With the BLAST Premier World Final, this Counter-Strike season has come to an end. The perfect opportunity for an annual review, then! These are the teams that made their mark on 2022.
Faze Clan
We can’t help but start with the best roster of 2022. FaZe Clan dominated the first part of the year, successively winning IEM Katowice, the PGL Major in Antwerp, the ESL Pro League XV and IEM Cologne. For a while it seemed FaZe would be able to match NAVI’s dominance in 2021, but in the end it did not come that far.
Although labelled as a top favourite beforehand, the team did not advance beyond the Challengers Stage of the IEM Major in Rio. Nor could FaZe win the ESL Pro League XVI, a chance to clinch the Intel Grand Slam. Their final place in BLAST Fall Final shows that the team is once again on the right track.
MVP: rain
Havard “rain” Nygaard had perhaps his best season at FaZe since 2016, the year he joined the organisation. And that in a year where a large section of fans were calling for his replacement. Indeed, FaZe had won Katowice with the stand-in jks because rain had suffered a corona infection.
The Norwegian gave his opponents a licking in Antwerp. After a masterclass against NAVI in the final, the Norwegian was voted MVP of the Major, with an ADR (Average Damage per Round) of 87.9 over the entire tournament. Four years after losing the final against Cloud9, the FaZe veteran has finally grabbed a Major title.
NAVI
The protagonist of 2021 played only a supporting role this season. The outbreak of war in Ukraine proved to be the final blow to the NAVI roster that had dominated esports for a year. Due to some controversial statements, IGL Boombl4 was shown the door. Electronic became the new leader of the team and stand-in sdy was allowed to prove himself at the highest level.
But results were lacking. The Ukrainian organisation barely managed to win one major tournament: the BLAST Premier Spring Final. It reached the final twice, at IEM Cologne and the PGL Major in Antwerp, but lost each time to rival FaZe. Therefore, nipl, player in the academy team, was promoted. The youngster has to get NAVI back to the absolute top.
MVP: s1mple
NAVI’s star player has not had an easy year. The Russian invasion of Ukraine played a big part in it. For months he has had to fear for the health of his friends and family living in the capital Kiev.
👑🐐 @s1mpleO 🐐👑#IEM pic.twitter.com/ooN5Oula7j
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) November 12, 2022
But despite that heavy mental burden, s1mple proved once again in 2022 that he is the best player in the world. With an Impact Rating of 1.32 and 0.83 Kills Per Round, nobody did better this season. He was even voted player of the decade by ESL. Let’s hope he can continue those stats in 2023 and capture trophies for NAVI once again.
Heroic
Heroic has had a great season. Few CS:GO fans saw that coming beforehand. For the Danish roster’s year did not start off too well, despite a place in the semi-finals of IEM Katowice. After that, the team was eliminated early each time: at the PGL Major in Antwerp, IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League 16.
The Danes were able to recover after an extra-long boot camp in preparation for the Major in Rio. To everyone’s surprise, they made it to the final, which they narrowly lost to Outsiders. Immediately after, they knocked FaZe in the BLAST Fall Final grand final. Heroic even ranked first in the HLTV rankings for a while, ahead of the Major winner.
MVP: cadiaN
It probably won’t surprise you, but cadiaN is Heroic’s MVP! The IGL has faced a lot of setbacks in his career. But giving up is not in his vocabulary. Each time, he found a way to mentally recharge and come back.
That also explains why he was so emotional after winning the BLAST Fall Final, organised in his home country Denmark. cadiaN celebrated his first-ever LAN victory, among other things, with a touching speech and a hug with his mother, who was present in the audience.
Cloud9
The award for best buy of 2022 undoubtedly goes to Cloud9. After leaving the CS:GO scene in 2021, the US-based organisation made a return through the big gate this year with its ex-Gambit roster. Due to the war in Ukraine, the organisation was no longer allowed to participate in major tournaments. Therefore, the players were looking for a new employer.
On a first title, Cloud9 did not have to wait long. Less than two months after the purchase, the roster of nafany won IEM Dallas, the Americans’ first title since 2018, in front of their own audience then. A second title was out of the question for the young Russians, but consistent results bode well for 2023.
MVP: sh1ro
Cloud9 has a lot of talent in its ranks with players like Ax1Le and HObbit. Therefore, it is difficult to pick a player who really stands out. Thanks to his excellent stats throughout the year, we choose sh1ro. With an HLTV rating of 1.28, the rifler is among the best CS:GO players of 2022.
Honourable mentions:
Outsiders
Outsiders, also known as the former Virtus.pro, experienced a relatively anonymous 2022. Until the major in Brazil, at least. IGL jame led his team to perhaps the most unexpected Major victory since Cloud9 in 2018. The Russian-speaking roster then disappeared back into the background of the scene with a disappointing last-place finish in the BLAST Premier World Final.
Team Vitality
Team Vitality is perhaps the most disappointing team of the year. More than a year after the arrival of the legendary Astralis trio dupreeh, Magisk and zonic, the team barely won a single tournament: the ESL Pro League XVI. During the Majors in Antwerp and Rio, the roster failed to make the playoffs. For Vitality, one of the largest organisations active on CS:GO in terms of budget, this is insufficient. We therefore expect changes to the roster before the start of the new season.
G2 Esports
Without the BLAST Premier World Final, G2 would not be in this list, but G2 delivered perhaps the performance of the year in Abu Dhabi. NiKo’s roster played home both 2022 Major winners and won the final from Team Liquid in dominant fashion. The organisation thus picked up its first LAN win since 2017(!) and the IGL HooXi won its first ever LAN title.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid is the only team in this list without a major win. Still, the North American roster deserves a special mention. Mostly thanks to the arrival of YEKINDAR: the Latvian has taken the team to new heights, with multiple quarter-finals, a semi-final and two finals. Hopefully, the pride of the NA region can finally cash in on those achievements in 2023.