A player’s legacy in Counter-Strike will always be difficult to decouple from his trophies, his unforgettable highlights, his antics outside of the server, and his number and position of placings in HLTV’s Top 20 Player list. In the face of the HLTV hegemony over the Counter-Strike scene, others have stepped up to form their own lists. I myself maintain an ongoing Top 20 list which I tend to update every other month, culminating in a year-end list which I can stand by without the fear of recency bias. Regardless of the other lists, it is and will be HLTV’s list along with another litany of accolades with which a player’s legacy will be defined.
We are just under 4 months into 2026, about 30% of the year is gone. As the year progresses, we’re beginning to uncover who are the frontrunners to land on the list thus far and who has some catching up to do. The first four names are players who have yet to make an HLTV Top 20 list, but are in excellent to solid spots to find their first positions in 2026’s list.
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makazze – I’m happy to say that this is one I called back in February with my official prediction list. makazze has stood out during his entire time with Natus Vincere. Some naysayers will object in the face of the undeniable truth that this guy has been a playoff beast ever since he joined this roster. At his IEM Cologne debut in 2025, he posted a 1.21 Rating across 2 series in the playoffs. In his Major debut at Budapest, he averaged a 1.32 Rating across 2 series in the playoffs. He was made for big moments. With an HLTV MVP under his belt already at ESL Pro League Season 23, he’s landing comfortably in the Top 20 at present. He has a 1.20 Rating as of the time of writing this in 2026 with over 82 average damage per round (ADR). That is already 5 ADR higher than what ropz had in 2025 as the #3 player of the year. I have no doubt that makazze will continue to grow under the tutelage of B1ad3 and Aleksib as Navi continue to keep themselves a threat as an elite team led by the rising star.
kyousuke – The wunderkid who was on my Top 20 list of last year already will almost certainly find footing on HLTV’s list given the greater amount of high stakes matches that he is already participating in. His razor sharp aim is no longer just a raw tool atop an error-prone player. Mistakes are still present but slightly minimized and he still keeps the same ferocity in head to head duels with other riflers. There are very few players that elicit the feeling of watching prime NiKo and it’s crazy to think that Falcons are already the most aesthetically pleasing team to watch in raw fights with m0NESY, NiKo, and even TeSeS in tow. With karrigan coming in, the sky is the limit for this prodigy.
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Staehr – The definition of keeping your nose to the grindstone under all conditions. Staehr moved from some of the most underserved positions you could find per map and has earned his position as the focal player of an Astralis team that is bringing some esteem back to the organization’s name. He’s already checking into this year with the 5th highest ADR among players in Top 20. Staehr is blossoming into a franchise player and has fought through an Astralis roster which finally turned its back on tradition and towards the future. Staehr is leading that charge to get Astralis back to the stars.
HeavyGod – I legitimately do not understand how this guy was not on the Top 20 list for HLTV last year. Technically, he was #21 on HLTV’s list, but he was #15 on mine. He won an MVP last year in G2’s win over Vitality in London, one of the most epic series of 2025. He is also the truest contender to mezii’s Anchor of the Year award. HeavyGod remains a stalwart defender of bombsites and is currently the highest rated player of all anchors amongst teams in the Top 15. In 2025, HeavyGod posted a sub-1.00K/D in 3 of his 16 LAN events. This year, he’s been flawless on that front. There’s no doubt for me in 2026 that he will make his Top 20 debut on the HLTV list.
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And now, 4 players who have been mainstays of HLTV’s Top 20 but will likely be missing it.
Twistzz – In FaZe’s collapse, Twistzz did not survive the crash. His numbers have nosedived and he doesn’t even maintain a 0.9 K/D ratio. Even if Twistzz is able to individually recover his form, missing the first Major of 2026 and missing the playoffs of every single event so far is going to be nearly impossible to recover. He and FaZe would need to have a historic turnaround, but with no karrigan at the helm that looks rather unlikely.
torzsi – Mouz’s form is like checking a crypto stock market. Up and down with rumors abound which keep you intrigued but little certainty. The only thing you can predict is that you’ve probably missed the all time high. torzsi scrapes by on the K/D front with an impressive 1.21, but his Kills Per Round (KPR) and ADR are both well below average even for AWPers. The only AWPers with a lower ADR this year when using the Top 20 Filter (min. maps: 40) are yxngstxr and s1zzi. One of these guys isn’t even a full-time AWPer and the other is playing his very first season in tier 1. torzsi’s output is shockingly low.
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YEKINDAR – Furia are playing like they’re in a transition period. I have a feeling that FalleN has already told the team that this will be his last year and now they’re keeping the team alive enough to remain competitive while knowingly missing the fire that burned bright enough to create a true challenger, albeit temporarily, versus Vitality. YEKINDAR flat out dies first the most of any player in all of Tier 1 CS. You may have guessed this by his inclusion as a candidate to not make the list, but he is not killing people the most to make up for that. He is performing worse in literally every meaningful stat (KPR, ADR, Round Swing, MultiKill%, Rating, and DPR). I fear that he may undertake the role of In-Game Leader once again as Furia look to the future in the wake of FalleN’s departure.
mezii – Before diving into everyone’s favorite Brit, we’ll first touch on EVPs. Exceptionally Valuable Players are HLTV’s way of giving a nod to “the best and most impactful players…rewarded for consistency, high peaks, and big-match play.” In its essence, an award to recognize those who don’t capture the MVP, but still contribute massively. So now looking at mezii in the last year, he was able to capture 3 EVPs. Last year, Vitality won 9 events. This year he has found 0 EVPs. That’s not quite the same pace. Striker, the Editor-in-Chief of HLTV has already said that the race between ZywOo and donk wasn’t even close last year due to the MVP-gap between the two. Awards matter to Counter-Strike’s premier publication. Unfortunately for mezii, he has zero individual awards.
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There’s still 70% of the year to be played and a lot can change in that time. Not every player of the first four is destined to reach HLTV’s list and none of the players in the second list have their fate entirely sealed. However, it’s always nice to know who is taking an early lead and who has some serious catching up to do.
