The Return of Counter-Strike Classic. Top 5 Legendary Moments on Dust 2 in CS:GO
At the end of April 2024, VALVE released an update that significantly impacted the competitive scene. A change was made to the map pool, replacing Overpass with Dust 2. The return of this map was warmly welcomed by both professionals and casual players alike. This is not surprising, as Dust 2 is considered a true classic of Counter-Strike and is familiar to every player in the community. Many epic matches have been played on this map, leaving a lasting mark in history. In this piece, we will recall some of the most legendary moments on Dust 2 that are still remembered by fans and pro players.
Virtus.pro vs ENCE. ESL Pro League S13
During the peak of the pandemic, all matches were held online, with only a few standing out due to their intense storyline. At that time, Virtus.pro was one of the favorites of the tournament, following their top-2 finish at IEM Katowice 2021. A disappointing performance in the group stage sent them to the first round of the EPL playoffs, where they faced ENCE. After exchanging maps, it was time for the decider, which was the main protagonist of the recent days – Dust 2. The first half ended with a score of 12:3 in favor of the Finnish organization, who also won 3 rounds after switching sides, leaving only one round for victory. At that moment, in the 8 years of CS:GO’s existence, around 10,000 matches had been played on Dust 2. Among them, 253 times a team playing on the attacking side led with a score of 15:3, and only VP managed to turn the tide of the match and achieve such a comeback.
It was fortunate that the team had recordings of their in-game communications, allowing us to witness not only the course of the match but also the internal atmosphere of the Russian team. It’s a pity there was no similar recording from ENCE’s side because losing such a match without any extra emotions is hardly possible. It’s unlikely that such an achievement can be repeated, especially after the reduction in the number of rounds in CS:GO.
s1mple clutch vs Team Liquid. IEM Katowice 2020
The last tournament before the start of the online era due to COVID restrictions, held without spectators but at the legendary Spodek Arena. Let’s remember the quarterfinal between Liquid, the current holders of the Intel Grand Slam, and NAVI, who had recently signed Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy. The American team was considered a slight favorite, but when it comes to matches involving Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, everything can go according to his scenario.
On the Dust 2 map, NAVI started their pick on the defensive side and by the seventh round were trailing 2:4. It was crucial to win this round, as the Ukrainian organization didn’t have money and they could fall behind 2:7. s1mple was left in a 1v4 situation with an AWP and managed to win the round for his team. From the outside, these kills may seem quite simple, but only because the AWP was in the hands of the world’s best player at that time. NAVI won not only this match but also IEM Katowice 2020, which was the first tournament on their way to winning the Intel Grand Slam 3rd season.
s1mple clutch vs Team Liquid. ESL One New York 2016
Once again, a clutch by Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, but at that time, he was far from the s1mple of 2020. The first major tournament as part of the Born to Win roster after the scandalous removal of Daniil “Zeus” Teslenko. Fate brought s1mple against his former team immediately in the semifinals of ESL One New York 2016, and the match was crucial for him. It was important to prove to NAVI fans that the team made the right replacements and to prove to himself that leaving Liquid was not a mistake.
With the series tied at 1-1, the deciding map was Dust 2, with NAVI leading 5-0 and Sasha in a clutch situation where he needed to retake the B site. Winning such a clutch was very difficult, especially with a stationary device in hand. s1mple made the most unusual decision, which only he could come up with – throwing the AWP through the wall to distract the opponent. Despite the perfect position to play against the opponent coming out of the window, Nicolai “nitr0” Cannella fell for this move. The American’s crosshair reacted to the passing AWP, while s1mple quickly came out and killed the confused Team Liquid player. After this moment, almost every CS:GO player, finding themselves in a similar situation, tried to replicate this highlight.
KQLY vs Virtus.pro. ESL One Cologne 2014
One of the most scandalous moments in Counter-Strike history that went far beyond the game and is known to many esports fans. French player Hovik “KQLY” Tovmassian was one of the leaders of the legendary French tag LDLC and amazed with his incredibly cool shooting. ESL One Cologne is still one of the most prestigious tournaments in CS, and reaching the quarterfinals of such a major event is not easy for every esports player.
The first map of the showdown between LDLC and the Polish Virtus.pro team was Dust 2, and with the score at 15:14 in favor of the French, KQLY was left in a clutch against pashaBiceps. The Pole managed to plant the bomb on the A site at the last second, leaving only to play out the situation and take the game to overtime. But KQLY had his own plans for the outcome of this map; he made an insane jump shot and helped the team secure victory in the match. Even then, this moment was widely discussed in the community, but everything became clear only after the VAC ban on KQLY’s Steam account a few months later. He admitted to using cheats long ago but denies using special software built into the mouse, which allowed him to make such a shot. Despite the dubious moment, attempts to make kills in mid-air have not stopped to this day. Symbolically, along with the return of Dust 2 to the competitive map pool, developers added an icon to the game denoting a kill made in mid-air.
Fnatic vs Envy. ESL One Cologne 2015
In 2015, this tournament had Major status, and before VALVE liked leaving memorable graffiti in honor of epic moments in the finals. Dust 2 was the first map of the ESL One Cologne 2015 final between the Swedish roster Fnatic and the French team Envy. Events on the map led to overtime, and in the last round before switching sides, they decided to buy 4 AWPs to increase their chances of getting the first kill in mid. The plan worked, and Fnatic secured an advantage at the start of the round, managing to move on to the next overtimes with a score of 3:0 and win on Dust 2. In honor of this unconventional decision, VALVE made a memorable graffiti, but after the map rework, it disappeared from the terrorist spawn.
It disappeared due to a new texture that made this shot impossible. Now it’s impossible to pull off such a disruptive trick, but it still remains in the memory of most players.