This win marks a significant morale boost for the team after several challenging months, and it ends a long international trophy drought for Australian Counter-Strike that stretched back to the SL i-League Invitational Shanghai in 2017.
YOUR #ESLChallenger ATLANTA CHAMPIONS – @FlyQuestCS
@dextersjourney
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 7, 2024
“It’s pretty insane,” said Christopher “?dexter?” Nong after the match.
“It’s a huge accomplishment for the scene. It’s everything I could wish for.”
One of the standout performances came from Alistair “?aliStair?” Johnston, who had been under scrutiny for his recent form but silenced his critics with a dominant showing on Dust2, posting a 1.57 rating.
Reflecting on his performance, the Australian AWPer said, “The boys are always pushing me forward, never putting me down or blaming me.
“I’m glad I could show a good performance for them today. They have always had my back.”
FlyQuest��s unbeaten tournament run now serves as motivation for the rest of the season, with their next major challenge being the Perfect World Shanghai Major Asia RMR, scheduled for November 11-13 in Shanghai.
The grand final kicked off on Ancient, BIG��s map pick, where a 1v3 clutch from Karim “?Krimbo?” Moussa gave them an early advantage.
However, FlyQuest took control after stabilising their economy, going on a 10-0 run to close the half.
Though BIG mounted a comeback in the second half, FlyQuest��s surprise eco-round victory shifted momentum, allowing them to secure the map despite Krimbo��s heroics.
The second map, Vertigo, was a nail-biter, going into overtime.
BIG, after a poor counter-terrorist side, managed to hit map point at 12-10.
FlyQuest fought back to force overtime, but BIG claimed the map after a crucial 1v2 clutch from Florian “?syrsoN?” Rische.
The series was ultimately decided on Dust2.
FlyQuest built a commanding 9-3 lead with a stellar counter-terrorist performance.
BIG mounted a strong comeback after the switch, narrowing the deficit to a single round.
But in a pivotal moment, aliStair pulled off a quad-kill in a 2v4 situation, turning the tide and sealing the championship for FlyQuest.
After months of disappointing results, FlyQuest��s victory at ESL Challenger Atlanta 2024 signals a resurgence for Australian CS.
The team walks away with a $50,000 prize and a spot at ESL Pro League Season 21.
This hard-fought win may not have been clean, but for these players, it represents their first major Counter-Strike trophy (with the exception of dexter), and they��ll savour the accomplishment.
For aliStair, in particular, this tournament was a breakthrough.
After facing criticism for underperformance, his heroics on Dust2��where he delivered clutch after clutch��played a key role in FlyQuest’s triumph.
If he can maintain this level of play, FlyQuest could make a serious impact at larger events in the future.
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) October 7, 2024
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