Even after a rough IEM Katowice 2021, it looks like no one can stop Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev or Denis "electronic" Sharipov. But two of Katowice's grand finalists are making a move on them.
Natus Vincere struggled in last week’s IEM Katowice, dropping out of the tournament in fifth place after losing three in a row to FURIA, Team Liquid, and eventual champions Gambit, respectively. But one poor tournament can’t wipe away what s1mple and electronic have been able to do since Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s 2021 season kicked off.
s1mple and electronic are a deadly CSGO duo
Even for a player as talented as he is, s1mple has put up some eye-popping statistics over the past month. Na`Vi’s loss in Katowice was a team failure, and s1mple did as much as he could to stop that from happening. The popular CSGO player posted superstar ratings up until the squad's loss to Team Liquid ended its run.
S1mple’s IEM Katowice Ratings
Na`Vi versus Virtus.pro
- Dust 2
- 1.52 Rating
- +13 K.D
- 83.9 ADR
- Nuke:
- 1.47 Rating
- +11 KD
- 90.4 ADR
Na`Vi versus FURIA
- Mirage:
- 1.67 Rating
- +5 KD
- 98.7 ADR
- Nuke:
- 1.94 Rating
- +6 KD
- 111 ADR
Even as stat lines like these become more common for CSGO’s best player, s1mple is still sharing the wealth. Fellow Na`Vi player electronic is reaping the rewards as the opposing team focuses on controlling his superstar teammate.
Thanks to s1mple, electronic has openings in each game to make big plays.
He often does, and that’s why he’s made number two on this week’s CSGO player rankings.
electronic didn’t post superstar numbers at BLAST Premier’s spring groups or during Na`Vi's run at IEM Katowice, but there sometimes isn’t much left of enemy teams after s1mple is done with them. A closer look at Na`Vi’s games reveals electronic as a consistent and powerful presence on the roster, but when the observer is always on s1mple, it’s hard to stand out to spectators.
electronic should continue his high level of play, and if Na`Vi ever decides to make meaningful changes to the bottom half of its roster, electronic likely won’t be included.
But the other end of CSGO’s top-10 rankings this week are two players that could give electronic and s1mple a run for their money given enough time.
YEKINDAR and sh1ro might be CSGO stars in the making
Virtus.pro’s new star Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis made it to number nine this week thanks to a series of impressive star performances both by the player and his teammates. But it’s been YEKINDAR who has had the biggest impact on Virtus.pro’s opponents.
His move into the top 10 comes alongside a strong average rating of 1.30 for the past month and a solid 93.1 ADR. YEKINDAR is a difference maker, especially in opening duels. When the VP rifler takes the first fight, he has an average 1.42 rating.
Just behind YEKINDAR is Gambit’s Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov at number 11. There’s potential for sh1ro to leap into the top 10 with a few more strong performances, especially with Gambit’s AWPer showing flashes of a young Nicolai "dev1ce" Reedtz in his style of play.
That's enough to scare any team that draws Gambit in a tournament bracket.
In an interesting twist, both Gambit and Virtus.pro qualified for ESL Pro League 13 thanks to ESL’s world rankings, so fans might get another showdown between the two sides when the league’s playoffs begin. But YEKINDAR will meet electronic and s1mple well before that. Gambit is set to take on Na`Vi on March 21 for their first group C showdown during ESL Pro League.
