https://www.cybersport.ru/counter-strike-go/articles/v-boi-idut-ne-odni-stariki-molodye-igroki-na-kotorykh-stoit-obratit-vnimanie-na-iem-katowice- 2023

Abdul degster Hasanov

Degster is the main opening of the world Counter-Strike following the results of the first months of 2023. Hasanov’s path in professional CS: GO began a little less than two years ago. Until the recent past, the Russian spent his entire career in ESPADA… The cybersportsman had excellent individual statistics (rating 1.17 in 2019 and 1.25 in 2023), but here you need to understand what level of competition degster participated in. Over the past year, ESPADA only had the opportunity to meet with really strong opponents a few times – the squad played two matches against Natus Vincere in the regional qualifiers for the Major, and the rest of the time Hasanov and company played only at tier-3 tournaments.

Despite not the most impressive names in the list of opponents, degster has established itself as one of the most promising and stable snipers in the region, and not long before the start of IEM Katowice 2023 drew attention to the Russian Team Spirit… And judging by the latest results of the team, it is not in vain. The team took first place in the debut tournament with a new line-up (victory at the DreamHack Open January 2023), and then continued the victorious procession in the Play-In stage at the Polish championship, without nerves having passed to the main stage in two matches. At IEM Katowice 2023 itself, the CIS squad has already started with a sensational victory over G2 Esports, and experts one by one began to talk about Hasanov’s “presence of world-class potential”. Indeed, the degster’s statistics against teams in the higher class remained at the same level as last year, and the team results at the moment cannot be better – the roster does nothing but win. Now Hasanov is one victory away from the first playoff in a big tournament in his career. Start rooting for degster now so you won’t be called glor later.

Helviis broky Saukants

Broky is hardly a newcomer to the professional CS: GO scene. The Latvian has been in favor of FaZe Clan, his track record includes trips to major LAN events, and playing against teams from the top ten has probably become a habit for him a long time ago. It is quite clear that the potential of the Saukants has not yet been revealed, perhaps even half, and this is absolutely not the fault of the 20-year-old sniper. What has been happening with FaZe over the past year, hardly contributed to the development of a young talent. Endless changes in the roster and the departure of the coach openly hindered broky’s progress, which can be tracked both by the team’s results and by the individual statistics of the Latvian.

New Year is a completely new story for FaZe Clan. The club has made two high-profile transfers, and both should have a direct impact on Saukants. The arrival of a superstar Twistzz will significantly reduce the pressure on broky, which will allow him to more safely do his job. Well, the arrival karrigan – a real gift for a sniper. The Danish veteran is known for his ability to work with young people, and for Saukants, he will generally become the first full-fledged captain in his entire career. The team lost the first match at IEM Katowice 2023, but here it is important to note that the European team was defeated Team Liquid, which FaZe Clan met for the third time in a week. Now broky needs to win three matches in a row to make it to the playoffs of the championship. If successful in the elimination games in the match for the slot, fans will potentially face a broky duel against another young talent from Latvia.

Marek YEKINDAR Galinskis

The year is approaching, as YEKINDAR left the composition pro100 and moved to Virtus.pro… Considering the results over the past six months, it is safe to say that the adaptation period of the Latvian in the new team was more than successful. Since November 2023, VP has won three tournaments, but it is important to make allowances for the fact that the team did not face any of the top 5 in the victorious championships. IEM Katowice 2023 is a great test for the roster and, in particular, for YEKINDAR.

During the Play-In stage of IEM, the team made fans a little nervous by losing Ninjas in Pajamas, but still managed to qualify for the main part of the championship – largely due to the high-quality play of Galinskis. The Latvian player finished the decisive match for the slot with a rating of 1.75, sending Renegades buy return tickets to Australia. In the main part of IEM Katowice 2023 VP is waiting for perhaps the worst matchup possible: YEKINDAR and his team will make their debut against Natus Vincere, who topped the HLTV.org rating last week. According to the bookmakers, NAVI should easily close the meeting in their favor, which means that the Latvian is likely to have a long run along the lower bracket, where Team Liquid may be the opponents. Team Vitality and FaZe Clan. In a word, YEKINDAR will have a lot of fun in the coming days, but we will expect bright performances from him and, of course, victories.

Valery B1t Vakhovsky

Interesting fact: B1t performs on the tier-1 scene of CS: GO the least of the listed players in this list, but is already the most titled of them. In January, Vakhovsky as part of Natus Vincere won the BLAST Premier: Global Final 2023, having issued the first championship in a tournament of this caliber in his career. Yes, broky also took first places, but not all of the world’s top players were represented at those tournaments. Of course, B1t played only on one map, but who will remember that in a couple of years? The beauty of statistics is that it is impossible to argue with it.

At IEM Katowice 2023, Wakhovsky will also log into the server only on Inferno, if B1ad3 did not prepare surprises for the opponents. The fact that Wakhovsky plays only on one card makes him an ace up the sleeve of Natus Vincere and has a tremendous impact on the picks and bans process. The Ukrainian does not need to scrupulously prepare for each opponent – on the contrary, B1t knows perfectly well what is expected of him and can calmly concentrate on his own game, especially since his results on Inferno are getting better and better every time. In his last speech, Vakhovsky “fired” Astralis in the BLAST grand final with a rating of 1.18. Considering all of the above, there is a possibility that Inferno will generally become the first ban against NAVI, but if not, keep an eye on it, because recently, when B1t gets his chance, sparks fly.

Gambit Esports

The roster of Gambit is the youngest of all the participants in IEM Katowice 2023: the average age of the players in the Russian team is 21 years old, and the 26-year-old tilts the scales significantly HObbit… In general, the history of this team is quite indicative. For more than a year, until October 2023, the team played under the Gambit Youngsters tag, acting as a “team for the future”, and last year the most experienced Khasenov came to the guys and led the team along the trodden paths to the top, as he himself once had on them Daniil Zeus Teslenko…

Gambit’s results show that the club’s management was not mistaken, betting on the young roster. The team is already in the top 20 of the world rankings, and IEM Katowice 2023 is the first tournament of this scale for young esports players. In the first round of the upper bracket of the group stage, the roster already stumbled, but, frankly, no one expected sky-high results from Gambit. In the first elimination match, Khasenov’s team will face mousesports, which I already beat a couple of days ago at the Play-In stage, is a great opportunity to get the first victory in the elite championship. Hardly sh1ro and the company will be able to get to the playoffs – too eminent opponents will get in the way, but cybersportsmen should definitely show their teeth and not act as “whipping boys”. Will it work out or not – we’ll see very soon.