The hyper-competitive world of Counter-Strike has many individual standouts. Amidst the top-tier players, two have stood out, which are Oleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev and Mathieu ‘ZywOo�?Herbaut. With their skill ceiling and dominance on another level compared to the rest of the Counter-Strike world, they created an era-defining rivalry against each other. 

Statistical consistency: S1mple and ZywOo were always brilliant

Both s1mple and ZywOo became top players because of their consistency when playing. They always found ways to outperform their opponents by getting a huge number of frags every match. At the same time, they consistently delivered and stepped up for their teams, which is why they now stand among the statistical all-time greats. 

Based on the popular Counter-Strike website HLTV, both players deserve the title of the best. In the website’s yearly rankings, both players have topped the charts, with S1mple in 2018 and 2021, then ZywOo in 2019 and 2020. 

Despite the metagame evolving through the years, these two players have consistently performed at an exceptional level. That is a testament to their consistency and skills in playing Counter-Strike. They have set the gold standard for Counter-Strike players, and are expected to remain among the top players for the foreseeable future. 

They always had spectacular matches against each other

A rivalry requires these players to succeed, which is proven by their Major victories. S1mple led Natus Vincere to the PGL Stockholm victory in 2021, which was one of the most legendary runs of any player in CS history. 

The same can be said for ZywOo when he led Team Vitality to a win at the Paris Major in 2023. It was a standout performance, which cemented his legacy alongside s1mple as the greats of modern Counter-Strike.

The two all-time greats are fantastic, but it won’t be a rivalry if they do not play against one another. They have played against each other many times, but the biggest series was at the BLAST Premier World Finals in 2022, which Vitality won and ESL Pro League Season 16, when ZywOo and Vitality narrowly won 2-1.

They shaped modern Counter-Strike

Beyond the stats and accolades, s1mple and ZywOo have had a lasting impact on Counter-Strike and esports. They have transitioned well from CS: Global Offensive to CS2, and they were the pinnacle of AWPers in Counter-Strike. The new generation of players once looked up to them as role models and are now competing against them.

This rivalry is competitive, but both players respect each other. It is always a clash between legends, which have elevated the game to great heights. While future star players will emerge, surpassing these two biggest names in Counter-Strike will be tough.

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FaZe Clan has shocked the Counter-Strike 2 community by committing to winning more tournaments with their most recent signing. They have snapped up superstar Aleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev on loan from Natus Vincere (NAVI). 

He will be the new AWPer/sniper for FaZe after they benched Helvijs ‘broky�?Saukants. This is a tough time for broky since he has been a FaZe mainstay since 2019, but he will be available to explore his options.

Big reinforcements for FaZe

The 2025 season has been rough for FaZe as they had to deal with Robin ‘ropz�?Kool’s departure. They have found the reinforcement they need ahead of IEM Dallas and the BLAST.tv Austin Major.

With s1mple on the team, they have a good shot at winning it due to his limitless skill ceiling and ability to carry a team to victory.

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The esports industry, with its multiple genres and various domestic tournaments within each game, captures just about everyone’s attention in the gaming world. Whether fans are into the FPS scene or the MOBA craze, esports is known for its wide stage that allows different types of pro players to shine in their respective games.

These individuals are not only the best in their games, but they could also be considered the best in the industry. Learn more about these iconic esports players and why they’re considered legends.

Lee ‘Faker�?Sang-hyeok (League of Legends)

The greatest League of Legends player ever, Lee ‘Faker�?Sang-hyeok, is unmatched in his achievements. It is hard not to pick him as the best player due to his unprecedented success with 10 LCK titles, two Mid-Season Invitational wins, and five World Championship titles.

His trophy case is superb, which rightfully earned him a place as League’s greatest-ever player. In League, Faker was known as ‘The Unkillable Demon King�?due to his off-the-charts skills. He could out-play almost every opponent and remained a strong leader from the mid-lane. Faker can also play any champion at the highest level.

Considering he is the best player in League history, he could also be considered the greatest in esports history. League of Legends is the most popular game in the esports industry, so Faker is an optimal choice for being one of the best players across many esports games.

Johan ‘N0tail�?Sundstein (Dota 2)

Finding his start in esports as a Heroes of Newerth (HoN) player, N0tail moved to Dota 2 in 2012. He played for Fnatic early on alongside fellow HoN legend Tal ‘Fly�?Aizik. During his early years, N0tail thrived as a position four support. He was superb at it, especially when he played heroes such as Io and Chen. 

When their time at Fnatic ended, Fly and N0tail moved to Team Secret, which was an unsuccessful stint for them. However, they finally found a home when they created Monkey Business, a team better known today as OG. 

With OG, they would win multiple Dota 2 Majors together, but never The International. Fly would then suddenly leave before the 2018 TI, but N0tail picked up the pieces and became the team captain. He would lead the team to back-to-back TI victories as the captain, beating Fly along the way. 

N0tail is not just a fantastic player who played almost every position. He was also a true leader. He has stepped away from competitive play for a long while, but he remains the highest-earning esports player ever, with US$7,184,163.05 in prize money in his name.

Oleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev (Counter-Strike)

In terms of skill ceiling, it is hard to go against Oleksandr ‘s1mple�?Kostyliev in Counter-Strike. He was a rising star in the CIS region during the mid-2010s. He is equally skilled with rifles and the AWP, which makes him one of the most explosive players in esports history.

Whether it’s Global Offensive or Counter-Strike 2, s1mple has always been a fantastic player. His biggest achievement to this day is winning the 2021 PGL Stockholm Major with Natus Vincere. Of course, the Intel Grand Slam trophy was also won in 2021, cementing s1mple as arguably the greatest player not only in CS but in esports. 

Lee ‘Flash�?Young-ho (StarCraft)

As one of the original esports games, StarCraft: Brood War was always seen as the pinnacle of individual skill in competitive gaming. Lee ‘Flash�?Young-ho is considered the greatest in StarCraft history because he had unmatched skill with his micromanagement of units and trophies. 

His most successful year was 2010 when he reached the finals of eight major events and won five titles. He moved to StarCraft II in 2012, winning IEM Toronto in 2014, but he retired in 2015 before returning to Brood War in 2016. With that kind of mechanical ability, it is hard to go against Flash as one of the best in esports history.

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