A pro CSGO player just lost a 1v1 clutch to a chicken

Losing in the clutch is never a good feeling, but this particular match left a pro player feeling absolutely fowl.

A professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player just lost a  one-on-one clutch situation due to a chicken. The duel on Inferno A site looked good for Casper “cadiaN” Møller until an errant chicken disrupted his defusal attempt. 

The entire debacle was streamed live on his official Twitch channel. Heroic’s captain attempted to defuse the bomb on A site. One T opponent was still alive in an unknown location. cadiaN’s defuse positions allows him to check top mid in case he showed up to defend. With less than 2.5 seconds left on the timer, a chicken poked his head out right where cadiaN was watching.

Lost this clutch yesterday due to the chicken moving, and I thought it was the legs / shadow of the opponent. pic.twitter.com/w7QPxkf7lq

— cadiaN (@caspercadiaN) January 17, 2022

cadiaN thought that the figure was the last remaining T player, so he stopped the defuse to chase him. He quickly realized that it was actually just one of the many ambient chickens spread out across Inferno. As he returned to finish the defuse, the actual T player popped out of apartments to spray him down. It’s possible that he heard cadiaN’s movements. At the very least, the chicken gave him enough time to finish his rotation and secure the clutch.

Can chickens affect gameplay in CSGO?

Every now and then, CSGO players debate the impact of chickens on competitive play. The birds have a dynamic AI that reacts to player movement and gunfire. In rare situations, a chicken’s reaction can reveal the location of a hidden player. There’s also the issue that cadiaN ran into where chickens can trick players into thinking they spotted an enemy.

Both of these situations are overwhelmingly rare, especially in professional play. Most players are happy to keep the chickens in the game even if they occasionally cause problems. They give Inferno, Militia, Cobblestone, Rush, and Italy a certain flair that distinguishes them from other maps. It also gives Valve an opportunity to celebrate holiday seasons by decorating the friendly fowl. The recent redesign shows that Valve intends to keep the chickens around for as long as they can.