The transition of the professional scene to CS2 and the MR12 match system has reduced the average duration of matches compared to CS:GO, where the MR15 system was used. Now teams need to win 13 rounds instead of 16. Nevertheless, we can still witness exciting and lengthy showdowns. In this article, we will talk about the longest matches in Counter-Strike history.
CS:GO Era
GUNRUNNERS vs Izako Boars (total of 118 rounds)
Opening our list is the meeting between the Slovak team GUNRUNNERS and the Polish team Izako Boars. The match took place in the lower bracket playoffs of the ESEA MDL Season 29 Europe Climber Cup. The teams provided viewers with a match of three maps, which saw 118 rounds played. The longest was the Mirage map, with a score of 29:31 in favour of Izako Boars. Thanks to this victory, the Polish team earned a slot in the ESEA Season 29: Premier Relegation and advanced to the Premier division.
Team Envy vs Ninjas in Pyjamas (total of 122 rounds)
One of the longest matches in CS:GO history took place at a tournament with a prize pool of $75,000 — the CCS Kick-off Season Finals. The championship seemed short, as there were only four participants. However, Team Envy and Ninjas in Pyjamas made their mark in history.
The first map proceeded without surprises. The most interesting part was on the second map — Dust2. The first half ended with a score of 8:7 in favour of Envy. The game was so close that it couldn't avoid overtime. It was only in the seventh series of additional rounds that the teams could determine the winner. NiP, on the brink of defeat, managed to come back and snatch victory in the 69th round. Ultimately, NiP won the match.
Team XENEX vs exceL eSports (total of 127 rounds)
The longest map in CS:GO history was played in the group stage of ESL UK Premiership Spring 2015. The record was set on the Inferno map by the teams Team XENEX and exceL eSports. Despite XENEX's domination on the CT side, they completely faltered on the T side. The winner of the map had to be decided in overtime, which lasted a whopping 58 rounds. That day, XENEX proved stronger.
The second map also saw extra rounds, but not as many as on Inferno. XENEX only needed nine rounds to prove they were stronger on Cache. The match ended with a score of 2:0. In total, the teams played 127 rounds.
Se7en eSports vs PACT (total of 129 rounds)
Another match where two out of three maps ended in overtime. The key figures were Se7en eSports and PACT, and everything took place in LOOT.BET/CS Season 4. The first map had nothing extraordinary happen. The most interesting part happened on Nuke. It took the teams 66 rounds to determine the strongest. Se7en took the match to the third map.
Inferno also gave viewers an even battle but not as lengthy. The teams got tired eventually. The series of ten additional rounds saw PACT snatch victory in the match and advance to the playoffs. After the tournament, the Polish team finished in 5-6th place.
GUNRUNNERS vs eSuba (total of 137 rounds)
At the top, as the longest match in CS:GO, was the match between GUNRUNNERS and eSuba at the Sazka eLEAGUE Spring 2020. The teams fought for a spot in the tournament final and showcased an intense battle. Extra rounds could be seen on two out of three maps.
The first map, Mirage, ended with a score of 16:13 in favour of GUNRUNNERS. The second saw eSuba emerge victorious — 19:17 on Train. The tension grew with each round played. However, the performance of the teams on Overpass literally overshadowed the two previous maps.
The showdown was evenly matched and naturally transitioned into overtime. The teams couldn't determine the stronger one after six series of additional rounds. It all came down to the seventh. eSuba proved to be stronger in that match and advanced to the championship final, where they lost to SINNERS.
New Story
After the official release of CS2, all competitive matches transitioned to MR12 systems, reducing their duration and the number of rounds played. We have already started to forget what truly lengthy games are like, so we have compiled the three longest maps played on the pro scene in CS2.
FaZe Clan vs Ninjas In Pyjamas (53 rounds)
In the group stage of the CS Asia Championships 2023, a match took place between FaZe Clan and Ninjas in Pyjamas. The confrontation turned out to be intense and lasted a whole 53 rounds. Despite k0nfig's 47 frags, NiP couldn't defeat FaZe Clan, who looked unbeatable at the start of the CS2 era. This match was played in a best-of-1 format and was one of the highlights of the tournament. As a result, FaZe Clan became the champion, while NiP finished only 5-6th.
Gucci Academy vs Permitta (total of 71 rounds)
Another historic match took place in the group stage of A1 Gaming League Season 7 between Gucci Academy and Permitta. Already on the first map, the teams showed something incredible. They played a whole 54 rounds on the Ancient map, and Gucci Academy emerged as the winner. After such a tough defeat, Permitta couldn't recover and lost on Overpass with a score of 4:13.
PARIVISION vs Aurora Gaming (total of 78 rounds)
Despite the fact that the CS2 era has just begun, a very long map has already been played on the professional scene. Such an extended map that it can be compared to many matches in CS:GO. The historic event took place at ESL Challenger League Season 46 in a match between PARIVISION and Aurora Gaming.
After a quick loss on the first map, Aurora didn't have another chance for a mistake, as the losing team would be eliminated from the tournament. The teams fought fiercely. One team was on the verge of victory on Ancient, and then the other. Eventually, PARIVISION secured victory, and Aurora exited the championship.
Already in the first six months after the official release of CS2, several lengthy matches were played. These records will surely be broken in the future, giving viewers the opportunity to enjoy new lengthy and tense encounters.
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