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Esports
The 5 best AWPers in CS:GO
After some unexpected performances at DreamHack Valencia, we re-evaluate who’s the hottest shot.
After watching Cloud9 and TSM wiggle their way through the CS:GO big hitters to the DreamHack Valencia finals last weekend, there’s a distinct feeling of change. Despite dominating performances from Fnatic, NiP and EnVyUS in the past few months, their hold on the top spots is slipping and new forces are rising to take their places.
Few roles in a CS:GO team are as reliant on consistency as the AWPer. The lurker may occasionally find a series of sneaky-beaky picks in a game, and an entry fragger might clutch their way to a 4K in one round. But the AWPer's consistency can turn tides or continuously ruin an enemy team’s economy. But recent nerfs to the AWP have thrown the role into turmoil, and there’s only room at the top for those who can adapt and swim. Here are the best among them in a brave new world of CS:GO.
GuardiaN
Na`Vi's guardian angel, Ladislav 'GuardiaN' Kovács, is a lynchpin for the Ukrainian side. Able to almost single-handedly defend sites, his situational awareness far exceeds the usual 'point and click' camper stereotype. Though Na`Vi have fallen foul of a bad stretch of late, GuardiaN's performances are rock solid and improving every tournament.
Skadoodle
As evidenced in Valencia, the newest form of Cloud9 is a force to be reckoned with. Driving that force forward is the powerhouse that is Tyler 'Skadoodle' Latham, whose much-improved sniping game has been one of the sole reasons for C9’s resurgence after joining in April. Though, despite being the AWPer, he'll have to settle for having the second biggest guns on the team as Ryan 'fREAKAZOiD' Abadir also joined two months ago.
KennyS
Regarded as one of the best players in the world despite his historically weak role, Kenny 'KennyS' Schrute remains at the top of his game. The strafing slow while scoped hasn't affected Kenny too much as he showed in last month's CEVO match against NiP, because if you can still quickscope, you can still kill.
JW
Though Fnatic are slipping a bit, Jesper 'jw' Wecksell is still capable of pulling off intense rounds. His consistency is lacking, but when it comes to flick and twitch reflexes, there are few who can outshoot JW in a Mexican stand-off.
worldEDIT
A sort of diamond in the rough, Georgi 'WorldEdit' Yaskin currently resides on Flipsid3 (along with S1mple, another top-tier player on a lower-tier team). His calm composure in claustrophobic conditions, such as the sites on Cache in January's FACEIT cup, show he is a player not unfamiliar with the skills of the trade, to say the least.
