HEROIC’s CS2 team had a map victory overturned during an ESL Pro League Season 20 match against NIP after one of their player’s keyboards was found to have the SnapTap feature enabled.
SnapTap is an input automation mode available on some newer keyboards that simplifies counter-strafing. Valve banned SnapTap and similar automation macros in CS2 and its competitive circuit last month. ESL quickly followed suit, banning the feature on August 29. However, because these tools were widely used, many players are still adjusting and disabling them.
During the tournament, ESL announced on the live broadcast and social media that HEROIC’s map win would be awarded to NIP after detecting SnapTap. NIP eventually won the match 2-1.
It was later revealed that René ‘TeSeS’ Madsen was the player using SnapTap. TeSeS expressed regret on social media, stating that he had disabled the feature after Valve’s ban but didn’t realize it was active during the game. His teammate, Guy ‘NertZ’ Iluz, explained that the feature can reactivate when switching PCs, leading to its use during the match.
This incident marks the first time a team has been penalized for using SnapTap. CS2 players with hardware-assisted keyboards must now be extra vigilant when setting up for LAN events to avoid similar consequences.