SkinLords CS2 Esports Most Impactful CS2 Pros: s1mple

Most Impactful CS2 Pros: s1mple

It is entirely impossible to tell the story of Counter-Strike without including one of the greatest professional players to have ever picked up the game: Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. Widely regarded as the GOAT of the Global Offensive era, s1mple is the textbook definition of an elite Counter-Strike player. Confident at every level. Cocky when it matters. Clutch during big events. With over 1,000 competitive matches played throughout his career, s1mple has influenced an entire generation of players who enjoy competitive Counter-Strike regardless of game mode or rank.

What Makes s1mple So Culturally Impactful in Counter-Strike?

In the quarterfinals of IEM Katowice 2020, s1mple’s Natus Vincere faced off against Team Liquid right at the beginning of CS:GO’s online era. In the seventh round of the first map, s1mple pulled off a 1v4 clutch which led shoutcaster Alex “Machine” Richardson to utter the now-iconic line “1 in his name, number 1 in the game”, referring to NAVI’s superstar AWPer. That pretty much sums up what s1mple is, has been, and probably will continue to be known for throughout the competitive scene and the larger scale of Counter-Strike players worldwide.

The way he plays is unmatched, usually finding the right balance between showmanship and world-class mechanics. Watching him play against your favorite teams would often leave you speechless, as no matter how improbable a situation may be, s1mple always finds a way out of it.

His flashy style of play also does not go unnoticed by Valve, the publishers of Counter-Strike, who placed a graffiti of arguably s1mple’s most iconic and unbelievable play on the map Cache. At ESL One Cologne 2016, s1mple landed a falling AWP noscope from Heaven onto fnatic’s Dennis “dennis” Edman below, followed by an even more ridiculous noscope towards Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson.

You can’t do that s1mple, that’s not allowed, this is not FPL, this is a Major!
– James Bardolph after s1mple’s falling AWP 1v2 clutch

Up until Cache’s map overhaul, a graffiti commemorating s1mple’s incredible play was placed on the wall next to the area where the first noscope hit. He was already considered one of the best young talents in the world at that point, and from then on, it was clear that he was steadily making a claim for the title of simply “best in the world”.

So when anyone asks what s1mple is all about, it really boils down to a player who is skilled and talented beyond comparison, yet equal parts confident and prideful, just like what a true gamer should be. He is the shining definition of what Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was about, and should he ever make a return to action in CS2, there is no doubt that the community will welcome back the undisputed king of the game.