8 Best CSGO Players to Watch out for in Group C of ESL Pro League

Another pick of 8 players to keep an eye on, this time from Group C.

Following our success in picking the right ESL Pro League Season 17’s Group B players to shine, we move on to Group C with its crop of talents. Group C is a weird one, with four strong teams, two middle-of-the-road teams, and two distinctly weaker teams. Therefore no matter which players we pick for some of these teams, it’s almost certain that their performances will fluctuate somewhat. If you intend to put money on the line for this tournament, you’re going to want to read this.

FaZe Clan: Helvijs “broky” Saukants

• HLTV Rating: 1.10
• Impact Rating: 1.01
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 72.7%
• Average Damage/Round: 73.1

The prolific AWPer has made his name on FaZe with immense contributions to their series of triumphs last year. For a player with some incredibly flashy flicks and highlight-reel holds in his repertoire, broky is even better known for his insane clutches including 1v4s and 1v5s. He is often criticized for being inconsistent and often disappearing when his team is in dire need of him — which is a valid bone to pick with the sniper. However, he usually makes up for it in spades with raw skill and a little help from his megastar teammates. 

Rooster: Tyson “asap” Paterson

• HLTV Rating: 1.14
• Impact Rating: 1.15
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 71.1%
• Average Damage/Round: 82.1

Not much is known about this player except that he’s young, talented, and a beast in the making. One could argue that some of his teammates are better on paper, but we have him picked for our player to watch on Rooster for this tournament. At 19, asap still has a lot to learn, but the fact that he has 7367 pro-level rounds under his belt that age speaks volumes about how hard he has been grinding. If he gets more exposure to top level teams, he could easily become Australia’s next big CSGO star.

paiN Gaming: Felipe “skullz” Medeiros

• HLTV Rating: 1.09
• Impact Rating: 1.02
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 72.5%
• Average Damage/Round: 75.4

His clan may not be the best in Brazil, but paiN Gaming’s skullz will probably be on that list someday. Most of his numbers may be middling, and his performances against top-tier opponents might be almost embarrassing, but what skullz doesn’t have yet in terms of skill, he has in guts and ambition. Once again, a point can be made about how Romeu “zevy” Rocco or Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt are stronger players, but we have a gut feeling about skullz for EPL Season 17.

Ninjas in Pyjamas: Danyyl “headtr1ck” Valitov

• HLTV Rating: 1.16
• Impact Rating: 1.09
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 73.7%
• Average Damage/Round: 78.3

Our third youngster in a row, headtr1ck has been turning heads by cracking others open with his impressive rifle for quite a few years now. Struggling to break into Natus Vincere’s first team except as an occasional stand-in, the young Ukrainian has found new life in Western Europe with NIP. Although he only joined relatively recently, he has already made a mark, and the fact that his only performance against a top 5 team saw his rating jump to 1.38 shows that the 18-year-old might pack more of a punch than first thought.

OG: Shahar “flameZ” Shushan

• HLTV Rating: 1.12
• Impact Rating: 1.16
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 71.8%
• Average Damage/Round: 79.3

Already a star for his team, flameZ has been gradually improving over the last year or so, and has experienced quite a jump in performance following the arrival of his new leader Nemanja “nexa” Isaković. Like FaZe’s broky, he is able to clutch, hold, and make entries regardless of who the opposition is, but unlike the inconsistent sniper, flameZ’s performances are pretty even across the board. The Israeli is a treat to watch when in full flow, and we’re looking forward to seeing his exploits in Malta.

00 Nation: Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer

• HLTV Rating: 1.16
• Impact Rating: 1.14
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 72.6%
• Average Damage/Round: 80.7

Learning from the man, the myth, the beast — Marcelo “coldzera” David himself, dumau has gone from a young talent to one of the core pieces of the 00 Nation machine. His squad — including himself — might still struggle against bigger, badder opponents, but dumau has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the regional scene, and will likely shine in the months and years ahead as one of Brazil’s best future prospects.

Grayhound: Declan “Vexite” Portelli

• HLTV Rating: 1.16
• Impact Rating: 1.23
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 71.6%
• Average Damage/Round: 83.2

Getting on a team with 4 aging local superstars is never easy when you’re a rookie, but Vexite’s decision to join Grayhound has yielded some good results for both parties. The difference between his base rating and impact rating speaks for itself, and that ADR is something any pro would be proud of. The kid obviously has tremendous potential, and will be benefited by the tutelage of his stalwart peers. Vexite is another player that we expect to see on the big stage plenty in the coming years if he can stick to the game.

Team Vitality: Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut

• HLTV Rating: 1.32
• Impact Rating: 1.44
• Kill/Assist/Traded/Survived: 75.1%
• Average Damage/Round: 87.8

Probably the only obvious inclusion on this list, there’s just no one else on Vitality even remotely close to the king himself. Already considered to be one of the greatest of all time, ZywOo is less of a player and more of a humble god who just shows a mortal side to lead his opponents to complacency at times. Absolutely ridiculous with an AWP in his hands, the Frenchman is nevertheless incredible even with a rifle or pistol. Hell, he’d probably be good with a shovel if that was introduced as a weapon in CSGO. 

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