Who dominated the Red Bull Flick CSGO tournament in Australia?

Red Bull pounced on one of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s newest game modes, Hold The Flag, to create a one-of-a-kind esports event known as Red Bull Flick. 

Origin of Red Bull Flick

The idea for Red Bull Flick came about from the realization that, like most professional sports, the way competitive CSGO is set up means there might be some good players flying under the radar. Because of the game’s heavy team-based nature, a player with good mechanical skills or a solid tactical brain can go completely unnoticed in a lousy team.

To provide a platform for fringe players to show their stuff, Red Bull came up with the Flick competition. They knew it had to be something different because setting up a traditional tournament structure would create the same problems with identifying talent.

Esports, in general, has enjoyed a massive year in 2020. With more people around the world spending the majority of their time at home, viewership and engagement numbers have been through the roof, making it the perfect time to test new tournament ideas like Red Bull Flick. Alongside other esports, CSGO is so popular that even bookies like PlayUp Australia are featuring decent odds for its tournaments. 

Hold The Flag

That’s where the new Hold The Flag mode comes in. In a regular round of CSGO, once a player has been killed, they have to wait for the end of the round to respawn. In Hold The Flag, players can spawn as many times as it takes to win the map, and the only objective to win is to hold the center point of the map for 45 seconds.

The mode is perfect for this kind of event because quick thinking and aim skills come to the fore. There are only two people on each team, which means there is nowhere for unskilled players to hide. If you don’t contribute, your team loses. On top of that, the matches are exhilarating with creative play, genius ideas, and unbelievable skill on display from start to finish.

“The introduction of a brand new game mode to CSGO is an exciting challenge for the community. With new rules, new objectives, and importantly new maps, it creates an even playing field for amateurs and pros. Looking forward to seeing new and familiar strategies brought to the game,” Chiefs eSports Club and prolific Australian CSGO player Apocdud said.

Red Bull Flick Australia

32 teams entered the qualifying portion of the event, 16 went through to the tournament proper. This portion of the event was conducted over two days from November 28 to 29, with a double-elimination bracket.

The inaugural tournament was won by the superbly named Dynamic Du-Woah, made of semi-professional players Benson “Liki” Niuila and Daniel “Rekonz” Mort. The pair each received a custom-built PC worth $3,000 AUD, while all players in the top eight teams received a Red Bull pack worth $250 AUD.

Not Just A One-Off

The excellent news for fans of CSGO and Red Bull Flick is that the event’s success has convinced Red Bull it is something worth pursuing in the future. Competitions have also been held in Turkey and South Africa, and the second edition of the Australian event is already being planned.

The energy drink company and its tournament organizer partner ESL have made little attempt to hide their future intentions for Flick events.

“We’re excited to be working with Red Bull on presenting a new and innovative game mode to our Australian esports fans. Hold the Flag offers a whole new experience for CSGO veterans and amateurs looking to level up their game and get involved,” Josh Inman, Operations Manager at ESL Australia, said.