{"id":404484,"date":"2026-07-09T05:20:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/?p=404484"},"modified":"2026-07-09T05:20:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T05:20:54","slug":"valve-karrigan-major-trophy-rule-cs2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.skin.club\/en\/news\/valve-karrigan-major-trophy-rule-cs2","title":{"rendered":"Valve break long-standing Major rule by awarding karrigan a champion trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Valve has unexpectedly changed one of its longest-standing Major traditions. After releasing the IEM Cologne Major 2026 champion items in Counter-Strike 2, the developer awarded Finn \u201ckarrigan\u201d Andersen an in-game Major Champion Trophy. He received it despite competing as a stand-in for Falcons. The decision breaks Valve\u2019s long-standing policy, which excluded substitute players from receiving the trophy.<\/p>\n

Valve breaks a long-standing rule<\/h3>\n
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Photo Copyright by ESL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For years, Valve followed a strict policy for Major champion rewards. Only the registered starting lineup could receive the prestigious in-game trophy. Stand-ins remained ineligible, even if they played every match of the tournament. Meanwhile, registered players still received the trophy even if they never stepped onto the server.<\/p>\n

The rule remained unchanged for years. Most players expected Valve to keep using the same system. That changed after Falcons won the IEM Cologne Major 2026. Karrigan led the team as a stand-in, yet Valve still awarded him the champion trophy. He became one of the very few substitute players to receive the in-game reward.<\/p>\n\n

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read more<\/p>\n

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Jul 08<\/div>\n News<\/a> <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Previous Majors used the opposite system<\/h3>\n

The decision surprised the Counter-Strike community because Valve had consistently followed the opposite approach. Before the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, Valve confirmed that stand-ins would not receive champion trophies if their teams won the event. The rule affected several well-known players:<\/p>\n