With the transition to Counter-Strike 2 now well and truly completed, teams and players are facing a tough period of adaptation to the new game, in all of its quirks and issues. The uncertainty surrounding the latest iteration of the Counter-Strike franchise, however, also represents a potential breakthrough for multiple young talents aiming to rise through their ranks. BLIX’\u0099s 20 Under 20 is our way of answering the age-old question: who will be the CS stars of tomorrow?<\/p>\n
Writer’\u0099s Note: As this article focuses on upcoming talents and new faces within the scene, no players who are already established in tier-one, such as Jiri ‘\u009cJimpphat’\u009d Salo, or who have already qualified for a Major have been included<\/em>.<\/p>\n The eighteen-year-old Turkish rifler is no stranger to tier-two competition, as he was promoted to Eternal Fire’\u0099s main team back in April to replace the departing Yasin “\u00e2\u0081\u00a0xfl0ud\u00e2\u0081\u00a0” Ko\u00c3\u00a7. Alongside returning sniper \u00c3\u0096zg\u00c3\u00bcr ‘\u009cwoxic’\u009d Eker, Wicadia capitalized on the opportunity and has since helped the Turkish squad to consistent deep runs in CCT online events.<\/p>\n While sharing aggressive rifling duties with a tier-one-proven star like Ismailcan ‘\u009cXANTARES’\u009d D\u00c3\u00b6rtkarde\u00c5\u009f has affected his performance, Wicadia has still proven to be the most well-rounded Turkish prospect in years, with his team’\u0099s peaks matching his best statistical events. This culminated in a convincing showing on LAN at EPL Season 18, where he was Eternal Fire’\u0099s second-best player in an unlikely playoff run.<\/p>\n Even at his young age, Polish rifler tomiko has been on the radar of many self-proclaimed talent scouts for years, first breaking through in 2021 as a part of a los kogutos roster featuring Szymon ‘\u009ckRaSnaL’\u009d Mroszek. Now 19, tomiko is reaching new heights as the star rifler in Permitta’\u0099s latest roster, despite the team’\u0099s shaky record against established opposition.<\/p>\n Operating primarily as a pack player on the T side and an anchor on CT, tomiko combines a high individual level with a nowadays much-appreciated flexibility in his playstyle. While 9INE being the only high-level Polish team might be a hindrance to his career, it’\u0099s already clear the rifler is punching well above Permitta’\u0099s weight, and it wouldn’\u0099t be surprising to see him make the jump to an international roster soon.<\/p>\n A pick that will come out of left field for many, the Kazakh AWPer appeared on the tier-three scene as part of the new youth-centered AVANGAR project in early 2021. However, it was only after the organization went back to its Kazakh roots, signing more established names like Alikhan ‘\u009cw1nt3r’\u009d Kopzhanov, that ICY established himself as the latest upcoming talent in the stacked CIS AWP scene.<\/p>\n Roster issues meant that ICY, now its longest-standing member, appeared in no HLTV-featured matches for the first half of 2023. This in turn means the sample size for the Kazakh is very small, but he still performed well against established names like David ‘\u009cforsyy’\u009d B\u00c3\u00adl\u00c3\u00bd and Aleksi ‘\u009callu’\u009d Jalli. Whether that’\u0099s an indicator of real progression for the 18-year-old is still to be seen.<\/p>\nAli ‘\u009cWicadia’\u009d Haydar Yal\u00c3\u00a7\u00c4\u00b1n<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tomasz ‘\u009ctomiko’\u009d Uroda<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Kaisar ‘\u009cICY’\u009d Faiznurov<\/strong><\/h2>\n