2016 has been a landmark year for esports. As the popularity of competitive gaming surged, the number of esports titles, tournaments and big-name sponsors has grown ever larger.

At its heart, however, esports remains about great players and great teams showing their abilities. But which stars shone the brightest in 2016? Which talents emerged victorious? Here's how we thought top players across League of Legends, Dota 2, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter and Counter-Strike stacked up this year.

10. Du "NuckleDu" Dang (SFV) - At the start of 2016, few would have predicted NuckleDu to make a run at the title of best SFV player in the world. Yet Du steadily improved and eventually became the first North American to win a premier tournament in two years. Then he was the first North American to win two, and then he was the 2016 Capcom Cup champion. His wild ride in the last three months has been nothing short of spectacular, and now Du stands as not only the new American hero, but without a doubt the player to beat in 2017. DU-S-A! DU-S-A!

9. Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma (SSB Melee) - Were it not for a less-than-stellar back half of the year, Hungrybox might have been higher on this list. That being said, the one true master of Puff still made his mark with wins at The Battle of the Five Gods, Pound, CEO and EVO, and he was the only player even in the discussion with Armada as best smasher of the year. Emotional and significant though his wins were, especially his play at EVO, HBox falls just short of his Swedish rival this year.

8. Bae "Bang" Jun-sik (LoL) - Although occasionally hidden in the shadow of mid-lane teammate Faker, Bang quietly carved himself a spot in the Top 10 with his incredible play this year. He gets a lot of credit for SK Telecom's dominance at the IEM Season X World Finals, the LCK Spring Split, the Mid-Season Invitational and their second straight World Championship victory. Dominant laning, excellent teamfighting and versatility to boot, you can't ask for much more from a player, even on a team as strong as SKT. There's little doubt Bang is the best AD Carry in the world.

7. Jesse "JerAx" Vainikka (Dota) - In a year of Dota where nothing seemed fixed, JerAx was one of the most consistent players in the field. Unrivalled in his prowess on roaming gankers like Earth Spirit, JerAx has proven himself to be an elite support player in nearly every capacity. With three Major grand finals appearances on two different squads — the most recent of which he won — few players in Dota can boast such a complete record in 2016.

6. Adam "Armada" Lindgren (SSB Melee) - Few in 2016 can match the Swedish Melee monster that is Armada. The legendary smasher added a pile of hardware to his trophy case this year, with wins at GENESIS 3, The Smash Summit 2 and 3, Canada Cup, DreamHack Winter and the UCG Smash Open. Second at EVO and and The Big House 6 aren't anything to sneer at either. While other players might be able to knock him off his throne every now and again, Armada is still the one that every smasher fears to meet in the bracket.

5. Amer "Miracle-" Barqawi (Dota) - Though the original 9k MMR mid has had his lows this year, it's hard to argue with a Major title plus three premier tournament wins. Miracle- has an individual impact on any game he's in, and he continues to prove that he's one of the strongest carry players in Dota 2 right now. Others might have surpassed him in results, but not in ability.

4. Aleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev (CS:GO) - Prodigy. Natural. These are the words we use for s1mple, who went from a serious talent to one of the undisputed stars of CS:GO this year. Not only did he elevate Team Liquid from an NA contender to a Major finalist, but he went on to help Natus Vincere claim their first title in six months at ESL One: New York. With his level of talent and a spot on one of the world's most elite squads, the sky is the limit for s1mple in 2017.

3. Song "Smeb" Kyung-ho (LoL) - As far as individual talent, it doesn't get much better that Smeb. 2016 was the culmination of an incredible journey, the year he cemented his status as an elite top laner and one of the few able to challenge Faker for the title of LoL MVP. Smeb could well have topped the Top 10 were it not for the ROX Tigers' struggles to close out titles this year, only really breaking through in the Summer Split. That being said, you can't deny back-to-back LCK MVP awards, first-place finishes in the LCK Summer Split and KeSPA Cup, and a down-to-the-wire set against SKT at Worlds.

2. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok (LoL) - Smeb might have challenged Faker for the title of best LoL player in the world this year, but it was Faker who walked away with nearly all the gold. Victories at the IEM Season X World Finals, the LCK Spring Split, the Mid-Season Invitational and his third World Championship only serve to shore up his already lofty status. It's impossible to deny Faker's continued individual dominance, mind-blowing champion pool, in-game impact and significance as a LoL icon. If anyone hadn't learned it before 2016, they know now to never, ever bet against him.

1. Marcelo "coldzera" David (CS:GO) - His heroic performances en route to back-to-back Major titles might have been enough to land coldzera on this list, but that would be understating the role he's played in the biggest success story in esports this year. cold is an unwavering star fragger, putting up the numbers online and on LAN, and he's been the rock that anchors Luminosity/SK Gaming through their meteoric rise to top team in CS:GO. (It doesn't hurt that he's responsible for what was easily the best play of the year.) Watch out 2017 — the Brazilian Terminator is coming for you.

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