At the CS:GO Pro League Finals, which took place on December 7-9 in Odense, the Danish team Astralis became the first to capture the Intel® Grand Slam with a 3-1 win over Team Liquid. Astralis was awarded with the $1 million prize for completing the Intel Grand Slam, an accomplishment that required winning four Counter-Strike: Global Offensive trophies inside a period of ten consecutive ESL and DreamHack Masters competitions.
Astralis clinched the Intel Grand Slam with decisive wins, along with a few close calls, mixed in with its four victories:
- Win No. 1: DreamHack Masters Marseille (April 2018), beating NaVi 2-0 in the final.
- Win No. 2: CS:GO Pro League Season 7 Dallas (May 2018), beating Team Liquid 3-1 in the final.
- Win No. 3: Intel Extreme Masters Chicago (November 2018), beating Team Liquid 3-0 in the final.
- Win No. 4: CS:GO Pro League Season 8 Odense (December 2018), beating Team Liquid 3-1 in the final.
The CS:GO Pro League Season Eight Finals win not only marks Astralis’ 9th victory out of the sixteen events in 2018, but also clinches the first Intel Grand Slam series which firmly solidifies Astralis as one of the best CS:GO teams to date. Their prize money from the four Intel Grand Slam-eligible events and the massive bonus prize amount to $1,700,000 – almost half of all the prize money the Danish team has earned in tournaments this year.
“Congratulations to Astralis, who have thrilled the world with a dominant run to become the first team to complete the Intel Grand Slam. The Intel Grand Slam is the toughest win in all of CS:GO, and we look forward to many more triumphs in the future,” said John Bonini, vice president and general manager of VR, Gaming and Esports Group at Intel.
“Completing the Intel Grand Slam is one of the most difficult feats in all of esports because of how insanely competitive CS:GO is,” said Michal Blicharz, vice president of Pro Gaming at ESL. ”What Astralis have done is nothing short of historic. This was truly the era of Astralis.”
ESL and Intel revealed the Intel Grand Slam during E3 in 2017, delivering a fresh format that will fuel engagement with fans and players and raise the stakes of competition. The Intel Grand Slam brings together tournaments hosted by ESL and DreamHack, with a $1 million prize up for grabs. Qualifying events include Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL One powered by Intel, CS:GO Pro League and DreamHack Masters series.
With Astralis’ victory, the chase for the next Intel Grand Slam begins with a clean slate for all teams at the upcoming Intel Extreme Masters Katowice, an official CS:GO Valve Major, in February 2019.