ECS Season 7 - Finals: Top players to watch

What is the Esports Championship Series (ECS) Season 7 – Finals?

The ECS Season 7 – Finals held at the SSE Arena, Wembley, London, features the top eight CS:GO teams from the ECS Season 7 Regular Season. The finals will consist of two stages, the Group Stage and the Playoffs. Head over to our ECS Season 7 – Finals preview for a full breakdown.

The old guard: Veteran players to watch

Veteran players bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to CS:GO, often being the calm voice in tense situations and the cool head in clutch situations. Here are four veteran players to watch at the ECS Season 7 – Finals.

Nicolai ‘device’ Reedtz (Astralis, 1.54*) has been a long-standing member of European CS:GO, initially playing for Copenhagen Wolves but later joining the now famous Astralis core as their primary AWP. His stats for 2019 have been exemplary as with a HLTV 2.0 rating of 1.21 and a Kill-to-Death (KD) ratio of 1.30, he outpaces most of his teammates in the individual statistics by comparison. The Dane will be a key player to watch at the ECS Season 7 - Finals and could be the individual that will unlock the trophy for the team at the SSE Arena.

Patrik ‘f0rest’ Lindberg (NiP, 20.93*) is arguably one of the most experienced players attending the ECS Season 7 – Finals and one of the oldest players to still compete at the top level of CS:GO, starting his career by playing the original Counter-Strike in 2005. His experience has seen him play multiple roles within a team, from Rifle to AWP, and he has won a number of accolades in these positions making him and his teammate GeT_RiGhT, the faces of Swedish CS.

His stats for 2019 have been on the increase since the beginning of the year, going from a 1.03 rating to a 1.11 rating and 1.11 KD ratio, making him the most valuable player on the NiP squad currently.

Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund (NiP, 20.93*) is rightly known as a Counter-Strike legend and his arrival at the ECS Season 7 – Finals is a small part of the storied history for the veteran. GeT_RiGht made his name in CS:GO as one of the most prolific ‘lurkers’ in the game, a term that describe a player’s ability to position themselves to catch opponents off-guard while moving around the map, and was part of a NiP roster that went on a 87 – 0 LAN map streak between 2012 and 2013. Whilst many think that GeT_RiGht has peaked in terms of ability, his consistency still shines through in 2019 with a 0.92 rating and 0.86 KD ratio.

There will be a number of veterans attending the ECS Season 7 - Finals bringing a wealth of experience but can they match the raw aim of some of the new rookies to the pro circuit?

Gabriel ‘FalleN’ Toledo (MIBR, 6.66*) is affectionately known as the ‘Godfather’ of Counter-Strike in Brazil and is undoubtedly one of the greatest IGLs (In-game Leader) and AWPers to play the game. His background in Counter-Strike goes far beyond the release of CS:GO, with his career starting from the age of 14 in CS 1.6, initially playing on a Brazilian team called Crasher and then moving from team to team as was commonplace at the time. He later transitioned to CS:GO in 2013 and made his way to Luminosity Gaming in 2015, where he would earn his first Major win at MLG Columbus 2016, shortly followed by another Major win at ESL One: Cologne 2016 under the SK Gaming banner.

At the statistical level, FalleN has seen a resurgence in performance since the beginning of the year, posting a 0.93 rating in January. Closer to the ECS Season 7 – Finals, he has been pushing out performances that have led to a 1.17 rating and 1.21 KD ratio.

Rising stars: The rookies making a difference

Rookies in CS:GO are characterised by their volatile playstyle, passionate reactions and pin-drop aim. They’re often the star players on the team that can be the difference that leads to a win or the catalyst that leads to a loss. Here are four rookies to watch at the ECS Season 7 – Finals.

Kaike ‘kscerato’ Cerato (FURIA, 20.93*) will be an unknown name for some, but this young Brazilian from FURIA has been making waves in the Counter-Strike scene in 2019, with his instinctual game awareness and raw mechanical aim making him a stand-out talent with huge upside potential in the future.

A notable addition to this year's Finals is OBO, who joins Complexity as the youngest professional CS:GO player in the world.

It would be a massive understatement to describe kscerato as new to the CS:GO scene, with his career at the professional level starting in 2017, before quickly finding a home on the roster of FURIA in 2019. His 2019 stats have reflected his growth over the past two years with a 1.22 rating and 1.38 KD ratio as of June.

Mathieu ‘ZywOo’ Herbaut (Vitality, 6.23*) made his debut to top level CS:GO in 2018 by joining a Vitality roster looking for change. ZywOo’s impact on a team featuring veterans like NBK-, apEX, and RpK can’t be overlooked, and his signature AWP style has made him a vital part of the team.

This 18 year-old rookie has posted stellar numbers to back his gameplay for 2019, with a 1.33 rating and 1.44 KD ratio, which puts a significant margin between him and a veteran like NBK – who has a 1.10 rating and 1.03 KD ratio for the year.

Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik (NRG, 15.43*) can still be considered a rookie of the CS:GO scene despite being a Major winner during his tenure on Cloud9 at the ELEAGUE Major 2018. His breakout into the upper echelons of Counter-Strike began during his time at CLG between 2015 and 2016, where he proved himself as a star fragger on the squad, and he would later bring this star power to Cloud9, OpTic, MIBR and his current team NRG.

The ECS Season 7 – Finals will be a proving ground for tarik who has had a quiet year so far, only achieving a 1.07 rating and 1.03 KD ratio. However, fans should keep watch on the young Turkish player as the NRG roster as a whole have experienced a surge in performance.

Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold (NRG, 15.43*) may not be on the radar for analysts at the ECS Season 7 – Finals but this young AWPer and IGL for NRG has been a force to reckon with in North American Counter-Strike for 2019. His rise to the top level of the HLTV player rankings will surprise some fans that have watched his debut as a professional with CLG in 2016 - which by all accounts was mediocre. Despite this, Ethan has definitely evolved as a player and now stands as an individual that can compete against the best in CS:GO posting a 1.16 rating and 1.10 KD ratio alongside assuming the IGL role, which has historically been a rare combination for Counter-Strike players.