End of an era: 5 of the best photos from the BLAST.tv Paris Major
The dust has settled and the final CS:GO Major is behind us. Incredibly high highs and insanely low lows, our insanely talented photographers Michal Konkol and Stephanie Lindgren were there to capture the emotional rollercoaster that the 24 teams went through in Paris.
End of an era
Freddy "KRIMZ" Johansson and fnatic have both been there at the Majors since the very first iteration back in 2013. Attending 16 Majors in his career, the two time Major winner was visibly distraught after being knocked out in the crunch 2-2 matchup with Into the Breach, missing out on the chance to play CS:GO on stage just one more time.
@KonkolMichalPure passion
GamerLegion was the surprise package of the BLAST.tv Paris Major. Making it all the way to the final, their playoff run was the first time any of the five players got to play on stage, and it looks like it will be far from the last. We just wonder whether Nicolas "Keoz" Dgus will have his voice for the entire time considering how loud he got!
@VexanieThe next generation
They may be on opposite sides of the server now, but Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov and Danyyl "headtr1ck" Valitov it's clear the two still have a strong bond from their NAVI junior days. With CS2 just around the corner, the two youngsters are set to go head to head in the newest iteration of Counter-Strike.
@VexanieThe king who will never wear the crown
Nikola "NiKo" Kovač's impact has been immeasurable throughout the course of CS:GO. Winning BLAST World Finals and IEM Katowice in the run-up to the Paris Major, it looked as though NiKo would finally get his hands on the title he's fought so desperately to win. Alas, it was not meant to be in France, falling short and failing to even make the stage.
@KonkolMichalCaptain, Leader, Legend
Many doubted that Dan "apEX" Madesclaire would be capable of leading a team to any form of success. With the team diverting away from their entirely French lineup with the signing of two Danes and an Israeli, it made the task even more daunting, but in Paris in front of a thunderous French crowd, the French IGL and the prodigal son Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut were received not only as heroes, but rather as gods. Despite already having a Major under his belt, you can see how much it meant to the IGL to capture his second Major on home turf after such a tumultuous ride to the top.
@Vexanie
