GamerLegion have done the impossible, reaching the final of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. The Heroic CS:GO team were left crushed, and their chance of leaving a huge legacy in the game finished.
GamerLegion – Major Finalists. Credit: BLASTtv on Twitter
Heroic Stunned
Paris was supposed to be different after losing the IEM Rio Major 2022 final to Outsiders. This Heroic CS:GO roster arrived in the tournament as joint favorites with Vitality, and looked good for that status. An easy Legends Stage and a solid Quarter-Final win against FaZe left high hopes for Heroic. GamerLegion had other ideas.
The first map went as we all expected. GamerLegion put up a strong fight, but Heroic offered too much for them. Map 2 offered some more questions, as GamerLegion resisted a Heroic CS:GO comeback to send it to the final map.
Map 3 wasn’t even competitive. Mirage is strong in the Heroic CS:GO map pool, but GamerLegion made them look like they’d never played it before.
Every player stepped up, but we have to reserve praise for iM. He looked like a truly elite rifler, the best player on the entire server. And then there’s isak, whose CT-side was one of the best ever on the big stage. Keoz kept up with some good trades, while acoR truly outclassed cadiaN on the AWP. Only one Danish AWPer, one dev1ce, has ever become a CS:GO Major winner. Now, acoR is in with a chance of making it two.
Whether it’s Apeks or Vitality that GamerLegion face for the crown, we’re guaranteed a new winner. They won’t particularly care, either. On this form, they can beat anyone. They’ve shown that against Heroic. If it’s to be Vitality, then the Frenchmen would surely go in as favorites. But GamerLegion, a team we had near the bottom of the pile in our BLAST.tv Paris Major power rankings, don’t need to be scared of anyone.
siuhy
What more is there to say about this young man? At just 20 years old, he has IGLed his way to a Major Grand-Final. Many of the best IGLs only come of age later in their career, as they develop the confidence and game sense needed to succeed in that role. But at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, he has shown wisdom way, way beyond his years, setting himself up to be one of the biggest names in CS2.
The next great IGL, siuhy. Credit: BLASTtv on Twitter
Understandably, there will be lots of questions over siuhy’s future no matter what happens in the Grand Final. He’ll have his pick of any team in the world, as they scramble to pick up the next top IGL.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Regardless of whether GamerLegion wins the Major or not, this roster deserves a chance to build something together. They’re the perfect puzzle, their pieces coming together in a way that no one can deal with at the moment. It would be a shame for GamerLegion to be picked apart the moment they achieve something great.
