With a total of 120 players attending the BLAST Paris Major from May 8 onwards, fans at home may struggle to follow along with the action throughout the competition. But no worries—we’ve got you covered.
There’s a handful of players you’ll want to keep your eyes on during the $1.25-million USD tournament. It doesn’t matter if they’re a rifler or AWPer, these are the players that get it done at the end of the day and produce the most highlights.
Related: BLAST Paris CS:GO Major’s full schedule
Here are the best players to watch during the BLAST Paris Major, including one of their highlights in 2023 and what makes them so special, plus some honorable mentions who didn’t make the cut.
10 best CS:GO players to watch at BLAST Paris Major
NertZ
Israeli rifler Guy “NertZ” Iluz boasts a remarkable 1.21 rating in 2023, according to HLTV, and always makes ENCE forget about the times they had his equally talented countryman Lotan “Spinx” Gilardi. NertZ honed his skills during his period with Endpoint between November 2021 and February 2023 and has proved thus far that he deserves to play in tier one with ENCE. He played a big part in ENCE’s semifinal run at ESL Pro League Season 17 in March and will have to do it again at the Major if the international team stands a chance of reaching the playoffs.
Spinx
Ever since Spinx joined the Vitality ranks in August 2022, he bolstered the team’s firepower and has taken much-needed pressure from ZywOo’s shoulders. The Israeli rifler is averaging a 1.19 rating in 2023, according to HLTV, and played a pivotal role in Vitality’s championship run at IEM Rio in April, especially for the work he did against FaZe Clan, in which he got a 73-34 K/D. Spinx is one of the guys you should watch if you want to see a masterclass on both the CT and T side.
Frozen
Frozen has become the main star of the MOUZ roster since ropz left for FaZe Clan in January 2022 and is one of the main reasons why the young international team succeeded last year and finished top four at the IEM Rio Major last November. The Slovak is one of the most impactful players with the AK-47 and M4A4 and the reason why he’s got a 1.19 rating in 2023, according to HLTV. If you’re watching a MOUZ game during the Major, pay attention to what frozen is doing and you might learn a trick or two.
Jabbi
Even though jabbi showed a lot of promise under Copenhagen Flames between 2021 and 2022, nobody predicted he’d become Heroic’s best player in 2023, especially because he’s still just 19 years old. But that’s what happened after he joined the best Danish CS:GO team in June 2022. Jabbi is averaging a 1.15 rating in 2023, according to HLTV, and playing slightly better than the team’s main star for years in stavn. Heroic is still missing a big trophy this season despite making deep runs consistently, so if anything, jabbi will have to try his hardest to push them over the line, which is why you should watch him throughout the tournament.
Ropz
The easiest way to describe the Estonian star ropz is to say he’s simply the best lurker in the world, which is one of the toughest roles in CS:GO‘s T side since you must know the right time to strike the defense. Ropz was the missing player FaZe needed to win their first Major at PGL Antwerp in May 2022 and several other tier-one titles, including IEM Cologne in July 2022 and IEM Katowice in February 2022. He recently helped FaZe to win ESL Pro League Season 17 in March and complete their Intel Grand Slam run and is the highest-rated player on a roster full of stars according to HLTV. If you want a player who knows how to close rounds better than almost everybody, ropz is your player to watch.
NiKo
NiKo kept his head held high after G2 missed IEM Rio Major in November 2022, working on his game and bringing G2 to the top in 2023. He has been a top player since he was still a part of MOUZ in 2017 and it’s partially because of his skills that G2 gained the status of the best team in the world in 2023 after winning IEM Katowice in February and BLAST Premier World Final in December 2022. The Bosnian is one of the best players in the world with an AK-47 in hand and has the ability to single-handedly win rounds for his team on both sides of the game. If G2 is playing Mirage, keep an eye on NiKo and you’ll see what a player of his caliber does on the T side.
KSCERATO
There’s no way better to wrap up our list of riflers with the best rifler in the world himself, FURIA’s star KSCERATO. The Brazilian averages a 1.24 rating in 2023, according to HLTV, but importantly he has a 1.21 rating against top 20 teams this year—the highest of any rifler in the world in 2023. When watching KSCERATO, you’ll see how he bails FURIA out by playing after-plant situations to perfection or how he’s smart when retaking bomb sites.
M0NESY
Not only is m0NESY incredibly talented with the AWP, but he has almost the same prowess with rifles and the Desert Eagle too. The Russian prodigy was the only good thing that happened to G2 in 2022 before in-game leader Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen added a much-needed tactical structure to the team. The 18-year-old is averaging a 1.19 rating in 2023, according to HLTV, and is tearing opponents apart alongside NiKo. He’s probably the flashiest AWPer in the higher echelons of the competitive scene, so if you watch him play, you’ll certainly be entertained.
S1mple
Although Natus Vincere are going through hardships since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the loss of BoomBl4 in May 2022, s1mple remains one of the best players out there. The squad is not performing on the same left they did in 2021 and 2022, but that’s not his fault. The greatest player of all time keeps putting up more-than-solid numbers in 2023 and has a 1.21 rating, according to HLTV, despite NAVI appearing slightly dysfunctional with electroNic leading the squad. It seems unlikely that NAVI would win their first title ever since BLAST Premier Spring Finals in June, but if they have any chance, it relies on s1mple hard-carrying and showing he’s still the best.
ZywOo
ZywOo is the greatest CS:GO player of 2023 thus far and there isn’t even a point in arguing it. He amassed a remarkable 1.35 rating five months into the season, according to HLTV, and unless he slows down and someone like s1mple rises further, he’ll be named the best player of this year and tie with s1mple for three HLTV No. 1 medals. The Frenchman will have extra motivation during the Major as he could nab his first Major trophy in front of the home crowd, so there’s no reason to sleep while ZywOo is playing.
Honorable mentions
- Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas (Endpoint)
- Stavn (Heroic)
- EliGE (Team Liquid)
- Twistzz (FaZe Clan)
