The Worst Counter Strike Tournament Ever

Summary

The video examines the 2022 Intel Africa Masters, a tournament intended to identify the best Counter-Strike teams across Africa and help build a more connected competitive scene. It offered a prize pool of 450,000 rand—about $30,000 at the time—with regional winners set to meet at LAN finals.

The tournament’s ambitions faced significant barriers: expensive gaming PCs and internet access, unreliable electricity in some areas, few local competitions, and high ping for players connecting to South African servers. Open qualifiers required only 20 hours of playtime, making them accessible but also allowing inexperienced teams to enter.

Match highlights

• Nigerian regional final: Only four teams entered the qualifiers, and two forfeited their semifinals. The remaining teams, Outlaws and LOC Predator, faced off in the final, where Outlaws won both maps 16–0. The video highlights uneven play, lag, and a player disconnecting, while noting the equipment and connectivity limitations players in the region faced.
• LAN finals: Egypt’s regional winner did not attend, leaving three teams in the group stage. Outlaws lost both matches 0–2, winning just one round across four maps, but still finished third and earned prize money.
• Grand final: North Africa’s 15 Average Gang faced South Africa’s Bravado in a best-of-five series. 15 Average Gang won 3–0, with the maps described as close. One standout moment came when Riza won a clutch for 15 Average Gang after Blaze secured a pair of kills.

The video concludes that the tournament was entertaining and gave some players a valuable opportunity, but also revealed how difficult it is to develop a competitive Counter-Strike scene without affordable hardware, reliable connections, and regular competition. It expresses hope that the event might inspire future African players.

Gamers and sources featured

Teams and players mentioned: Outlaws, LOC Predator, 15 Average Gang, Bravado, Matrix, Sonic, JT, Daughty, Ruskov, Anti-Flag, Blaze, and Riza.

Sources and organizations mentioned: Intel Africa Masters, Mettlestate, FACEIT, HLTV, and Deema’s video and comment.