



20) Freddy ‘KRIMZ’ Johansson (fnatic)

LAN: 1.10 (161) [#23]

Big Events: 1.11 (109) [#13]

Big Event Victories: 1

Top Events:

DreamHack Master Malmö - 1.22 [#5]

StarSeries i-League Season 7 - 1.19 [#9]

IEM Sydney - 1.11 [#19]





Overview





Even though fnatic ran with an unsuccessful lineup for the first half of the year, KRIMZ maintained form for it. Regardless of the team's condition, KRIMZ was someone they could count on. His consistency is something that few players have managed to attain. Not only that, when fnatic reached their heights at Malmö, KRIMZ was their best player.





Why?

KRIMZ finishes 2019 as the best player on a fnatic lineup that ended the year No. 3 in the global rankings. When comparing the individual performances of KRIMZ and the team’s success, it is easy to draw a direct correlation. When he is performing well, the team succeeds. This is why all of his best big event performances this year resulted in four second-place finishes and a Malmö victory. When fnatic won Malmö, KRIMZ rated fifth best in a field of the world’s best players. If fnatic had this lineup for the entire year, KRIMZ would likely be higher.





Prediction

The current version of fnatic is far and away the best we have seen from the organization in a long time. KRIMZ is 25 years old and in the prime of his career with a very promising roster playing with him. The lineup was able to make top five in such a short time, so KRIMZ is set up for an even better 2020.









19) Ethan ’Ethan’ Arnold (Evil Geniuses)





LAN: 1.11 (183) [#20]

Big Events: 1.09 (137) [#21]

Majors: .99 (12)

Big Event Victories: 2 MVPs: 1





Top Events:

IEM Sydney - 1.26 [#3]

StarSeries i-League Season 8 - 1.23 [#3]*

StarSeries i-League Season 7 - 1.22 [#7]

Overview





The No. 3 fragger for North America’s No. 2 team took some statistical steps back following a stellar 2018 campaign, but his individual stock did not. In the team's most important games, Ethan rose to the occasion.

Why?





Ethan is one of the most mechanically strong riflers in North America. His wasted movement is minimal, his ceiling is sky-high and he has an uncanny ability to impact a game in various ways. He was a primary entry fragger for the team, but also managed to have equally as much impact for his team late round. Ethan ended the year fifth in total frags, first in total assists, is top three in clutches. In the team's most successful events, Ethan performed well. Without a doubt, the rifler remains a win condition for the No. 5 ranked team.









Prediction





Ethan is the glue of this lineup. He does a lot of grunt work for a team that found some massive success at points in the year. His statistical output will have an impact on the team’s success for 2020. At 19 years old, Ethan has so much time to grow. If he continues to progress the way he has been, Ethan will only continue to climb the ladder.













18) Andreas ‘Xyp9x’ Højsleth (Astralis)





LAN: 1.11 (141) [#22]

Big Events: 1.09 (123) [#22]

Majors: 1.17 (23) [#6]

Big Event Victories: 6

Top Events:

IEM Beijing - 1.34 [#3]

IEM Katowice - 1.29 [#3] ESL Cologne - 1.27 [#2]





Overview





Xyp9x once again proved himself to be one of the best support riflers in the world. His ability to impact the round with utility makes him an important part of Astralis’ game, as well as his profound talent for clutching out rounds.

Why?





The Astralis lineup remains the strongest lineup in the game today and each player has their own important roles to make the machine run. Xyp9x’s ability to support his team and win clutch rounds is was makes him a world-class commodity. He finishes the year first in KAST and support round percentage, proving his consistent impact for the championship lineup. And when it came down to the wire, Xyp9x came through once again for his team, finished top five in clutches on the year.

Prediction





Astralis remain the kings of Counter-Strike and Xyp9x plays a pivotal role. His high points are incredibly high and his low points are better than some players’ best events. As long as he performs at this level, Astralis continues to win and Xyp9x will continue to earn top 20 accolades.









17) Peter ‘dupreeh’ Rasmussen (Astralis)

LAN: 1.10 (141) [#24]

Big Events: 1.10 (123) [#17]

Majors: 1.16 (23) [#8]

Big Event Victories: 6 MVPs: 1

Top Events:

BLAST Pro Series Global Final - 1.27 [#1]* IEM Katowice - 1.24 [#6]

ESL One Cologne - 1.23 [#7]





Overview





Dupreeh performs different tasks for Astralis, but performs at nearly the same statistical level as Xyp9x. Dupreeh offers a lot of impact with his fragging ability primarily with rifles, but also with AWPs when necessary. With the AWP as his third most used weapon, dupreeh has proven himself to be a decent secondary hybrid for his team.

Why?





Dupreeh maintained his usual success when the team would his name was called. Like the other four members of the team, dupreeh consistently played his role to near perfection. He rarely failed for the team, and when he was at his absolute peak he performed at a world-class level which is why he took home an MVP from one of Astralis’ six big event victories.





Prediction





Astralis have been the best team for what feels like an eternity. Teams challenged and beat them in 2019, and now they are going to gear up to overthrow Astralis for good. If dupreeh can play in 2020 at the level he gave at BLAST Global Finals, then he will have more than one MVP.









16) Jere ‘sergej’ Salo (ENCE)

LAN: 1.10 (135) [#25]

Big Events: 1.10 (86) [#19]

Majors: 1.06 (22) [#21]

Big Event Victories: 1

Top Events:

StarLadder Major Berlin - 1.24 [#5]

BLAST Pro Series São Paulo - 1.20 [#4]

DreamHack Masters Dallas - 1.19 [#8]





Overview

ENCE’s star rifler was undoubtedly one of the world’s fastest rising stars at the start of the year. After their heroic Katowice run, sergej shot off into the skies. He looked like an unstoppable force in a quick fashion. It was not until the lineup had internal problems leading to a controversial roster move that sergej was stopped. Although sergej does end up in the top 20, it is worth noting that a questionable lineup change derailed him from climbing the ranks higher.





Why?





The first three-quarters of 2019 were amazing for sergej. He finished his first three months at a 1.12 level and then skyrocketed into a 1.16 rating from BLAST Sao Paulo to the Berlin Major. At points, sergej looked to already tap into the upper echelon of world-class talents. The last three months have been really tough on the rifler and largely prevented him from ascending the ranks any further on the list. The last three months of ENCE’s year was a tough time for all members, but sergej may have taken the hardest fall going from 1.16 to a .99 in that stint.

Prediction





Without a doubt, sergej is one of the most talented young players in the game today. Had ENCE not made the fatal roster change, his numbers likely would not have taken a nosedive nor would have the team's results. However, with the calendar year over, sergej and co. can move forward on how to make the best out of the situation. ENCE’s first priority has to be finding sergej’s impact once again. If they can help him find his 1.16 form again, then the rest will follow.

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All statistics used are from the HLTV database.

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An asterisk (*) denotes an MVP award.

Filters: LAN - Top 30 - Min. 100 maps unless specified otherwise