History of CS2 Graffiti on All Maps

Did you know that some pro players had personal graffiti on Counter-Strike maps? Since the transition from CS 1.6 to CS:GO brought plenty of visual opportunities like skins and more realistic maps, at some point, Valve went even further. Thus, game developers decided to add historical graffiti on maps to memorize iconic Esports moments, mostly during the huge tournaments.

The new iteration of the popular shooter brought, however, not only a positive visual upgrade to the maps but also cut some of those notable reminders. It means that not all CS:GO graffiti can still be seen, so let’s rewind all the significant moments that deserved Valve’s special attention in the past.

olofmeister — Molotov Defuse (Burning Defender)

The history of CS2 graffiti on all maps began in August 2014 during the ESL One Cologne 2014 Major. The semifinal clash between fnatic and Dignitas went tight on Overpass, with the score being 14-14 when the historical moment happened. The skirmish on the B bombsite turned the situation into 3 vs 5 in favor of fnatic but allowed the Danish team to plant the bomb. Having a few grenades allowed Dignitas to turn the timer into their friend and try to fight for a potential map point.

However, the Swede Olof 'olofmeister' Kajbjer decided to grab a victory no matter what, and after killing the player near the Monster, he jumped into the bomb site. Without losing any milliseconds, he stuck to the bomb defuse and didn’t stop even after getting the Molotov right below him. Although there was no need to make such a risky decision in the 4 vs. 1 favorable situation, olofmeister decided to finish his defusing job and made it milliseconds before he was burned.

Fnatic won the map and series but lost to a phenomenal NiP in the final of the third CS:GO Major. However, that moment deserved wide attention and appreciation for such a risk. Valve decided to add the responsive image on the B bombsite on Overpass. What’s more, olofmeister graffiti is only one of a few graffiti that was saved after the transition from CS:GO.

olofmeister — Infamous Boost (olofboost)

Another Overpass in 2014 and another situation to talk about Olof graffiti. During the quarter-final match against the French team LDLC at the Dreamhack Winter 2014 in November, fnatic were in a disastrous situation. They ended their attack at 3-12 and lost the pistol round, which should have allowed LDLC to take the 14th round pretty easily and close the map.

However, the Swedish team decided to make a force-buy to exclude even the bigger lead and hope for a comeback. To make this mission possible, olofmeister bought SSG-08 and asked his teammates to boost him on the CT spawn, which allowed him to control almost the whole map. With some passive play from the French side, they were preparing the B-site execution, but two kills from nowhere ruined their plans, and fnatic took the vital round.

This allowed the Swedish team to make a comeback and win the game, but the organizers decided it was something like a bug-using activity from fnatic. LDLC asked to replay the map from a 3-13 score, but fnatic refused and withdrew from the tournament. Luckily, this moment and responsive plate (‘not to climb the railings’ in German) became one of the few saved memorable graffiti, reminding us of fnatic’s infamous boost.

Fnatic — Quad AWP on Dust 2 T Spawn

Guess which team received the third memorable Counter-Strike moment that ended up as the famous Dust 2 graffiti? Yes, it was fnatic once again, but this time as a team, during the ESL One Cologne Major Final in August 2015. On the last round of the T-Side extra-times, the Swedish team was leading 17-15 and decided to use the Dust 2 structure and check the Mid-Doors cross using 4 AWPs.

Team Envy wasn’t ready for such a decision, and apEX’s attempt to pick the Middle was doomed before it was even executed. Pronax sent the French player into the next round seconds after the round started, while JW, who was pushing B Site, got the vital info that the bombsite was free, which allowed them to win the round. This unpredictable decision allowed fnatic to win the map 19-15 and then close the game on Cobblestone, winning their second consecutive CS:GO Major.

Valve enjoyed that moment and decided to add the only non-player-dedicated esports graffiti devoted to the entire team. However, this legendary moment and responsive graffiti disappeared after Dust 2 got an update in 2021, with no signs in the CS2 version as well.

coldzera — Flying AWP (Jumping Double)

Okay, enough with fnatic. The next graffiti is dedicated to a really great and decisive highlight from Marcelo 'coldzera' David. A semifinal game between Team Luminosity and Team Liquid at the MLG Columbus 2016 Major in April was a tight contest. The Horses were leading 15-9 at Mirage and decided to execute the B Site without grenades, where coldzera was holding the position from the Car.

Making the first frag, the Brazilian star went down but jump-checked how many opponents were coming. After seeing a few, he jumped once again and shot a no-scope from AWP, taking two opponents at once, and then delivered another close-distance kill. Such a moment demoralized the American team, which allowed the Brazilians to secure extra time and win the map and the whole semifinal series before beating NAVI in the final.

That was really a great moment, worthy of Mirage graffiti that, luckily, Valve transitioned to the CS2 map version, too. Out of all, the coldzera graffiti inspires the most to try to recreate it when playing on B bombsite on Mirage, and for a reason.

s1mple — Double No-scope (Descended from the Heaven)

If you know someone who remembers the good old days in CS and is a real fan, such a person definitely knows about the s1mple graffiti and insane highlight by Oleksandr Kostyliev on Cache. In July’s ESL One Cologne 2016 Major, Team Liquid came to the semifinal against fnatic strong, which was doubly true for the young Ukrainian star, s1mple.

The Swedish team was struggling in attack, but dennis and KRiMZ turned the situation into a 2-vs-1 situation in the Middle and quickly went to B Site. S1mple predicted the maneuver and also rotated there, taking the Heaven. After he understood that someone was under him, he jumped from the Heaven and shot a no-scope at dennis. KRiMZ tried to avenge his teammate and even picked the AWPer, but s1mple was faster, landing another no-scope, this time at a pretty long distance.

Fnatic dove into the last round on the T-Side with a weak economy and lost Cache 16-13, just repeating the losing score from Cobblestone. TL went to the final but once again lost it to the Brazilian squad with Fallen and coldzera, who were playing under the SK Gaming tags at that time.

It will be interesting to see if Valve adds this graffiti to the CS2 version of the map at some point.

friberg — Via Adamo (Banana King)

Diving deep into the history of CS graffiti, we can’t go past this one. It’s not a secret that some players can be insane on particular positions and maps, like rain on A Site Mirage or ropz in the A Site Pit on Inferno. However, the only player who deserved Valve’s attention as the unbeatable maestro was Adam 'friberg' Friberg, who is still considered to be the one and only Banana King. To get Via Adamo meaning, you need to understand that he was NiP’s driving force and their key to the success on Inferno, especially during ESL One: Cologne 2014 Grand Final and Copenhagen Games 2014. The timeline of Adam’s heroics and Valve’s appreciation lasted about two years, as the graffiti appeared only in 2016.

Interestingly, there is no single highlight from friberg that brought him a personal plate, “Via Adamo”, on the Banana, which means Adam Street in Italian. Eventually, Inferno in Counter-Strike 2 was totally remade, and Valve removed the historical element from the map for unknown reasons. Maybe the map will get an update in the future, or at least Valve will give us some explanations as to why some graffiti were ported from CS:GO and some disappeared.

Dosia — 200IQ Nade (Genius Grenade)

Another notable moment in CS2 graffiti history belongs to Mihail 'Dosia' Stolyarov, who threw a 200-IQ grenade during the PGL Krakow Major Final in July 2017. Gambit were heavily leading Immortals 9-1 on the final map Inferno, but the Brazilians successfully executed A Site, sending away low-HP Zeus to save AWP. Understanding the importance of the economy and the potential comeback from Immortals, Dosia went to the Apartments and looked for some exit frags.

After checking all close positions, Dosia predicted that one or a few Brazilian players would be saving in the Pit corner, where a full-HP player can survive even a bomb explosion. Waiting for the late timing, Dosia threw HE-Grenade to this corner from Short and ran away, evacuating himself. Two of three players got almost half-HP damage and didn’t survive after the explosion, entering the new round with a pretty low economy, which helped Gambit close the map 16-10 and win the Major.

The graffiti in the Pit corner had an Italian text that is translated as ‘No, you can't escape now’ — a pretty obvious link to Dosia’s grenade. Unfortunately, the CS2 version of Inferno doesn’t contain any signs of this graffiti, just like the signs of Adam Friberg’s achievements on the Banana.

Furlan and GruBy — AGO Danger Zone (Wolf on the Roof)

A lot of Counter-Strike players could miss the following episode in the graffiti history in CS2. The release of CS:GO Danger Zone mode in December 2018 came on the wave of Battle Royal popularity, and the following IEM Katowice 2019 Major in February should remind everyone about this occasion. Thus, Valve decided to make a traditional Showmatch before the Major final on the Danger Zone map Blacksite and dedicate graffiti for the winners.

At the final seconds of the map, with the deadly smoke shrinking tightly, Furlan stayed alone but defeated both jks and SPUNJ from the roof. This spot became the place for the latest-added graffiti, symbolizing the lone surviving wolf, with Furlan’s and GruBy’s signatures. Unlike CS2 graffiti explained before, this one can only be seen in the Danger Zone mode, which is yet to come to CS2. It isn’t clear whether it will be added to the game, and now this painting can be seen only on the dedicated videos.

Final Words

Of course, it takes much more than just eight memorable moments to explain all CS2 graffiti, but we’ve covered the most interesting and popular ones. There are also many other graffiti-worthy moments in CS2 that have been collected throughout history and may be added over time. In order not to miss such moments in future tournaments, follow CS2 pro matches on our website. As for the future, Valve has not dedicated any attention to this aspect since 2018, and many CS fans expect a new wave with CS2 Majors coming in 2024. Choosing one memorable moment from every CS Major won’t be a problem, for sure, while it will add even more interest and value for those tournaments.