Gambit wins its first CS: GO major ever at PGL Major Karkow

Gambit  proved itself by winning its first ever Major CS: GO tournament at PGL Major Karkow, defeating some of the best teams in the world and taking down Immortals in the finals.

The Brazilians began the grand final with an exceptionally explosive Terrorist side against Gambit on the first map pick, Cobblestone. Immortals kept a 12-3 lead at the half by winning a majority of their aim duels mid-execute, leaving Gambit trying to focus on defense. A crucial pistol round win kept Gambit out of the game, allowing Immortals to close out Cobblestone with a 16-4 result. HEN1 ended the map at the top of the server with an AWP at a 22-4 kill-death ratio.

The match momentum changed as Gambit kicked off their map pick Train with a solid Terrorist side by effectively isolating aim duels throughout both bomb sites. Once Immortals stabilized their economy, they answered back with rounds of their own, using double-AWP setups on A. The map ended 9-6 at halftime in favor of Gambit.

Immortals struggled to beat Gambit on the second half, playing passive retake on their Counter-Terrorist side, forcing a restless Brazilian team to make more mistakes. Gambit finished with a 16-11 scoreline.

Gambit chose to start on the Counter-Terrorist side of Inferno, the last map of the game, and it paid off for them with a swift 5-0 lead. Daniil “Zeus” Teslenko team kept Immortals in check mostly at middle and banana, giving them only four rounds on the Brazilian’s Terrorist side for a 11-4 lead.

Immortals won the second pistol round and followed it up with a four round streak to prove that the major final wasn’t over yet. Gambit’s preference for the B site resulted in a battle of UMP-45 because of both teams’ declining economy. Immortals’ economy went critical after they lost a four-on-two retake at 14-10, handing the match point to Gambit. Post-plant defensive clutches from Zeus and Abay “HObbit” Khasenov gave Gambit the rounds they needed to break Immortals’ spirits towards the end of the match. Zeus’ major prophecy was fulfilled when they finished Inferno 16-10.

PGL Major is Gambit’s first major championship title win in history and also their second title of 2017. Their win in Krakow, Poland earned the CIS team $500,000 and a spot among Legends