In an age where most players are switching over from Counter-Strike to Valorant, Stewie2K made the reverse switch and thrived in success yet again. For the whole of last year, Stewie2K was on the Valorant grind, barely paying any attention to Counter-Strike. Last week, though, Stewie2K did the unthinkable and led G2 to yet another tournament win. This is something that is very rare in the modern era of gaming, especially because of Valorant. Not many players are moving back to Counter-Strike, and Stewie might be one among the few who was actually successful in making the return switch via IEM Dallas.
Stewie2k’s Road to the IEM Dallas
Just last week, Cs pundits discussed how improbable it was for Stewie2k to reach this far at IEM Dallas, an American stand-in attempting a professional comeback. Witnessing him reach the playoffs alongside G2, taking out Team Liquid, was quite remarkable. Celebrations began immediately. Nico grasped the significance, understanding exactly what this meant, as Nexa’s final kill secured a 13-11 victory for G2, eliminating Team Liquid and securing their playoff spot at IEM Dallas 2024. However, G2 faced a daunting task next: going up against FaZe, considered the final bosses of CS by many analysts. Stewie’s performance, while commendable, may not have been enough to topple these giants.
Then, he delivered one of his best series of IEM Dallas. G2, with an incredible performance, punched their ticket to the Grand Finals by defeating 9z, a team of multinational South Americans who had stunned their way to the semifinals. It was an amazing story at this 100th IEM, but G2 proved too strong, with Stewie and 9z’s journey ending in the semifinals.
G2 VS Vitality Finals Showdown
Moving on, G2 faced Vitality in the Grand Finals of IEM Dallas. Stewie, alongside Nico and the rest of G2, faced off against zyu and Apex, who had been performing exceptionally well. The crowd was firmly behind G2, and they took map one in their favor. Stewie’s personal performance wasn’t stellar, with stats not reflecting his full contribution, but monesy’s outstanding play helped secure the win on Inferno.
The series continued with Anubis, where Vitality dominated initially, taking seven consecutive rounds. G2 managed to reset and adapt, pushing the map to overtime. Despite losing the map quickly in overtime, G2’s resilience paid off. The final map, Nuke, saw monesy, Nico, Hunter, and even Ste stepping up when needed, securing G2’s victory and the IEM Dallas 2024 Championship.
Stewie, returning to form, lifted the trophy, a poignant moment as it marked his first major win since 2019 with Team Liquid. It was a storybook ending for North American fans watching him perform in the United States once again. While his statistics for the tournament may not have been outstanding, Stewie’s impact on the game was undeniable, making crucial plays and contributing to G2’s success.
Looking forward, Stewie’s future remains uncertain. Despite criticism of his statistics, his performance and leadership were crucial to G2’s victory. Whether another top team will take a chance on him remains to be seen, but for now, Stewie can celebrate his remarkable win at IEM Dallas 2024.
