not competitive or other queues. While the name might imply that Anubis is based on Overwatch’s Temple of Anubis, it’s very much different. The four-square style map was the outright winner of the Mapcore contest, and it’s easy to see why. It’s aesthetically pleasing, and gameplay-wise, there’s plenty of little angles and rotates to work with. Chlorine, on the other hand, is one of the more innovative maps CS:GO has seen. Set in an abandoned theme park, the path to A site from both spawns is laid out across a drained-out water ride. It’s a lot more open than Anubis, and its layout lends itself to explosive gunfights from afar. Agency and Chlorine will replace Breach and Studio on official matchmaking servers. The two departing maps will still be available for custom servers, however. New CS:GO Prisma 2 case adds 17 skins The Prisma case has received a sequel in the March 31 update. The creatively-named Prisma 2 case contains 17 new weapon skins, and a chance to get chroma finishes for the Horizon Knives. There are two Covert skins in the case, as well as three Classified, five Restricted, and seven Mil-Spec skins. The case is filled with neon, and the colors only get brighter as the rarity goes up. A full list of all the skins added can be found below: Glock-18: Bullet Queen (Covert / Red) – M4A1-S: Player Two (Covert / Red) – MAG-7: Justice (Classified / Pink) – MAC-10: Disco Tech (Classified / Pink) – AK-47: Phantom Disruptor (Classified / Pink) – SSG 08: Fever Dream (Restricted / Purple) – SG 553: Darkwing (Restricted / Purple) – P2000: Acid Etched (Restricted / Purple) – SCAR-20: Enforcer (Restricted / Purple) – Sawed-Off: Apocalypto (Restricted / Purple) – R8 Revolver: Born Forged (Mil-Spec / Blue) – MP5-SD: Desert Strike (Mil-Spec / Blue) – Negev: Prototype (Mil-Spec / Blue) – Desert Eagle: Blue Ply (Mil-Spec / Blue) – CZ75-Auto: Distressed (Mil-Spec / Blue) – AWP: Capillary (Mil-Spec / Blue) – AUG: Tom Cat (Mil-Spec / Blue) – Outside of the new maps and skins, a few minor bug fixes were shipped. None of them have a major impact on gameplay though. If you were wondering about stuttering fixes, a patch for Nvidia video card users was shipped on March 27 to help solve the problem. An update for AMD users should be on the way in the coming weeks. You can find the full patch notes below. CS:GO March 31 full patch notes Maps Breach and Studio are no longer available on official matchmaking servers. – Anubis and Chlorine have been added to official Casual, Deathmatch, and Scrimmage game modes. – Operation Shattered Web Operation Shattered Web is now over. Players who have an Operation Shattered Web coin in their inventory at this time will receive commemorative inscriptions on their coin with the number of completed operation missions and number of stars attained. – Prisma 2 Case Introducing the Prisma 2 Case, featuring 17 community-designed weapon finishes, and the Horizon Knives in Chroma finishes as rare special items. – Misc Players who are eligible for cross-promotional content from The Master Chief Collection and Half-Life: Alyx will be able to receive the cross-promotional CS:GO items even if they are VAC banned in CS:GO. – Fixed game state integration data output for clients in team coach slot. – Fixed misalignment of agent poses on main menu. – Added missing voice lines for Mr. Muhlik. –

CSGO March 26 patch might have solved in-game stuttering issues ValveA patch to the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive beta client on March 26 might have finally fixed major stuttering issues within the game, with changes to be shipped live later. CS:GO has been plagued by performance issues over the last month, with players reporting major stuttering starting on March 4. In a game that requires pin-point accuracy, having your character viewmodel jump around is far from good. While Valve acknowledged the issues back then, it’s taken a little while to discover a fully-fledged fix. However, one might be on the way sooner rather than later, with the CS:GO developers pushing some changes to public testing. We’re continuing to look into reports of in-game stutters/reduced performance. For now, we recommend closing all apps that use GPU accelerated rendering (while playing), like Google Chrome. — CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 6, 2020 A March 26 pre-release update included a patch to the stuttering issue for certain users, specifically those who use NVIDIA graphics cards. “We’ve shipped a beta depot for NVIDIA users to address recent stuttering,” the developers said on Twitter. However, they are yet to address whether the fix will resolve all stuttering issues, and when a solution for AMD users will be coming. To see if the fix works for you, you’ll have to download the “nvidia_stutter_fix -” beta client and play around. Some players should notice a difference almost immediately, although the fix might not work for others. We’ve shipped a beta depot for NVIDIA users to address recent stuttering. Pre-Release Notes with details are here: https://t.co/V8oasa1yx9 — CS2 (@CounterStrike) March 27, 2020 CS:GO developer John McDonald added that they are “very confident” these will solve the issues in the long term, but a wider solution for all players will take some time. “We are very confident that this addresses the stuttering behavior that NVIDIA users have been experiencing,” he said on Reddit. “They have been experiencing stutters up to 100 ms in some instances, which makes the game feel terrible.” Read more: Jamppi sues Valve over permanent VAC ban – “The problem is that we have all been working from home for the last month, and it turns out we don’t have a particularly wide variety of hardware in our home machines so we wanted to make sure that we didn’t break people on some of the hardware we don’t currently have access to.” While the change hasn’t been shipped to live servers yet, players won’t need to wait long. The beta depot patches usually go live a few days before regular patches, so players can expect to see changes shipped to live on the weekend or just after.

CS:GO March 21 update features numerous changes to Abbey and Vertigo – Patch notes ValveThe latest update for CS:GO on March 21 brought numerous fixes to recent map addition Abbey, as well as another rounds of patches for the latest Competitive Matchmaking locale Vertigo. Valve’s legendary shooter saw two new maps enter the matchmaking rotation in January 2019 with the introduction of Abbey and Zoo, but the developers are still hard at work with their sixth update in the last two weeks. As opposed to CS:GO’s last update that had multiple changes to gameplay, maps, and other miscellaneous bugs, this patch instead focuses on balancing the maps to keep them up to snuff. Release Notes for today are up. Vertigo’s Wingman site has been set back to B(!!) along with some other changes. Abbey has also received some updates. Release Notes in full can be found here: https://t.co/77d9Am4hQB — CS:GO (@csgo_dev) March 22, 2019 Chief among the changes lie in the map’s Wingman iteration that takes players back to B site after the devs had changed it in a previous patch. Further, the C4 blast radius has been lowered from 500 to 400 units, new floor material scattered throughout the map to help distinguish footsteps. Additionally, Valve fixed the unintentional HVAC fan boost in B and fixed a host of clipping issues and C4 stuck spots. Valve took out many fixtures from Abbey such as the pinky box, sprites from lightsticks at the gate house as well as underpass, flowerpots to provide better visibility when retaking B, and the gaps between crates located in either site. Though fans are still warming up to fan-created map, the changes to Abbey should give more options when defending and executing, especially with a new crate on top of the ivy crates. The developers aren’t anything if not thorough and the recent patch will hopefully clean up problems throughout the arenas for a better experience. For more info of the latest changes read the patch notes below. Release Notes for 3/21/2019 [MAPS] Vertigo: -Switched Wingman version to bombsite B -Made white metal structures on B site slightly larger, to prevent excessive angles/boost positions -Added some floor material variation for footstep differentiation (CT corridor to back of A, elevator room near A site, T entrance to mid) -Lowered C4 explosion radius (from 500 to 400) -Added grenade clip to roof props in forklift room/lower level that allowed molotovs to burn through to upper level -Extended catwalk by top of T stairs to B -Added more railings near A ramp -Fixed various clipping issues and C4 stuck spots (Thanks bonna97!) -Blocked weapons from falling into gap at bottom of A ramp (Thanks 3kliksphilip!) -Boosted ambient light in elevator room near A site -Removed a unintended boost on HVAC fan in B site Abbey: – Replaced pinky box – Removed sprites from lightsticks in gate house and underpass – Included material for spikes model near CT spawn – Added another crate on top of the crates near ivy – Removed flower pot near B bombsite for better visibility on retakes – Removed flower pot under the window on A long stairs – Removed gap between crates on B bombsite – Removed gap between crate and gazebo on A bombsite

CS:GO map pool and Prime matchmaking changes in January 24 update – patch notes If you’re a fan of FMPONE’s ‘Subzero’ map in CS:GO, you’ll probably be disappointed to hear that it was one of the casualties of the January 24 1.36.7.4 patch. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest update. With the IEM Katowice Major just around the corners, and the Minors already in full swing, fans weren’t expecting a great deal of game changing tweaks in the latest patch, but it still features some interesting notes. First and foremost, Subzero has been removed from the matchmaking pool along with Austria. The news is likely to come as a blow to FMPONE, the map designer that spent a good portion of 2018 painstakingly working on his Subzero project. Zoo and Abbey replace the outgoing maps in the official matchmaking pool and a new version of Vertigo has been added to Wingman. Biome has also received some love with improved performance and various layout changes. Other changes include the decision to make all accounts automatically become Prime members after hitting Lieutenant Rank 21 and some audio tweaks. The full Counter-Strike: Global Offensive patch notes for January 24 are as follows: MAPS – Added a new version of Vertigo to Wingman official matchmaking. – Added Zoo and Abbey to Casual and Deathmatch official matchmaking. – Removed Austria and Subzero from official matchmaking. Biome: -Improved performance. -Removed connector between A short and A long. -Removed mid lower entry. -Added ladder to mid upper entry. -Moved T spawn towards A to give CTs better mid timings. -Fixed several bomb stuck spots and clipping issues. MISC – Accounts are now automatically upgraded to Prime by reaching Lieutenant Rank 21. – Fixed a regression for some Perfect World accounts with completed Identity Verification and restored their Prime Account Status. – Fixed scoreboard team names truncation in some languages. – Fixed random map behavior in offline with bots game modes. SOUND – Adjusted velocity value for when jump ‘step’ sound plays for more consistent behavior. – Fixed a bug where player fall damage sound wasn’t playing most of the time. – Fixed a bug where “the bomb has been defused” and “counter-terrorists win” VO lines could overlap each other.

CSGO map designer responds to s1mple after Cache graffiti ‘removal’ StarLadder / ValveCounter-Strike level designer Salvatore ‘Volcano’ Garozzo has responded to Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev following the Natus Vincere superstar’s reaction to the removal of his famous commemorative graffiti on Cache. There are not many CSGO fans that wouldn’t know about the graffiti splashed around certain maps, celebrating massive professional moments like Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David downing four Team Liquid players, or s1mple’s back-to-back unscoped AWP kills against Fnatic. Following the reveal of the Cache rework from Volcano Shawn ‘FMPONE’ Snelling, which debuted ahead of ESL New York’s showmatch on September 29, fans got a look at the planned changes. One thing caught their eye – it seemed s1mple’s graffiti had been removed. The CSGO fanbase took to social media to demand the return of the piece of history. While players wanted it back, s1mple took it as an opportunity to show his winning mentality. “Graffiti removed, time to get a new one,” the Ukranian star said following the news, living up to his name with the simple statement. Luckily for the NaVi veteran, it seems like he may not have to go to great lengths to re-earn a slice of history. Volcano suggested Cache was still in a development phase, and details across the Chernobyl-based map would be added at a later date. “We’re still putting in the finishing touches, don’t worry!” he said on Twitter, alongside an image of the famous two-headshot AWP artwork on the back of a jacket. We’re still putting in the finishing touches, don’t worry! @s1mpleO pic.twitter.com/LRyUH8Cu4j — Volcano (@SalGarozzo) September 29, 2019 S1mple earned his bewinged image on the old Cache map after he dropped down from Heaven, landed a no-scope kill on Dennis ‘dennis’ Edman before doubling down on his scopeless skills with a second on Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson moments later. Cache was first removed from the game’s active map pool to make way for Inferno earlier this year. It has now been confirmed it will be returning to CSGO’s regular pool in October, after the finishing touches – including returning s1mple’s memorabilia – are complete. Garazzo admitted the old Cache design was inherently more T-sided, and revealed the development duo had addressed that in the rework by trimming the Counter-Terrorist side’s long rotation times slightly to hopefully boost competitiveness. It is also expected Cache will be returning to the professional map pool, though there’s been no official confirmation if this would be at the expense of another competitive option.

CS:GO map creator gives update on Cache remake progress ValveThe creator of CS:GO map Cache, FMPONE, has given an update on the progress of the ongoing remake. CS:GO uses a competitive map pool of seven maps, which are designated as the “Active Duty” maps in-game and used in offline competition. Exactly which maps are featured in this map pool varies, however, as Valve periodically remove a map to have it reworked or refreshed and replace it with another map, typically the one that was previously removed for its own update. Long-standing competitive map Cache was removed from the competitive map pool on March 29, with the surprising addition of Vertigo as its replacement. Since the switch, FMPONE, who originally created the map, has been working on a Cache remake. With Cache having survived in the Active Duty for so long largely due to it being generally popular with most players, many are eagerly looking forward to the updated version. Fortunately, it seems like the wait might soon be over, as FMPONE has given an update on the rework’s progress which an image of the map that has almost every area marked by a green tick. It’s currently unclear exactly how drastic a rework the new version of Cache will be. Some maps, such as Dust II, saw very limited changes to their fundamental structure during their rework, with the update instead being largely graphical. Others have had changes made that make a more tangible difference to how the map plays, with the likes of Inferno for instance seeing adjustments to the area known as “banana” that impact how difficult it is to take and hold for each side. Regardless of when the updated version of Cache actually appears, however, it seems unlikely that it will be returned to active duty in the near future. Changes to the competitive map pool are typically fairly infrequent, with the previous update coming nearly a year prior with the addition of the reworked Dust 2 in favor of Cobblestone in April 2018. It’s likely that fans of Cache will have to wait until at least after the current Major cycle, which concludes at StarLadder Berlin on August 20-September 8, before they see the map played professionally again. Once the remake is released however, they will at least be able to play it themselves.

CS:GO: Team Liquid hit out at Valve over sticker mixup for Berlin Major Valve / StarLadderTeam Liquid have called out Valve over a supposed mixup that the sticker being used for the 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major is not the correct submission for this year, but instead a sticker submitted in previous years. Stickers are customary for every CS:GO major, as qualified teams and players submit logos and signatures that can be purchased by fans in-game. Unlike Dota 2, Valve’s other primary esport, CS:GO does not have crowdfunding for its biggest event, with players and teams instead earning extra through the stickers system. Classic stickers from past majors can accrue considerable value, and there is always great anticipation to see the new ones every time another Valve-sponsored tournament rolls around. However, just over a week out from the tournament, it appears that an error has been made with the stickers for the StarLadder Berlin Major, as Team Liquid have pointed out a major problem. According to Team Liquid’s General Manager Steve Perino, the sticker available for them is in fact from last year’s Major, rather than the fresh design submitted this time around. Really frustrating when so much work goes into the design and process and all of the social media, graphics, new jerseys ect… Then we get the sticker we submitted last major… — Steve Perino (@jokasteve) August 14, 2019 Similarly, HellRaiser’s Christian ‘lowel’ Antoran, also highlighted that a previous sticker had been used instead. Stickers are out! But for some reason i have the same signature i used the last 2 majors when i did a new signature for this one, are they gonna fix this? @CSGO — Christian Garcia (@lowelcs) August 14, 2019 Fnatic’s JW did not qualify for the Major, but joked that he too had his wrong sticker added. Wait, this isn’t the sticker I submitted… Please help @CSGO — Jesper Wecksell (@JW1) August 14, 2019 That isn’t the sticker I submitted, remain calm folks. Please halp @CSGO — Ollie Tierney (@DickStacyy) August 14, 2019 The team stickers currently available can be seen below, courtesy of Betway esports. You can see all the player signature stickers here. Valve are yet to respond to the issues publicly, but we will update when new information becomes available. The 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major begins with the New Challengers stage on August 23.

CS:GO legend shox’s perfect Major streak set to end BLAST PremierCS:GO legend shox has finally ended his streak and missed out on a CS Major after an overtime loss to GamersLegion. CS:GO’s competitive scene has been thriving for a decade. The long-standing esports title has a storied history, and many of its greatest players have been around since the very beginning. Out of all the players that have been playing CS:GO since the very beginning, very few have managed to make it to every Major. And now, there’s one less player that can lay claim to that record. shox’s Major streak comes to an end Richard ‘shox’ Papillon officially got knocked out of contention for the Rio Major despite managing to make it to every other Major in CS:GO history. The 30-year-old French player has one of the longest careers in esports, with his experience dating all the way back to Counter-Strike: Source. He hit the ground running with CS:GO, and has played for some of the biggest organizations in the world. He’s carried the banner for G2 Esports, Team Liquid, and Vitality throughout his career, and has taken home a number of titles over the years. On August 27, shox put out a tweet stating that his team, Apeks, were “clearly not ready to qualify”. Sadly, the loss is likely the end of shox’s record and his incredible streak of attending every CS:GO Major. However, the French pro could technically transfer onto a team that has qualified for the upcoming competition, though it’s unlikely. Now, only dupreeh and Xyp9x hold onto the title of attending every CS:GO major, with Xyp9x fighting for his tournament life through the European RMR to hold on to the record.

CSGO legend s1mple overcomes his demons with PGL Major title João Ferreira/DexertoThe third time was the charm for Aleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, who finally broke his duck at Majors after leading NAVI to victory at PGL Major Stockholm. The title had been a long time coming for the Ukrainian, even though his place on the pantheon of Counter-Strike greats was never really in question. For s1mple, the wait for a Major title must have felt like a lifetime. Twice he had come close to winning a Major, with Liquid at ESL One Cologne 2016 and with NAVI at FACEIT Major 2018, only to end up on the losing side, battered and bruised after thrashings in the final by SK Gaming and Astralis, respectively. This time around, s1mple would not let history repeat itself. With the trophy firmly in his sight, s1mple followed up his man-of-the-match performance against Gambit with another masterclass in the best-of-three final against a combative G2 side. The first time G2 threatened to pull away, s1mple picked up four quick kills with the AWP on the B site on Ancient. As he looked at the camera, he gestured to calm everyone down. He was not going to be denied his glory. Not tonight. After a relatively easy first game, Nuke was a much harder affair, but s1mple and his NAVI team held their nerve beautifully to come back from 15-10 down before winning in double overtime. As he got up from his seat and hugged his teammates, s1mple, who finished the Major with a record 1.47 rating, couldn’t hold back the tears. Years of struggles For many years, a Major title was an elusive target for s1mple. He was unsettled in North America during his brief tenure with Liquid, prompting a return home to play for the biggest team in the CIS region in search of success. After a shaky start with NAVI, the trophies began to flow, but the team often peaked at the wrong time and alternated between impressive moments and unseemly ones. At the Majors, NAVI were found lacking, even when s1mple was in pristine form, which only added to his frustration. As the years went by and s1mple continued to get titles under his belt and cement his legacy, would he come to be remembered as a king without a crown? In March 2018, just weeks after a semi-final exit at ELEAGUE Major Boston, s1mple flirted with the idea of leaving NAVI and joining the core of SK’s Brazilian lineup. Who knows what sort of parallel universe we would live in right now had that move come to fruition, but s1mple eventually ended the suspense and pledged his future to the organization. “It is not the time to leave the team, with all the goals that we set,” he wrote on his VK page. “My journey is not finished yet.” s1mple dug deep and kept finding new ways to push himself, ending 2018 as the best player in the world despite Astralis’ stranglehold on titles that year. Around that time, another rivalry began to brew as a certain Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut came into the fray, ready to challenge s1mple for the throne. The Frenchman’s meteoric rise was another bitter pill for s1mple, who had to watch as the Vitality star beat him to the title of the best player in the world, in back-to-back years no less. All the while NAVI continued their tendency to blow hot and cold, enjoying some incredible highs but also enduring some crushing lows. As we approached the end of 2020, NAVI realized that something had to change. They promoted Valeriy ‘B1T’ Vakhovskiy from the academy team and began to utilize him as part of a six-man setup before eventually handing him a permanent spot in the starting lineup. From strength to strength It was one little change that made a world’s difference. The 18-year-old, despite having little top-flight experience, boasts skills and confidence well beyond his years, showing no stage fright, even in his first appearance at the finals of a major tournament with a crowd. Since adding B1T, NAVI have been a class above the rest, and now they have a Major trophy to add to the IEM Cologne title and the $1 million Intel Grand Slam cheque they won in recent months. And the scariest part is, for the majority of the tournament, they didn’t even need s1mple to be at his best to win matches. This is the collective strength of the new-look NAVI, where there are no weak links and everyone is pulling in the exact same direction. NAVI are a much happier place now than in the past, when s1mple often looked isolated from the rest of the group, especially when things went sour. Now, he truly feels a sense of belonging, and he was more than happy to share the glory as he took the stage. “We just said that we need to believe in ourselves and we were going to win,” an emotional s1mple said after the match. “We made the comeback [on Nuke], and at 15-15, I told my teammates that the comeback was not finished, and we just kept fighting. “I’m so proud of my team. Look at them! F**king champions!” A new era is dawning in Counter-Strike, and competitors will be gunning for NAVI’s scalp when making changes in the weeks and months to come. As he reflected on the challenges that he has faced over the years, s1mple admitted that he was glad that he decided, back in 2018, to stay with NAVI. The job was not yet done at the time, and he knew it. https://twitter.com/s1mpleO/status/1457469532633718786 More than five years on from that grand final in Cologne, s1mple can finally stop agonizing over the stinging defeats and the times he was so close to the dream, and yet so far away. He can now cross another accomplishment off his list, though he will certainly want to add more Majors to his collection. The wait is over. The king of Counter-Strike has finally claimed his crown.

CS:GO legend pashaBiceps reveals his next potential team Twitter: @xkomagoJarosław ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition as he trials with Patryk ‘Sidney’ Korab and Adrian ‘SAYN’ Łączyński for x-kom AGO. Counter-Strike’s favorite papa is back. At least, he’s making an attempt to come back to the competitive field. x-kom AGO announced on August 19 that they have brought pasha in to try out alongside other Polish players Sidney and SAYN as the organization “continues [their] search for an optimal roster.” After the summer break, we are returning to continue our search for an optimal roster. This week SAYN, @paszaBiceps, Sidney will be observed in the Nest. It looks to be a tough training! After the summer break, we are returning to continue our search for an optimal roster. This week SAYN, @paszaBiceps, Sidney will be observed in the Nest. It looks to be a tough training! pic.twitter.com/1xsOabbXHo — x-kom AGO (@xkomago) August 19, 2019 For pasha, this will be his first organization he’s played or trialed for since leaving Virtus.Pro in February of this year. He had been sitting on the bench since the organization ceased CS:GO operations for a whopping two weeks in December prior, and has played with the unsigned team Youngsters since he was let go. Pasha is one of the legendary five that Virtus.Pro fielded for four straight years from the beginning of 2014 until the beginning of 2018, alongside Snax, TaZ, byali, and NEO. This all-time great roster would win a major just months after signing with VP, taking first place at ESL Katowice 2014 while only losing one map (in overtime) across the whole tournament. Read more: CS:GO August 14 patch notes – For the next four years, Virtus.Pro would take home multiple championships, and even when fans had doubts about their ability to still compete, their roster would hold strong and come out at the next tournament firing on all cylinders. This all changed in 2018, when TaZ was benched at the beginning of the year, and then a roster synonymous with non-variance experienced a smorgasbord of roster overturn that hadn’t been seen before. At this point only Snax remains, and he spent half of 2018 with mouseports before returning to VP at the end of 2018. For x-kom AGO, the decision to bring in pasha, an older player, is a step in a different direction then they are used to. They have usually brought in younger players with big potential, but coincidentally, have lost those young players like snatchie, phr, and TOAO to Virtus.Pro. They hit a high note earlier this year, getting second at WESG in China, finishing higher than several notable teams including G2, Fnatic, and MIBR. But only two of those players, GruBy and furlan, remain on the roster, as they look to retool ahead of season 32 of ESEA European Premier Division. This is the second trio that x-kom AGO has put on trial this summer, after bringing on leman, mhL, and hades in July, and releasing them today.

CSGO legend pashaBiceps returns to pro play on new “Liquid Biceps” squad Robert Paul for DreamHackOctober 6 update (6pm PT): pashaBiceps has confirmed he is returning to CS:GO pro play. He will be the leader of Team Liquid’s new academy roster, named “Liquid Biceps.” “I missed so much this esports thrill, so I’m returning to being a player. I gathered talented youngsters and created Liquid Biceps, with whom I will play in [the Polish Esport League]. Let’s see what Papi can do,” he said in an October 6 tweet. PAPI IS BACK! 💪 I missed so much this esports thrill, so i’m returning to being a player. I gathered talented youngsters and created 𝐋𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐬, with whom I will play in @pleleague. Let’s see what Papi can do. 😁Thanks @teamliquid for motivation! Show must go ON pic.twitter.com/XYxUnf5Wfe — paszaBiceps (@paszaBiceps) October 6, 2020 Earlier: Polish CS:GO legend Jarosław “pashaBiceps” Jarząbkowski is reportedly set to make his return to pro play. The Virtus.pro star is expected to lead Team Liquid’s new academy roster after joining the organization as a streamer in August. It’s been a while since Virtus.pro’s hayday in CS:GO. The Polish squad was once at the top of CS:GO, duking it out with the likes of Fnatic, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and Titan for the title of the best team in the world. At their peak, pashaBiceps was one of their stars. He could fill almost every role on the roster, swapping between rifler and AWPer when it was needed. However, since departing from the active roster in December 2018, pasha has all but vanished from professional CS:GO. He had a short stint on trial with new Polish squad AGO in 2019, but has since picked up streaming on a more-full time basis. The 32-year-old might be falling for the competitive itch again though, and could be rejoining the pro scene. According to reports by ‘PolishLeaks,’ pashaBiceps is set to lead a new era for Team Liquid in CS:GO. The veteran will reportedly be the star player on the new Liquid Academy, based out of Poland and competing in the Polish Esport League. Team Liquid’s current CS:GO roster competes in North America, but they aren’t foreign to European talent. They were once the home of Ukrainian AWPer Oleksandr ‘s1mple’ Kostyliev, who needs no introduction. Liquid also houses other esports teams in the region. Their Dota 2 team is based out of Sweden, their PUBG team also competes in PCS Europe, and they are also home to one of Europe’s strongest Valorant rosters. We’re getting a buff 💪💪💪 Please welcome our new friend @paszaBicepshttps://t.co/E1Qp9diMUs pic.twitter.com/WU5SpOBiRY — Team Liquid (@TeamLiquid) August 5, 2020 pashaBiceps likely won’t return with his old Virtus.pro teammates though. Snax, byali, NEO, and TaZ all play on different Polish CS:GO rosters. While it’s unclear what Liquid’s direction with the squad would be, it’ll likely look to new horizons in the Polish scene.

CS:GO legend n0thing perfectly predicts “noob timings” to wipe out enemy team Valve / ELEAGUECounter-Strike: Global Offensive veteran Jordan ‘n0thing’ Gilbert is no stranger to common tactics used by players, and his game IQ was in full display by predicting then completely shutting down the opposing team. Valve’s latest iteration of their team-shooter released in 2012, and the franchise has so far stood the test of time as it is still an extremely popular competitive title to sink hours into. After a while of playing in the CS:GO servers people start to get a feel for the enemy’s tendencies during a match. Along with their game knowledge, players like n0thing can use a bit of past experiences to pull off incredible plays. Noob timings make CS:GO easy for n0thing During his June 4 stream, n0thing was pushing up B-Main on Cache while giving his Twitch Chat the play-by-play of what he thought the enemy team was doing. N0thing had correctly predicted how he’d encounter his first two kills, but his next summation, that someone was in squeaky, didn’t seem to pan out immediately. No matter, he moved onto his next analysis, and jiggle-peeked a corner to see if someone was lying in wait for him. “If not (in squeaky) then he’ll be in A-Main to my left,” n0thing said. “Yep, he’s right there. Comeback and peek from a different angle. Hold it, he might repeek it in 3-2-…” Finishing his countdown was the sound of his AK-47’s first shot going through the head of a Terrorist peeking right when n0thing expected them to. As for that Terrorist that n0thing thought was going to peek him earlier but wasn’t there, his stream eventually learned that they were indeed held up in squeaky as the last man alive. “That’s kinda not fair” N0thing’s whole play was definitely impressive, but the streamer even acknowledged that what happened in the round had a lot to do with the “impulsive instinct” that lower tier players tend to give in to. “I hate when they actually like play perfectly into the timing,” n0thing said. “Because what I call that is ‘noob timing’ guys.” It seems players like n0thing are so aware of this “noob timing” that they know what some opposing players will want to do before they know it themselves. Since stepping back a bit from pro play, people tuning into n0thing’s Twitch channel have grown accustomed to learning a thing or two from the veteran. Especially when plays like these turn out for the better.

CSGO legend KRIMZ reveals serious hand injury stopping him from playing Fnatic/ESLCounter-Strike legend Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson has revealed that he’ll be set for a stint on the sidelines due to a hand injury he’s been playing with for quite some time. With the IEM Rio Major behind them, Counter-Strike teams can start looking forward to the new year and begin plotting their path to next year’s Blast Paris Major. Before 2022 comes to an end, there are two standout events left on the calendar – BLAST Premier Fall Finals and Elisa Masters Espoo 2022. The latter brings together the likes of Astralis, ENCE, Fnatic, and GamerLegion, but not all of the big names will be there. Following their 5-8th place finish in Rio, Fnatic will be without KRIMZ for the $200,000 LAN in Espoo, Finland, as he’s dealing with a hand injury. CS:GO star KRIMZ reveals hand injury that has sidelined him The legendary Swedish rifler revealed that he needs time away from the server on November 16, detailing a painful nerve injury in a short Twitter video. “I have a hand injury, which I’ve had since two days after the RMR qualification,” KRIMZ said. “Before this Major, I didn’t practice or anything with the team sadly, but it was my own choice to keep on playing at the Major. “It’s basically a nerve in the middle of the hand, it’s getting pinched by the muscle, so the muscle doesn’t repair itself,” he added. “I might see you next year. I hope everything goes ok with the rehab of the hand, thank you for the support.” The 28-year-noted that he hopes to be “back in the server ASAP” but there is no timeline on his potential return. Fnatic will have Peppe ‘Peppzor’ Borak as a stand-in for the Elisa Masters Espoo event and likely beyond that as well, seeing as the young rifler was scheduled to stand-in for KRIMZ if he couldn’t play in Rio.

CS:GO legend GeT_RiGhT potentially being “forced into retirement” by NiP, according to Fifflaren ESLFormer member of the legendary Counter-Strike squad Robin ‘Fifflaren’ Johansson is convinced that the org has been a driving factor for Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund to “retire” from the org. The esports community was hit pretty hard when news broke out that NiP had “started talks” with GeT_RiGhT which would eventually see him transition out of the org’s active CS:GO roster. While the NiP news release had an encouraging tone and even thoughtful words toward the career of their longtime player, Fifflaren told a completely different narrative about the saga that will soon have GeT_RiGhT’s tenure on the roster come to an end. Esports journalist Richard Lewis sat down with Fifflaren to tell all about the numerous incidents from his time with NiP that were finally ready to come to light after so long. One particular point that caught the attention of various CS:GO fans was his take on GeT_RiGhT’s current predicament involving his exit with the org. “He’s getting fucking run out,” Fifflaren started saying. “We have a guy like (GeT_RiGhT) that’s just getting run out. You know, like forced to retire. The best player in the world that just got completely damaged from this brand that completely runs people to the ground.” This made the former NiP pro wonder if “he’s getting forced into retirement.” “A guy that used to be the best player in the fucking world has come down to this” Fifflaren said. “Basically begging to keep playing. There’s interviews going on like ‘Hey are you going to keep playing’ and he goes ‘I want to.’” Fifflaren has a special point of view when it comes to GeT_RiGhT’s near-exit from NiP since he had actually found himself in a largely similar situation: “GeT_RiGhT is me four years ago.” Read more: Thorin’s Take: Too hard for ENCE – Even as recent as ESL Cologne 2019, GeT_RiGhT was overwhelmed with emotion knowing his time wearing the NiP jersey at the LANXESS Arena was coming to an end. But when on-stage interviewer OJ Borg asked him if it was the last time he would compete at the stadium at all, GeT_RiGhT had a resounding answer of “Fuck no.” There’s no question that GeT_RiGhT still has a lot of fight left in him, but if anything that just makes his former teammate question the true nature of his imminent release from the NiP active roster even more.

CSGO legend GeT_RiGhT crumbles in unexpected return match Counter-Strike: Global Offensive legend Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund had a less than pleasant return to the game with a 0-2 trouncing by Virtus.pro. GeT_RiGhT is one of the most famous CS:GO players in the world, he has played the game competitively since its release and was part of one of the best teams of all time – a Ninjas in Pyjamas squad that set an incredible 87-0 map win streak on LAN. He was dropped from the roster in September 2019 after seven years of constant competition, and after a small break has finally played another competitive match, his first outside of the NiP organization. The Swedish legend stood in for Mousesports’ Robin ‘ropz’ Kool in an ECS Season 8 match against Virtus.pro. Ropz was an unexpected replacement, as he had not competed in over a month, and when he did, he showed poor form, but fans of the player were excited to see him in action nevertheless. Unfortunately for them, Mousesports ended up losing the match 0-2 with GeT_RiGhT putting in a below-par performance, securing only 24 kills across two maps while having one of the lowest ratings throughout the series, with a rating of just 0.75, far below his average of 1.10. Similarly, his average damage per round (ADR) fell from 75 to 60, which adds up as there were 51 rounds played this series. It was clear, however, that they had not had much time to practice and thus made some critical errors leading to their loss, such as losing one round in a 4v2 situation due to no one checking on the bomb. Regardless, Christopher seemed in high spirits after the match, stating on Twitter: “That was horrible. Thanks for using me however, Mousesports.” He wasn’t impressed with his performance, but no doubt, enjoyed the competition once again. That was horrible.. 😀 Thanks for using me however @mousesports – sucks to be not helping at all tho ;D pic.twitter.com/wp3epwtmrt — Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) October 28, 2019 Many fans will be wondering what the future holds for GeT_RiGhT, who is without a team for the first time in his CSGO career and has stated that he is not yet ready to hang up his mouse and keyboard. He has not yet commented on his future, however, after a strong performance with the European squad, he may be a reliable option for many top teams if he is able to come back into form.

CS:GO legend GeT_RiGhT shares ominous story about angry fan that called his mother every night DreamhackLegendary Counter-Strike professional Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund has weighed in on the abusive fans drama within the CS scene by sharing a story of his own personal experience. North, a Danish esports organization, took to Twitter on January 21, to call on the CS:GO community to kick out the hate-filled comments towards teams and players. Many other orgs and players came out in support of North and echoed their sentiments. Now, Swedish player GeT_RiGhT has joined their call to the community to tone down the hateful comments and abuse towards players. In a 13-Tweet thread, the Ninjas in Pyjamas legend broke down how, in his early days of playing Counter-Strike, his mother would regularly receive phone calls in the early hours of the morning to the family home from a man looking to speak to GeT_RiGhT. Read More: How to watch the IEM Katowice 2019 CS:GO Major and Minors – Streams, schedule, results and more – “She didn’t tell me about this ’til months past and I asked her what this person wanted. She said this person wanted to talk to me, even though I had almost moved out from the family house… but she never told this person if I was home or still lived there,” he added. The Swede explained how the calls became a “routine” for his mother as she would answer the late-night calls and speak to the voice on the other end. There was a person who called almost every night when I lived with my parents still, around 03/04 in the morning (landline) and asked where I was. My mother, who was kind enough (not sure still tho) answered every night (she’s like me back then, being up all night) — Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) January 22, 2019 The calls weren’t from anyone looking to offer GeT_RiGhT a spot on a new team or sponsorship and they sound like they were somewhat sinister. They came from, in his mother’s words, a “lost man that needed someone to talk to.” Get_Right also added that: “We live in a world (esport gaming etc) and we all do it for the love of it no? So don’t just wish someone to die because they “lost you money” or you think they are “terrible” because X/Y reason.. it’s never helping. Never.” I’m gonna stop here since I believed I talked about one thing and another thing that.. made a little no sense? Oh well.. Ehm.. let’s now look on this beauty game called CSGO and enjoy the games that’s live now! — Christopher Alesund (@GeT_RiGhT) January 22, 2019

CSGO legend friberg leaves Heroic, seeks new challenge HeroicAdam ‘friberg’ Friberg, former Ninjas in Pyjamas legend, has let his contract run out with Heroic, and is seeking a new competitive opportunity. “A hypeman, a joker and The King of Banana,” said teammate Patrick ‘es3tag’ Hansen about friberg. Now the king is looking to conquer a new kingdom. Friberg made his decision on his Heroic contract weeks ago, and now the contract has officially ended right between stages of the StarLadder Berlin major. Heroic’s journey to the major ended early, as they failed to qualify for the European Minor, losing to NoChance and CR4ZY. After being eliminated in the EU Minor qualifier, Heroic went on to have some okay results at ESL Cologne and IEM Chicago. One week ago, Heroic released their in-game leader Niels Christian ‘NaToSaphiX’ Sillassen after only a few months with the team, having signed him in May. NaTo was originally brought in as an AWPer, but was switched over to IGL, and was just starting to perform in that role well before he was let go. In a twitlonger post, friberg acknowledged some of Heroic’s triumphs and shortcomings: “We started to do better in the last few big tournaments but unfortunately didn’t make it to the play-offs in any tier 1 tournament. Now I want a new challenge.” In his post, friberg said he is looking for opportunities with a Swedish or international team, and is willing to relocate to either Asia or North America for the right situation. In the team’s goodbye post, he even acknowledged the amount of Danish he as learned, so another Danish team isn’t out of the question. Today, we bid farewell to one of the greatest. Adam Friberg, a legend within the esports community have decided it’s time to move on. As his contract expires, our Swedish hero will no longer be competing in a Heroic jersey.Read More: https://t.co/dHcOV0FUoB pic.twitter.com/CmOZP11mAk — Heroic (@heroicgg) August 27, 2019 In that official team goodbye post, Heroic CEO Erik Askered said of Friberg: “Having a player like Adam Friberg on your team is not just having any other experienced player. His calm and solution oriented way of dealing with things, whether on- or offline, has helped both team and org during this period. Adam is a great guy, and I together with the rest of our management sincerely wish him the best of luck. Heroic will always keep an open door for you, Mr. Friberg.” Friberg’s legendary status comes from his historic five-year tenure with Ninjas in Pyjamas. NiP retained the four man core of friberg, Richard ‘Xizt’ Landström, Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg, and Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund until friberg’s departure in July 2017. The NiP core four appeared in the grand finals of the first five majors, winning one of them in ESL Cologne 2014. Since then, the core four would consistently switch out their fifth and decline and recover several times over the next few years. After Berlin, only f0rest will remain on NiP from the original core four.

CS:GO Legend fnx Smashes PC in Excitement During ESL Belo Horizonte Qualifier With kNgV-, felps, and co. Instagram @brunobit1Brazilian CS:GO legend Lincoln ‘fnx’ Lau got so excited during the ESL Belo Horizonte qualifiers that he quite literally smashed his PC in the process. It has been a rather long time since fnx has played at a premier level Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament. In fact, he hasn’t played at any sort of LAN event in over a year. After being benched by Immortals in May of 2017 the two time CS:GO Major Champion spent a period of time inactive before joining the 100 Thieves roster that never even played an official match was was released in January of 2018. He then moved on to Não Tem Como (a team that has been heavily linked with a move to SK Gaming in the near future) and has been bootcamping ever since along with the likes of former SK star João ‘felps’ Vasconcellos and the infamous Vito ‘kNgV-’ Giuseppe. With one of the biggest Brazilian esports events in history, ESL Belo Horizonte, due to take place in June, fnx and company have had one goal in recent weeks: qualifying to play in front of a home crowd at the $200,000 tournament. May 9th saw them realize that dream in a nail-biting match against FURIA in the Grand Final of the Closed Qualifier for South America. The achievement clearly meant a lot to the team but disaster very nearly struck when fnx quite literally put his foot through his PC at match point! VOCÊS SÃO OS MELHORES. MUITA HONRA EM PARTICIPAR DESSA HISTÓRIA!!!@naotemcomo_NTC @felperaa @linfnx @ale_apoka @bit1 @chelok1ng @kngvito pic.twitter.com/u0XXtNyQix — Bootkamp (@bootkampgaming) May 10, 2018 The shots of the Brazilian team jumping around in celebration bring back memories of when fnx, Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo, Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga and co. first started finding success after risking everything to move to North America and pursue their dream. ESL Belo Horizonte will also feature FaZe Clan, Team Liquid, mousesports, SK Gaming, Space Soldiers, BIG, and Torqued. Quebrei tudo FODASSE KKKKKKK SEGURA PEAO! Se fica na frente eu passo o CARRO pic.twitter.com/6fsLZPSzyX — Lincoln “”fnx”” lau (@linfnx) May 10, 2018 The only issue facing the NTC players lies in the rumors about them already being signed to SK Gaming. ESL’s rules would prevent the current SK and future SK lineups both competing at the same tournament so the German organization will have some serious thinking to do before the event begins on June 13th. The most obvious move would be to release the current players from their contracts a month early as they are already rumored to be signed to Immortals anyway.

CSGO legend Flusha benched by Fnatic amid new roster rumors Adela Sznajder/DreamhackFnatic have officially dropped team veteran Robin ‘flusha’ Rönnquist from the active roster to open a spot that will be used to “rejuvenate the team for the 2021 season.” Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s esport scene has seen some pretty eyebrow-raising transfers in the last few months — with legends moving on and new blood stepping up in their place, and super teams being born. In recent weeks, rumors have been swirling around Fnatic’s all-Swedish roster, and what their next step would be — including a rumor from Jared ‘Dekay’ Lewis that caught fans off-guard as it partnered Flusha with former Major winner Tim ‘Autimatic’ Ta and ENCE’s Miikka ‘suNny’ Kemppi. Now, it looks like that rumor could be set to come to fruition as Flusha now says goodbye to Fnatic for the third time in his CS:GO career. Fnatic confirmed the news on January 8, noting that they’d be using the spot vacated by the Counter-Strike legend to “rejuvenate the team” ahead of the 2021 season getting underway. Read More: Cloud9 reportedly bench woxic – As previously mentioned, the departure brings to an end Flusha’s third stint with Fnatic. He initially joined the side in late 2013 and found his way back there twice more over the years, bringing unprecedented levels of success to the organization. During his most recent stint, Fnatic won DreamHack Masters Malmö and ESL Pro League Season 11 Europe, briefly becoming a powerhouse in European CS:GO once again, a happy flashback to their glory days. Though, struggles in Flashpoint, BLAST, and other events brought about the rumors of a split. Fnatic CS:GO — Roster Update Robin “”@flusha”” Rönnquist has been transferred to the inactive roster of our CS:GO team, allowing him to explore his options and discuss offers with other teams. — FNATIC (@FNATIC) January 8, 2021 As for who might take his spot, Dekay’s initial report suggested that Swedish rising talent Jack “Jackinho” Ström Mattson was in talks with Fnatic, but nothing has been announced just yet. In terms of what Flusha will do next, his departure adds further fuel to the fire that he’ll be joining Autimatic and suNny as a trio, looking for two others to join them, as well as a team to represent.

CSGO legend flusha announces retirement after decade-long career ESLThree-time CS:GO Major winner Robin ‘flusha’ Rönnquist has called time on his playing career. “If you don’t enjoy it, it’s pointless to stay on the server,” he said. The decision comes just days after flusha turned 30, with the Swedish player having missed the last two tournaments that his team, EYEBALLERS, played. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last year, and once you get these thoughts, maybe it’s right not to try to push it even more than what’s already been done,” flusha said in a statement. flusha burst onto the CS:GO scene in 2013 and was part of the Fnatic team that won the first CS:GO Major, DreamHack Winter 2013, by beating Swedish rivals NIP in the final. He would help Fnatic win two more Majors (ESL One Katowice 2015 and ESL One Cologne 2015) and a number of other tier-one trophies across three spells with the British organization. After leaving Fnatic in 2021, flusha created an international team called GORILLAZ alongside Miikka ‘suNny’ Kemppi and Jere ‘sergej’ Salo, but the project fell apart within seven months. In June 2022, he linked up again with his friend and former Fnatic teammate Jesper ‘JW’ Wecksell to revive EYEBALLERS, one of the most iconic Swedish organizations during the early days of esports. The team, which aims to nurture Swedish talent, peaked at 37th in HLTV.org’s world rankings last month. “It feels like the right time to stop now, I’m not very old compared to some others on the scene, but I’ve accomplished a lot, and I’m happy with everything I’ve done,” he said. “There isn’t much more to do for me and if you don’t enjoy it, it’s pointless to stay on the server. “I feel very satisfied with my career. I have been able to participate and win a lot, especially during my time in fnatic. But I also feel very satisfied that I have been able to play with teammates who have also become very good friends, especially JW and KRiMZ, with whom I shared incredibly good memories.” flusha’s individual accolades Throughout his career, flusha was named the MVP of four CS:GO events, most notably the ESL One Katowice 2015 Major. He made HLTV.org’s Top 20 Player of the Year ranking every year between 2013 and 2016, twice in the top five (No.2 in 2014 and No.5 in 2015). At the height of his powers, flusha was called a cheater by many in the CS:GO scene, including fellow pros. He opted to feed into that narrative, adopting the ‘Señor Vac’ persona. “Even though people didn’t shake my hand or make comments if they saw me, I didn’t feel anything about them thinking something of me,” he said in an interview with Duncan ‘Thorin’ Shields in 2017. Contacted by Dexerto, EYEBALLERS stated that flusha will remain involved in the organization, in a role to be determined.

CSGO legend FalleN reveals retirement plan Stefan Petrescu/PGLTwo-time CS:GO Major champion Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo has said that he plans to retire as a player at the end of 2023. The 31-year-old Brazilian appeared on July 26 on the ‘Monkey Business Show’ podcast alongside OG founder Johan ‘N0tail’ Sundstein and CEO JMR Luna to talk about a wide range of esports-related topics. As N0tail, who has earned over $7 million in prize money in his Dota 2 career, recounted the motivation issues that eventually led him to take a break from competition in 2021, FalleN revealed that lately he has found himself thinking more and more about the end of his career. “You cannot do the same thing your entire life, it’s impossible,” FalleN said. “Maybe I’ve been thinking about that myself lately because I’m going to stop sometime soon, in the next year and a half, something like that. “I’m learning how to understand myself. And for me it’s pretty complicated because it’s been 17, 18 years playing. I have been playing CS my whole life and there’s nothing else that I can do better. “But the time when I have to do something else is coming, and I can’t really feel pressured about it. And that’s what Johan is talking about, how he would rather feel that his team is winning, and that doesn’t take away the merit of those things he has been doing because they are amazing. I have been watching the new [OG] team play, it’s insane. All those new kids are so good.” When asked if he already has a future beyond playing mapped out, FalleN said that there are three potential paths that he could follow, one of which would see him stay active in esports as a coach. “I don’t really have an answer to that,” he said. “Sometimes I feel the itch of going into coaching and helping other teams to succeed and get wins. But at the same time, it would be complicated because it’s kind of the same life that I live right now, where I don’t get to spend too much time at home. “I really like streaming, I really like creating content and being in touch with people. Streaming is pretty could because I would be able to stay at home, and that’s something that I think about. “I really like the teaching part of the game, where I can develop new players. I’m really fascinated by it. I have a lot of knowledge that I really know how to pass on. I know things that can make people better. That’s what I did a long time ago, and maybe when I finish [my career] I can go back to it.” ‘The Godfather of Brazilian CS’ FalleN began his playing career in the mid-2000s, competing in CS 1.6, CS:Source and CrossFire before transitioning to CS:GO in 2013. He had the best year of his career in 2016, when he led his Luminosity and SK Gaming squads to victory at the MLG Columbus and ESL One Cologne Majors. He was later named the second best player in the world of 2016 by HLTV.org, behind his teammate Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David. FalleN continued to win trophies under SK’s banner in 2017, but in 2018 his team began to fall behind as sides like Astralis, NAVI and FaZe took center stage. That year also saw the team transfer to Immortals-owned MIBR and experiment with North American duo Jake ‘Stewie2K’ Yip and Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik. Success remained elusive for MIBR in the years that followed, eventually leading to FalleN’s departure from the team in September 2020 amid the removal of Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga, Epitacio ‘TACO’ de Melo. He went on to join Team Liquid, but his tenure with the North American team lasted only a year and did not yield any trophies. In 2022, FalleN created the Last Dance alongside three of his Major-winning teammates in an attempt to recreate the success that was once synonymous with this group of players. Despite fierce criticism, the team, who went on to join Imperial, managed to qualify for PGL Major Antwerp’s New Legends Stage, where they lost to Copenhagen Flames in the last round. Beyond his in-game achievements, FalleN is also known for his role in the development of the Brazilian scene, which has earned him the moniker of ‘The Godfather of Brazilian CS’.

CSGO legend FalleN gets down on one knee for romantic proposal Instagram: leticia.lorenaBrazilian CS:GO star Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo has proposed to his girlfriend, Letícia Lorena, sharing the happy moment on social media. Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo has been a part of the Counter-Strike professional scene for over a decade. As a player, he is regarded as one of the godfathers of the competitive scene and has a large trophy cabinet to back it up. Despite stepping down from MIBR’s active roster, a post made by FalleN on Twitter has revealed some more positive news for fans, on a more personal note. FalleN engaged FalleN has got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. He revealed the news to fans on Twitter with a romantic picture of his proposal. The post is captioned “Ela disse ROGER THAT,” (meaning she said roger that), and confirms the couple is now happily engaged. The couple have been together for over five years, and Lorena has followed FalleN through the ups and downs of his CS:GO career. Fans of FalleN shared in the excitement posting messages congratulating the couple on their engagement: “you’re so god damn amazing buddy congrats on finally asking the question great job!” View this post on Instagram Other fans, of course, couldn’t resist making a few congratulatory jokes related to CS:GO including “a tremendous clutch” and “the bomb has been planted.” A number of replies to the post brought up FalleN’s departure from MIBR’s active roster and questioned when he will be returning: “Congratulations! I wonder when you gonna play on MIBR again.” It’s obvious fans are excited to see him back in the active roster, however, as of yet, we’re still unsure when that may be. Known for his impressive leadership skills and ability with the op, FalleN has become a household name in the Counter-Strike community. FalleN is currently a part of the Brazilian esports organization, MIBR. However, he stepped down from the organization’s active CSGO roster in September. Although still part of the team, he is not participating in tournaments and is currently inactive.

CSGO leak reveals all missions, coins for Operation Shattered Web A Counter-Strike: Global Offensive dataminer has uncovered the next three weeks worth of missions for Operation Shattered Web, and the requirements to hit the fabled Diamond operation coin. Operation Shattered Web has taken CS:GO by storm this week. Its surprising release on November 19 marked 910 days since the last operation, and players are relishing in the new playable and unlockable content from the event. One of the hallmarks of these operations is the missions. Players get tasked with ticking off the weekly list to get a bunch of rewards, including weapon cases, skins, and graffiti. Usually these only get released just before they go live, but one CS:GO has managed to get a look into the weeks ahead for all players. Reddit user ‘jalalinator’ discovered the missions and rewards for weeks two to four of the long-awaited operation, and posted them onto /r/globaloffensive on November 21. Each week will contain six missions, all of which can be completed without needing a group of mates to play with. Read more: First look at Operation Shattered Web skins – Below are the missions players should expect to see over the coming weeks. Week 2 Operation Shattered Web missions Week 3 Operation Shattered Web missions Week 4 Operation Shattered Web missions The stars you earn from the missions can be cashed in for weapon cases, graffiti, or skins. Rare items have a higher star cost associated with them, so if you are aiming for one of the more expensive new additions Week five to 16 missions are not yet updated into the game, so dataminers have not been able to get their hands onto them. However, it looks like they will be releasing blocks of data every few weeks, so keep your eyes out for the newest missions updates as they happen. How do I get the Operation Shattered Web coin? While all of the in-game goodies are great for players, there’s nothing more fabled than the event pin. These are untradeable reminders of playing during a certain event, with many people looking to grind to get the best pin possible. Players can obtain the Bronze Operation Shattered Web Coin by purchasing a pass to the event, and level it up by playing a set number of missions. This means to get the Diamond Operation Shattered Web Coin, players will have to complete almost every mission across 17 weeks to get the coin if Valve keep releasing the quests at a rate of six a week. While the event is expected to run for only 16 weeks, Valve did state that it was possible the event could run for longer. This means that you will have to wait to see if Valve add extra missions to each week, or an extra week onto the event so that players can get the Diamond coin. So if you want to grind for that Diamond coin and extra in-game content, jump onto the missions as soon as possible, as you might not have much leeway for missing anything.

CSGO legend KRIMZ mysteriously VAC banned ESLFnatic and Counter-Strike legend Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson has been hit with a VAC ban out of the blue, and nobody seems to know why. [jwplayer 6XbfP9ah] When punishing cheaters in games like CS:GO, Dota 2, and even Rust, Valve rolls out VAC [Valve anti-cheat] bans that locks down an account – preventing users from playing on another VAC-secured game. These bans are, usually, handed out without any warning, and are typically permanent. Though, plenty of players have been able to get them overturned – be it because the ban was wrong in the first place, for example. On November 28, CS:GO players and fans alike noticed that Fnatic CS:GO star Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson had his account struck with a VAC ban – and nobody seems to know just why it happened. Astralis players Lucas ‘Bubzkji’ Andersen and Nicolai ‘device’ Reedtz were among the first to tweet about KRIMZ’s VAC ban – with the former chalking it down to a likely mistake. After word quickly got around about the ban, KRIMZ himself took to Twitter to ask for help from the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developers in getting the VAC ban removed from his account – again, hinting at a mistake. “It seems that my account got vac banned. @CSGO can you fix this asap pls,” he posted shortly after the VAC ban was handed down, attaching a confused face emoji as well as the praying hands. It seems that my account got vac banned. @CSGO can you fix this asap pls 🙏🤔 — Freddy Johansson (@Krimz) November 28, 2020 As of writing, Krimz’s account still has a VAC ban attached to it, and there’s been no confirmation as to whether or not he’s cheated or if it’s a mistake. Though, there has been speculation about a possible wave surrounding players who use the esportal to find matches. If anything changes, be it the ban gets overturned or Valve makes a statement on the matter, we’ll be sure to update this article.

CSGO Operation Shattered Web update: Krieg nerf and more – Patch Notes Controversial Counter-Strike assault rifle SG 553, colloquially known as the ‘Krieg,’ has finally seen changes in the game’s most recent patch, the Shattered Web update. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developers teased potential changes to the now-infamous gun, which has been dividing the ranked and competitive communities on its over-powered state, and have now revealed how they have tweaked the rifle. The Krieg has dominated the meta for the past few months, even out-stripping the tried-and-true AK-47 as a must-buy on the Terrorist side. Part of the reason behind its power is due to its price. Previously set at $2,750, it’s only $50 more expensive than the AK-47, but offers players an easy to use spray pattern, long-ranged power with its scope, and increased armor penetration. The gun — which some CS:GO stars have even slammed as a “CoD gun” because of its skill-level — has finally landed on the nerf chopping block in the November 18 patch, which also dropped the game’s first new operation in more than 900 days. The SG 553 has seen its price increase by $250, from $2,750 to $3,000, bringing it more in line with Counter-Terrorist assault rifle option M4A4, which costs $3,100, or the similarly scoped AUG, which has cost $3,300 since March. The change brings the Krieg back to its original price-point, after the assault rifle first saw a reduction in cost on October 9. As well as the changes to the Krieg, CS:GO’s latest patch also saw the FAMAS and the Galil both reduced by $200, to $2,050 and $1,800 respectively. Both guns have also had full-auto spraying accuracy increased alongside the price changes. Time will tell if this price swap will knock the Krieg off the top of the Terrorist options list, but it did take a rate-of-fire and reduction of unscoped accuracy to bump CT counterpart AUG out of the must-buy list last June. The long-awaited SG 553 changes come at the same time as Valve’s bombshell release of Operation Shattered Web, which is bringing new maps, playlists, weekly missions, and a mountain of new weapon skins and cases available for players. CSGO Shattered Web Patch notes OPERATION SHATTERED WEB – Introducing Operation Shattered Web, featuring all-new equippable Agents, weapon collections, missions, and more! – For more details visit www.counter-strike.net/shatteredweb GAMEPLAY – Increased price of SG553 to $3000 to bring its price more in line with its value. – Reduced the price of FAMAS and Galil by $200 (to $2050 and $1800, respectively) – Improved full-auto spraying accuracy of FAMAS and Galil. Danger Zone – Buymenu price adjustments for ssg08 and radar jammer. – Minor timing adjustments for locked door and safe interaction. – Automated sentries now fire M249 bullets. – Added killfeed icon for automated sentry. – Added more explosive barrels. – Tablet crate icons now show an above/below annotation if significantly above or below the player. – Minor change to zone effect visuals. MISC – ‘AWP | Hyper Beast’ and ‘P90 | Nostalgia’ updated to correct wear at Factory New WORKSHOP Pearlescent coatings: We have added support for applying a pearlescent coating to weapon finishes. Pearlescent coatings use ceramic crystals to reflect and refract light, splitting it into different colors as the view angle changes. This effect can be used in a number of ways to subtly enhance your weapon finish or make drastic changes. The new Operation Shattered Web collections have some weapons with pearlescent coatings to illustrate some of the ways this new feature can be used. The Workshop Workbench has been updated to include this feature so you can experiment with adding this coating to a weapon finish. Using higher values will make the color bands tighter and more frequent and using negative values will flip the spectrum to start on the opposite end. It should be noted that this coating will shift the hue of your weapon finish so parts with no saturation, and therefore no hue, will have no pearlescent effect. We look forward to seeing what interesting applications you come up with. MAPS – Added Studio to Scrimmage and Casual Sigma map groups. – Added Jungle to the Danger Zone rotation. – Added Lunacy to Flying Scoutsman – Zoo and Seaside have been removed. Cache: – Cache has been moved from Scrimmage to Competitive Matchmaking Vertigo: – Added ramp to final stage of scaffolding on A ramp, no longer need to jump up – Connected corridor to back of A with CT elevator room – Widened top of mid – Offset doors from CT spawn and to CT elevator room – Made A site CT death funnel shorter, widened site area – Removed big block in CT spawn – Moved A ramp sandbags to allow jump up – Various bug and clipping fixes Source: Valve

CSGO star kNgV explains why joining MIBR is a “second chance” StarLadderProfessional Counter-Strike player Vito ‘kNgV’ Giuseppe has joined Brazilian powerhouse MIBR, explaining why he’s considering it a “second chance”. MIBR’s newest signing confirmed he had completed the move on Twitter on Thursday, September 5, replacing benched superstar Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David. As reported by Dexerto in July, MIBR had been chasing INTZ’s top player for some time. The organization was just waiting on their potential new signing acquiring a US P-1 visa, after his last stint on Immortals saw him refused entry due to only holding a tourist visa. Now kNgV believes he is being given a second chance with the organization he first succeeded with in 2017, due to Immortals Gaming Club acquiring the MIBR brand from Paul Velloso last year. Read more: Stewie’s account hacked during playoffs – “Today I become part of a great team, and probably the most popular one in the whole world, with a long history and with players who probably and literally won everything in CSGO,” he said. “I am very excited for this new phase in my life.” After finishing runners-up with Immortals at the PGL Major in Kraków in 2017, Giuseppe said he believes he has unfinished business with the organization governing MIBR, and is aiming to go one step further than he did in his first stint. “I want to thank IGC and MIBR for giving me this second chance. I know I have failed a lot in the past, but I believe everyone always deserves a second chance in life, and this is mine. For this organization, I will finish what I’ve started two years ago,” he said. After leaving Immortals, kNgV joined the ill-fated 100 Thieves roster that was released without playing a game. He then had stints with rosters like Virtue Gaming and NoTag, before being signed by INTZ in late 2018. Read more: SPUNJ celebrates after Renegades upset – After a rocky road between his second-place finish at the Kraków Major and joining MIBR, the 26-year-old said he’s fully aware of how much a place on the leading Brazillian team means: “I have the consciousness that I am where any other Brazillian player would like to be. I fought and worked really hard to be here.” kNgV is expected to play his first tournament with his new roster at BLAST Pro Series Moscow on September 13-14. The team has been playing together since INTZ were eliminated from the Berlin Major’s New Challengers Stage without a win. Here is his full Twitter announcement post from September 5: Hi everyone, I’d like to share something with all of you. With those who are with me on my long and hard, but happy journey.I would also like to take this moment to once again, talk about my mistakes but also the times I’ve succeeded, as well as my personal and professional growth for the past two years. When I decided to play professionally again, I couldn’t really imagine the many and uncountable amazing experiences I would have lived, and of course not all of them were that amazing, I admit. Since immersing myself in the unknown, up to playing the Major Finals, I watch a long and happy movie in my mind, but that was when everything started to fall apart. Conflicts, wrong attitudes and mistakes, and when I realized that I was drifting away, my heart was broken for seeing myself not being able to do what I loved the most in my life. I wasn’t able to play at a high level anymore, knowing that I could actually do even better and go even beyond all of that. It hurt watching tournaments, knowing that all of that was my own routine, and all of a sudden not anymore, even though I knew I had all the potential to be there. I’d like to thank to INTZ, for putting their trust in me when no one else did. For that I’ll always be grateful, and I want to thank my teammates as well, for all the happy moments, victories, losses and experiences we shared together. Right now I feel like I am more mature and also more experienced, and I’ll even risk to say that I feel all that, way more than I’ve ever felt in my entire life, and as I’ve received the opportunity of a new challenge and probably the biggest one in my life, I’ll devote myself with my mind, body and soul. Today, I am pleased and proud to announce I am MIBR! Today I become part of a great team and probably the most popular one in the entire world, with a long history and with players who probably and literally won everything in CS:GO. I am very excited for this new phase in my life and I will give my best to be the difference they needed for better results. We’ve been practicing already, and in only 10 minutes with them in server, I already felt that good things are about to come. I believe that what I am living now, is the fruit of my labour and learnings. I also like to think that God writes straight with crooked lines, and finally my turn has come. I have the consciousness that I am where any other Brazilian player would like to be, and I fought and worked really hard to be here. I want to thank IGC/MIBR for giving me this second chance, a second opportunity. I know I have failed a lot in the past, but I believe that everyone always deserves a second chance in life, and this is mine. For this Organization I will finish what I’ve started two years ago. Close, but no cigar, but we will keep chasing this dream together and once again, thank you so much for this second chance, and I can’t wait to prove day by day the reason why I deserve to be here. I am the kind of person who never gives up on dreaming, even when everything seems to be lost. I don’t want to be a role model and as much as I know I can’t be one, I can only say this, never give up on your dreams. This was my moment, and it became true. My past actions showed me I was wrong and I won’t commit those same mistakes ever again. I realized how much I lost and how badly I messed up, and because of those experiences a man rises.

CS:GO: KNg’s insane game-saving ace rescues INTZ at Americas Minor ESLBrazillian CS:GO pro Vito ‘kNgV-’ Giuseppe’s saved INTZ’s Americas Minor run by single-handedly taking down the entire Luminosity gaming squad in the 29th round of Mirage. An incredibly back and forth Mirage came down to just one player as kNgV- took it upon himself to take on the whole Luminosity team. With the score tied up at 14:14 and his team two men down the Brazilian decided to throw caution to the wind and push onto the A bombsite alone. What happened next was nothing short of absolute brilliance. KNgV- was able to peek out of palace and find a fairly straightforward AWP kill onto Vito ‘boltz’ Giuseppe in ticket. From there the real beauty of the play started to unfold. The Brazilian did the unthinkable, he walked into the open and dropped down from palace, instantly no-scoping the unsuspecting Henrique ‘HEN1’ Teles. Normally, this would be a good time to slow down and regroup. However, he could smell blood in the water and continued to push down the A-site, finding and eliminating Gabriel ‘NEKIZ’ Schenato, who was out in the open scrambling for information. The round was now a 3v2 in INTZ’s favor, all they had to do was plant the bomb and wait it out. This wasn’t something kNgV- was programmed to do, however, as he continued to look for kills. A peek down CT spawn allowed him to land a quick flick onto a jumping Lucas ‘steel’ Lopes, before spinning around and killing the final defender through a smoke. INTZ were able to close out the map 16-14 off the back of the Brazilian’s ace, which ended up being vital as they lost the following map and had to go all the way to map three to find a victory. Thanks to kNgV-‘s heroics INTZ have taken first place in their group, surprisingly beating favorites Furia earlier in the tournament, and will go on to face either Singularity or Sharks on July 19 for a place in the Americas Minor final. Should the Brazilians reach the final they are likely to face event favorites NRG. The American team has not lost a map so far and seems to be in great form, but, if kNgV- is able to keep up this level of play he may be able to help his team upset the favorites and steal away one of the two available Major spots.