2019 brought many additions to Counter-Strike’s esports history, from Astralis’s fourth Major victory to Team Liquid’s lightning-fast Intel Grand Slam win. The year’s best moments came from coordinated teamwork and all-around skill, as many teams had each of their five players showcase their starpower. As 2019 comes to a close, one question still remains to be answered: who was the best CS:GO player of the year? While there were many jaw-dropping moments this year, four players stand out above the rest.
24-year-old Astralis star Nicolai “device” Reedtz has consistently been ranked among the top Counter-Strike players. Since breaking into the scene in 2013, device has claimed over 20 LAN tournament victories and 15 MVP medals. Along with his Astralis teammates, he was the first to win four CS:GO Major tournaments, and the first to win three consecutive Majors. He holds the most MVP awards out of all CS:GO players, and was the second-ever player to be awarded two Major MVP titles. Despite all these accolades, device has never been named as the best player of a single year.
The Danish AWPer put up a monstrous performance in 2018, aiding Astralis in ten LAN victories. Astralis quickly became known as the best team in the world, and were widely regarded as the best lineup to ever play Counter-Strike. Device put up numbers worthy of the world’s-best-player title, though he fell short as Natus Vincere’s Aleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s own terrifyingly consistent performances propelled him to the number one spot. Astralis continued in their dominance early on this year, winning their third Major tournament at IEM Katowice. A brief dip in form in the middle of the year was quickly forgotten as the Danish squad came back in full force, claiming their fourth Major title at StarLadder Berlin. Device was awarded the MVP award in Berlin, and later earned that same title at the ECS Season 8 Finals. Though the team’s 2019 was not as formidable as the previous year, device kept up a consistent level of performance that only the game’s very best have ever been able to match.
