Vitality coast to Victory in BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023

A remarkable end to the BLAST.tv Paris Major saw Vitality lift their first ever CS:GO Major, defeating GamerLegion in the Grand Final in convincing fashion.

Vitality would never admit it, but this was elementary for them. At no point in the tournament did they look threatened, winning the Major without dropping a single map.

Vitality’s easy-mode run

Looking at Vitality’s run to the BLAST.tv Paris Major Grand Final, they likely can’t believe their luck. Into The Breach in the Quarter Finals, Apeks in the Semi-Finals, and GamerLegion in the Grand Final? They couldn’t have dreamed of better matchups, pushing each plucky underdog aside with ease. Vitality had no interest in a CS:GO cinderella story.

They had narratives of their own to live up to. Ever since the final CS:GO Major was announced for Paris, Vitality set their sights on capturing the hometown trophy. The fans in the Accor Arena made no secret of who they were supporting, with every Vitality kill sending the entire stadium into raptures. They had no intention of disappointing.

BLAST.tv Paris Major Grand Final

For many, the result of the BLAST.tv Paris Major Grand Final was a foregone conclusion. Vitality had too much experience on the big stage, and too much individual quality for GamerLegion to ever pose a real threat. Heroic’s defeat at the hands of GamerLegion had some worried, but ultimately all played out as expected.

The first map was a blowout, and it wasn’t until the second map that siuhy and his men started to get into gear. Unfortunately for them, Vitality rose above at every turn, seeing out the series 2:0. There was to be no upset here. Vitality were winning their first-ever CS:GO Major, whether GamerLegion liked it or not.

Record-Breakers

The win for Vitality is remarkable for many reasons, breaking all kinds of CS:GO Major records. First of all, there’s dupreeh. Where do you even start with this man? The only player to play in all 19 CS:GO Majors, which itself is a brilliant achievement. But previously, he was tied for most Major titles with his former Astralis teammates, dev1ce, gla1ve, and Xyp9x all on four. Now, dupreeh stands alone as the only player to win five CS:GO Majors. Over the past twelve months dupreeh has faced plenty of criticism over his form, but in Paris he rolled back the years to show that while form is temporary, class is permanent.

Then, there’s Magisk. Formerly a three-time CS:GO Major winner, he equals his Astralis teammates on four, too. At just 25 years old, Magisk has plenty of time in CS2 to add to that incredible legacy. We must mention Spinx, too, becoming the first-ever Middle-Eastern player to win a CS:GO Major.

Of course, apEX’s achievement requires recognition. By taking home his second Major after DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca 2015, he sets the niche record of the longest gap between CS:GO Major wins. It’s not even close, either. At over seven and a half years, he takes the title away from dupreeh, dev1ce, gla1ve, and Xyp9x. For context, their record stood at around one year and eight months between ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 and FACEIT Major: London 2018, so to beat it by around six years will be tough to exceed.

A New GOAT?

Finally, there’s ZywOo. MVP of the BLAST.tv Paris Major, and deservedly so. Only iM of GamerLegion compares numbers-wise in Paris, and the victor of the tournament was always taking home the MVP.

Had ZywOo finished CS:GO without a Major to show for his efforts, it would have been the greatest injustice in the history of the game. You can talk about NiKo, GuardiaN, or EliGE, but no one deserves it like this man. He can rest easy knowing he won the final CS:GO Major, securing a legacy within the game forever. Having achieved such a feat at 22 years old, you must imagine there are more Major trophies to come for ZywOo. This year he has been by far the best CS:GO player on the planet, and his name will continue to arise in the GOAT conversations if he keeps this up.

With the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 now complete, we draw the curtain on CS:GO Majors. With the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, we begin a new era in CS2, where even more legends will be made on the server.