The first edition of the INUI Showdown Series concluded, bringing together 16 invited teams for a creator-powered Counter-Strike 2 event unlike most on the competitive calendar. With a $50,000 prize pool and a mix of professionals, streamers, and community figures, the tournament provided four days of varied and high-level competition. In the end, famX, led by Richard "shox" Papillon, claimed the trophy with a 3–1 win over the tournament’s breakout team, Bankai.

A Stack of Legends

The event followed a familiar structure: a Swiss system in the group stage led into an eight-team single-elimination playoff. What made this event different was the makeup of the teams. Former Major winners shared servers with content creators and semi-professionals. The result was a uniquely competitive and entertaining atmosphere, where individual skill and team adaptability played out in unpredictable ways.

Team Lord Waddles Duckington united the legendary trio of GeT_RiGhT, Edward, and markeloff, a lineup few fans ever expected to see on the same team. NadeKing, one of the most recognizable CS content creators on YouTube, led his own squad, NADEKINGSTERS, alongside flusha and HS.

Hype Bringers featured James “BanKs” Banks alongside Devilwalk, while DONA’s ANGELS brought the casting desk to the server with SPUNJ, Hugo, and JustHarry. Team YLN, with the headshot machine ScreaM and the legendary SmithZz, promised flashy plays, and 5BALLS, featuring 1mpala, lollipop21k, and CyberFocus, carried serious firepower.

And that was just part of the field. Check out the full team lineups here.

Bankai’s Unexpected Rise

After an unpredictable Swiss round, eight teams moved on to the playoffs. While teams like Ha MaSSe, YLN, LWD and famX entered the tournament with recognizable names and fan expectations, Bankai began as an unknown quantity. The roster, made up of Maxim “Delight” Saenko, Ilya “jakekeS” Sukhoparov, and teammates from the CIS scene, advanced steadily through the Swiss stage with little attention. That changed in the playoffs.

Their 2–1 semifinal win over Ha MaSSe, a team featuring established players like almazer, NickelBack, and QRUSH, was the turning point. Confident and cohesive, Bankai capitalized on mistakes and maintained pressure across all three maps. The result sent them to the grand final and marked them as the tournament’s breakout team.

famX Handles the Final

The former Major winner and CS icon captained famX through a flawless group stage run. Backed by former Vitality teammate Jayson "Kyojin" Nguyen Van and a breakout performance from Zakaria "zakarinh0" Benyahia the French-Algerian trio swept aside Lord Waddles Duckington, outlasted Aga Peek in the semis.

In the grand final, they faced a confident but less experienced Bankai. Despite a strong opening map, Bankai were unable to maintain their form over the best-of-five format. famX closed the series 3–1, with shox delivering a consistent performance and zakarinh0 emerging as one of the event’s most impactful riflers. Their composure across the maps and strong team fundamentals ultimately proved too difficult for Bankai to overcome.

The End? Or Just the Beginning?

The INUI Showdown Series #1 brought together high-level play and community-driven energy in a format that felt both competitive and fresh. With teams composed of world-class veterans, fan-favorite personalities, and rising talent, the event opened the door to matchups we don’t often see and moments that wouldn’t happen anywhere else.

This first edition laid a solid foundation, one we intend to build on. As we look ahead to future tournaments under the Showdown banner, the focus will be on refining the format, expanding the scope, and delivering an even stronger experience for players and viewers alike.