The History of Inferno Banana Control

[@mahone_tv]

It's been a while. This video has taken a very long time but I hope you all enjoy. Let me know what you think down below!

[@YouTubeHandlesSuck420]

Dude, I would wait 5 years if I had to for these styles of videos. No worries man❤

[@thewrightdaniel]

Thanks for the hard work!

[@4kliksAlex]

You presents the greatest documentaries on Counter-Strike strategies! Thank you, mahone!

[@Fyr35555]

I think it would've been nice if you had shown that Ts can still throw a car smoke even if you do kind of hint at the fact it is still possible (the one thrown as Ts leave their spawn) Otherwise an amazing video the time and effort really shows :)

[@gaLezki]

Amazing job once again. What's the next one?

[@BeastyBundy]

Banana utility summed up: "I'm gonna do this to stop this" "Nuh uh, I'm gonna do this to stop this" "NUH UH, I'm gonna do this to stop this" X40

[@illuminoeye_gaming]

deadass just how kids fight but you have to actually think instead of "your mom is fatter-er-er-est"

[@launders]

I’m just happy to know you’re alive

[@verzinsky-965]

i was waiting for so long for a new video

[@omagad2542]

that makes two of us btw u & 'corner' XD r killing it at blast, hell ya

[@MacMate_]

Sylvester Mahone always comes back with the goods

[@uselessjourney]

U are the top comment in his last video lol

[@thetechcorner7204]

Nice pfp :3

[@vooCSGO]

great video and obviously a ton of patience and dedication to do this much research and tell a compelling storyline. well done

[@erenkruger5906]

voo how are you?

[@EagleReloaded]

^ This. The research alone is amazing, but turning that into a compelling narrative, along with the visual demonstrations of line ups, models, etc is amazing. What dedication.

[@aimlevel]

Stats are for losers.

[@kaitez6402]

@@aimlevelsure all aim no brain i guess

[@egobot9999]

lineup for loosers

[@sherwinkp]

“Counter” strike in the truest sense. The amount of patience, analysis and work to compile something like this is absolutely amazing. Thank you for your contributions to the community with these videos, Mahone. These will go down as some of the most iconic videos in the times to come.

[@flintstone1409]

Its just insane how fragile all of those strats are. One small change to the game and so many strats don't work anymore and the whole meta changes.

[@ZvedeENG]

Yeah. A single addition of a box or a corner somewhere in a map can drastically affect the entire map's meta and optimal positions

[@Watburnt]

It’s one of my favorite parts of watching esports, watching as people adapt and find new ways of problem solving is the most interesting part of the game

[@m4ndoz]

@@ZvedeENGforeshadowing the d2 change hahaha

[@deevee5327]

As a casual player who never watches the pro games, my mind is utterly blown

[@justinlee6610]

8:03 Of course KQLY is ready for the first time the boost was used in an official

[@StrikeWarlock]

KQLY hacking? Noooo KQLY hacking? Noooooooo

[@mismisimognomo101]

Srsly? Nooooooo ...

[@shaynehughes6645]

Very strange

[@hracekk]

sirioosly? nooo.. SIRIOOSLY?? NOOOOO

[@maruftim]

uh oh

[@sWzTTV]

I wouldn’t mind a video a year if they’re at this level of quality. Super informative and insightful, and I probably don’t need to tell you you’re an extremely gifted analyst. Great video man

[@itsbort]

for real, the amount of time and work that went into making this is clear as day to see and it's so enjoyable to watch

[@anidriX]

This video is INSANE. Extremely detailed. Can't even begin to imagine the amount of research that went into this. % of put out smoke alone is insane. Just to nitpick, the only thing I would've added was the CT-T side winrate to show how each variation increased the winrate starting from quite CT-sided in 2012 to the slightly T-sided version we ended up with in 2023.

[@mahone_tv]

Thanks so much! I had looked into adding in the CT/T win-rate, but I found that the results had little relation to who was winning the fight at banana. This was likely because both sides were also developing ways to fight/defend at A as well. If I developed a way to measure the win-rate at only banana, I would have added it in for sure.

[@peterjensen5954]

Another world class mini documentary about CS and its evolution, fantastic work Mahone!

[@1azey]

From the mirage window to banana meta, you’ve done excellent work here. Please keep uploading, we need you back

[@duLuded]

i can only fathom the amount of prep and research was immense on this. insanely well done and crafted beautifully

[@Nohte]

mahone with another masterpiece, what a gem for the scene

[@Hawka]

Thank you so much for making vids showing the depth of strategy evolution It's what makes counter-strike such an intriguing game, and it deserves to be documented

[@tiurfeciuj]

really great look back at not just inferno and banana but also how the game's changed over the years. completely forgot that the molotovs use to be so expensive or that you couldn't even extinguish them with smokes at one point. fantastic work man

[@jacobjarmuskiewicz6253]

A mahone banger was not what I expected to see on my front page this morning!

[@Superokiko]

It's really interesting to see how it got increasingly complex. I also love seeing a detailed breakdown of all the metas I have gone through, somewhat nostalgic.

[@MrMaxim]

Oh shit another banger documentary

[@PaladinsAlliance]

Well polished, thoughtfully researched, and something for every level of Counter-Strike fan. Thank you for all the hard work you put into these videos and bravo on finishing this gargantuan documentation.

[@wraethcs2]

Mahone's the kind of guy to drop such top tier videos out of nowhere. Excited to watch this one!

[@NickBeanDrums]

Enthralling video. I didn't realize that the game had such a back and fourth utility battle for YEARS.

[@atomgutan8064]

21:15 When you said "pre-smoke" I exploded. The tactical war is absolutely crazy.

[@doxuanhoang8767]

It’s impressive that how I can see the history of Banana control over 20 years in this video. Appreciated your efforts!

[@NaToSaphiX]

This video is better than your Mirage window-smoke video, which REALLY says a lot Both videos are in my top10 of best Counter-Strike videos ever made Not only was this informative, it serves as a trip down memory lane for those of us who have been actively following the meta for many many years Just phenomenal work - Words can hardly describe it! One tiny note: The reason the car for Ts had a sudden rise in popularity towards the later stages of CS:GO was the invention of the "NiKo-smoke". It was a way to throw the car smoke where it left a one-way gap on the right side (halfwall) to play around. The T could simply walk through if no one was playing sandbags and would have one-way advantage on any reaggressing CTs. The smoke rose in popularity further when a sort of "Reverse NiKo-smoke" was found, which left a one-way gap on top of the barrels. - These two smokes allowed Ts to block the early CT vision whilst also giving themselves a way to lurk through the smoke.

[@mahone_tv]

Hey Nato, thanks for that. I'm very glad to hear you enjoyed both of these videos so much. To touch on your note, I did notice this detail but I decided not include it in the video. I felt this particular aspect of the smoke didn't create as big of a shift in the "banana fight" in comparison to simply blocking early CT vision. I made a similar decision for the CT 1-way smoke next to the wagon on the old Inferno, as I viewed both of these as smaller interactions that didn't affect the "entirety" of banana control as much. I admit that crafting the narrative for this video was very difficult, and maybe I should have included that detail in. I made some hard decisions about what to include & what not to, based on what I thought would be most important to pack into a ~30min video (I did not want to go longer than this). Next time will be better!

[@NaToSaphiX]

@@mahone_tv​​⁠That makes perfect sense and I understand sacrifices have to be made with videos like this sometimes Just wanted to add that extra perspective for anyone who didn’t know it I am sure that next one will be even better as you said but you should not feel in any way, shape or form that this was not a master class 😍

[@cheese22]

Mahone you are one of the greatest to ever document Counter Strike history. We are blessed as a community to have you create such pieces for us. Another amazing video.

[@mahone_tv]

Appreciate it, thank you!

[@glom199]

Finally another banger. MAHONE PLEASE KEEP MAKING THESE THIS IS SUCH A GREAT GAP IN THE MARKET1!!!

[@koukikubota9847]

This is insanely good material - very very well researched and the narrative building around the changing meta flowed really well. It's crazy to see how deep the tactics go and the constant game of finding counters(trike) is fascinating.

[@sneakyone58]

I don’t usually comment on videos, but I’m commenting here so I can boost the videos engagement rate and hopefully the algorithm will blast this to everyone. Great content, keep it up at whatever pace works for you!

[@naw726]

This was extremely well done and informative while being simple to understand AND entertaining! Amazing job on this!

[@mahone_tv]

Thanks so much!

[@francosozzi2037]

Possibly the best cs video ive ever seen, the full history explained and how it evolved and how faster the evolution gets each time. Amazing to think, fantastic video

[@neokCS]

Let’s go new mahone video and its a godtier one 💪🏻

[@TheDiptakdutta]

This was a pleasant surprise to see you back with another “Evolution” series video. I just hope the community gives you enough love this time to encourage you to keep making them. Thank you!

[@legopigguy]

Amazing video, can only imagine how long it took and the dedication to create it all beautiful. Can't wait for your next one

[@joshiemah]

this and the mirage smoke video are my favorite cs videos on youtube. Props to all the work you put into this masterpiece

[@CyanJimbo]

How... Just how did you even make this video, im actually blown away, the level of research + high production quality is insane!

[@jameshull4340]

I can't imagine how much work was involved in researching this. Great job dude.

[@RC_723]

Your CS content is always worth the wait!

[@muffinatin]

Hell yeah, A1 video mahone, honestly probably my favorite of yours! Super well scripted, edited, researched and shot. Can't imagine how long it must've taken to gather all that data and footage but the end result is really amazing. Keep doing what you do, by far my favorite cs content creator!

[@SteffenMarkussen]

That feeling when you know you've been needing something but you didn't know what. Turns out it was a Mahone vid! Absolute banger!

[@SlopsMcChops]

I remember a conversation where Moses (caster/analyst/coach) told a story about a conversation he had with stewie when he was the coach of Liquid, where stewie broke down how complex banana control was and all the different nadesets and how they interact and what they mean. Was very cool to see this part of the game broken down so well, amazing work!

[@Borgia1492]

Really hope you keep making these videos, some of the best cs focused content ever

[@Winticket7]

TLDR: Just trow as much shit as possible in there and pray.

[@chillhaigaming6051]

would love to see more of these videos, it was a pleasure to watch and you are one of the few people that have the ability to to make videos like these

[@masi8D]

Loved the mirage window smoke video, and this one tops even that! Keep em coming mahone

[@jvllllll]

Keep in mind this is just a small spot in one of the many maps of CS. This game is MASSIVE

[@daBAAAAM]

What an amazing analysis of the meta shift of an iconic cs area.. Great work!

[@hudg3533]

Very well made video, As someone who has played since early 2014 it was good to see how the meta has changed & also a bit of nostalgia about teams having a gentleman agreement to not use molotovs early on haha

[@TheSasudomi]

It's amazing what a few simple tweaks can do to completely change the gameplay in one single specific place on a map. Great video, btw.

[@bishiyarudesu]

Damn! This is probably the most detailed csgo strat video I've seen with great story telling. The editing and gathering all the highlights.. Just awesome 👍🏻

[@nartouthere]

new mahone video 💣

[@tiburc10]

I'm glad you still working on great content like this!

[@TheCuke]

This is so well done and really gives a great overview of the overarching tactical approaches

[@4Flavien4]

A while ago I was discussing how cool it would be to have a meta history for a map, and here you go delivering the great content! Considering you didn't cover less popular tactics eg the astralis push (mid+banana push, 2 mollies burning down bottom of banana & mid + support flashes), and still the video is 30min long, I guess this already was colossal work! Hope we'll see more! Edit: you even shared sources what a goat

[@DrunkHobo15]

Love your videos man. Keep it up. I will watch every one of them because they are so high quality.

[@josephs.3372]

PLEASE MAKE MORE OF THESE, IT MAKES IT SO MUCH EASIER TO CONVINCE PEOPLE HOW DEEP THIS AWESOME GAME IS

[@ngotrongkhue]

such a banger of a video

[@noelfodi387]

These 32 minutes just flew by and im grateful for you for making this sublime analysis.

[@filbertshi5932]

These videos must take so much time and effort, but holy shit they are on a different level. Your analytical ability is truly impressive. Not many people ever reach this level.

[@alfred9805]

This is the most interesting cs content I've seen in years. I've lost interest in the scene with css and only got back into it in 2019 so I missed a big part of the csgo meta. thank you so much for this incredible content

[@alfred9805]

The cs2 meta is already shifting, I've heard both "CT should always fight for banana because they get it for free" and "CT shouldn't overstay their welcome in banana because of how narrow and spammy it is" excited to see it evolve in the future

[@EZG_yt]

Great video! What tool did you use to parse through all of the data from the demos? For instance at 20:03 , you bring up specific quantities of molotovs/extinguished molotovs, and I'm assuming you didn't count manually. Is it proprietary, or is it something the public has access to as well?

[@mahone_tv]

Thanks so much! These two resources will help you get started if you are interested in this side of Counter-Strike: github.com/markus-wa/demoinfocs-golang github.com/pnxenopoulos/awpy

[@Shlrine]

I love this so much!!! Super high quality document always make me jump on the chair. The key thing I love about these videos is the mindset behind it. Newer player like me never understand fully why players do some lineup instead of the others. The history cut down seriously creates newer players with better aim but weaker mindset and game sense and it happens in every game.

[@lolkim1243]

Man i cant imagine how much work you put in to make this video. Just exceptionally excellent video!

[@BloodyLifetime]

I watched this vid last week. I can say I have played Inferno and done so much better with banana from both T and CT side. This has helped me immensely in my play, with also giving me a ton of fun info about the history of banana through pro play.

[@alias3359]

I can't imagine the amount of time spent watching Inferno pro matches for this, it's super interesting love it thanks

[@ЧувакИзКосмоса]

Very well done, dude! Danke fur patience and time you'd spend to make this informative video!

[@Dan-ul1hd]

Huge respect for the work done!

[@confuzionn4843]

I love these kind of evolution videos. Keep making them, makes a casual player like me better enjoy the pro scene.

[@666chaox666]

I think I've said it before in your other videos but this might be the best video you've ever made! It's just pure quality.

[@FNScence]

Thanks for immortalizing the meta of our favourite game!

[@titicaca.]

that was surprisingly interesting. crazy just how much of counter strikes complex strategy lies in the nades

[@mitchellterry4961]

Keep doing these videos man they are fantastic. I didnt even realize youve recently only made two. I think you found your niche brother.

[@GrandpaDrippin]

Great video, we need more!

[@BrandonGraham]

Dude. It is clear that you did a lot of work on this video. Amazing job!

[@DoctorPlato]

This is why Counter-Strike is the best competitive game ever created. Tiny player created changes make such insane meta changes. Amazing work.

[@n4sew680]

Bro great video make more like this I subscribed, it's fun to see the history of a tactic and how they evolved 👍

[@Adi9134]

Nailed it. This video should be a learning video to every new up comers. All the new pro should know, you have to adapt and learn new way to stay in the meta. Well done. It was a pleasure to know all these nades. As said, The problem has its solution, that's come with a problem.

[@ShadoSpartan44]

awesome video, you did great showing the evolution of this one area, how strats changed over time both what was working and who adapted as well as valve changes that mixed up strats

[@dayne6475]

Such an awesome video, it really showcases just why we love counter strike so much. Great work man, seriously!

[@kezten538]

Really nice video that actually shows how complicated CS really is. Well done.

[@willowryk]

pretty cool . wasn't aware of how much history banana had . nicely done :)

[@CyanPhoenix_]

i haven't played cs for years, but this video is fascinating. great work on all the research i'm sure this must have taken!

[@neek911]

Incredible video. This is a great idea for a series that can last for years.

[@CaroFDoom]

something i'm realising going through this is that even in silver matchmaking i've seen a lot of these smokes and felt a lot of these meta shifts over the years i was active, so seeing their origins at the top level after all these years is really something else

[@eclipse5367]

When I see your graphics all I can think about is chess. How this counters this and how this other thing nullifies the counter. It's beautiful!

[@likemy]

fantastic video--very well researched. A lot of these old matches bring back memories

[@melver8506]

It's not even my fav map and I watched whole video. Who would think that you can make an entire video about banana on inferno. Great job

[@kevinsongxin2551]

Its crazy how a small hallway has been living in our minds rent-free for so long

[@申]

mahone is the only person who will make me watch a video about a spot in a online game

[@serg99pro]

hello from HLTV brother, congratz on making it onto one of their posts

[@MrWutswrong]

OK MAHONE! LETS GO! I didn't realize your channel got so big! Keep up the good work!

[@mahone_tv]

This is a name I haven't seen in so long. Hope you're doing well man!

[@MrWutswrong]

@@mahone_tv

[@MightyGames7]

Really good video, you deserve more recognition for this

[@jackmccarthy7644]

wow you make the best counter-strike content on the whole internet

[@chocolates182]

Great video... That logs pixelwalk gave me so much nostalgia

[@nuny-vega]

Loved this video man, thanks for all the work that you put into this.

[@lucasvasconcelos5705]

Thanks for the video mahone, really found it entertaining and enjoyable

[@jii-ro7083]

This video was insanely well done. Pro cs tactics are beautiful

[@ПавелМукомел]

bro, this is a tons of job, appreciate this, ty for video! Very interesting for watching

[@Warsna]

Now this is the kind of history video I want! Great vid 🙌

[@andya9]

Mahone. I just thought about you recently and how much I missed your content. I haven’t watched this yet but I already know that it will be an amazing video. Banana is one of the most iconic map control battles of CS. Thank you and hope to see more from you in the future. You are the primitive technology of CS KZbin, pure quality over quantity.