Top 10 players of 2018
S1mple
Ukrainian player S1mple is a one-man-army. He has dominated the charts since early 2018, and kept his insane form throughout the year. S1mple consistently get the most kills in the game, even when his team Na’Vi is losing. But more often than not, it is S1mple who almost singlehandedly wins Na’Vi games. Over the year he managed to get a 1.5 K/D (Kills versus Deaths) ratio and an average score of 1.35 per game. Statistics like this have never been seen before over an entire year. S1mple is the undisputed best player in the world.
device
The sniper of the #1 team Astralis. While the team is very well rounded, device ranks slightly on top of his teammates. 1.32 K/D and 1.23 average rating put device firmly number 2 of 2018 behind S1mple. However, you have to consider that Astralis’ domination pushed each of their players in the top 10 statistics. But are device’s scores the outcome of their domination or the reason for it?
NiKo
The superstar of FaZe Clan. NiKo only loses to S1mple in terms of individual skill and raw firepower. While FaZe Clan have been struggling in the second part of 2018, NiKo’s statistics didn’t suffer. He maintained a 1.25 K/D ratio and average score of 1.22 per game. This guys gets kills even when his team sucks.
coldzera
Last year’s number 1 player in the world. His team, SK Gaming (now MiBR), went from dominating 2016 and 2017 to struggling in 2018. With that, coldzera’s performance also dropped. He never fell out of the top 10 though, and over the year kept up a great performance. When his team finally regains their form, coldzera will once again be on top of the world.
electronic
electronic forms the most dangerous duo in the world with S1mple. Often overshadowed by his teammate but always performing. The rare games where S1mple is playing badly, electronic steps up to the plate to save his team. This guy might secretly be almost as good as S1mple…
NAF
Despite delivering some of the hypest moments of 2018, NAF never looks impressed. In fact, I’m not sure he’s capable of facial expressions other than utter boredom. NAF has been around in the smaller teams for some time, but finally broke through as the top player of Team Liquid. With the addition of NAF in early 2018, Team Liquid ascended to a top 3 team in the world. NAF is bound to win his team a major trophy in the near future.
Gla1ve
The fragging captain of Astralis and the mastermind behind their 2018 domination. Without Gla1ve, Astralis was a top team with many second place finishes. With Gla1ve, Astralis has become an unbeatable monster. It’s no secret the team’s main strength is teamwork. Excellent positioning, precise grenade placement and perfectly coordinated flash entries. On top of all that is the fact that Gla1ve is a top 10 fragger in the world, while captaining his team. He even kills so many people through smokes that he’s been accused of cheating, which has subsequently been debunked. Astralis might be at the start of the most dominant run in Counter-Strike history.
autimatic
The American team Cloud9 peaked early 2018, and they peaked hard. The team came out of nowhere to win the first Major of the year. Cloud9’s Most Valuable Player was autimatic, who provided consistent top tier fragging. After their victory, Cloud9 fell hard and lost three of their players. Not autimatic though, who proved to be the consistent anchor of the team. No doubt will this guy add more trophies to his collection.
GuardiaN
As his name suggests, GuardiaN protects his teammates from harm in-game. He does so by providing some of the best long-range sniping in the world. When he’s on point, GuardiaN tops the kill chart, a rare feat for snipers. Him and NiKo were the consistent force that kept FaZe Clan in the top 5 throughout the year, even during their lowest periods.
chrisj
The Dutch captain of Mousesports. chrisj not only captained his team to top 5 of the year, he did so while being their best player as well. The Dutchman might be the most versatile player in the game, able to play almost any position. Captaining while sniping, why not? Once chrisj gets his team to play more consistent, they’ll be a serious tournament contender.
