The year is almost at an end, which means it’s time to predict who will be in the HLTV Top 20 players for 2023.
The 2022 edition of this two-part article felt like a much simpler write-up compared to the headache that was compiling the best 20 players of 2023. Team Vitality and FaZe Clan were the two teams that dominated the calendar, whilst teams like G2 Esports, Heroic, MOUZ and ENCE continued to win events and stopsome of the top teams winning it all.
The other thing that has made it so difficult to determine the list this year is the release of CS2. FaZe’s incredible start, as well as every tournament organizer wanting to get involved in the action as soon as possible, has made G2 winning both IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne quite forgettable. Recency bias will be a huge factor for many making prediction lists this year, but how much should the early performances and results from Counter-Strike 2 factor into this? And are wins from CS:GO events more valuable than wins from CS2 events?
#20 - Casper "cadiaN" Møller
Heroic continued 2023 with the same level of exceptional team play they demonstrated in 2022. Multiple second place finishes and a win at the BLAST Premier Spring Final 2023 saw Heroic look like one of the best teams in the first half of the year. Unfortunately, the team broke down in the later stages of 2023, but “cadiaN” once again showed his quality as a leader by taking down Astralis with a mixed team at the BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023.
There are very few players in Counter-Strike who are portrayed as the villain, only to end their journey within an organization as a hero, and “cadiaN” is one of them. Not only was he able to make a Danish side that wasn’t Astralis the number one team in the world for portions of the year, but he did so whilst putting the team on his back in many big moments. 2024 will bring a new challenge as he joins Liquid and looks to win a Major.
#19 - Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski
“EliGE” is a player that has made CS2 his own. Coming off a poor run of results with Liquid, he decided to join Complexity Gaming. This change was exactly what he needed to regain some of his old form, as he went from an average HLTV rating of 0.99 against top 20 opponents at big events to 1.19 when he joined Complexity.
“EliGE” may find his place higher on most people's lists due to how good he has looked in CS2. Since its release, he is boasting an impressive 1.23 HLTV rating and a 1.37 Impact rating. Recency bias is a huge part of lists like these, however, and it’s why “EliGE” comes in at 19th on ours.
#18 - Dzhami "Jame" Ali
2022 was an impressive year for Outsiders, but the team who achieved a Major victory in Rio were continuing their roster shuffle all the way into mid-2023. Despite a constantly changing roster, Virtus.pro still managed to win ESL Challenger Katowice 2023 against ENCE, who were on a hot streak at the time. After finalizing their roster and the release of CS2, VP have won two events, had two runner-up finishes and a quarterfinal appearance. It’s difficult to ignore how well they’ve been performing in this new title.
While many may not want to see “Jame” on this list due to his style of play, he continues to have one of the best ratings at big events against top 20 opponents, finishing the year with a 1.15 HLTV rating. Regardless of your opinion on ‘Jame time’, VP continue to impress with “Jame” calling the shots.
#17 - Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken
The magnificent Van Dulken has had another fantastic year in Counter-Strike. Not only is “Twistzz” one of the most successful players in the scene, but he’s also the only player to hold two Intel Grand Slams. After being one event short for so long, FaZe were able to push themselves over the line in Malta with ESL Pro League Season 17.
While not his best year statistically, “Twistzz” has been a pivotal part of FaZe achieving a historic start in Counter-Strike 2. He is a pillar of consistency for any team, which makes his resigning with Liquid so exciting looking ahead to 2024.
#16 - Nemanja "huNter-" Kovač
“huNter-” may be one of the least talked about players on this list. G2 have had a mix of results in 2023, failing to even look like competitors at some events. However, even with a handful of poor results, G2 have still been in the running for many of the events they’ve attended.
Winning IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne is no easy feat, especially winning them both in the same year. “huNter-” was exceptional at these events, and was even MVP at IEM Katowice with a 1.21 HLTV rating. He was able to replicate this performance again at IEM Cologne, but dominance from his cousin Nikola "NiKo" Kovač may have caused this to go unnoticed.
#15 - Benjamin "blameF" Bremer
Placing players like “blameF” in this list starts to make things a bit complicated. He’s a player who performs well statistically, but leads a team who have struggled to win anything outside of the CCT South Europe Series 4 - which isn't the most impressive of tournament wins. While many may look at his stats as inflated (based on the amount of lower tier tournaments Astralis have competed in during 2023), it’s difficult to ignore his 1.15 HLTV rating against top 20 opponents at big events.
It’s without question that “blameF” has demonstrated the skill required to be on this list, but how much should tournament wins contribute to a player's placement in this list? I think it should have weight, not so much that all five players from the team that won the most on the list (unless individual performances merit this), but enough that exceptional players in less desirable roles aren’t forgotten. I wouldn’t be surprised to see “blameF” in the top 10 in 2024, considering how deadly the new Astralis line-up looks.
#14 - Guy "NertZ" Iluz
2023 has been the year Israeli Counter-Strike players made their mark on Tier-1 CS. As well as “NertZ”, we’ve seen Shahar "flameZ" Shushan and Lotan "Spinx" Giladi achieve a lot this year.
“NertZ” got his call up to ENCE in February, and made an immediate impact in their ESL Pro League Season 17 run. This run continued with a win at IEM Dallas and multiple finals and playoff appearances. He has been exceptional at big events, only being slowed down by the release of CS2 and a team that disbanded.
#13 - Emil "Magisk" Reif
Placing “Magisk” in this list is difficult due to his lack of playtime since the release of CS2. If we look back at the year, he was a consistent performer on 2023's best team. He won yet another Major and was often one of the best players in the server.
One of the key reasons “Magisk” has to be in this list is due to the conversations surrounding his replacement. For most of the year “Magisk” has been the best Anchor in the world, and this was made even more clear when members of the scene speculated who Vitality could possibly get to replace such a significant individual.
#12 - Martin "stavn" Lund
When Heroic have been looked at as a team with five of the most grounded individuals, “stavn” was still able to shine above his comrades. As mentioned in the section on “cadiaN”, Heroic had issues shortly after ESL Pro League Season 18, which led the roster to disband. Prior to this event, “stavn” was averaging a 1.16 HLTV rating at big events.
Now that “stavn” has moved to Astralis with Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard, they’ll be setting their sights on an even better 2024.
#11 - Helvijs "broky" Saukants
FaZe are a team who just want to prove fans wrong, even more so when you count them out. A win at ESL Pro League Season 17 secured them the Intel Grand Slam, a win that was almost entirely secured during the 2022 season. Besides these victories, most of FaZe’s success came after the release of CS2. While many AWPers found the transition difficult, “broky”’s style was suited from the get-go. This saw FaZe pick up multiple early wins in the title at IEM Sydney 2023 and CS Asia Championships 2023.
In an esports title that glorifies the flashiest players, “broky” stands out in his role. He is one of the most reliable AWPers in the game and one you rarely see miss.
