The countdown has begun, bringing together the remaining 10 players of the top 20 for 2023.
In our last article, we ranked the first 10 players in our top 20 from 2023. If we were predicting what HLTV would’ve picked for their top 20, we would’ve been quite some way off, seeing players such as Kaike "KSCERATO" Cerato and Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard make the list. These are two players that won’t find a place amongst our top 20.
#10 - Dmitriy "sh1ro" Sokolov
There’s more than one player on our list that hasn’t played much CS2 in a team. Emil "Magisk" Reif was one of these players, and “sh1ro” won’t be the last to make the list. We’ve seen a variety of results out of Cloud9, with their most notable being their runner-up finish at ESL Pro League Season 17. An event which saw “sh1ro” walk away with a 1.24 HLTV Rating.
Across the rest of 2023, “sh1ro” held a 1.19 HLTV Rating, and was always one to make his presence known on the server. However, many people were sceptical about putting some of the early CS2 dropouts in their own prediction lists, and we haven’t seen him play since IEM Sydney 2023. Regardless of the lack of games in CS2, “sh1ro” hasn’t had a rating lower than 1.08 in his CS:GO events. Seeing him team up with Danil "donk" Kryshkovets for 2024 makes Team Spirit look incredibly deadly!
#9 - Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyljev
”s1mple” is the only player on this list who hasn’t played a single competitive match of CS2. If he falls into this spot on HLTV’s list, this will be his lowest ranking since he first appeared on it in 2016. He has made consecutive appearances ever since he made his debut on the list, and it would be harsh for him to not be included.
While he’s undoubtedly had a slow year by his standards, “s1mple” has still output a 1.18 HLTV Rating at big events against top 20 opponents. Not only that, but he’s been in three quarterfinals and a final. Most will be interested to see where “s1mple” calls home in CS2, especially as the Major RMRs are almost upon us.
#8 - Alvaro "SunPayus" Garcia
Much like his former teammate, Guy "NertZ" Iluz, we believe that “SunPayus” will make his debut in the HLTV Top 20 this year. Having joined ENCE in late 2022, a few more changes were required before ENCE could start winning events. Not only did “SunPayus” win at IEM Dallas, but it also awarded him his first MVP award!
ENCE powered up in the middle of the year, and “SunPayus” has been at the heart of it. After their win in Dallas, ENCE competed in three consecutive finals. Unfortunately, his form has struggled towards the end of the year, as ENCE lost all but Paweł "dycha" Dycha to other teams. As stability builds on his new team, Falcons, we can expect to see “SunPayus” back at his best for the PGL Copenhagen Major.
#7 - Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz
Many questioned whether “dev1ce” could get back to his Major-winning form after a year-long hiatus. Having just played his first full year back in professional play, it’s as if he never left. Against top 20 opponents at big events in 2023, “dev1ce” boasted an impressive 1.21 HLTV Rating - one of the highest of the year.
While he performed exceptionally well individually, the only event Astralis won was the CCT South Europe Series 4. What was said about Benjamin "blameF" Bremer will be echoed here, as the two latest roster moves from Astralis could change their recent lack of titles in 2024.
#6 - David "frozen" Čerňanský
Of all the young talent in Counter-Strike, there has been little contention that “frozen” is the one who deserved the next big break, and this was the year that his continued strong form earned him a place on FaZe Clan. The MOUZ core of 2019 has reunited once again.
MOUZ have been one of the most improved teams of the year, mostly thanks to Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek. This change in leadership propelled MOUZ to winning ways, with “frozen” leading the charge in a lot of these wins. There have been very few instances where he’s put a foot wrong, and that makes FaZe an extremely deadly team leading up to the first CS2 Major.
#5 - Robin "ropz" Kool
”ropz” has continued to show the world how good he is, even going as far as being declared the best CS2 player in the world during its initial release. He’s yet another player who has made consecutive appearances since his debut on the HLTV list in 2018, and we believe he will hit his highest rank with his 2023 performances.
”ropz” has dominated in both Counter-Strike titles, often being one of the only players to do so for FaZe at events they’ve struggled in. The three event win-streak FaZe entered CS2 with is where “ropz” solidified his position in the top five. While many found their footing in the transition to CS2, for “ropz” it was like he’d been playing it all year.
#4 - Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov
The release of CS2 has made some quite forgetful that 2023 was the year G2 won both IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne, an incredibly impressive feat. While “m0NESY” wasn’t able to pick up an MVP title this year, he has continued to display consistent world class performances.
For such a young player, “m0NESY” was able to average a 1.19 HLTV Rating on LAN in 2023. Many experienced players in some of the stage appearances G2 have been part of would’ve felt the pressure - for “m0NESY”, it was no big deal. Even when switching to CS2, a game that released with an AWP that felt worse to use, he was able to finish his first event with a 1.38 HLTV Rating.
#3 - Nikola "NiKo" Kovač
Although “m0NESY” has been exceptional this year, it’s still not enough for the student to become the master. “NiKo” has continued to prove that riflers can post ratings similar to that of the best AWPers in the world.
”NiKo” was able to achieve his first MVP title since IEM New York 2020 Europe. This came off the back of a 1.35 HLTV Rating at IEM Cologne 2023, beating his AWPer by 0.01 of a rating. Regardless of how his team performs, “NiKo” continues to display individual brilliance. As one of the many teams that have undergone roster changes since the release of CS2, G2 still have a lot to do in 2024.
#2 - Lotan "Spinx" Giladi
The 2022 edition of HLTV’s Top 20 saw “Spinx” make his debut. He came in at 18th in that list, which makes his 2023 placement a significant jump. While we’ve placed “Spinx” as our second best player of 2023, there is an argument for this to be interchangeable with “NiKo” - it really depends on how much you value event wins.
”Spinx” made history this year as the first Israeli player to win a Major. While that’s impressive, he also managed to win four other big events. Amidst multiple roster changes, “Spinx” has still been able to impress at every event he’s attended. Unfortunately for him, there’s someone else on his team who keeps winning all the MVP medals.
#1 - Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut
The undisputed best player in the world finally claims the number one spot back from “s1mple”. No one has come close to him this year, as he’s averaged an outrageous 1.28 HLTV Rating at big events against top 20 opponents. It’s no wonder that there weren’t any MVP medals for “Spinx” in 2023.
”ZywOo” has five MVP medals from 2023, with one of them being a Major MVP. At only 23 years old and given the form of the current Vitality line-up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the top two in 2024. Bravo, “ZywOo”!
