Top 20 CS:GO Players 2021-2022: HLTV
Contents:
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an impressive example of how player preferences have shaped the gaming industry as we see it today. Once upon a time, the mega-popular competitive shooting game began as a custom mod for the Half-Life game (hence the name of the site by which the quality of the players is calculated – the portal hltv.org, Half-Life Television). The latter modestly calls itself "The home of competitive Counter-Strike".
• And now it is a whole esports discipline, the best players of which receive large cash prizes. Who are they who turned entertainment into a way of self-affirmation and earnings? The top players in SY:GO 2021-2022 are in our ranking.
| Player | Team | Maps | Rounds | Difference | K / D | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukraines1mple | Natus Vincere | 143 | 3748 | +1035 | 1.46 | 1.35 |
| FranceZywOo | Vitality | 154 | 4130 | +820 | 1.33 | 1.25 |
| Russian1ro | Cloud9 | 142 | 3794 | +895 | 1.45 | 1.24 |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinaNiKo | G2 | 143 | 3941 | +515 | 1.20 | 1.23 |
| RussiaAx1Le | Cloud9 | 142 | 3794 | +416 | 1.17 | 1.18 |
| DenmarkblameF | Astralis | 150 | 4027 | +421 | 1.16 | 1.17 |
| RussiaelectroNic | Natus Vincere | 143 | 3748 | +297 | 1.13 | 1.15 |
| Denmarkstavn | Heroic | 124 | 3354 | +251 | 1.11 | 1.14 |
| Ukraineb1t | Natus Vincere | 143 | 3748 | +361 | 1.16 | 1.13 |
| Latviabroky | phases | 166 | 4533 | +583 | 1.22 | 1.13 |
| Israel Spinx | IN THIS | 137 | 3645 | +334 | 1.14 | 1.13 |
| KazakhstanHObbit | Cloud9 | 142 | 3794 | +260 | 1.11 | 1.13 |
| Estoniaropz | FaZeMOUZ | 130 | 3520 | +424 | 1.20 | 1.12 |
| CanadaTwistzz | phases | 166 | 4533 | +401 | 1.14 | 1.12 |
| RussiaJame | Virtus.pro | 113 | 3045 | +400 | 1.25 | 1.11 |
| Bosnia and HerzegovinahuNter- | G2 | 143 | 3941 | +270 | 1.10 | 1.10 |
| SwedenREZ | NIP | 156 | 4048 | +193 | 1.07 | 1.09 |
| Polanddycha | IN THIS | 148 | 3939 | +99 | 1.04 | 1.08 |
| GermanysysyrsoN | BIG | 153 | 4127 | +308 | 1.12 | 1.08 |
| RussiaEl1an | Entropiq | 114 | 3044 | +213 | 1.12 | 1.07 |
| germany tabseN | BIG | 153 | 4127 | -75 | 0.97 | 1.06 |
| Russia Forester | Entropiq | 114 | 3044 | +26 | 1.01 | 1.05 |
| Norwayrain | phases | 159 | 4315 | -118 | 0.96 | 1.05 |
| DenmarkTeSeS | Heroic | 128 | 3463 | -22 | 0.99 | 1.05 |
| Polandhades | IN THIS | 148 | 3939 | +231 | 1.10 | 1.05 |
| Denmarkk0nfig | Astralis | 116 | 3140 | +2 | 1.00 | 1.05 |
| RussiaPerfecto | Natus Vincere | 143 | 3748 | +117 | 1.06 | 1.04 |
| Swedenhampus | NIP | 148 | 3840 | -99 | 0.96 | 1.04 |
| Denmarksjuush | Heroic | 128 | 3463 | +37 | 1.02 | 1.04 |
| DenmarkcadiaN | Heroic | 128 | 3463 | +80 | 1.04 | 1.03 |
| KazakhstanQikert | Virtus.pro | 113 | 3045 | -71 | 0.96 | 1.02 |
| Russianafany | Cloud9 | 142 | 3794 | -254 | 0.90 | 1.01 |
| Denmarkrefrezh | Heroic | 128 | 3463 | -89 | 0.96 | 0.98 |
| RussiaBoombl4 | Natus Vincere | 131 | 3453 | -188 | 0.92 | 0.98 |
| RussiaKrad | Entropiq | 114 | 3044 | -159 | 0.93 | 0.98 |
| FranceapEX | Vitality | 154 | 4130 | -307 | 0.89 | 0.98 |
| RussiaNickelBack | Entropiq | 114 | 3044 | -191 | 0.91 | 0.97 |
| SwedenPlopski | NIP | 156 | 4048 | -181 | 0.93 | 0.97 |
| Franceshox | VitalityLiquid | 124 | 3274 | -150 | 0.93 | 0.96 |
| Francemisutaaa | Vitality | 154 | 4130 | -298 | 0.89 | 0.96 |
| Germanyk1to | BIG | 115 | 3061 | -171 | 0.92 | 0.96 |
| Russiainterz | Cloud9 | 142 | 3794 | -101 | 0.95 | 0.95 |
| FranceJACKZ | G2 | 143 | 3941 | -248 | 0.90 | 0.95 |
| Denmark Snappi | IN THIS | 147 | 3903 | -317 | 0.88 | 0.95 |
| Denmarkes3tag | NIPComplexity | 129 | 3394 | -258 | 0.88 | 0.93 |
| DenmarkXyp9x | Astralis | 150 | 4062 | -402 | 0.85 | 0.93 |
| Denmarkgla1ve | Astralis | 140 | 3788 | -418 | 0.84 | 0.93 |
| Denmarkcarrigan | phases | 166 | 4533 | -569 | 0.82 | 0.92 |
| GermanytiziaN | BIG | 153 | 4127 | -450 | 0.84 | 0.91 |
20. tabseN, Johannes Wodarz
• One of the best players in Germany started his professional career with Counter-Strike version 1.6 back in 2012. Since then, he has changed many teams – both regional and more well-known, but nowhere especially shone. Until he joined BIG, and suddenly his athletic performance improved dramatically. Together with the team, he wins several major championships, and then becomes its leader.
• Thanks to the talents of tabseN, the team managed to firmly establish itself in the top tier of CS:GO. BIG took first place in many tournaments, such as BLAST Premier Spring 2021, DeamHack Masters Spring 2020: Europe, and Funspark ULTI 2020. Johannes himself earned over $214K in cash prizes.
19. El1an, Alexey Gusev
• Once Zeus himself (ex-captain of NAVI) accused Alexei of cheating for playing too well. Despite the fact that the incident had a negative impact on Gusev's sports career, Aleksey was not going to give up – until he was invited by the Gambit team, where, ironically, Zeus was playing at that time. However, the Thunderer did not comment on the situation.
• Now Alexey plays under the banner of the Entropiq team, and according to the results of the competition, he earned about 110 thousand dollars. True, Zeus is still sure that Alexei then, in 2014, cheated – and ascribes to himself the laurels that he "set the boy on the right path."
18. syrsoN, Florian Richet
• The second German in the top HLTV 2021-2023 began his career back in 2012. During this time, he managed to change many teams, and consistently gave the result. Until he attracted the attention of the big shots from BIG – Florian won several victories with them, until the coronavirus came and crippled the sports scene. For all the time of the game, Richet earned about 140 thousand dollars.
17. dycha, Pavel Ducha
• The only Pole on the list decided not to bother with a pseudonym and just plays under his own name. Currently, Pavel is a member of the ENCE team (since January of this year). Duchi's latest achievement is the fifth place in the Roobet Cup tournament, and in total during his sports career he earned about 170 thousand dollars.
16. REZ, Fredrik Sterner
• The only Swede in the top 20 plays for the NIP team (the abbreviation stands for Ninjas in Pajamas). He started playing with, but since then he has received only one MVP award (in 2017). Frederic remains loyal to the NIP – he has been sitting there for five years, since.
15. huNter-, Nemanja Kovac
• Nemanja is not the only Bosnian in the top 20 HLTV 2023, and this is no coincidence, because his brother is NiKo (fourth place in the ranking). And although Nemanja has long been perceived as a shadow of a titled brother, however, until now, Kovac Jr. has managed to appear in the ranking of the best players four times and participate in major tournaments.
• True, as evil tongues say, HLTV statistics are not an absolute measure of a player. This recent CS:GO competition in Antwerp showed, where most of the top 20 players did not make it to the playoffs. Out of the top 2022 in the PGL Major Antwerp XNUMX playoffs, only eight players managed to seep through. Alas, Nemanja is not one of them.
14. Twistzz, Russell Van Dalken
• Overseas also love CS:GO! The 22-year-old Canadian now plays for FaZe Clan, but he is best known for playing for Team Liquid between 2017 and 14. And although now Russell has dropped to 2018th place, his previous results were better – in 12, 2019th, in 5 – 9th and XNUMXth. Van Dalken has two MVP awards in his bosom.
13. ropz, Robin Kohl
• The only Estonian in the ranking. He began his career in 2015, at the age of 16, and distinguished himself from other players by a rare quality – loyalty to his club. As he joined mousesports in 2017, he still plays for it. For all the time, Robin got into the top 20 players twice, and also became the first Estonian to be honored to get into a major tournament. He also made good money – about 500 thousand dollars.
12. HObbit, Abay Khasenov
• The only Kazakh in HLTV Top Players 2022 is one of the oldest CS:GO players – he is 28 years old! It's no secret that professional esports players fade even earlier than ballerinas – crossing the threshold of thirty years actually means the end of a career. However, during this time he managed to earn some money – the prize money amounted to just over 700 thousand dollars.
11. Spinx, Lotan Giladi
• Lotan loved Counter Strike since childhood – he started playing the 1.6 version of the game, and over time, his craving for the shooter only increased. Patience and work will grind everything – in 2020, the Israeli's desire to play at a professional level has finally come true. He was taken to the C0ntact team.
• But this is where the player's ambitions end – he dreams of fighting NaVi, if only for the sake of defeating s1mple.
10. broky, Helviis Saukants
• The Danish school of Counter Strike is almost as famous as the Russian-Ukrainian school – both of them occupied the top 20 best CS:GO players. Helvijs started his sports career in 2019 when he was noticed by Epsilon Esports, with whom he won several tournaments. True, Saukants did not stay there for long – only five months, until he moved to Phoenix (which, by the way, was created by former Epsilon Esports players).
• But Helviis did not stay with them either – two months, and he received an invitation to the prestigious FaZe Clan team. With them, broky managed to turn around – he several times became the champion in local and world tournaments, and in total CS:GO brought him about 118 thousand dollars.
9. b1t, Valery Vakhovsky
• Included in the top 10 hltv 2023, Valeriy is a member of the Ukrainian team Natus Vincere. Vakhovsky's most recent victory is the first place in the 2022 BLAST Premier: Spring Finals tournament, which brought the Ukrainian $40.
• Not bad money for a teenager – after all, Valery is only 18 years old, and he first appeared on the professional stage just 3 years ago, in 2019. Among the top CS:GO players, he is one of the youngest, which brought Valery the best newcomer award from the Esports Awards.
8. stavn, Martin Lund
• Dane stavn's weapon of choice is the AWP sniper rifle, and he plays for the Heroic team. This is not the first time that Martin has been ranked in the top 20 – two years ago he was also ranked 12th.
• Love for CS:GO is in Lund's blood – Martin's brother, Jakob, played for the Fragsters team. One of Martin's most recent accomplishments is his first place in the Pinnacle Cup Championship, adding $30 to his bank account.
7. electroNic, Denis Sharipov
• Denis represents Natus Vincere, his role in it is entry fragger. This is one of the most risky roles, and often the benefit for the team does not turn out to be the best score for the player himself.
• Despite this, Denis has several championship awards (ESL One: Cologne 2018, IEM Katowice 2020), silver medals and a win in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world PGL Major Stockholm 2021.
6. blameF, Benjamin Bremer
• The Dane Benjamin's preferred role is as a lurker, a player who moves separately from the team, but at the same time monitors the movements of the enemy and informs his own.
• Now Benjamin plays in one of the top teams, Astralis, and once started for a team with the telling name Great Danes. It was then that the promising newcomer was noticed by the monsters of eSports and invited him to Epsilon eSports. Since then, his career has taken off at a rapid pace, with the latest award being Pinnacle Cup 2023 MVP.
5. Ax1Le, Sergey Rykhtorov
• They say that it was thanks to this novice player that the Gambit team quickly took off to the esports heights. Enthusiastic fans are already calling Sergey "the new character" (see the first place in the rating), and the MVP awards still fall on the player – even if he loses in the final.
• Sergey manages to combine sports with the university (and studies full-time) and personal life – he met his girlfriend at one of the tournaments and even chats with her during matches.
4. NiKo, Nikola Kovac
• Bosnian Nikola Kovac was born in 1997 and fell in love with Counter Strike at the age of 13 when he played the classic version of the game. He's off to a good start – so far he's the only player to have won more than one HLTV MVP award three years in a row. Kovacs set another record – so far no one has managed to kill more avatars of other players in one game than him. In 2016, at the MLG Columbus competition, the number of notches on his buttstock reached 52!
• During the game, Nikola changed eight teams until he settled on G2 Esports. One of Niko's strengths as a player is his ability to use chance. As with any game, CS:GO has a number of random elements (such as ammo boxes), and Kovacs has mastered the art of using them strategically.
3. sh1ro, Dmitry Sokolov
• The top 3 players in the 2021-2022 CS are opened by another Russian, Dmitry Sokolov. Like HObbit (ninth place in the ranking), Dmitry was a member of the American Cloud9 team for a long time. His weapon of choice is the AWP.
• Dmitry began his career in 2018 and even then attracted attention – for example, he scored an impressive rating of 1,37 at the closed qualifying tournament. Nevertheless, in the heart of the novice esports player, CS:GO fought against Dota 2. Moreover, Dmitry's parents had doubts whether it was worth giving their son to esports. But the three-dimensional shooter won over the isometric map, and since then Sokolov's sports career has developed rapidly. He earned three medals of the best player, and Forbes magazine honored him with a place in the ranking of the 30 most promising Russians under 30 years old.
2. ZywOo, Mathieu Herbault
• Fate itself seems to have brought Mathieu to CS:GO – he was born on November 9, 2000, on the very day when the very first game in the Counter Strike series was launched. He started his career at the age of 14, and since then he has changed five teams until he found himself in one of the best and most famous – Team Vitality.
• And although the Frenchman still lags behind the first place in the ranking in terms of the number of MVP awards, he made a decent start: 12 medals. One of the most spectacular recent fights of Mathieu was his performance at PGL Major Antwerp 2022, where in the battle against another team (in the top 30), his avatar never died.
• Mathieu is also one of the rare gamers who received the attention of the “outside” world: when Forbes magazine undertook to investigate the esports topic, this player also got into the rating.
1. s1mple, Alexander Kostylev
• Ukrainian Alexander Kostylev (born 1997) is the most valuable player in the NAVI team, which is by far the best in terms of the number of wins in CS:GO at the moment. And no wonder – Alexander is fighting pixel terrorists with.
• He prefers AWP – the most powerful weapon in the CS series, which can kill any enemy with one shot, regardless of the amount of defense. True, the power is compensated by the rate of fire – the rate of fire of the sniper is rather slow.
• From the very beginning of his esports career, Alexander has always remained at the top – the top players of 2021-2022 are proof of this. The 25-year-old has received the most MVP awards (about twenty in total) and is currently considered the best player in the world in the history of the game. Skill pays off – S1mple has earned over $XNUMX million in total cash prizes
• Alexander's achievements did not go unnoticed by the developers of the game – in honor of one of the most spectacular battles, when s1mple clashed with Fnatic during ESL One: Cologne, a graffiti appeared in his honor in the game. And just as Alexander left his mark on the game, so the game left its mark on him – Kostylev made a corresponding tattoo on his left shoulder.
