Counter Strike: Global Offensive © Valve

It’s a new year, which means new chances for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sharpshooters. There are set to be more tournaments than ever before for teams and players in the bracket just below the Fnatics and Na'Vi's of the world. Valve's recently announced Regional Minor Championships should provide a space for some new stars to shine, away from the massive gravitational pull of the usual LAN-stomping suspects.

Among these teams are some fast-rising stars to keep an eye on throughout the year. Whether they've toiled in the background for a little while, or have popped out of nowhere with some astonishing performances, these are the upcoming CS:GO players to look out for in 2016.

Patrik ‘Zero’ Žúdel

This Slovakian 17-year-old is one of the most consistently impressive players in Eastern Europe. Taking first in the majority of weekly tournaments his teams were entered in, Zero was a driving force for several organisations throughout 2015. His rapid twitch aim pulled his nEophyte and Fraternitas team-mates through in many sticky situations before he decided to part ways to focus on improving his individual skill. Now residing on Hungarian team Revolte!, it surely won't be long before you see him taking centre stage.

Tahsin ‘tahsiN’ Broschk

Throughout this year, Tahsin Broschk has shown flashes of brilliance which far outpace his current professional trajectory. Having moved from Killerfish to Penta sports in September, his skill has already caught HellRaisers unaware as they relaxed during a 4v1 scenario. The entry fragger should not be underestimated, however, as he has shown against SK Gaming and HellRaisers in the past few months.

Kristoffer ‘Mystic’ Michelsen

Michelsen has been quite well known on the Norwegian CS:GO circuit for some time, but it wasn't until a few short months ago that his frightening aptitude for pistols and rifles came to a global audience. After a truly momentous stand-in performance for LGB in the FragBite Masters (featuring two quad-kill holds on Cache) he was signed to the team full time before being quickly whisked away to London Conspiracy's new roster. We'll be watching to see where he ends up next.

Max ‘maxie’ Lönnström

Maxie made a name for himself on Team Orbit, with some aggressive plays that showcased a lot of the reasons he's worth keeping up with. Currently residing in the nebulous roster of TSK, it would be a huge surprise to not see this Swede find his way into a challenging team. If anyone's in need of a snapshot AWPer who is just as good with pistols, then there are far worse players to find.

Mathias ‘pauf’ Köhler

There are few players in a generation who possess both the extreme response times afforded by youth and the level-headed decision-making of experience. Mathias 'pauf' Köhler, an 18-year-old Swedish Rifler, is one of them. He also finds himself in the no-man's land of having played for Orbit and Team Property but now on his own terms in team GreyFaceNoSpace. It might be too much to suggest Fnatic or NiP make a space in their current rosters, but all dogs of war retire one way or another.