India's top CS:GO players
From school kids skipping classes to play Counter-Strike 1.6 with their friends at a local internet cafe, to professionals competing in big Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) leagues all over the world- Counter-Strike has been around for decades in India, making no small name for itself. Here are the top Indian CS:GO players, in no particular order:
V3nom's journey is an exceptional one, from modest beginnings to co-founding Team Brutality. As the IGL for Team Brutality, V3nom would captivate audiences with his cheeky plays, impressive raw aim, and his tactical genius. His remarkable skill set helped him carve out a name for himself as one of the most talented players in the region.
Currently holding #2 rank on FACEIT for the Indian region, f1redup is the Indian CS:GO team's captain. He is a hybrid player who doesn't hesitate to pick up the CT-side AWP and put it into good effect. f1redup alongside SKWow, Spawn, clouda and N1kace won CS:GO National Championship at National Esports Championships hosted by Esports Federation of India, making them the only Indian team win the event thrice, back to back, as they make it through to the World Esports Championship 2023 - Iași, hosted by International Esports Federation.
RiX, the celebrated Indian AWPer and co-founder of Team Brutality alongside V3nom, has made significant contributions to both the team and the Indian CS:GO scene. Known for his strategic planning and patience in gameplay, RiX has been a strong advocate for these qualities, which have helped him excel in his role. He has also made his mark on the international stage, competing against legendary teams such as Ninjas in Pyjamas and HellRaisers at Cologne 2014 as part of Team Wolves, which was the only Indian team to appear at the major.
Fun Fact: G2’s NiKo, was about to join Team Wolf and ready to move to India. In the early stages of his CS:GO career, he was looking for exposure. NiKo was ready to move to India but the deal fell through over disagreements in salary negotiations.
Tejas 'rite2ace' Sawant talks about the NiKo deal
The former rifler for Optic India, has proven himself as an outstanding in-game leader. His simple yet effective playstyle made him stand out from other players during his time on the team. haiVaan's strengths include his careful approach to the game, deep understanding of strategy, and ability to execute effective counter-strategies in the middle of a round. These qualities have helped him emerge as one of the most talented and respected players in the Indian CS:GO scene.
rite2ace was a part of the only Indian CS:GO team to have appeared in a major, Wolves (ESL One Cologne 2014). rite2ace had a great 2017 with Entity eSports, winning COBX Indian Esports Championship 2017, ROG Masters 2017 Asia-Pacific: South Asia, Mountain Dew Arena 2017, ESL India Premiership: Fall 2017 and Conquerors Insignia 2017. He displayed great tactical rifling over the next few years, winning numerous LAN and online events, until he finally hung up his CS:GO jersey in 2020 and called it a day. To this day, rite2ace is looked upon as one of the foundational members of Indian CS:GO.
Marzil is widely regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in the Indian CS:GO community. Under his leadership, BL4ZE esports achieved remarkable success, and he continues to excel as a skilled rifler in other contexts as well. Despite the trend of many players moving to Valorant, Marzil tried his best to remain committed to CS:GO, showing his dedication to the game and his determination to continue pushing himself to new heights.
Former CS:GO in-game leader Amaterasu was widely regarded as one of the most feared players of his time. His unique gameplay style, which involved executing high-risk-high-reward moves and intentionally mismatching the tempo of the game and his opponents, led his team Overcome to victory at the prestigious Esports World Convention in Paris back in 2016.
Rev3nnnn has been dominating the FACEIT scene with his exceptional skills and strategic gameplay. Holding the #1 rank in India and among the top 20 in Southeast Asia as of April 2023, he has been AWPing his way through the wildlands of Faceit with an impressive 4000 elo. With multiple first and second place finishes at various LAN and online CS:GO tournaments in 2021 and 2022, rev3nnnn has proved himself to be a force to be reckoned with.
Crazy_Gamer, a methodical and strategic rifler, has been making waves in the Indian esports scene for sometime now. With two appearances at IESF's World Esports Championship in 2021 and 2022, he has proven himself to be a top-notch player. Currently ranked at #8 on FACEIT in India, Crazy_Gamer's skills and expertise in the game have earned him a well-deserved reputation in the Indian esports community.
DEFAULTER was the mastermind behind the Indian CS:GO team's impressive performances at the IESF World Esports Championship in both 2021 and 2022. As an expert strategist, he isn't afraid to take risks and go lurking behind enemy lines to gather critical information for his team. This allows them to adapt their strategies on the fly and stay one step ahead of their opponents. His shrewd decision-making and ability to execute complex plans make him a player to watch out for, in the Indian esports scene.
KiilSwitCh is undoubtedly one of the most versatile hybrid players in the Indian CS:GO scene. With a fluid playstyle that involves switching between weapons and picking up the occasional secondary or primary AWP, he's always ready to adapt to the ever-changing meta of the game. KiilSwitCh's gameplay is heavily reliant on positioning, allowing him to maintain his agility and keep his opponents on their toes. His impressive skills have earned him back-to-back appearances at the IESF World Esports Championship in both 2021 and 2022
PSY's mastery of the AWP was a cornerstone of his success on the CT side, where he could shut down angles with ease. Following his early days with Team Brutality, he emerged as one of the youngest in-game leaders in the Indian CS:GO community with Invisible Wings in 2016, later on he was picked up by Entity Gaming. From there, he went on to lead his teams to a number of impressive victories, including 1st place finishes at ESL India Premiership in 2017, 2018, and 2019, as well as at the Taiwan Excellence Gaming Cup in 2018 and Dreamhack Mumbai in 2018. His skills and leadership have also earned him 2nd and 3rd place finishes at many other prestigious tournaments.
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