The CS:GO platform has seen plenty of top-name players over the years in the Esports world, but this 2020 season has brought plenty of fresh faces to the forefront. We are now in June, and the action is really heating up as teams look to position themselves for the upcoming ESL Major Events. The ESL Pro League is set for a return this fall, for its 12th season. Many of these rising stars will get a chance to prove themselves when the time comes. Here are 10 of the top rising stars in CS:GO.
Jonathan “EliGe” Jabolnowski
One of the many strong offensive players for the American team Team Liquid, and at just 22 years of age, he has a strong career ahead of him. They have had a rough couple of months dealing with a few inconsistencies across the line-up, but his numbers are still among some of the best in all of CS:GO. EliGe finished as the 4th-ranked player in CS:GO in 2019. With Four Most Valuable Player Awards in his career, EliGe belongs on this list.
Kenny “kennyS” Schrub
Yet another player with plenty of accolades in his CS:GO career. With 10 MVP awards throughout his career kennyS is a leader that G2 Esports has been looking for. He has helped lead G2 to the Upper Bracket Finals of DreamHack Masters Europe and is in a position to win a second major event. With over 1,500 kills in 2020, he looks well in sync with the rest of his teammates.
Nemanja “huNter-” Kovac
Like kennyS, G2 Esports has plenty of star power talent on their current roster. Another standout performer is huNter who is still pretty fresh. He does have one career MVP award. He joined G2 Esports last September and hasn’t looked back. With a 1.17 rating, he is one of the best performers statistically speaking in 2020. He was a smart addition prior to this season. It’s beginning to pay off for the French team.
Ozgur “woxic” Eker
Ozgur is still looking to continue his breakout CS:GO career to this point, after finishing as the 12th best player in CS:GO in 2019. His kills per round numbers are a little low, but he has been one of the better performers for a mouseports team that is trending in the wrong direction.
Nicolai “device” Reedtz
When it comes to consistency, then look no further than Astralis’s device, who has been well inside HLTV’s CS:GO player rankings every year since 2014. That includes the 3rd spot in 2019. Astralis is one of the top teams in CS:GO and device has a lot to do with that.
Robin “ropz” Kool
There aren’t very many players with the skills that ropz has. He’s not only a strong shooter, but he also has some of the best game sense there is. He finished as the 10th-best player in 2019. He was also the MVP ESL Pro League Season 10. 2020, started off well, but mouseports have had a rough stretch for the last two months.
Denis “electronic” Sharipov
Natus Vincere wouldn’t currently be the World #1 in CS:GO if it wasn’t for the skills of electronic. They have let off the gas a bit, but electronic who is still only 21 years old has plenty of talent. He has finished in the top 6 in the last two seasons, and 2020 should be no different.
Nikola “NiKo” Kovac
NiKo has plenty of Championship accomplishments thus far in his career, and he is currently one of the many faces of CS:GO. FaZe Clan has truly benefited from his play. With a rating of 1.21 he is among the best players in 2020. Championships are in his DNA.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut
Like FaZe Clan’s NiKo, ZywOo can be classified as a bonafide superstar. At only 19 years old, ZywOo could be good for a very long time. He was the number one player in 2019. His five MVP awards are big too. The battle between the top three superstars will be a fun one to watch.
Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev
Na’Vi’s s1mple could easily be interchangeable on this list of players with Team Vitality’s ZywOo as both players have been impressive thus far in 2020. He is arguably the greatest to ever play Counter-Strike. No matter the weapon he has the capability to make something happen.
