By Sagar V. Mankar As we approach the midpoint of 2024, the Counter-Strike 2 community has been buzzing about who truly stands out among the elite.
With stellar performances from veterans and newcomers alike, the competition has never been fiercer.
To shed light on this heated debate, the BLAST Halftime Awards stepped in to offer a professional perspective. This initiative, organized by BLAST Premier, one of the leading tournament organizers in CS2 esports, brings together the insights of eight talented industry professionals.
These experts, who were part of the recent BLAST Spring Final event, shared their picks for the best CS2 player of 2024 so far.
In a surprising turn of events, the winner of this prestigious recognition was none other than Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov who plays for G2 Esports as the AWPer.
This 19-year-old Russian prodigy, known for his exceptional AWP skills, emerged as the clear favorite among the panel of experts.
Out of the eight professionals polled, seven chose m0NESY as the standout player of 2024 halftime. This is how pannel vote:
- Hugo Byron -> m0NESY
- Jack “Jacky” Peters -> donk
- Mohan “Launders” Govindasamy -> m0NESY
- Conner “Scrawny” Girvan -> m0NESY
- Lucas “Bubzkji” Andersen -> m0NESY
- James Banks -> m0NESY
- Mathieu “Maniac” Quiquerez -> m0NESY
- Alex “Hawka” Hawkins -> m0NESY
m0NESY’s dominance in the poll is particularly noteworthy given the caliber of players he was up against. Seasoned veterans like ZywOo (Team Vitality), often referred to as the “Chosen One,” and rising stars and BLAST Premier Spring Final MVP – donk (Team Spirit) were also in contention. However, m0NESY’s consistent performances and game-changing plays set him apart in the eyes of the experts.
James Banks, one of the panelists, provided insight into why m0NESY deserved this recognition:
“This year he’s gone from the baby GOAT to the young GOAT officially. The hours he puts in, the way he understands the game, his individual ability and how he handles the pressure is unmatched right now. He is on track to win the best of the year, he just needs his team to go further so he can show it more.”
m0NESY has been active in the professional CS:GO scene since 2019, but he first gained prominence in 2020 with NAVI Junior, the academy team for Natus Vincere.
As G2’s star AWPer, m0NESY joined the elite group of CS:GO players who have won both IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne also becoming the youngest pro to achieve this feat.
Despite G2’s early departure from the BLAST Spring Final 2024, m0NESY still made headlines. He encountered VISA issues and so missed the first match. But he race against time to participate in G2’s second match, traveling to London while the tournament was in progress.