S1mple - CS:GO player of the Decade
What's inside
Na'Vi player Oleksandr s1mple Kostylev received the ESL Player of the Decade award! According to the voting results of 75 cyber-athletes, the sniper of Natus Vincere has been declared the best player of the past decade in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive discipline. Did Alexander deserve this award? Is he the most prominent and most successful CS:GO esports player in ten years?
S1mple is one of the most recognizable people in the world of esports, I would compare him to the greatest athletes Messi or Ronaldo, who are immediately associated with football, or like LeBron James with basketball. What kind of player do you imagine when the conversation turns to eSports? Of course, Alexander Kostylev will be among the main figures. Why did s1mple become so recognizable and popular worldwide as the best player in CS:GO?
HLTV Top 20 players awards
The TOP 20 players are the most viewed and anticipated ranking every year. This rating has been considered the most prestigious and famous for many years. At the end of each season, HLTV begins to publish the rating in parts (2-3 players per day). The most recent HLTV publishes the three best players of the past season.
The individual rating has a powerful influence on the player's future. When a young player gets into the top 20 HLTV, many organizations, investors, and scouts begin to follow him closely. More experienced players often getting into this rating confirm their good shape and activity.
How does HLTV ranking work?
At the end of 2022, HLTV revealed how the rankings will be compiled, what things have changed and what criteria remain the same:
- Statistics. The average player rating for the year is a major thing, but context is a crucial part too. For example, in which tournaments esportsmen stood out and whether they showed a good game in important matches;
- Individual awards. The MVP (Most Valuable Player) and EVP (Extremely Valuable Player) titles based on tournament results are essential. At the same time, getting into the EVP list at a major is a more significant award than an MVP at a less prestigious championship;
- Best of the best. To get into the top 20, players must regularly show a high level against the best teams in the world. If there are not enough matches at the highest level of the professional scene, getting into the rankings is unlikely;
- Stability. One of the factors for evaluating a player is his consistency from match to match and tournament to tournament. A high individual level at a prestigious championship can compensate for failures at less significant events. At the same time, failure at the largest competitions of the year significantly reduces the chances of a high place in the rankings;
- Bias. Fans tend to judge players' chances of reaching the top 20 based on tournaments in the year's second half that are fresh in their minds. HLTV authors will take into account the entire year to determine the rating.
Top 20 players 2022
This year has been full of surprises, good ones and bad ones. Many factors influenced teams and players individually.
Sh1ro TOP-3 of HLTV 2022
The young AWPer was almost unkillable in all situations and clutches throughout the year. He won several titles during the online stages and continued his activity in July. His problem was only the inexperience of the team. His allies could have shown better team play when they started participating in top-level tournaments. It was the main reason for the team's elimination from tournaments, even though they consistently played suitable matches earlier.
Let me remind you that in 2021, sh1ro took 4th place in the HLTV ranking. Despite the problems in the team, this player is steadily improving his game, and we see the result. MVP Awards: Funspark ULTI. EVP Awards: IEM Katowice, IEM Dallas, ESL Pro League Season 16, ESL Pro League Season 15, Roobet Cup, IEM Rio Major.
Individual Stats:
- KPR – 0.79
- Surviving – 48.0%
- ADR – 79
- Impact – 1.22
- KAST – 77.3%
- Rating – 1.28
ZywOo TOP-2 of HLTV 2022
At the end of 2018, the premium sniper joined Vitality and immediately brought the team to the DreamHack Open Atlanta title in his debut tournament. ZywOo is one of the top talents that keeps the eye of every player and viewer. This year, Oleksandr Kostylev's primary opponent was a key player for Vitality's victories. That is the highest-rated player in all tournaments this year (except of two tournaments). Vitality was only able to win 36.7% of the rounds in which ZywOo didn't land a kill.
Why not first place? Awards. ZywOo couldn't get enough team awards and titles to overtake s1mple. He received only one EVP at IEM Cologne and did not play a single match in the playoffs of the elite tournaments throughout the season. MVP Awards: ESL Pro League Season 16. EVP Awards: IEM Cologne, IEM Dallas, BLAST Spring Final.
Individual Stats:
- KPR – 0.80
- Surviving – 42.0%
- ADR – 81.9
- Impact – 1.30
- KAST – 76.1%
- Rating – 1.27
S1mple TOP-1 of HLTV 2022
How did it happen? Sasha s1mple, who did not show his best season, became the best again? Yes. Many people condemn this rating because of this and award the first place to ZywOo. Behind the words of such critics is one thought: "This is all because he is from Ukraine. It's such a tolerance." But on the other hand, we see the statistics ourselves.
This people's reaction is justified only by the fact that the end of the season is the most memorable. Many forget the beginning and middle of the season, which was the main part of Alexander's victory in this ranking. He received EVP at all tournaments this year (except 2 tournaments), and two MVPs of elite tournaments. His worst result was a 1.10 rating at the BLAST World Final, even higher than sh1ro and ZywOo. Alexander leads in most of the statistics among all the players in the world.
This is a record. S1mple becomes the first player in history to receive "Top 1 player" from HLTV three times. MVP Awards: BLAST Spring Final, IEM Cologne. EVP Awards: IEM Katowice, IEM Rio Major, PGL Major Antwerp, ESL Pro League Season 15, ESL Pro League Season 16.
Individual Stats:
- KPR – 0.83
- Surviving – 39.0%
- ADR – 83.3
- Impact – 1.32
- KAST – 74.1%
- Rating – 1.26
What is the secret of s1mple?
The answer is straightforward - game style. Killing five players with a Deagle using just five bullets - easy! Making five headshots is Sasha's signature game. Crazy shots, grenades, an incredible percentage of hits in the head, cool flicks, inhuman reaction - that is not even a complete list of skills that the main character of our article has in his arsenal.
s1mple has stood out from the very beginning of his career with his game, having visited several professional organizations before reaching the top of the esports Olympus. He started his journey in completely unknown regional teams in Ukraine when he was still a very young guy. Then, he got into the fairly well-known Hell Raisers club. After playing there he was noticed by another Ukrainian organization Flipsid3 Tactics, where he played side-by-side with his current coach Andrey B1lad3 Gorodetsky.
Alexander is obsessed with this game on a level that no one else is. Yes, you can say that he just loves this game, especially since it has become his main activity, which brings a stable income, and he has to train, become the best version of himself. But all this means nothing if you are not passionate about the game so that it becomes your life.
Hence, Sasha has an incredible desire to play and be the best, to prove to the whole world that he is the highest-class player that this game has not yet seen. Even after a decade of competition, he is still driven to improve and remain one of CSGO's greatest competitors. Non-standard style of play, perfect shooting, a high percentage of headshots, K/D ratio, which scares opponents even before the moment s1mple enters the server.
Summary
Alexander Kostylev became the best player despite all the difficulties this year. His poor performance in recent tournaments is not his hallmark. That is true, and the statistics show it. What do you think? Why didn't ZywOo become the best player? Who would you like to see in this rating? Write your opinion in the comments. Share your experience with Cyber-sport.io. Subscribe and follow the latest eSports news!
