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Category: CS-GO

BIG and Furia stun the world as they win DreamHack Masters Spring

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Yesterday BIG Clan made history, taking down G2 in the Grand Finals with an intense reverse sweep in their best of 5 series at DreamHack Masters Spring. The North American DreamHack Masters has also concluded, having the brazilian squad, Furia taking the win. 

Here are the Final Standings + Winnings for both regions:

Europe:

  • 1st – $54,000 – BIG
  • 2nd – $28,000 – G2 Esports
  • 3rd – $20,000 – FaZe Clan
  • 4th – $16,000 – Natus Vincere
  • 5th-6th – $10,000 – MAD Lions
  • 5th-6th – $10,000 – Ninjas in Pyjamas
  • 7th-8th – $5,000 – Fnatic
  • 7th-8th – $5,000 – Team Vitality
  • 9th-12th – $3,000 – Complexity Gaming
  • 9th-12th – $3,000 – Team Spirit
  • 9th-12th – $3,000 – Heroic
  • 9th-12th – $3,000 – Astralis
  • 13th-16th – North
  • 13th-16th – mousesports
  • 13th-16th – GODSENT
  • 13th-16th – ENCE

North America:

  • 1st – $40,000 – FURIA Esports
  • 2nd – $20,000 – Team Liquid
  • 3rd – $15,000 – 100 Thieves
  • 4th – $10,000 – Cloud9
  • 5th/6th – $5,000 – Gen.G Esports
  • 5th/6th – $5,000 – MIBR
  • 7th-8th – $2,500 – Chaos Esports Club
  • 7th-8th – $2,500 – Evil Geniuses

How did they do it?

BIG kicked off the event by getting a clean sweep through group B, winning against Complexity, MAD Lions, and Mousesports. They then progressed through the upper bracket playoffs where they would meet FaZe Clan, and beat them 2-0. Afterwards, they advanced to the upper Bracket Final where they would meet G2 esports, and lose 2-1. They dropped down to the lower bracket finals where they would face-off FaZe Clan once more, and beat them 2-0. 

They then advanced to the Grand Finals where they would meet G2 for a 2nd and final time. G2 was given an automatic map point since they passed through the Grand Finals without dropping to the lower bracket. After an intense 4 map series, BIG successfully reverse sweed the european squad of G2 to be crowned champions of DreamHack Masters Spring 2020.

As for Furia, they have been dominating the NA scene for quite some time now, and it seems like they’re heading for a similar past they had in 2019. 

Furia started the event by getting a 3-0 in the group stage versus teams like Team Liquid, MiBR and Chaos. This led them to the upper bracket finals versus 100 Thieves, which they managed to beat 2-1. They advanced to the Grand Finals, where they would meet Team Liquid once more and beat them 3-0 in a best of 5 series.

The event was excellent, upsets happening left, right and centre definitely increased the event’s hype, and DreamHack has certainly delivered once more. However the biggest question still stands. Will BIG and Furia manage to dominate their regions? Or were these events just one-off victories? Be sure to stay tuned to https://www.esportsguide.com/ to keep yourself updated with all the latest esports news!

Valve introduce Visibility & Dust 2 changes in newest CS:GO Update

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

With the latest CS:GO update we’re seeing a couple of changes to Maps, texture optimization and most importantly, player visuals. 

Here is the full list of changes, however in this article we’ll be covering the main changes only.

– Added the ‘Boost Player Contrast’ advanced video setting, which improves the legibility of players in low contrast situations.

[AGENTS]

– Adjusted some agent textures for improved visibility.

[MISC]

– Adjusted dropped C4 collision geometry.

– Fixed Danger Zone drone pilot camera getting stuck when drone received burn damage.

– Added Desert Eagle shell eject event for last bullet fired.

[RENDERING]

– Minor texture streaming optimizations.

[MAPS]

Overpass:

– Removed large ivy-models near bathrooms by A site

– Removed thin windows in bathrooms by A site

– Removed bicycle by picnic by A long

– Brightened up connector tunnel

– Brightened up T spawn

– Added nice stone trims

Dust2:

– Flipped B site doors

– Simplified background when looking from B tunnels towards truck in mid

– Changed fog start distance from 1000 to 512, changed max density from .2 to .4

– Raised windows by A site ramp to make characters stand out more

Mirage:

– Removed trash pile at top of mid

– Trimmed plant by T spawn, towards apartments

– Boosted light in market window

– Fixed silent dropdown bug from B site balcony

– Changed angle of ladder in ladder-room

Inferno:

– Trimmed ivy by CT spawn towards A site arch

– Fixed CSM shadow from tower in mid

Train:

– Added new train bumper model with flat top

Cache:

– Replaced ladder to sniper’s nest with a box

– Cleaned up several important angles. (Thanks LangeThorup!)

– Added 1v1 Arenas

– Replaced cargo containers with new model for improved performance

– Visibility improvements in T entrance to A Main (Thanks Slender_CS!)

– Fixed unwanted/unintuitive wallbang in Mid Shed

– Subtle color tweaks

– Various clipping fixes

– Optimizations

The Main Changes following this update

Player Visibility

The addition of the agents in CS:GO has been a point of controversy for quite some time, due to some agents not being as visible as others. However with this latest update, Valve have introduced a new feature named “Boost Player Contrast” which improves player visibility in low contrast areas.

before after
Credit: Valve

Dust 2 Changes

The highly requested change for Dust 2 has finally happened. You will no longer need to worry when trying to Retake B as a counter-terrorist, with this new change, holding and retaking B is a much easier task than ever before. This is because the B doors have finally been flipped, and B tunnels can now be spotted from the Mid-to-B area. This change will definitely enhance Dust 2’s popularity in pro play as teams are now more attracted to playing it.

Credits to CSGO
Credit: Valve

Overall, this is a very good update which will definitely improve the state that competitive Counter-Strike is currently in. Who knows, maybe Valorant’s release is actually helping Counter-Strike and its community.

CS:GO World Rankings Update, G2 go up to 2nd, Astralis drop to 4th

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The weekly HLTV rankings update has finally been released and it is showing some noticeable changes. Here are the updated CS:GO HLTV Rankings for the 8th of June.

The main change with this week’s HLTV rankings is that G2 have moved up to 2nd place, and Astralis have dropped down to 4th. This is the lowest they’ve been since 2015, back when they were still under TSM.

How did Astralis’ performance drop off?

With their recent roster changes (due to player breaks) they have had very terrible performances overall and have definitely shown signs of stress and frustration. Here is what Dev1ce tweeted after their match versus NiP in the European DreamHack Masters Spring 2020:

In an interview with French esports website 1pv.fr, Kasper Hvidt, Astralis’ head of sports stated that they will be skipping cs_Summit 6 due to them getting punished for player substitution.

With this break the danes will definitely use the time they have to continue working on adapting to the new changes the squad is undergoing. Hopefully they manage to work through the issues and problems they are facing and return to competitive CS:GO as a force to be reckoned with.

Stay tuned to https://www.esportsguide.com/ for all your latest esports news!

CS:GO Pros Boarding the Valorant Train

Posted on by Gabriel Sciberras

With the official release of Valorant this week, many have flocked over to Riot Games’ new tactical bomb defusal first-person-shooter to give it a try. Many are doing more than that, pitching their competitive career on the success of the esports venture. First, it was Overwatch, but now, a slight shift is being observed in the CS:GO community too. 

This idea is fueled by the series of announcements which have hit the press together with the release of Valorant, namely the following: 

  • Xeta retiring from CS:GO forValorant 
  • Hiko retires from CS:GO forValorant 
  • Skadoodle coming out of retirement for Valorant from CS:GO 

Apart from the professionals, the community is also following the trend as during May, CS:GO player counts witnessed the first drop in players, though some are accounting this to the fact that summer is incoming anyways and that Valorant is free-to-play. 

We’ll be developing this story as the year goes on; just bear in mind that the successes of Valorant and CS:GO will be inexplicably comparable. 

Be sure to stay tuned to https://www.esportsguide.com/ to stay updated on all the latest esports news!

Current state of DreamHack Masters Spring 2020

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The DreamHack Masters Spring 2020 has been well underway for quite some time now. The European event started on the 19th of May and we’ve seen some big upsets in the past few weeks.

The EU tournament is currently stalled as to progress with the other regions that are participating in the DreamHack Masters Spring 2020. However, the last we saw of the European DreamHack Masters was the group stage which ended not very long ago which means that the next stage is the Playoffs. Here are their current standings:

Group A

  1. G2 Esports
  2. Astralis
  3. Heroic
  4. North

Group B

  1. BIG
  2. Complexity
  3. MAD Lions
  4. Mousesports

Group C

  1. FaZe Clan
  2. Team Spirit
  3. Fnatic
  4. GODSENT

Group D

  1. Natus Vincere
  2. Team Vitality
  3. Ninjas In Pyjamas
  4. ENCE

The winners of each group automatically progressed through the Upper bracket, whereas the 2nd and 3rd placers of each group were placed in the Lower bracket. Unfortunately for the last placing teams, they have been eliminated completely.

Some very upsetting results by quite a few teams, but also some surprising results coming out of FaZe Clan which have recently undergone a player swap due to Olofmeister stepping down from the main roster.

Credits to Dreamhckkk
Credit: Dreamhack

DreamHack Masters Spring 2020 is intended to continue on the 9th of June with the Playoffs, which is the final chance for the 2nd and 3rd placing teams in groups to progress through the event and have a chance of lifting that trophy, virtually of course.

Xyp9x taking leave from Astralis, Snappi to replace him

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

We’ve been seeing a lot of players taking a step back from competitive Counter-Strike, and this time, it’s Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth, one of the core Astralis players. Here is his statement:

What is the reason for this break?

The reason as to why he is taking a break from Counter-Strike is similar to reasons we have heard from the other players that have paused their Counter-Strike career, being that they were getting too burnt out by the game and events they have to play, which led to an accumulation of stress and demotivation.

Astralis have also added that since Patrick “es3tag” Hansen will be joining them in July and cannot play as of right now, Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer will be taking Xyp9x’s place on the roster for the time being. Snappi has been on Heroic’s bench since early April, which meant that he was available immediately, so it made a lot of sense for him to be the replacement for Astralis.

When will Xyp9x return?     

In the twitlonger he released, he did not mention when he will be returning to competitive Counter-Strike, however it is certain he will be inactive for the upcoming events in the coming months.

How will Astralis manage these sudden changes?

This is definitely the biggest question with regards to how these breaks from Xyp9x and their in-game leader, Gla1ve will affect the danish organization. We will just have to wait and see how they will handle this unfortunate situation.

$2M donated to charities with the help of CS:GO

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

The Gamers Without Borders event took place this weekend on the 29th and 30th of May, where we saw 2 North American teams play in a showmatch and 6 of the best European teams battle it out to aid charities around the world.

Here are the Final Standings + Winnings + Charities they donated to:

  • 1st – $750,000 – Natus Vincere – UNICEF
  • 2nd – $500,000 – mousesports – ITU
  • 3rd/4th – $150,000 – FaZe Clan – UNICEF
  • 3rd/4th – $150,000 – OG – Direct Relief
  • 5th/6th – $100,000 – G2 Esports – UNICEF
  • 5th/6th – $100,000 – Fnatic – UNICEF

North American Showmatch:

  • 1st – $150,000 – 100 Thieves – UNICEF
  • 2nd – $100,000 – Team Liquid – Direct Relief

How did Na’Vi win the event?

Natus Vincere started out the event in the Semi-Finals of the bracket, where they faced off FaZe Clan. The result of the match ended with a 2-1 scoreline favoring Na’Vi, and they advanced through the final where they would meet Mousesports for an intense best of 5 series.

The series between these two teams was very close, however after 4 maps played Na’Vi clutched up the final match to win the series 3-2 and grab 1st place at the Gamers Without Borders charity event.

On the whole, the event was a really good incentive to aid charities around the world with esports. We hope that more events like this happen so that esports has a part in helping the world as well.

Olofmeister departs FaZe Clan and takes break from CS:GO

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

A few days ago, Kjaerbye and Gla1ve announced that they will be stepping down from their main rosters due to either some sort of sickness or overall health. Another well-known player to announce his departure from his team was none other than the legendary Olofmeister.

The primary reason for his departure is because he has been feeling extremely fatigued and that he has lost tremendous motivation to improve himself and his team.

We’re seeing a lot of players drop out of their main rosters because of health and motivation, and the current health situation isn’t really helping. Sure there may be less travel, but events don’t feel the same as they are offline than they are currently, in an online setting.

FaZe have announced that the Lithuanian player Bymas will be standing in for the time being. 16 year-old Bymas is not very experienced when it comes to being a professional player in CS:GO. His best achievement as of right now is the 1st place he managed to grab during FACEIT Pro League, cashing in a total amount of $4,500 in prize pool.\

FaZe’s star player NiKo had this to say on their most recent pickup:

“There’s this guy Bymas from FPL who really surprised me. I watched him a couple of times and I think he’s pretty good and a pretty versatile player. He’s not going to be in the Top 20 next year, but I believe he’s going to be a big thing. I believe he has the potential to make it to the top and do some good things.”

With this change, FaZe will definitely struggle in the first few weeks, but they’re sure to come back stronger than ever in the coming months. Will we see Olofmeister returning to Counter-Strike, or will he choose to retire?

Stay tuned to https://www.esportsguide.com/ for all your latest esports news!

Team Liquid’s recent performance and disappointing results

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Since the start of 2020, the North American CS:GO teams have been undergoing a struggle in consistency and performance. One of the teams that fell victim to this were the prestigious Team Liquid.

Liquid had an excellent 2019, despite being overshadowed by Astralis’ success, Liquid was still a major talking point whenever the number 1 team in the world was mentioned. These were their highest placements during 2019: 

Their recent results have been quite shocking to say the least, losing matches and series versus Chaos, Cloud9, Furia, and Envy. This raises a lot of doubt as to what is going wrong with the Liquid squad. Is it the in-game leading? The management behind Liquid? Or the coaching staff? Nothing can be put to blame as of yet, but it is surely a talking point as Liquid were once the best team that North America had ever seen, and the reputation is deteriorating with every event and match they play.

Be sure to tune in to https://www.esportsguide.com/ for all your latest esports news!

Gla1ve taking a break from CS:GO, JUGi to replace him on Astralis

Posted on by Nathan Bonello

Earlier today, Astralis’ in-game leader, Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander has announced that he will be taking a short break from Counter-Strike due to health reasons. Earlier this week we also saw the departure of Kjaerbye from North’s squad, with similar reasons as to Gla1ve. The health of the players is definitely a major talking point at the moment, and there are probably more announcements and departures to come very soon.

Other professional players have also voiced their opinion about the health situation, most noticeably Heroic’s CadiaN stating the following:

How long is the break?

Gla1ve is expected to return to the starting Astralis lineup after a 3 month break from competitive CS:GO. In his announcement he has stated that he has been undergoing stress and burnout for a very long time, and that with the recent roster changes that Astralis have been making, he finally has the opportunity to rest and come back stronger than ever.

How will this impact Astralis?

The change will introduce an adjustment to the in-game leader role, as gla1ve was the in-game leader of Astralis before his departure. It is still unclear as to who will bear the role, however it has been hinted that Magisk will be taking over the role for the meantime. Gla1ve’s absence will mean that they will not be playing with him during DreamHack Masters Spring, and BLAST Premier Europe Showdown which are the two upcoming events for the danish squad.

We’ve seen Astralis battle out some very rough situations, and this seems like another challenge for them to overcome. We will have to see how much of an impact this will cause Astralis and if they’re able to keep up their performance without their main In-Game Leader.

Be sure to tune in to https://www.esportsguide.com/ for all your latest esports news!