The 2023 CS:GO season is almost upon us, with the BLAST Premier: Spring Groups starting soon. A new year means a fresh start for players to prove themselves at the top of the game. Who’ll come out on top, and who’ll fall off this year? These are our 2023 CS:GO predictions for some of the biggest players on the server right now.
m0NESY remains one to watch in 2023. Source: Escore
The brains of the current FaZe roster, karrigan’s successful 2022 brought a Major victory for the Dane. His FaZe team is one of the best CS:GO teams of all time, but karrigan’s age is a problem they can’t ignore. Turning 33 in April, it remains to be seen how long he can play at this level, being the final pro from CS 1.6 to play in the S-Tier of CS:GO.
He’s shown he’s got some mileage left in the tank, completing the Intel Grand Slam at ESL Pro League Season 17. But there have certainly been some worrying signs, with FaZe’s IEM Katowice 2023 performance remaining cause for concern.
At the moment, most would consider G2 the best team on the planet. What a great challenge it would be near the end for karrigan to bring his men back to the pinnacle of the game, for a stint in the number-one spot once again. He’ll have one eye on the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, as he looks to become a two-time CS:GO Major winning IGL.
We still think that 2023 could be the year karrigan leaves FaZe, and begins to wind down his magnificent career. He’s already secured his legacy, and adapting to the changes in CS2 could be a step too far for the legendary IGL. If anyone can overcome the odds and prove us wrong, it’s karrigan.
Source: Lemondogs
17-year old m0NESY has already established himself as one of the best players in the world. Since IGL HooXi arrived at G2 in August 2022, m0NESY has looked unbeatable. The AWPer topped 2022 off with his first competition win at the BLAST World Final, and we don’t expect it to stop there as he continues to gain experience at the highest level of CS:GO esports.
His start to 2023 has already been incredible. The young star immediately followed up last year’s success with an IEM Katowice 2023 victory. He’s not been a passenger on this journey either – he’s an essential part of this G2 team that could dominate for a long time to come.
With so many years left at the top of the game, m0NESY has the potential to build an unrivaled trophy cabinet. He can start by adding the first massive jewel in his crown, by winning his first CS:GO Major in Paris 2023.
We want our CS:GO predictions for 2023 to be bold. Well, we predict that m0NESY will surpass s1mple, ZywOo and sh1ro, and establish himself as the best player in the world by the end of the year. With his Katowice win, he’s off to a great start.
In NAVI CS:GO has one of the most decorated teams in esports. At the end of 2022, NAVI began to experiment with a six-man roster, rotating between sdy and NAVI Junior player npl. The 17-year old npl often looked out of his depth, and now finds himself in that permanent fifth-player slot. NAVI enters 2023 hoping to become two-time CS:GO Major winners, and we’re not sure npl is the permanent answer.
Early 2023 has seen NAVI’s struggles continue, but there have been signs of improvement from most of the star players, especially during ESL Pro League Season 17. But npl still looks totally out of his depth, and needs more time to hone his craft in NAVI Junior. That’s not to say he can’t become the answer one day – but right now isn’t that time. As the year progresses and competition wins pass them by, NAVI should look to bring electroNic back into his more familiar rifling role to replace npl, and begin the search for a more experienced IGL. At the moment, the team risk wasting s1mple’s prime on a failing experiment.
Of our CS:GO predictions, this is the most outlandish, but hear us out. YEKINDAR only joined the Team Liquid CS:GO roster in October 2022, but the rest of his team has struggled. EliGE doesn’t look the same after many years with Team Liquid, oSee looks completely out of his depth and nitr0 isn’t in form. YEKINDAR will want some wins to name to really build his legacy as he enters his mid-20s.
Liquid’s early performances in 2023 won’t help matters. So far, the team has been nothing short of pathetic, with no player covering themselves in glory. If they want to keep hold of a talent like YEKINDAR, they need to quickly move past IEM Katowice 2023 and ESL Pro League Season 17. Lingering too much on those performances will hold them back going forward.
The bulk of the frustration comes from their own peaks. On their day, they’ll pull something out of the bag, beating great teams comfortably. It’s that consistency that is holding them back right now. It’s a shame Jame isn’t looking for a rifler at Virtus.pro. It’d be the perfect reunion for both, with them getting the best out of each other in years past.
YEKINDAR has the potential to be an all-time great rifler. He won’t want to be remembered as a nearly-man. If Liquid doesn’t improve, then there’s every chance he looks to move on later in the year.
Source: Liquipedia
The 2023 CS:GO season is well, and we’ve already seen different competition winners, showing the strength of the CS:GO professional scene at the moment. It’s a wide-open field right now, with the potential for CS:GO legends to be made on the server.
The top talents to watch are the ones who are already playing on a Tier-1 team despite their age. These teams have seen something in these players that have convinced the organizations to give them a chance. It’s a big risk for most teams, but if you get the right player, it can pay off massively. For example, m0NESY at 17 is already one of the best AWPers in the world, with a game intelligence beyond many of the veterans in the game. And while we predict npl won’t last long in NAVI, the team clearly has faith that he’ll come good in 2023. We also like the look of Buzz at Astralis, who began his career on the team with a pistol round ace. There’s a lot of potential there that could catapult Astralis back to the top if harnessed correctly. At this point, there are still some active players from the days of CS 1.6, and these would be the ones most likely to put down the mouse and keyboard in 2023. We’re thinking of players like FalleN and karrigan, who may decide to take a different direction in life after years dedicated to Counter-Strike. There are plenty of players from early-CS:GO who could decide to call it quits this year, too. Xyp9x is massively struggling with the demands of modern CS:GO recently, and even someone like kennyS who recently made a comeback, may decide that the game has left him behind. Of course. If CS:GO teams feel they aren’t performing, there’s every chance they look to make a change of personnel. CS:GO esports is known for being brutal with its players, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some teams go for a change in 2023. We’re thinking of teams such as Liquid and Astralis. Teams that belong at the top, but haven’t quite been able to reach it lately. Other options include teams such as BIG, Vitality, and OG.
Who are the top CS:GO talents to watch in 2023?
Who could retire from CS:GO in 2023?
Could there be big roster changes in 2023?
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