Esports Players of the Year 2019

#5 Call of Duty

PLAYER: SIMP | TEAM: EUNITED

By: Coleman Hamstead

First off, we have the rookie Chris “Simp” Lehr. There cannot be a CoD player of the year discussion without Simp’s name being in the fray.

Simp had big shoes to fill when he came on the eUnited starting roster in March. The replacement for CoD veteran Jordan “JKap” Kaplan, eUnited fans questioned the decision initially. But their concerns were soon put to rest. Simp heated up as the season went on. Cumulating in the ridiculous performance he put on at the CWL Playoff Finals and World Championships. He earned the MVP award when eUnited took 1st place at the CWL Playoff Finals and he didn’t stop there. A month later at Champs, Simp went on an absolute tear. In a game that spectators won't forget anytime soon, he pulled out the sniper and went 14-1 in one round of SND.

This performance exemplifies what was a standout event for Simp And eUnited. They earned themselves another 1st place at CWL Champs. Simp took the MVP crown yet again. It's worth noting, Simp earned these accolades as a rookie while competing on a team with star players. Including the likes of James “Clayster” Eubanks and Tyler “aBeZy” Pharris.

Simp’s phenomenal year earned him recognition beyond the CoD community. Simp was nominated for Both Esports Console Player of the Year and Esports Console Rookie of the Year at the Esports Awards— the only CoD player nominated for both. Not only was he nominated, but he also won the award for Esports Console Rookie of the Year. As well as placing third for Console Player of the Year.

#4 CSGO

PLAYER: DEVICE | TEAM: ASTRALIS

By: Slava Britvin

Nicolai “device” Reedtz is the AWPer of Astralis. The Dane is not only a decent player, he also forms an important part of the most successful team in CS:GO history. Collectively, sooner or later, he deserves to get an MVP award, but will it happen this year?

In 2018, s1mple was far ahead by most personal statistical values. Despite a great start for Astralis’ last year, device lost the battle, but hadn’t lost the war.

If we compare device with other contenders, what can we say? ZywOo is ahead by personal values, but the difference between the average level of Astralis and Vitality is simply immeasurable.

Another point in device's favour; he did a big part of the work for the Danish team at the StarLadder Berlin Major. He earned the MVP award and was the best player during all play-off matches. Nobody came even close to him!
Considering all of the above, we've marked device as a favourite for our CSGO Player of the Year 2019.

• MVP awards (2019): 3, including 1 Major
• Events won (2019): 6, including 2 Majors
• Rating 2.0 (2019): 1.22

#3 LEAGUE OF LEGENDS

PLAYER: PERKZ | TEAM: G2 ESPORTS

By: Brandon Sturak

At the number three spot is everyone's favorite mid-laner-turned-ADC, Luka “Perkz” Perkovic. Perkz is a well-known face in the LEC, as he used to be one of the best mid lane players in the world before moving to AD Carry. Many thought that it was a risky move for him, but it turns out that this wasn’t the case. In fact, he’s solidified himself as a top tier ADC player too, defeating world-class counterparts with ease.

Throughout G2’s 2019 season, Perkz has been an incredibly reliable carry that never fails to impress. His damage output and CS scores exceed all expectations and the team funnels a lot of resources into him. At the World Championship, he boasted an average of 9.9 CS per minute and an average of 25.1% of his team’s gold. His stat numbers were even higher domestically. This allowed him to put the team on his back and lead them to victory over and over again.

Though he is, of course, proficient at marksmen like Xayah and Kai’Sa, his champion pool is much larger than other ADC’s. With picks like Yasuo and Syndra, Perkz brings everything to the table. This makes him an even bigger draft threat than Doinb, due to his ability to play damn near everything. G2 is renowned for their creativity, and with such a flexible bottom laner, it gives them many more options most teams don’t have.

#2 DOTA 2

PLAYER: ANA | TEAM: OG

By: Veselin Ignatov

Nearing the end, we have the Australian wonder himself: Anathan “ana” Pham. Possibly the best Dota 2 player in the world, OG can thank ana and his incredible performance for their two TI victories in a row. This was something that was never done before – and something nobody ever expected would happen.

Nevertheless, ana’s incredible performance was there to carry his team to success. Apart from the traditional heroes we see from pretty much any high-rated player, ana always has something new to offer. For example, TI 9 was marked by his incredible carry IO, which is still ruining pubs up to this very day.

#1 FORTNITE

PLAYER: BUGHA | TEAM: SENTINELS

By: Matt Pryor

It’s difficult not to consider Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf as the best Fortnite – and possibly even esports player of the year. The 16-year-old phenom was somewhat of an unknown player to start the year. He signed with the Sentinels esports organization in March, and his career took off insanely fast. He qualified as a solo for the Fortnite World Cup and had just a few stable placements heading into the most significant event in Fortnite history.

With a $3 million grand prize on the line, Bugha stuck to his gameplan, and it worked as intended. In his first LAN tournament ever, he mopped the floor with his opponents at the Fortnite World Cup. He earned the often illustrious Victory Royale and racked up 59 points overall. Bugha ultimately ended up a whopping 26 points clear of second place and banked the multi-million dollar grand prize.

This accomplishment elevated Bugha’s name to the top of news outlets and even sports websites. Never before did we expect a Fortnite player to appear on late-night talk shows based solely on an achievement in esports. It was more than just becoming a champion in Fortnite as he continue to grab headlines unlike any other – except for maybe Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.

Bugha’s followers and subscribers increased significantly due to his World Cup victory. He went on to participate in the Fortnite Champion Series with STRETCH and Shawn “clarityG” Washington. The trio played well through the qualifiers but finished in a disappointing 26th place at the Season X Finals. Bugha took part in many of the weekly Solo Cash Cup tournaments, where he won two of them and played consistently in most of the others.

The Chapter 2 Season 1 Fortnite Champion Series was the final big esports event for Bugha in 2019. He struggled to find a roster and settled with STRETCH, clarityG and Zander “Thwifo” Kim as his squad. All four players did their part, but yet again fell below expectations with a 21st place finish in the finals.

Bugha’s accomplishment in 2019 transcends esports because of the icon he became. His hard work and dedication to the game of Fortnite helped him achieve the ultimate goal of winning the Fortnite World Cup. The name Bugha will forever exist in the history of Fortnite. He is unquestionably the Esports Player of the Year.

Overall, aqua, benjyfishy and Bugha deserve recognition for their accomplishments in 2019. All three players have become bigger than the game of Fortnite in different ways. Bugha ultimately deserves the award Fortnite Player of the Year for completely reshaping the view of Fortnite players. His demeanor as a 16-year-old Fortnite World Cup Champion makes him an inspiring representation of the game. In the face of elevated expectations, he continues to achieve high placements in Fortnite. Congratulations to Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf on earning the ESTNN award for Esports Player of the Year 2019.