As CS:GO competitive play winds down with the conclusion of the final Major, held in Paris, many have begun reflecting on the all-time greats from the game’s decade-long competitive scene.
One organization that immediately comes to mind for many is Astralis, which fielded one of the greatest Counter-Strike dynasties. Those who have remained, however, failed to recapture that spark from years prior, while three members of the former star-studded squad hoisted a Major trophy under a different banner.
While gla1ve and Xyp9x stayed with Astralis, and dev1ce eventually returned home, dupreeh, Magisk and coach zonic have moved on from the three-time Major-winning roster. Of these three, dupreeh stands out in terms of individual accolades.
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While dupreeh never won a Major MVP across the four Major titles his squad brought in through Astralis’ incredible run between 2017 and 2019, his presence and consistent rifle play was a key stabilizing factor, even across the short-term roster changes the squad has gone through.
Prior to his move to Vitality, dupreeh had spent the majority of his time as the team’s lurker, but even picked up the AWP towards the end of his time with Astralis. Once dupreeh arrived at Vitality, he was asked to entry frag for the squad. Another new role, another adaptation. Dupreeh may never jump off the stat sheet or claim MVP titles, but he will come in and do what’s asked of him, no matter the circumstance. Across their entire Major run in Paris, dupreeh only had a negative K/D ratio in one series the entire tournament. The star has been the definition of consistency in CS:GO, reaching the peak once more with Vitality.
Dupreeh is arguably the most decorated player in CS:GO history. He was the only player to qualify for all 19 Majors across the last decade. He now holds the record for most CS:GO Major titles, grabbing his fifth with Vitality.
Four players are one Major behind Dupreeh’s record, one of them being the next player to find success outside of that Astralis superteam: Magisk, the dynamic rifler in Vitality’s one-two Danish punch. Magisk now holds four Major titles himself, with three coming during his time with Astralis after joining the team in 2018.
Where Dupreeh has been known as the epitome of consistency as a rifler, Magisk has been the definition of a firecracker. Magisk’s highs are extraordinary, like his performances at the Katowice Major in 2019, where he finished with a 1.28 rating en route to a Major MVP title.
That same ferocious Magisk CS fans have seen for years showed up in big-time moments for Vitality at this final CS:GO Major. On map two against Apeks, with a ticket to the grand final on the line, Magisk finished with a 102 ADR and 1.43 rating. Magisk has been a player that has been somewhat inconsistent in the international squad, but in the Accor Arena, he showed exactly why he’s now a four-time Major champion.
Finally, the most underrated and least talked about integral cog of both Astralis and Vitality’s success, is the coach, zonic. One of the greatest 1.6 players, and another founding member of Astralis back in 2016, he was there every step of the way as Astralis went from also-rans to superteam. Like dupreeh, he was also a part of all four Major wins for Astralis before taking his talents to Vitality to prove himself in a new environment.
Now he will undoubtedly go down as the most successful coach in CS:GO history after claiming his fifth Major trophy with Vitality. There are no statistical margins to truly highlight the impact having a coach like zonic has on the success of a squad. It all stems from the trophy case, and his speaks for itself.
While Astralis has certainly lost most of its shine over the last couple of years, the legacy of the legendary CS:GO squad remains unmatched.
Now, three have transcended the org that first led them to greatness.
