Counter-Strike has seen numerous champions throughout its competitive history, but none stand out quite like the Majors. These tournaments, initially unsupported by Valve, have become the pinnacle of achievement for any FPS player. With over a decade of tradition, let’s delve into the history of Major champions and their winning rosters.
DreamHack Winter, 2013: Fnatic
Champion: Fnatic Roster:
- Devilwalk: Jonatan Lundberg
- flusha: Robin Rönnquist
- JW: Jesper Wecksell
- pronax: Markus Wallsten
- znajder: Andreas Lindberg Coach: cArn (Patrik Sättermon)
ESL Major Series One Katowice, 2014: Virtus.pro
Champion: Virtus.pro Roster:
- byali: Paweł Bieliński
- NEO: Filip Kubski
- pashaBiceps: Jarosław Jarząbkowski
- Snax: Janusz Pogorzelski
- TaZ: Wiktor Wojtas
ESL One: Cologne, 2014: Ninjas in Pyjamas
Champion: Ninjas in Pyjamas Roster:
- Fifflaren: Robin Johansson
- f0rest: Patrik Lindberg
- GeT_RiGhT: Christopher Alesund
- Xizt: Richard Landström Coach: Faruk Pita
DreamHack Winter, 2014: LDLC
Champion: LDLC Roster:
- Happy: Vincent Schopenhauer
- kioShiMa: Fabien Fiey
- NBK-: Nathan Schmitt
- shox: Richard Papillon
- SmithZz: Edouard Dubourdeaux Coach: MoMaN (Emmanuel Marquez)
ESL One: Katowice, 2015: Fnatic
Champion: Fnatic Roster:
- flusha
- JW
- KRIMZ: Freddy Johansson
- olofmeister: Olof Kajbjer
- pronax Coach: Devilwalk
ESL One: Cologne, 2015: Fnatic
Champion: Fnatic Roster:
- flusha
- JW
- KRIMZ
- olofmeister
- pronax Coach: vuggo (Viktor Jendeby)
DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca, 2015: Team Envy
Champion: Team Envy Roster:
- apEX: Dan Madesclaire
- Happy
- kioShima
- kennyS: Kenny Schrub
- NBK-
MLG Major Championship: Colombus, 2016: Luminosity Gaming
Champion: Luminosity Gaming Roster:
- coldzera: Marcelo David
- FalleN: Gabriel Toledo
- fer: Fernando Alvarenga
- fnx: Lincoln Lau
- TACO: Epitácio de Melo Coach: zews (Wilton Prado)
ESL One: Cologne, 2016: SK Gaming
Champion: SK Gaming Roster:
- coldzera
- FalleN
- fer
- fnx
- TACO Coach: zews
ELEAGUE Major Atlanta, 2017: Astralis
Champion: Astralis Roster:
- dev1ce: Nicolai Reedtz
- dupreeh: Peter Rasmussen
- gla1ve: Lukas Rossander
- Kjaerbye: Markus Kjærbye
- Xyp9x: Andreas Højsleth Coach: zonic (Danny Sørensen)
PGL Major Krakow, 2017: Gambit Esports
Champion: Gambit Esports Roster:
- AdreN: Däuren Qystaubaev
- Dosia: Mikhail Stolyarov
- HObbit: Abay Khassenov
- mou: Rüstem Telepov
- Zeus: Danylo Teslenko Coach: kane (Mykhajlo Blaghin)
ELEAGUE Major Boston, 2018: Cloud9
Champion: Cloud9 Roster:
- autimatic: Timothy Ta
- RUSH: William Wierzba
- Skadoodle: Tyler Latham
- Stewie2K: Jacky Yip
- tarik: Tarik Celik Coach: valens (Soham Chowdhury)
FACEIT Major: London, 2018: Astralis
Champion: Astralis Roster:
- dev1ce
- dupreeh
- gla1ve
- Magisk: Emil Reif
- Xyp9x Coach: zonic
IEM Katowice Major, 2019: Astralis
Champion: Astralis Roster:
- dev1ce
- dupreeh
- gla1ve
- Magisk
- Xyp9x Coach: zonic
StarLadder Berlin Major, 2019: Astralis
Champion: Astralis Roster:
- dev1ce
- dupreeh
- gla1ve
- Magisk
- Xyp9x Coach: zonic
PGL Major Stockholm, 2021: Natus Vincere
Champion: Natus Vincere Roster:
- b1t: Valerij Vakhovsjkyj
- Boombl4: Kirill Mikhaylov
- electroNic: Denis Sharipov
- Perfecto: Ilya Zalutskiy
- s1mple: Oleksandr Kostyljev Coach: B1ad3 (Andrij Ghorodensjkyj)
PGL Major Antwerp, 2022: FaZe Clan
Champion: FaZe Clan Roster:
- broky: Helvijs Saukants
- karrigan: Finn Andersen
- Twistzz: Russel Van Dulken
- rain: Håvard Nygaard
- ropz: Robin Kool
IEM Rio Major, 2022: Outsiders
Champion: Outsiders (formerly Virtus.pro) Roster:
- fame: Petr Bolyshev
- FL1T: Evgeniy Lebedev
- Jame: Dzhami Ali
- n0rb3r7: David Daniyelyan
- Qikert: Alexey Golubev Coach: dastan (Dastan Akbayev)
BLAST Paris Major, 2023: Team Vitality
Champion: Team Vitality Roster:
- apEX
- dupreeh
- Magisk
- Spinx: Lotan Giladi
- ZywOo: Mathieu Herbaut Coach: zonic
PGL Major Copenhague, 2024: Natus Vincere
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Champion: Natus Vincere Roster:
- Aleksib: Aleksi Virolainen
- b1t
- iM: Mihai Ivan
- jL: Justinas Lekavicius
- w0nderful: Ihor Zhdanov Coach: B1ad3
Conclusion
The history of Counter-Strike Majors is a testament to the skill, dedication, and teamwork of the players who have competed at the highest level.
From Fnatic’s early dominance to Natus Vincere’s recent resurgence, each champion has left an indelible mark on the game’s legacy. As the scene continues to evolve, new champions will rise, but the memories of these legendary victories will endure.