Pro player cracks 30 kill barrier at first CS2 LAN
IEM Sydney marks the first Counter-Strike 2 offline event. The first frag barrier has already been broken.
16th Oct 2023 16:55
Image via ESL
Pro player cracks 30 kill barrier at first CS2 LAN
IEM Sydney marks the first Counter-Strike 2 offline event. The first frag barrier has already been broken.
16th Oct 2023 16:55
Image via ESL
Despite an uphill battle, Counter-Strike team Natus Vincere (NAVI), missing superstar Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev due to visa issues, star rifler Justinas "jL" Lekavicius dropped the first 30-bomb at a CS2 offline event during their match against their first-round opponent at IEM Sydney, Apeks.
The first CS2 30-bomb on MR12
With the launch of Counter-Strike 2, the esports scene also switched to the new version, with IEM Syndey marking the first offline event on the new platform.
Other than changes around the behaviour of smoke grenades, movement, and the occasional pesky bug, the most significant difference between CS2 and older versions is the return to the ruleset of max rounds 12 - cutting down on the number of rounds on each side by three.
Previously in games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a 30-kill round was already seen as a large achievement, especially when achieved during the regular match duration without overtime rounds. Back then, the game was still played under MR 15, giving significantly more opportunity to drop a 30-bomb on the opponent.
A 30-bomb now is, therefore, seen as much more challenging, and to do this at a LAN event during the first-ever CS 2 offline event adds to the weight of the achievement. Perhaps even more impressively, the team’s star player, s1mple, was missing due to visa issues. That's according to Dexerto Esports editor Luís Mira.
Winning with a coach
As a replacement for s1mple, coach Andrij "B1ad3" Ghorodensjkyj had to play as a stand-in on short notice, throwing NAVI for a loop. In the first match against Apeks, the move seemed to work out, with NAVI taking the match with a 13:9 scoreline on Mirage.
Unfortunately for NAVI, their luck would run out in their match against MOUZ, who took the Eastern Europeans to three maps with a 16-13 scoreline on Mirage, 4-13 on Inferno, and finally, a 13-6 on Ancient.
NAVI will have to fight back from the lower bracket of Group A, awaiting FaZe on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. BST for a chance to make it out of the group stage.
About The Author
Sascha Heinisch
Sascha "Yiska" Heinisch is a Senior Esports Journalist at GGRecon. He's been creating content in esports for over 10 years, starting with Warcraft 3.
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