The Last-Second Play that Saved CS:GO's Greatest Comeback

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Cloud9 were not supposed to be in the grand finals of a major.
It’s not like Cloud9 were a terrible team or anything. In fact, they were among the best North American CS:GO had to offer. That didn’t mean a lot internationally though.
But after clawing their way to the grand finals, Cloud9 faced off against an untouchable FaZe Clan. It was FaZe's Major to win.
Until Stewie2k pulled off an incredibly unlikely clutch that changed CS:GO history.
On this episode of Every Second Counts, we break down Stewie's clutch on Inferno B-site to push Map 3 of the Boston Major to overtime. It was the play that won NA it's first and only major, and we're gonna show you exactly how it went down.
Written by: Daniel Rosen (@Daniel_Rosen)
Edited by: Patrick Weiers
Hosted by: Josh Bury (@ThrownGauntlet)
Graphics by: Brandon Mistele
Thumbnail by: Bennett Grainger (Insta:@BennettGrainger)
Produced by: Miles Hackett (@MilesHackett) and Daniel Rosen (@Daniel_Rosen)
Production Assistance by: Nicolas Buck
Footage courtesy of: pastebin.com/1...
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
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[@1UcMeOnce1]

At 15:05 you can see that NiKo did actually prefire the angle Stewie was about to repeek, but Stewie's crouch peek duck right under Niko's crosshair. Crazy how these miniscule split second decisions can decide entire events.

[@techtutorial9050]

Wow..... holy shit

[@samsonstevens7181]

I think that was a reenactment, no?

[@Nick-jl4ml]

im pretty sure u can go and rewatch the demos from any major in game

[@9sn]

@@samsonstevens7181 it’s not, look top right

[@1UcMeOnce1]

@@samsonstevens7181 It's not, you can also see the muzzle flashes from NiKo's gun from Stewie's POV as he slides out of cover if you pay attention to it

[@CiDK]

That whole match will never NOT give me goosebumps. The play, the atmosphere, the casting. Everything was just so damn perfect.

[@knowwhatimeme]

7:47 just like that aimbot. Wake up ppl!

[@CiDK]

@@knowwhatimeme that's just how you normally peak that angle :/

[@knowwhatimeme]

@@CiDK says Mr. IDK lol. Anyone else believe that? 😂👌

[@seife41]

Except that Faze lost :(

[@dasukingjoes]

@@knowwhatimeme that's true

[@thebluecollarkid1831]

"THEY CAME BACK ALL THE WAY.... ALL THE WAY!" I just can't forget this line!

[@AbahAhonGG]

"I'm not crying, you're crying"

[@knowwhatimeme]

7:47 see that lol? 🤔

[@hulkingmass]

@@knowwhatimeme no. What am I supposed to see

[@jacdag1152]

its the this is rocket league for csgo

[@alejololer]

@@knowwhatimeme lmao the npc is tweakin

[@jevn11]

That send them home chant will forever be ingrained in my brain. So electrifying

[@Lasarius]

it has actually become a chant at other majors i heard it a lot at the PGL Major 2021

[@matthiasfoo1217]

@@Lasarius yeah...and i see people complaining about them chanting this at Boston with the "Americans and their patriotism how disgusting" oh so when they do it its not okay but when others do it (Stockholm like u said) it's fine

[@UsesofBatman]

@@matthiasfoo1217 So dumb because the Stockholm crowd was clearly only there for NIP lmao

[@dogtorman]

@@matthiasfoo1217 never really understood this argument... i'm a vietnamese and this is something i've heard people say (in vietnamese of course, but the point stands) regarding even domestic football matches...it's a pretty common expression (sending the "away team" home) I feel like.

[@piylip]

Tbh I thought it was skadoodle

[@KuyaArbee]

the BEST CASTERS! and SOUND QUALITY IN A MAJOR! even the quarter, semi and finals was amazing! all players of CLOUD 9 SHOWED UP THAT DAY

[@imposily8325]

who were the casters?

[@heppelfan2720]

@@imposily8325 bardolph and idk who else

[@runthrufields]

@@heppelfan2720 DDK i think

[@WOLFPACKgg]

@@runthrufields idk, ddk lol that made me chuckle

[@haerinbias05]

The casters in the majors make it nerve racking and making everyone in the whole Twitch platform and fans sweating their balls a lot for this miracle comeback from C9 and Stew's impossible 1v3 situation clutch play with 10 secs left. Everything was so perfect, I doubt the CS:GO community might never ever see another comeback like this in the history of CS. They made it happen, and there were also desperate times where they have to play the risk and arguing in the back stage on how they can approach the next game. Back when they got off from the group stage bracket and went up to fight their way back to the grand finals with every frustration and problems behind the scenes. I literally got the goosebumps in my body whenever I rewatch this amazing historic match and it's just… you know, that one play is never ever coming back again on the same map on the grand finals ever again.

[@jeksilog]

They really had to post this too, reminding NiKo his 2 Major loses.

[@seife41]

Reminds Guardian his 3 .......

[@willv5671]

I am just gonna keep reliving this and forget about liquid not making it out of groups

[@bullymeister2446]

NA CS will soon just entirely migrate to Valorant

[@wikzy.7966]

@@bullymeister2446 eh

[@Sharkky_]

@@bullymeister2446 dont think so. With the return of Majors and good a mount of Tournaments its possible to see some old NA Teams back. Maybe some player too

[@exiledkenkaneki701]

@@bullymeister2446 nothing wrong valorant is ever growing, they have amazing team behind the game better then valve lol, so it's a plus because why keep beating a dead horse instead they can take an initiative and shift for a more successful career

[@exiledkenkaneki701]

I've watched this best. Major like 6 times with the group matches now I wanna watch again, it will never get old

[@dolor2189]

Its absolutely criminal that this play does not have a graffiti

[@ThisChangeIsAwful]

the one they made in their top10 graffiti deserving plays is absolutely beautiful and should be added immediately.

[@bot6089]

I guess the play itself wasn't super impressive, like the 2nd kill was nice but not too difficult. I think what makes it so special were the conditions surrounding it, like match pt.

[@KuyaArbee]

@@bot6089 it was do or die and should have a graffiti! And should say! No more time!

[@friedpk37]

The P250 Inferno has a direct reference to this round, so that's pretty neat

[@mercury8793]

@@bot6089 its true that the play itself didnt involve any nasty attention grabbing shot, but I think its the composure and concentration that stewie kept that makes that play so legendary. it was do or die and he was all alone but he still remained focused

[@godspeed867]

im so freaking glad i was able to go to this major in person. the atmosphere in there was ELECTRIC one of the best experiences of my life

[@binkycs]

nerd

[@smoya7316]

@@binkycs what

[@binkycs]

@@smoya7316 he’s a friend

[@l3ftie578]

the smell was septic as well

[@ColinMcEvoy]

"BUT LOOK AT THE TIME" an absolute OG moment in csgo history, that shit STILL gives me chills.

[@jasperli]

“They’re trying to build pyramids but there’s no more play” always rings in my head whenever I watch Stewie

[@lebronium.]

Clay*

[@alexanderying1558]

Yeah he’s right, it‘s actually clay, play doesn‘t make a lot of sense

[@DufulPlays]

@@alexanderying1558 play makes sense as the time(play) is running out.

[@lordtunicyt4372]

it is clay because he is referring to pyramids being made out of clay. thats why he is saying they are trying to build it, but no clay so clay makes more sense than clay. i know this is very obvious and it should be obvious it is just that i wanted to give a more detailed explanation

[@angelnope9616]

CLAY

[@anton5036]

Imagine NiKo winning the ace clutch round against Navi. Would be as legendary as this play.

[@awesome54500]

Insted now he lost another major grand finals in double overtime 22-19 because they ran out of time

[@anton5036]

@@awesome54500 yup.. but he still has the chance to win one time.

[@Knightsthatsaynih]

The choke was legendary too. Just saying...

[@Uncircuited]

@@awesome54500 he also lost after g2 was up 15-11 against navi

[@chiragchetia9050]

Or Refrezh ace clutch against Liquid 🤣🤣

[@jacksoncorvus]

Honestly, I'd love to watch a movie based on this. Just a feature length movie about the 2018 Boston Major. It would be so damned hype, they could even use the actual in-game footage for the movie!

[@dollabillwill415]

that was literally my first thought while watching this. this play deserves a movie

[@tofucube9353]

Maybe like a dota true sight

[@ntlespino]

@@tofucube9353 EXACTLY like a True Sight

[@lime4]

Why? NA fans are hilarious lmao

[@nalzJ]

I can't hold my tears when Stewie2K doing the 1v3 clutch on that round,i instantly goes "they really will going to win this fcking major" and they really do, one of my best major that i ever watched ever, i really hope every finals on upcoming event can pull up such play like C9 vs FaZe on this Major

[@ryanyaghmoorian7812]

I was there in Boston that day. I believe the feeling in the arena when C9 won is something I will never forget.

[@thebluecollarkid1831]

Well.... Inferno has some sort of overtime curse! It even happened with G2 and Gambit in this MAJOR too!

[@RawStreak]

and liquid heroic

[@sc4p3s]

I loved this major. The teams are so evenly skilled, the screams and cheers of the audience were amazing and every round was so close. The recent PGL major didnt really feel great until the last map on nuke. Hopefully we can get this energy back soon :)

[@shimadamada7758]

I have to say - this new series is so incredibly cool. It truly feels like a homage to esports as a whole. I would love to see it expanded into more games in the future.

[@ge0rphen]

I love how c9 came in so energetic smiling and so chill and always gets riled up when they win a round

[@ryunnin]

I quit the game but this series is still embedded into my mind.

[@saydtanvirkaiser3144]

Me too man

[@jasony3426]

Hearing“but look at the time!” 4years after still gives me goosebumps

[@leekage8896]

The best series of Counter-Strike ever played

[@seife41]

Yes 2015 Köln, fanatic vs envyus

[@alexfisher4207]

i'll never understand why stewie didnt get a graffiti for this play

[@joshuabororing9454]

But Dosia got a graffiti for a lame ass nade 🥴

[@brokeycs]

He got a gun skin which is better

[@demonised_5466]

imo cuz it was a pretty basic play for pros like pros can hit shots like that most of the time

[@jazzturkey2108]

@@demonised_5466 dosia got a spray for a grenade....

[@demonised_5466]

@@jazzturkey2108 i barely seen players throw that nade be4 that play from dosia meanwhile stewie shots r like super easy for pro players

[@sebastiankeszler2220]

I remember watching this on live on twitch, still get chills rewatching Stewie's play. Prime Stew was just different and I dont really know what else to say.

[@fandeysy]

bardolph just went out of his mind casting this, it was so good and enjoyable the way that he casted it was really nice

[@EntrEsprit]

James Bardolph is such an amazing caster for these kind of explosive matches

[@RAEJDER]

BIZOOOOON

[@shaitansingh1118]

Stockholm major final should've been casted by him ;_;

[@jonaspiron9374]

More of these Every Second Counts vids please, so enlightening to see so much more of what happened that day

[@mediumsurmoon6283]

0:15 this is equivalent to “I gotta be at the interview by 8:00 am , so I gotta be awake at 7:00 am , but let’s just set my alarm clock at 5:50am just in case” . That was actually a good mindset from Stewie

[@itsnotcolby]

"Cloud 9 made it work" will always hold the craziest chills down my back bc the fact that they really did the whole match and turny round after round, match after match making everything work to win a major like that

[@SHO966RPH]

i love how Tarik's family are happy for their kid 3:10

[@JakeLeonardPhoto]

Its wild that 3 years on and videos are still being made about this major. Im not disappointed by any means, just impressive that theres still so much to talk about

[@hansmeyer4537]

I would love to see a video about german cs:go particularly about tabsen. He is such a nice guy and his sacrifice to become an igl for BIG is incredible.

[@turbotoke8882]

Its so fun to look back on this 6 years later, to see just how differently Inferno is played today vs back then.

[@jacobparkins3463]

I remember watching this live and having chills through the whole thing. The energy from inside the area bleeding into my living room was something I’ve never experienced since then. Truly a moment I will not forget

[@vampenga9277]

I wasn't able to watch this live, but I still get goosebumps watching this moment. A perfect storm coming together to give NA their first ever Major title and while the team is no longer the same, everyone on that C9 roster is a legend in my eyes.

[@spunkmeyer1820]

The match, the crowd, the chants, the casting, the clutches, the comeback, the victory. Holy shit this was the most perfect series in CSGO history.

[@shikarics]

The best ever major moment for me. The chants, the crowd going crazy.. *GOOSEBUMPS*

[@teamtdatdg2280]

watching this live was incredible. this series is the reason i watch Esports. there was another comeback similar to this between liquid and fanatic, i dont remember the year but it was very similar energy. Highly recommend yall go watch it if you havent yet.

[@mayurarun]

Good effort to spread awareness in NA. They shouldn't forget they won a Major.. revive and give us some good sweet counter-strike

[@drewbertmonoy282]

Faze: Do you know who we are? C9: Does it look like we care?

[@1nterzept661]

What makes Boston 2018 so iconic is the fact that this was NAs one and only CS Major win, especially Cloud 9. We got to see a star-studded juggernaut team of FaZe Clan battle it out with an unexpected Cinderella run Cloud 9.

[@semper2k38]

Still got goosebumps watching this after three years. Such a legendary major final in csgo history.

[@camzabiy2637]

Stewie’s play was insane but if he had peaked left regardless of killing niko he might have killed the Bomb planter anyways. The first shot on Guardian was the clutch shot in my opinion.

[@bigpepsi1560]

+ that peek on niko was actualy wrong to do, better to wait till hearing the bomb getting plant and kill the bommer, if niko killed stew up there it would be gg c9. overrated clip in my opinion.

[@NachttiSchlampE65]

@@bigpepsi1560 it is overrated, cause only the situation of the game makes it great+the casters.

[@marimbaguy715]

Really slick graphics, and a great breakdown of this moment. Looking forward to more like this

[@febrandao29]

This comeback and Coldzera's 2k jumping on Mirage to comeback against Liquid and win the Major got to be the two most insane moments in CSGO history.

[@averagegamer3582]

Everyone talking about "BUT LOOK AT THE TIME!" but no one talking about how tragic was the "Guardian waits..." 😔

[@easetheweeb]

that first shot on the wide swinger probably won the major edit: yes the shot onto top oranges was objectively the harder shot but a pressure reaction shot from a position where there is no backup plan except "hit your shots" is way crazier to me

[@Aditya-fl7sv]

This channel is on a mission make NiKo feel bad, firstly trolling him for PGL incident and now all of a sudden this video, Hats off to you bois.

[@stitch603]

The cheering during Stew's clutch still gives me chills.

[@lukedavis5411]

All of these calls for this game give me goosebumps

[@mathijnverkerk2420]

I dont even play CS but these videos are just so good.

[@ninjachihuahua4843]

Very nice way of presenting everythinf in supreme detail and narration

[@jessco8950]

The best cs go match I’ve ever watched and I’m not even a c9 fan. I was so proud of them what an epic game

[@dannyboy9537]

Watching it live was insane on stream of course I could only imagine what it was like in the arena

[@micoboy2121]

The best comeback ever. 💯 until now watching this feels like its 2018 again.

[@hulkingmass]

Massive shout out to DDK and James Bardolph for the legendary casting performance

[@PrivateJoker0119]

Whoa Cisco now sponsoring Esports channels? Their marketing team is truly topnotch

[@Bane_Diesel]

I had tickets.... I had been to all of the games in the USA I could possibly attend including watching liquid choke at MLG and I was so pumped to see this and right before I was set to leave my father had a stroke. I will never forget watching the game from home. I really really really wish I was there but I was lucky my father was ok. I just hope we get another major in the USA.... but I know it's a dream.

[@b0as_cs]

I feel like i see this EVERY six months, like are you still milking this moment, always talking about it every sixth month

[@polarz1045]

Man u better make a video about a niko whiff deagle major finals that shit hurts

[@damaito1829]

I love the upload timing with Nikos missed shots on S1mple in the 2021 major

[@Sotiegajlebre]

I always remember this line when i rewatch this major "Oh my goodness Skadoodle does it with Autimatic" i honestly don't know why..

[@exodus3930]

Love the consistently high production quality, guys! Keep it up!

[@hoang9802]

Still get goosebumps after all this time.

[@MrT1ki]

this tournament made all the pain of being an NA fan completely worth it.

[@Axoe]

even though my gold pickem was for faze, this was the first major final i watched live. the c9 comeback was so sick i was honestly glad i ended with the silver trophy

[@ProNinjaHax]

This was an amazing in-depth analysis and video. Loved it!

[@Alecsdotwav]

Valens carried the team with his strats what a genius

[@dusanstojanovic662]

Truly iconic one...

[@FishingThePNW]

This Inferno match always gives me chills.

[@emilkruska4785]

3 Minutes ago? Longer than the a cs round, but I'll take it

[@niranjanmcky8940]

Even after 100 times this match doesn't fail to give goosebumps

[@Stak0]

I’m ngl, I think this is the greatest play in CSGO history. The importance behind is crazy and yet there’s no graffiti nor map reference for it.

[@n3LLyyy]

That was the last major I've ever watched... i remember jumping on my chair all shaken up lmao

[@kelcsgo]

How many videos can you make out of this one match???

[@jakinbakin6588]

watching the play gives me chills.

[@maxwellritchie2538]

I remember watching on Twitch... most hyped I have EVER heard an eSports crowd

[@loganchristianson2805]

Watching this live gave me chills what an experience

[@EluneMusic]

Daily reminder that the score esports plagarizes content

[@pako1749]

I already love this format

[@MrSparta93]

What I don't understand is why plant there when your CT was smoked? You would've heard church rotation and a 2nd person in stewies fov may have thrown his aim off (maybe not with crowd) but it just seemed like panic got to them. Great vid

[@lukanewt]

Seeing that play in real time after watching this is insane

[@heroe2491]

how many vids can you make of just 1 major?

[@xafter828]

Ive watched this match multiple times and yet it feels so freakin intense and hyped, that its fking insane

[@cybernaded7109]

I love your channel so much

[@LayKxD]

This was the first full Major I watched, and I remember that cloud9 almost didn't make it. That was what was crazy to me.

[@crashoutvergil]

If theScore makes another video about NA's only major win, im gonna cry.

[@manasjuneja3648]

Boston 2018 : Niko and his team has a good run, but the other team makes a comeback and defeats 19-22 Stockholm 2021 : Niko and his team has a good run, but the other team makes a comeback and defeats 19-22 gotta have to feel bad for that guy man

[@Shirgene]

Cant wait for "The saviour of OG" of "Every Second Counts" :D

[@erikdixon8464]

i love the strats that come into play! something that me being a SUPER casual player wouldn't even think about haha

[@xractiv]

im so glad you posted the most hype moment ever in csgo

[@lime4]

Only for NA fans 😂

[@nydra1831]

The play will always give me goosebumps

[@crjacinro]

We hope to see this kind of breakdown for the Navi and G2 PGL 2021.

[@bogachanboraylmaz5346]

2:08 broo space soldiers and the legend ace from paz :(

[@captaint4587]

Best finals I’ve ever watched. NA fans were going crazy all over. I remember being in my living room watching it on the big screen yelling each round of inferno. Great times

[@dawnzzz]

nikos life never changes

[@adam-1112]

Eleague major Atlanta deserves a film.

[@NobuNobuSimp]

Aight I wouldn't say STEWIE made an impossible play. A huge part of that final round was due to Faze's incompetence in keeping check of the time. I'd say it was Tarik who picked them back up when they were losing 15-11 and it was all uphill from there.

[@boothecat333]

I agree. The play itself was good, but not THAT good, the tarik 4k to bring the vibes back and uphold his team I'd argue did more. If stewie dies with only one kill there, its fine bc its 4v3, faze has bad buy, and c9 can just retake...

[@ivegyattocomment]

man... it's sad that they had dispute even after winning...