Rio de #Janeiro has appointed a new #Counter-Strike champ. Today's #IEMRioMajor, often known as the “Major of Madness,” was won by #Outsiders as they easily defeated #Heroic 2-0 in the championship match.

Despite Heroic keeping it tight in the first half, Outsiders took the initiative on their own pick of map, Mirage. The trio of famous, FL1T, and Jame combined for 70 kills on the map to help their team win 16-12 after outsiders grabbed control of the CT side.

The Match Recap

After a punishing Outsiders CT side, Heroic failed to create any holes on the T side of their Overpass pick, losing 12-3 at the break. Outsiders gained control of the game after the first purchase round and never looked back, winning the Major trophy with a 16-5 victory on Overpass.

All five members of the Outsiders have won their first Major trophy, and this is also the first Major for the Outsiders. Technically speaking, if Virtus.pro, the company that the players are employed by, counts the triumph as a Major win, then this would be VP's second Major win following ESL Katowice 2014.

This triumph over Heroic in the grand finals atones for Qikert, Jame, and coach dastan's humiliating loss to Astralis in the same matchup when they competed under the AVANGAR brand. The 19-year-old celebrity wins his first Major and hoists the trophy.

The outcome is a big victory for Outsiders, who have battled almost the whole year at prestigious international competitions since adopting the moniker of Outsiders. Prior to Rio, their best finish in a major competition this year was a quarterfinal participation at Pro League season 16, when they lost to the eventual champions Vitality.

Team Heroic’s Future

Heroic is still in position to begin their own Danish dynasty despite the setback, with Astralis fading after Majors' return in 2021.

This is especially true given that the squad surrounding IGL/AWPer cadiaN is less than 20 years old on average. The only other teams to make the playoffs in all three of the most recent Majors were NAVI and FURIA.

Regarding the Outsiders, they will have plenty of time to enjoy their brand new championship and prepare for the next tournaments. Starting on May 8, 2023, the next big CSGO event – BLAST Paris Major 2023, will take place in Europe, France.