CS:GO's Epic Farewell: ESL Pro League Season 18 Finals

Counter-Strike 2 has finally been released, and Valve has officially announced that ESL Pro League Season 18 was the last CS:GO tournament. Today, we will discuss the Playoff stage, and you will learn who became the last CS:GO champion, which team made it to the finals without losing a single map, and many other interesting details.

So let’s get started.

In article you will find:

Brief Overview of ESL Pro League Season 18

ESL Pro League Season 18 is a tournament that is quite influential in eSports. The tournament is designated as an S-tier tournament, the highest grade in the world of competitive Counter-Strike.

This year’s season has a prize pool of $850,000, of which the winner will receive $200,000. However, this is not the most important thing. The main prize for the winner is 3000 Blast Premier points and an invitation to IEM Katowice 2024 and BLAST World Final 2023.

ESL Pro League Season 18: Playoffs

The Playoffs consists of five stages that teams must go through, but teams that place high in the group stage automatically advance to the Quarterfinals.

Here is a table of the teams that have advanced to the Playoffs:

Day 1: Round of 16

Monte vs Fnatic

The day’s most exciting match was the showdown between Monte and Fnatic. These teams have no long history of meeting each other, as Monte is a relatively new team that has only recently begun to qualify for major world tournaments.

However, these teams met once at the Paris Major, but since then, the teams have changed their players, and it can be considered that the teams are playing against each other for the first time, not knowing the opponent’s playing style or their real capabilities.

The first map was Anubis, an obvious pick from the Ukrainian team. They successfully took the first six rounds and dominated the first half of the map, taking the first half with a 9:6 score. Monte confidently dominated the second half and finished the map with a 16:9 score.

The second map was Overpass, picked by Fnatic. The first half for the Ukrainian team was disastrous. They won only three rounds. In the second half, things were not much better. At a 14:6 score, Monte together broke into the B plant and took the round, after which they were able to establish dominance for six rounds in a row and reach a 14:12 score, but Fnatic finally pressed their opponent and won the second map with a 16:12 score.

The decisive map was Vertigo. Monte crushed the opponent like a steamroller in the first half with an 11:4 score and continued to dominate after changing sides. So, the Ukrainian team won the map and the series with a 2:1 score.

Astralis vs Eternal Fire

Most fans, experts, and players who watched the match believed that Astralis was the main contender for victory. However, things didn’t go as expected. Eternal Fire is currently in incredible form. The team is training a lot and is showing incredible results.

The first map was Vertigo, picked by Eternal Fire. To say that they were close to defeat is an understatement. The team was losing 14:10, but in the 25 round, they could defuse the bomb and take the round. After that, a series of victories began, which led the team to a 16:14 score in their favor.

The second map was already the pick of the opponents, but Astralis could not show good results. Whether due to the defeat on the previous map or for other reasons, Eternal Fire also won the second map and advanced.

Virtus.pro vs 9z Team

In this match, the Russian Bears faced off against the Brazilian Eagles. Both teams played well, but in the end, the Brazilians were the stronger side. The first map was Mirage, and the Brazilians were nearly defeated. They defused the bomb in the final round, securing a 16:14 win.

In the second map, VP did not make the same mistakes they had in the first game. They played a cohesive game and won Inferno with a 16:10 score. The teams then moved on to the deciding map, Overpass.

Overpass was a very close match. The situation was reversed this time, and VP was on the brink of victory. They won three rounds in a row to take a 14:15 lead. However, the Brazilians won the decisive round and closed the map with a 16:14 score.

MOUZ vs FURIA Esports

This match was a complete and utter blowout. MOUZ were in complete control from start to finish, never giving their opponents a chance. They easily won both maps, 16:5 on Nuke and 16:4 on Mirage.

Day 2: Round of 12

What a day it was! The second day of the tournament took place on September 27, the day Valve officially announced CS2. It was associated with many problems and almost disrupted the match between Monte and Complexity, but more on that later.

BIG vs Eternal Fire

The first game of the second day was between BIG and Eternal Fire. On the first map, Vertigo, picked by Eternal Fire, could defeat their opponent with a 16:14 score, although they were close to defeat as in the previous day when they competed with Astralis.

The second map was a real surprise for all BIG fans. Even though the team picked Anubis, they could not show good results and lost the first half by an 11:4 score and then the map as a whole with a 16:10 score.

Movistar Riders vs 9z Team

The first map of the match was Nuke, which Movistar Riders won with a 16:13 score. The second map was won by 9z Team with a 16:12 score, resulting in a 1:1 tie. The decisive map was Ancient.

In the first half of Ancient, the teams were tied at 8:7, with Movistar Riders leading. In the second half, Movistar Riders took the lead on the attacking side, winning the map 16:9 and the series 2:1.

MOUZ vs FaZe Clan

FaZe is a powerhouse, but MOUZ demonstrated that even the best teams have vulnerabilities. They not only exposed those weaknesses, but they also exploited them to their advantage.

The first map, Mirage, was relatively even, especially in the first half. However, MOUZ took the initiative in the second half and won 16:10.

The second map, Inferno, was something incredible for FaZe. They played the first half with a 10:5 score, but as soon as the sides changed, MOUZ started dominating and closed the map 16:5. Thus, with a 2:0 score, MOUZ advanced to the quarterfinals.

Monte vs Complexity

A complete nonsense occurred during the match between Monte and Complexity. Valve decided to release CS2 right when the teams finished the first map, on which the Ukrainian team won confidently with a 16:7 score.

The break between the first and second maps was supposed to be just a few minutes, but nothing worked at all due to the incredible load on the servers, and the second game could not start due to technical reasons.

The players’ CS:GO client did not work, errors appeared when starting the game, and some players even had a blank screen, and nothing happened. Only after an hour this problem was resolved, and the teams started the second map.

Complexity showed a better game on the second map, won the first round, and continued to dominate in the second half, finishing the second map with a 16:9 score and tying the score to 1:1.

The third and decisive map was Anubis, where Monte felt very confident. The map started with a pistol round for Complexity, but in the second round, Monte turned the situation in their favor and began to dominate the map, finishing the first half with a 9:6 score.

The second half was more tense for the Ukrainian team, as Complexity almost made a comeback, but Monte gathered in time and won the map with a 16:12 score.

Now, let’s move on to the Quarterfinals!

ESL Pro League Season 18: Quarterfinals

Here you can view the tournament bracket:

Eight of the strongest teams met here, of which only four will make it to the Semifinals. The teams that lost received $35,000 and 500 Blast Premier points each.

Team Vitality vs Monte

Unbelievable predictions were made by bookmakers and experts, all of whom unanimously said that this was a 100% victory for the French team. The odds for Monte to win were over 5.2. However, as soon as the first half of Anubis began, Monte showed who was boss. The Ukrainians took round after round and crushed the French team with a 16:11 score.

The second map was Nuke, picked by Vitality, and they showed some really good results in the first four rounds. However, after the fourth round, the situation changed, and Monte began to dominate, taking round after round, going up 9:6 in their favor.

The second half was more balanced, but thanks to the previous half and the small lead in the second round, Monte could win with a small margin of 16:14. Monte is the first team to advance to the semifinals.

Natus Vincere vs Eternal Fire

It was clear that NAVI would be the winner, but the team played cautiously against their opponent. Eternal Fire had shown good results and had made it to the Quarterfinals, so they could not be ignored. Therefore, NAVI took the match very seriously and gave it their all.

The first map was Anubis. In the first half of the map, the Ukrainian team played well and gained a 10:5 lead. After the sides switched, NAVI began to dominate and won round after round. Eternal Fire tried to make a comeback but in vain. The first map ended with a 16:7 score in favor of NAVI.

During the second map, the situation did not change. NAVI again dominated the map, finishing the first half with a 10-5 score and continuing to dominate after the sides switched. NAVI thus completed the second map with a victory by a 16:10 score.

ENCE vs Movistar Riders

There is little to say about this match, as it was a slaughter. ENCE dominated their opponents in both maps, winning 16:2 on Overpass and 16:5 on Anubis.

G2 Esports vs MOUZ

The last quarterfinal match was between G2 and MOUZ, and given how MOUZ dealt with FaZe in the previous round, there were no clear decisions regarding the victory of one or the other team.

The first map was Mirage, picked by MOUZ. They got a difficult but important victory, ending the first map with a 16:13 score.

The victory on the first map was extremely important, as MOUZ does not like to play on Ancient, and for G2, this map is a signature. So it happened. G2 confidently played on it, but at some point, everything went wrong, and they found themselves in an almost losing situation. However, they could take everything into their own hands and close the map in their favor 16:14.

With a score of 1:1, the teams moved on to the decisive map, Inferno. If, in the first half, the teams played more or less evenly, then after the change of sides, MOUZ established complete dominance on the map and won with a 16:7 score.

Let’s move on to the Semifinals.

ESL Pro League Season 18: Semifinals

Four teams made it to the semifinals of the latest CS:GO tournament, and two of these teams are Ukrainian. Interestingly, Ukrainian teams are currently in very good form. At this stage, losing teams will receive 1,200 Blast Premier Points and $50,000. The winners will compete for the grand prize and the title of champions of the latest CS:GO tournament.

NAVI vs Monte

Let’s go back to May 15, 2023, specifically to the Paris Major, where the teams already met, and Monte was able to get an incredible victory against NAVI 2:0, not just a victory, but with a huge margin of 16:2 on one of the maps. Therefore, this meeting can be called moral for both teams because, for NAVI, it is to show that they are stronger, and for Monte, it is an opportunity to show that they should not be underestimated.

The first map was Anubis, picked by Monte. It is obvious, Anubis, because the team has shown very good results on this map in recent games.

A confident start on the first map from Monte and easy 4:0, but NAVI’s coach quickly understood the situation and took a break to talk to his team and give them game instructions. After the timeout, NAVI began to fight back, and the first half ended with a score of 8:7 in favor of Monte.

The second half again started with a victory in the pistol round from Monte, but as soon as NAVI had money, they showed good aggression. Monte lost all their decisive rounds on B plant. NAVI took advantage of their opponent’s mistakes and won the first map with a 16:12 score.

The start on Mirage, picked by NAVI, was very similar to the first map. Monte dominated the first five rounds, but NAVI gathered quickly and took control of the situation, but not for long. Monte could continue dominating and take the first half with a 9:6 score. Immediately after the change of sides, NAVI, who were playing in defense, did not leave any chances for Monte and won 8 rounds in a row and soon finished the second map with their victory 16:10.

ENCE vs MOUZ

The first map of the match was Mirage. In the first half, MOUZ took 10 of 15 rounds and felt confident against such a strong opponent, but in the second half, ENCE showed that they were in good form and almost equalized the score.

Thanks to their good first half, MOUZ had a few rounds to catch their breath, and after taking a break, they changed their strategy and pushed the opponent. MOUZ were able to hold on for a 16:13 victory.

The second map was Vertigo, ENCE’s signature map, and they showed that they didn’t just choose it by accident by easily closing the first half, and then, without much difficulty, took most of the rounds in the second half and won with a total 16:11 score.

The decisive map was Nuke. The first half was a total domination from MOUZ with an 11:4 score. They closed the first half. After the sides changed, ENCE tried to mount a comeback, but MOUZ was too strong, winning 16:8.

Let’s quickly move on to the most exciting part – the Grand Final.

ESL Pro League Season 18: Grand Final

In the grand final, the two strongest teams of the tournament, NAVI and MOUZ, will meet. We would like to note that NAVI reached the grand final without losing a single map, so the battle promised to be incredible.

The grand final was played in a BO5 series, so let’s first consider the list of map selections and bans:

• MOUZ removed Anubis
• Natus Vincere removed Vertigo
• MOUZ picked Inferno
• Natus Vincere picked Overpass
• MOUZ picked Mirage
• Natus Vincere picked Nuke
• Ancient was left over

Inferno

The beginning of the first map did not start well for the Ukrainian team. MOUZ led 4:0 and played on defense. However, having received a good Loss bonus, NAVI was able to buy good devices and slightly change the course of events, taking the next four rounds and leveling the score to 4:4. The match then went back and forth. Still, MOUZ held their defense well and finished the first half with a 9:6 score in their favor.

In the second half of the map, NAVI loses the first pistol round, but they defend in the second. MOUZ, having devices, takes the next four rounds, goes up to a 14:7 score, and then soon takes the map 16:10.

Overpass

The following map was Overpass, picked by NAVI. They started on the attacking side. The situation was mirrored from the first map, with MOUZ taking the first four rounds, then NAVI and the score was 4:4. However, MOUZ played very well on defense and repelled all of NAVI’s attacks, finishing the first half with a 11:4 score.

As Natus Vincere switched to the CT side, they managed to have a good pistol round and then four more rounds, almost equalizing the score and reaching 9:11. However, MOUZ took advantage of the losing bonus, bought devices, a lot of grenades, and turned the next round to their advantage, and after that, all the following rounds. They completed the second map with a 16:9 score.

Mirage

The deciding map was Mirage, picked by MOUZ. NAVI failed to play defense, and the swift attack of MOUZ crushed the Ukrainians in the first half. With a 9:6 score, MOUZ led.

However, after the change of sides, NAVI showed that they could put up a good fight, took several rounds in a row, lost one, and then won several more. Thanks to such efforts, the NAVI team came out with a score of 13:10 in their favor. However, MOUZ narrowed the gap by three rounds and took five rounds in a row. Only one round separated MOUZ from victory. NAVI clung to every round with their last strength and still came out with a 15:15 score. After which, the Overtime series began.

During the Overtime, MOUZ started as counter-terrorists and easily repelled all three attacks of the opponent. After changing sides, they took one more round and closed the third map in their favor with a general 19:15 score.

Congratulations, MOUZ!

And, as always, here are a few highlights to lift your spirits!

Wrapping Up The Last CS:GO ESL Pro League!

MOUZ became the final CS:GO champions, winning the grand prize of $200,000, 3,000 BLAST Premier points, and invitations to IEM Katowice 2024 and BLAST World Final 2023.

It was a remarkable era that brought an incredible range of emotions, from happiness and joy to heartbreak and disappointment. We hope the teams will quickly adjust to the new CS2 and show us a new game to deliver unforgettable experiences.

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