A topic very hotly debated in all traditional sports, from the Tom Bradys to the Michael Jordans. Whether you’re a die-hard Derek Jeter supporter, or you don’t think anything beats the classic Babe Ruth, there’s something within us that just loves the debate of who is the best. I’ve always been one to break these conversations down into categories; that is exactly what I’ve done here for Counter-Strike Global Offensive. By all means though, feel free to disagree with my picks for each category, this is of course my personal opinion.

Category 1: Winning

Obviously a very crucial thing to consider, as it is the goal of the game we play. The thing I personally enjoy most about this category is that there is really no debating, it’s all proven. There is no ‘well at this point he was better but at this point the other dude was better’ talk. It’s all cold hard facts. At least that’s how it is in traditional sports; it’s a bit different in CS, but the idea still stands.

Robin ‘flusha’ Rönnquist

Notable Achievements:

3x Major Champion

1x Major MVP

5x Big event winner ($250,000+ prize pool, excluding Valve Majors)

Actually there might be some controversy here, as you could argue Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund deserves the top spot as well; although, three time major winner flusha, for me, is the pick. Quite honestly I believe he should be a two-time major MVP as he practically won fnatic that first map on Dust II versus the Ninjas in Pyjamas, which set up the upset. When people are throwing around serious cheating allegations about you, you are either doing something very, very right, or very, very wrong. I’d like to believe the former, as the whole idea of using external assistance in CS:GO makes the game less fun to talk about.

Marcelo ‘coldzera’ David

Notable Achievements:

2x Major Champion

2x Major MVP

5x Big event winner ($250,000+ prize pool, excluding Valve Majors)

The only real reason I push him below flusha is because of that third major. Flusha technically has a slight advantage in amount of big event wins (eight total vs seven total). While cold is unquestionably the better player when comparing individual levels of play, even going back to flusha’s prime, he isn’t the ‘winner’ in my winning category.

Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund

Notable Achievements:

1x Major Champion

4x Big event winner ($250,000+ prize pool, excluding Valve Majors)

87-0 LAN record in first 87 maps

The key here, despite that maddening 87-0 run, is that none of the events he won at the time were anywhere near the size of today’s events. I think it is ridiculous to call him the best winner, considering he has only won one major, and he didn’t even win MVP; although, admittedly he actually was the best player at that tournament, but friberg saved NiP too many times with ridiculous clutches to not have won the MVP.

Category 2: Dominance

Extended periods of dominance by a player, cementing their legacy as one of the all time greats; one of my absolute favorite things to watch in both sports and esports. Consistency is key in Counter-Strike, and these guys are the masters.

Christopher ‘GeT_RiGhT’ Alesund

Period of dominance: 2012 – early 2014

It’s really hard to top being the unquestioned best player in the world for two years. He not only had the stats to back up that statement, but he passed the eye test with flying colors. He was the epitome of dominance in Counter-Strike, and not to mention, excluding a period in 2017, he hasn’t been bad at all ever since. In fact he has been a top 20 HLTV player every year.

Olof ‘olofmeister’ Kajbjer

Period of dominance: late 2014 – mid 2015 and ealry 2016 – wrist injury

The thing that is the kicker for me is his incredible return to form of being the best player in 2016, after dominating one of the most competitive eras in Counter-Strike history. In terms of the eye test, I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a player turn up so consistently. He wasn’t the type of player that every single map you knew he would turn up, but you know that he would dominate at least one map out of three in a series, and more often than not he would dominate two of the three.

Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub

Period of dominance: late 2014 – late 2015

I don’t think I have ever seen a player dominate the way kennyS did. He was the type of player where any round he had a scoped weapon in his hands, you were better off just turning and going the other way. The thing about it that’s utterly unreal to me is he was still very good on the other weapons. He could still play well with a rifle in his hands, and was highly proficient on the pistols. He was one of my absolute favorite players to watch, as he frequently exhibited his dominance, series after series, map after map and round after round.

Category 3: Peak form

This category is the most abstract, as it relies heavily on the eye test for judgement of play. These are the players that fill up the highlight reels and stat sheets. While they aren’t as consistent, if they happen to be on point, there really is nothing you can do to stop them.

Richard ‘shox’ Papilion

He is unquestionably the best Counter-Strike player I have ever watched. He has never really had a period of serious dominance, though he was very good in early 2016. When he is in prime form, you’ll know it. He will impose his presence on you, and there is nothing you can do to stop him, besides try desperately to avoid him.

Mike ‘shroud’ Grzesiek

The story of shroud is a sad one. He had the peak of quite literally the second best player I have ever seen; however, he never materialized into the star player his peak in the summer of 2015 would have suggested. The thing with him is he just never missed. When he was on, he literally didn’t miss, it looked like he was using aimbot.

Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovač

There are a lot of players who could’ve taken this spot for me. From Patrick ‘f0rest’ Lindberg, to Fernando ‘fer’ Alvarenga, this spot was very much up for grabs. The reason I went with NiKo here was because of his ability to literally win maps by himself. While analysts say that about a lot of players, he actually did it. On a god-awful mousesports team, he was the only driving force. He was dangerous, no matter if he had an AWP, an AK or a Deagle in his hands.

I should say again, this is my own opinion, and really at the end of the day, none of this is hard fact. Depending on what you value, any player could be the best for you. For instance, if you value death threats, Vito ‘kNg’ Giuseppe is your guy. Memes aside, this idea is really abstract, but also really fun to debate.

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