Big Gear for Big Plays – The Gear of the Paris Major 2023 Winners

The very last Major of our beloved CS:GO has come to an end and -spoiler alert- Vitality has written history by getting their hands on this iteration of Counter-Strike’s most prestigious trophy in Paris.

It’s a win that was seemingly written in the stars: Vitality is a French team with a French superstar AWPer who is constantly in the conversation for being the best player in CS:GO history despite never winning a Major. The team is also lead by the veteran French IGL apEX, a player who has won it all before and has been the subject of some harsh criticisms over the past years and months. This win makes apEX the player with the longest time between two Major wins; his last victory (with Team EnVyUs) was over 7 years ago. But it doesn’t end there.

Spinx became the first player from Israel to ever lift the trophy, and meanwhile dupreeh capped off his legendary CS:GO career by attending every Major and clinching his fifth overall win, something that can only be said by the team’s coach, zonic. Magisk also rounded off his CS:GO stint in style, as Vitality’s victory in Paris meant that he added his fourth Major victory to his curriculum vitae.

While the final match perhaps wasn’t the most exciting Major final in history, we did get to see a dazzling conclusion to CS:GO’s life as the world’s most beloved esports game, and the amazing French crowd made sure to see the game off with a roar of support. We truly can’t wait to see what CS2 will bring to the table.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the gear that the players used to make their way to the crown without dropping a single map.

Paris Major 2023 Monitor


It’s no secret that ZOWIE monitors have been the standard for pretty much all CS:GO tournaments in recent years, so it’s only fitting that their latest release, the XL2566K, was used as the official monitor of the game’s final Major.

The XL2566K is a 360Hz 1080p monitor that’s built from the ground up for esports, and this shows. It has unparalleled response times and motion clarity, making this one of the very best choices for players who want gaming performance above everything else.

ZOWIE XL2566K

Used by 194 CS2 players ()
  • s1mple
    s1mple
  • NiKo
    NiKo
  • m0NESY
    m0NESY
  • TenZ
    TenZ
Staff’s Choice
Pro’s Choice

If you are a competitive gamer who takes their game extremely seriously and you want to get the fastest and smoothest gaming monitor to help you be the best player you can be, then you have to get the ZOWIE XL2566K right now.

Read review (12/2022)

Pros

  • 360Hz refresh rate along with fast TN panel makes it one of the smoothest monitors out there
  • Subtle design
  • Small footprint of the base
  • Lots of QoL features such as the stand markings, the S switch, the included (and detachable) glare panels, …
  • Picture quality is great for a TN panel…

Cons

  • … but it doesn’t match IPS panels when it comes to quality
  • Expensive for a 1080p monitor
  • Low viewing angles

Specs

Size24.5″
Resolution1920×1080
Aspect Ratio16:9
Refresh Rate360
G-SyncNo
FreeSyncNo
Panel TechTN

Paris Major 2023 Headset


As is the case in pretty much all top tier esports events, players at the Paris Major were supplied with noise-cancelling headsets that were provided by the organizer. This headset is the Acezone A-Live, a product that has specifically been made to address the needs of tournament organizers across the globe.

Underneath this headset (which is worn to drown out crowd and caster sounds to ensure that competitors can’t gain an advantage by listening for sound cues outside of the game) players wear their own earbuds. These are a lot more difficult to distinguish since we only see the cord of these earbuds, but since a LAN environment is often incredibly loud and ‘busy’ (with the white noise, the vibrations of the stage, the loud comms, …) this doesn’t necessarily have to be an audiophile-grade pair of earbuds.

Vitality’s Gear Sponsor


Vitality is sponsored by CHERRY XTRFY, a brand that was recently formed after keyboard/switch company Cherry MX acquired peripherals brand Xtrfy. As such, we’ll see a lot of their gear being used, but as we have often mentioned in the past, sponsors usually allow players to use their own mice. This is very clear when looking at Vitality: not a single player used an Xtrfy mouse in the Paris Major.

When it comes to keyboards, the team was clearly supplied with K5 Compact RGB Transparent White keyboards, and all of them have been customized somewhat to have a keycap set that matches the flag of the home nations of the players: we saw the French flag on ZywOo’s keyboard, for example, while Spinx was rocking a blue/white keycap set to match the flag of Israel. The boards also had the players’ names and flags on the back, something that has traditionally been done by many different brands for years now.

These customized boards are a nice touch, and as far as the branding goes it was a smart decision by CHERRY XTRFY to go for the transparent version of the board since it really sticks out.

Xtrfy K5 Compact RGB

Used by 8 CS2 players ()
  • ZywOo
    ZywOo
  • apEX
    apEX
  • dupreeh
    dupreeh
  • SENER1
    SENER1

The Xtrfy K5 RGB Compact is, sadly, a tale in two parts. At first, I was extremely excited about the K5 RGB Compact. The bright and vivid RGB, the PCB and case foam, the pre-lube stabilizers, the easy customization options, … All parts are here to make this one of the best mass-produced keyboards you can buy right now, but sadly Xtrfy has forgotten to deliver on what they promised.

Read review (06/2022)

Pros

  • Vivid RGB
  • Customizable hardware (top plate, switches, keycaps) allows user to make the board their own

Cons

  • Included case foam is too thin
  • Pre-lubed stabilizers are overlubed
  • Lots of good ideas that are poorly executed
  • Keycaps feel subpar

Specs

Form Factor65%
SwitchesKailh Red
PCBHotswappable
RGBYes
Height3.5cm
Width32.5cm
Length11.0cm
Weight841g

ZywOo Paris Major 2023 Gear


ZywOo is a player who is known for his eagerness to try out new gear. Throughout his career he’s used many different mice, including some offering from Xtrfy, but he was on the ZOWIE EC2-CW for the Paris Major. The EC line of mice is absolutely legendary in the Counter-Strike world, so perhaps it’s fitting that it was used as the mouse of choice for the MVP of CS:GO’s final Major tournament. The CW versions are the latest versions of the EC mice and the first ZOWIE mice to go wireless.

As a mousepad, he used the Xtrfy GP5 with a design that matches Vitality’s limited edition Paris 2023 jersey. The GP5 is a is a speed-focused mousepad, which can be an ideal choice for people who want a slightly faster surface.

He used the Xtrfy K5 Compact RGB Transparent white with keycaps that match the French flag.

apEX Paris Major 2023 Gear


apEX opted to use the Razer Deathadder V3 Pro in white. This mouse is the latest iteration of the brand’s iconic Deathadder line, and the V3 version has brought some big changes to Razer’s most sold mouse, with the biggest change being the shape. The V3 is a lot more compact than older Deathadders, a change that has been welcomed by professional players.

As a mousepad, apEX used the Xtrfy GPZ1, which is recognizable by the large tag on the side that houses RocketJumpNinja’s logo. RocketJumpNinja is a YouTuber who got famous due to his mouse reviews and has collaborated with Xtrfy on some products, including the MZ1 mouse and this GPZ1 pad. The GPZ1 is a controlling mousepad.

apEX was also using a K5 Compact RGB keyboard with a transparent white case. He also had the French flag keycaps on his board.

Magisk Paris Major 2023 Gear


Magisk used the Deathadder V3 Pro in white, the speed-focused Xtrfy GP5 mousepad, and a transparent white Xtrfy K5 RGB with red and white keycaps to match the Danish flag.

Dupreeh Paris Major 2023 Gear


Dupreeh used the ZOWIE EC2-CW, along with the control-focused Xtrfy GPZ1 mousepad and an Xtrfy K5 Compact RGB in transparent white with red and white keycaps to mirror the colors of the Danish flag.

Spinx Paris Major 2023 Gear


Spinx uses the Deathadder V3 Pro in white and an Xtrfy GP4. This is a mousepad with a glide that’s almost perfectly falls in the middle of ‘glide speeds’, making it the Xtrfy pad of choice for people who don’t want to edge too far into speed or control territory. He also used a K5 Compact RGB with a custom keycap set.

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