Relive the most dramatic moments from the RMRs

With the Major qualification circuit expected to change next year, HLTV looks back on the most memorable moments in RMR history.

Whilst it is yet to become official, 2024 may be the last year we will see RMR tournaments in their current form. HLTV recently revealed that sources have indicated that the Majors will expand from 24 to 32 teams and that RMR tournaments will be a thing of the past, with the Valve Regional Standings (VRS) serving as the main basis for Major qualification.

RMRs have become a vital part of the CS landscape in their current iteration. Originally, starting with IEM Rio 2020 (which was cancelled due to COVID), the RMR system was intended to be a points circuit, with certain tournaments being granted RMR status. These tournaments would dole out RMR points based on where a team placed, and the top points earners in each region would earn Major slots.

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Instead, from PGL Major Antwerp 2022, the RMRs morphed into singular, winner-takes-all tournaments. Spots at these tournaments have been granted to top finishers in the previous Major, as well as offering an open qualification route.

There is much to lament with the loss of the RMRs. Not only is CS moving away from a truly open circuit with the changes to Major qualification and the introduction of Valve's ranking, it is also leaving behind some of the highest-pressure moments of the entire circuit.

Many players have been quoted as saying that the RMRs were the most stressful and demanding tournaments of the year. Qualifying for the Major is make-or-break for many squads, and the rewards in terms of brand awareness and the financial windfall are so incredibly valuable to CS organizations. No other tournament produced so many fairytale runs, so many zero-to-hero moments, and so much heartbreak for some of the best and brightest CS has to offer.

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So join HLTV as we take a look back through the history of the RMRs to remember some of the most dramatic moments, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as teams fought to make their Major dreams a reality.

SAW's last-millisecond heartbreak

Portuguese fans might want to skip this section. Perhaps the most iconic RMR moment of all time, this heart-stopping clutch by Dzhami "⁠Jame⁠" Ali ruthlessly broke the hearts and smashed the dreams of Portuguese Counter-Strike fans when a berth for PGL Major Antwerp was but a hair's breadth away.

As hype CS moments go, it came in a game that had everything. It was a clash between an underdog and a heavyweight favorite. The underdog had pushed the favorite all the way to the very brink in the series. A spot at the Major was on the line, which would have been Portugal's first-ever national team appearance, and the loser was to go home empty-handed. The final map had gone down to the wire, all 30 rounds needed to separate the two squads.

The deciding moment itself, the precise second in which the Major dream slipped through SAW's fingers, was similarly like something from a Hollywood film script. With series point on the line, SAW played themselves into a 3v2 post-plant advantage. Major secured, right? Wrong. Outsiders, a squad renowned for consistently being nigh-impossible to put to bed in a series, managed to beat the odds and drag the round into a 1v1 clutch.

Still, time was ticking low and Renato "⁠stadodo⁠" Gonçalves had a favorable position behind New Box, forcing Jame to put away his AWP and attempt to run his opposite number down with a pistol. The sand in the bomb-timer's hourglass was whittling down to the final few grains, and as Jame rounded New Box, stadodo went for the noscope. He connected. But only with Jame's leg. The Russian AWPer seized the opportunity with both hands, grabbed a last-millisecond defuse and sent the game to overtime. SAW would lose the game in OT, thus losing the series and a spot at the Major.

If you wanted to be harsh, you could use the benefit of hindsight to say stadodo could have just danced around the box and won the round with the bomb timer. Further back in the round, you could have said SAW needed to play more proactively with their 3v2 advantage and peek Outsiders as they came in for the retake. On the flipside, SAW were desperately unlucky. The clock had run down almost to zero hour but the bomb was planted close enough for Jame to defuse, stadodo connected with his shot but didn't get a killing blow, and in an alternate universe Jame did not have 100hp and the leg-shot killed anyway.

stadodo's lost clutch had immense ramifications as SAW would go on to lose the match, thus missing the Major, and the squad was significantly revamped soon after, with three members being benched. In hindsight, perhaps the heartbreak was worth it. João "⁠story⁠" Vieira and Michel "⁠ewjerkz⁠" Pinto were brought in as part of the overhaul, and would go on to be key pieces of the roster that made a fairytale run at IEM Cologne and earned Portugal their first national squad appearance at a Major two years later.

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9 Pandas joy turns to despair

If SAW's RMR tale was one of a gut-wrenching failure turned into a silver lining, 9 Pandas' tale is the exact opposite, that of a delirious success that became a dark cloud.

Coming into PGL Major Copenhagen Europe RMR in 2024, nobody was talking about 9 Pandas. With CS legend Denis "⁠seized⁠" Kostin at the helm, the Russian squad were amongst the middle of the pack of attendees when it came to world ranking, so grabbing a Major spot wasn't an outlandish thought. That No. 26 spot was padded by points from an unlikely PARI Please LAN victory late the previous year, however, which was a significant aberration in their general form.

9 Pandas' run in the main RMR event wasn't much to get excited about. A rousing 13-1 win over SAW was a highlight, but losses to FaZe, KOI and AMKAL, the latter two of which were lower-ranked than 9 Pandas, sent the Russians to the Last Chance Qualifier with little expectation upon them.

In the Last Chance Qualifier with the pressure ratcheted up a notch, 9 Pandas really kicked into gear. They began by handing out a devastating loss to the Danes of Astralis, a moment which might top a list of worst RMR moments. Astralis had thrown significant wads of cash at their persistent years of underperformances, and a squad featuring Benjamin "⁠blameF⁠" Bremer, Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz, Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund and Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard was left stuck in the mud by five Russians who were largely leftovers from their national scene. Danish pastries be damned, vodka reigns supreme.

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A stiff test awaited 9 Pandas in the qualification bout, namely a GamerLegion side ranked inside the top 20 who had, albeit with a significantly different lineup, placed second at the previous Major. Not only did 9 Pandas win the series, but they did so in fairytale fashion, powered to a hard-fought victory by a life-game from then-30-year-old Aleksandr "⁠glowiing⁠" Matsievich. The rifler, who only picked up CS in his late 20s, battered GamerLegion with a marauding and aggressive style of play that racked up highlight after highlight and headshot after headshot.

The scenes after 9 Pandas' qualification were the stuff of spine-tingling, hair-on-end dreams, tears flowing and harosh blyats flying. Not only did it mark the first Major for many of the players, an unlikely underdog tale coming true, but it also heralded the return of seized to Majors after a six-year absence.

This story did not have a happy ending. With the ecstatic haze of Major qualification behind them, 9 Pandas were struck by travel issues and could not make it to Denmark with their whole lineup. Thus, they were replaced at the Major. A torrid end to an otherwise inspiring tale.

Astralis and G2 miss IEM Rio

Rarely do the best teams in the world miss the Major. Despite all the stress and pitfalls that come with the RMRs, the elite usually find a way to get through the tough times and ensure they appear at the most important event in CS. But not always.

IEM Road to Rio Europe RMR A was a momentous one as it marked the first time two juggernauts of the game would miss out on CS's marquee event. G2 and Astralis entered the RMR as the second and fourth-highest ranked teams in attendance, and were expected to qualify for the Major, and in the case of G2, breeze through.

Both squads faltered in BO1s and thus sported a 1-2 record heading into series play. One loss away from elimination, but surely these two giants would get their acts together now that proper, BO3 series were taking over? Instead, GamerLegion and FORZE took G2 and Astralis down respectively to relegate these giants of the game to the sidelines for the historic first Major in Brazil, and there were wider ramifications.

Astralis ditched Asger "⁠Farlig⁠" Jensen and coach Martin "⁠trace⁠" Heldt soon after the event, and not long into 2023 when the Danes brought back device only to miss out on the BLAST Paris Major as well, Andreas "⁠Xyp9x⁠" Højsleth and Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander would be gone.

G2 would see coach Rémy "⁠XTQZZZ⁠" Quoniam depart as well, and arguably this failure in one of Rasmus "⁠HooXi⁠" Nielsen's first events with the team would set the negative tone that accompanied him for much of his stint. Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač said of the failure that he had "never felt this empty and this much pain."

G2 would bounce back from the disappointment, but for Astralis it marked the a major gut-punch in what would be an extended decline, and a string of further Majors missed, including Paris and then PGL Major Copenhagen in their home country. The RMRs could be a cruel mistress.

The Last Dance waltz to the Rio Major

The hype for this roster was off the charts, at least in certain parts of the world. Imperial had made a blockbuster move in signing The Last Dance, a roster made up of the core of the two-time Major winning Brazilian squad that indelibly etched their names into CS history in 2016. They had already played at PGL Major Antwerp, but this was the big one: a Major in Brazil, IEM Rio 2022. Gabriel "⁠FalleN⁠" Toledo was at the head of the squad, Fernando "⁠fer⁠" Alvarenga was right by his side, and Lincoln "⁠fnx⁠" Lau was on the sidelines as their coach.

After qualifying easily for Antwerp, things had gotten dicey for Imperial in this RMR; BO1 losses to 9z and their old teammate coldzera's 00NATION had left Imperial staring in the face of elimination. Series wins over TeamOne and Nouns kept the Brazilians alive, but left them still needing to navigate the 6-8th decider bracket against stiff opposition, namely paiN and Complexity.

Imperial battled to a 2-0 win over paiN, needing all 30 rounds on one map and OT on the other to secure victory. Still there was another test in their path in the form of the third-highest ranked team at the RMR, Complexity.

The series was one for the history books. The teams battled back and forth with huge plays being made on both sides of the server, all three maps were hotly-contested affairs, and the final map of Overpass came down to an overtime battle.

Marcelo "⁠chelo⁠" Cespedes, a member of the squad that had not been a part of the dominant Brazilian teams of old, showed exactly why Imperial had chosen him to join the Last Dance as he had put up the bulk of the fragging needed to keep Overpass competitive, but as the map wore on, it was the old dogs who barked loudest.

FalleN came up with an important 1v2 to ensure his team garnered a winning T half, and the storied AWPer aced Complexity on the CT side with his sniper to help haul his team to OT. Ricardo "⁠boltz⁠" Prass produced a vital 3k in overtime, whilst fer's experience ensured he kept a cool head and prevented Ricky "⁠floppy⁠" Kemery from winning a match-defining 1v2 clutch.

It was everything Brazilian fans could have wanted. Their legends kept the Last Dance going for one more waltz around the block, qualified for a historic Major in their own country, and did so under the highest pressure in stunning fashion.

The best of the rest

Every RMR Bad News Eagles touched

You can't do justice to a piece about the RMRs without mentioning Bad News Eagles. The fan-favorite Kosovan lineup repeatedly defied the odds without organizational support and transcended their usual level to march through three back-to-back RMRs in rip-roaring fashion.

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If there is a single moment that defined Bad News Eagles at RMRs, it was their 2-0 victory over FaZe at BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR A 2023. Qualification to the Major was directly on the line, and everyone expected FaZe to get through the series, if not easily. Instead, Bad News Eagles bested the European giants, overwhelming FaZe with their balls-to-the-wall style of gameplay.

The best part? Bad News Eagles thrived in the highest-pressure moments, the all-important clutches and man-disadvantage scenarios. They beat FaZe at their own game, and of course celebrated in typically exuberant fashion when they got the job done.

ECSTATIC become only Danish team at PGL Major Copenhagen

Of all the Danish squads who might have qualified for PGL Major Copenhagen, few would have predicted it would be ECSTATIC. Co-owned by streamer and skin fanatic zipeL, ECSTATIC were a team put together on a modest budget, made up of young Danish talents and cast-offs that were not wanted by the top national teams.

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Where the likes of Astralis, who fielded the most-stacked Danish lineup, and Preasy, who sported five-time Major winner Peter "⁠dupreeh⁠" Rasmussen, failed, the lower-ranked ECSTATIC succeeded, booking a spot at their home Major to ensure Denmark had at least one fully-national team to cheer for.

Mongolian CS rises

The MongolZ are now a staple of tier-one CS, regularly appearing at the biggest tournaments and giving the best in the business a run for their money. But, given their country's slim history in CS, where did this Mongolian powerhouse come from?

It was the PGL Major Antwerp Asia RMR where Garidmagnai "⁠bLitz⁠" Byambasuren, Sodbayar "⁠Techno⁠" Munkhbold and coach Erdenedalai "⁠maaRaa⁠" Bayanbat, playing as IHC, would announce themselves on the world stage. Ranked No. 78 at the time, IHC upset the apple cart by beating TYLOO and destroying Renegades to qualify for the Major, beginning the journey that would eventually see the core of the side become a top 10 team as The MongolZ.

9INE put Poland back on the map

9INE were not a team anyone was excited about heading into BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR B. Ranked outside the top 30, the Polish squad, headlined by ex-ENCE man Olek "⁠hades⁠" Miskiewicz, had previously been putting together solid if unspectacular results in tier-two online competitions, and came into the RMR as one of the lowest-ranked squads.

So of course they beat BIG, G2 and Vitality to storm to the Major in convincing fashion and become the first all-Polish squad at a Major since 2019. Not much became of 9INE afterwards, their squad was picked apart as they struggled to kick on, but their performance to make it to the Paris Major was one to be remembered.

device leads NIP to glory

IEM Fall 2021 wasn't quite the RMR as we know them now, but it was pretty much the same thing in practice. Instead of a singular qualification tournament, RMR used to stand for a point-based system where deep placements in select tournaments would qualify you for the Major. IEM Fall ended up being a de-facto qualification tournament, as due to disruption caused by COVID, it proffered the largest amount of RMR ranking points by far.

There was something in the water in Stockholm, Sweden during this tournament, as a fair few honourable mentions come from the event.

Ninjas in Pyjamas were hoping the recent blockbuster signing of device would usher in a new era for the organization and see them return to the trophy-winning heights of their famous Christopher "⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠" Alesund and Patrik "⁠f0rest⁠" Lindberg-powered lineup. It didn't happen in the end, but IEM Fall 2021 was a glimpse of what could have been.

device produced an MVP-winning performance as Ninjas in Pyjamas took down top-ranked teams FaZe and G2, as well as on-fire underdogs Movistar Riders and ENCE, on their way to the trophy.

ENCE announce themselves in style

ENCE weren't complete unknowns when they bagged second-place and Major qualification at IEM Fall 2021. They had competed at both iterations of ESL Pro League in 2021, even making 5-8th in Season 14, but weren't a regular fixture at top tournaments and you would have been forgiven for thinking their wins over Astralis and Spirit at EPL 14 was the exception to their true level.

Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer and company proved that they were worth their salt in Stockholm, taking down Astralis, Vitality and G2 on their way to the final, laying down the foundations for what would become one of the best teams in the world in 2022 and 2023.

Movistar riders do Spain proud

Spain had enjoyed supporting a handful of Major participants in Majors gone by, starting with Oscar "⁠mixwell⁠" Cañellas at ESL One Cologne 2016, but never had a fully Spanish team made it to CS's marquee event. Until Movistar Riders.

The Spaniards, led by the AWPing prowess of Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García, battled their way valiantly through IEM Fall 2021 as the second-lowest ranked team before upsetting G2 in the 5th-place decider to become the first all-Spanish representatives at a Major.

Copenhagen Flames set Stockholm alight

Copenhagen Flames arrived at IEM Fall 2021 well short of Major qualification via RMR ranking points, and were an unknown quantity in tier-one terms, hovering in and around the top 30 thanks to solid runs in tier-two online events.

In Stockholm they shocked the world with a flawless 5-0 run through the group stage, during which they took down top 15 squads MOUZ and BIG as well as world No. 4 G2 in BO1 play.

Things took a turn for the worse in the playoffs as Vitality and Movistar Riders comfortably dispatched of the Danes, who had to beat Fiend to settle for 7th place, but it was enough to qualify them for PGL Major Stockholm. There they would go on to make an underdog run through the Challengers Stage, finish 9-11th, and launch the careers of the likes of HooXi and jabbi.