They’ve done it again.

In the first BO5 final in Major history - set in the most stacked Playoffs ever - Vitality cemented their place among the immortals of Counter-Strike with back-to-back Major titles. But it’s not just that they did it, it’s how they did it.

On Nuke, FaZe struck first. Powered by the rookie’s deagle and an 11-7 start from Twistzz, the team stormed to an 8-4 half. Switching to the CT-side, karrigan summoned the ambulance for a battered Vitality, closing out the map with a ridiculous 2.90 CT rating.

Heading into Dust2, Vitality showed exactly why they have an 89% win rate on the map. They blew FaZe out of the water in the first half, racing to a dominant 9-3 lead, with a lone frozen 3K standing as the only glimmer of hope on their CT-side. After the break, ZywOo’s usual antics sealed the 13-3 victory, sending the now tied series to Inferno.

It wasn’t until the third map that we finally saw a semi-balanced battle. Vitality and FaZe traded rounds, with ropz’s A holds and mezii’s trigger discipline helping Vitality secure an 8-4 lead.

On the T-side, the British playa continued to tear through FaZe, breaking open the B site as if it were being defended by your average FACEIT duo. Despite FaZe’s attempts to respond with Banana aggression, the damage was already done, and Vitality closed out the map 13-10.

During the less-favored T-side of Overpass, Vitality exploited the inexperienced B defender jcobbb to quickly build an overwhelming 11-1 lead - even giving ropz the chance to flex his AWP prowess. From there, it didn’t take long for Vitality to seal the map and the series, powered by ropz’s 2.89 rating.

On one side, karrigan and co. leave this Major with their heads held high. After that Nuke blowout, the FaZe bullshit stock was at an all-time high, and we weren’t the only investors.

“I had [FaZe] in my Pick’Ems to win. They have beaten Vitality before in Playoffs; they beat them at this Major on Nuke, which they did again in the finals. I thought there definitely was a chance”, Launders told us.

Coming all the way from Stage 1 and just half a second from elimination, this was a run for the ages - but ultimately, it wasn’t enough.

On the other side, nine trophies in a single year, including two Majors. That’s one hell of a collection. Is it finally time to declare that Vitality have eclipsed Astralis as the most dominant force in Counter-Strike history? There’s definitely a case to be made, but that’s a discussion for another day.

So… when does the next one start?

Final standings:

1st 🇪🇺 Vitality – $500.000
2nd 🇪🇺 FaZe – $170.000
3-4th 🇪🇺 Natus Vincere – $80.000
3-4th 🇷🇺 Spirit – $80.000
5-8th 🇧🇷 FURIA – $45.000
5-8th 🇪🇺 MOUZ – $45.000
5-8th 🇲🇳 The MongolZ - $45.000
5-8th 🇪🇺 Falcons – $45.000