2023 is approaching its logical conclusion, but while most teams are enjoying the winter offseason, it's never redundant to continue summarizing the year's achievements. Bo3.gg presents the best support players in Counter-Strike in 2023 as part of the Annual Advent Awards.
Understanding the Support Role
The support role requires a deep understanding of game mechanics, grenade strategies, and effective communication. These players must skillfully adapt, often sacrificing personal statistics for the greater good of the team. Their success is not always reflected in the number of kills but rather in the effective use of grenades, securing control over key parts of the map, and assisting teammates. A good support can significantly strengthen a team, creating space and becoming an important backbone in the collective.
Methodology
To identify the best supports at the end of 2023, we primarily used statistics from exclusively S-tier championships, considering only matches with the highest level of play. We also considered esports athletes who played at least 80 maps over the last 12 months. The list of all S-tier tournaments in 2023 can be found here.
If it came down to two or more players having the same average support score, the one with the better annual rating got the higher spot. This rating included factors such as overall impact on the game, consistency of performances, and contributions to their teams' successes.
#10. David “frozen” Čerňanský, FaZe – 0.193 support points
#9. Dzhami “Jame” Ali, Virtus.pro – 0.196
A sniper, captain, and support – is there anything Jame can't do? The biggest fan of saving on the pro scene undoubtedly made it into our top. He and his teammates had a fruitful year, winning several tournaments including ESL Challenger, Roobet Cup, FiReLEAGUE Battle 2023, and others. However, their results at S-tier events were more modest, with VP not going beyond 5th-6th places at the same EPL.
READ MORE: Best Clutchers in Counter-Strike in 2023
#8. Denis “electroNic” Sharipov, Cloud9 – 0.197
electroNic’s year passed without major championship titles. He spent most of the year as a captain, even after moving from NAVI to Cloud9, which affected his individual statistics. Eventually, he stepped down from the IGL role. Nonetheless, he still looked quite decent in supporting roles.
#7. Johnny “JT” Theodosiou, Complexity – 0.200
Complexity can be called an interesting dark horse of professional Counter-Strike. Yes, they lack consistency, but their potential grew noticeably after signing EliGE. However, one should not forget about the team leader, 24-year-old JT, arguably the most underrated player in the lineup.
#6. Casper “cadiaN” Møller, Liquid – 0.203
While playing for Heroic, the former captain of the Danish club was a frequent guest in our dream teams of various tournaments. He elegantly combined the duties of IGL, sniper, and support, also being one of the most effective esports athletes in terms of blinding grenades, fragmentation, and Molotovs. Let's see if he can perform just as well for Liquid in 2024.
#5. Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, NAVI – 0.204
One of the most famous Finnish professional players faced a heavy burden this year. Representing NAVI in a significantly altered roster, in an unfamiliar system – it's hard to imagine a greater weight of responsibility. But Aleksib didn't let it stop him – he remains one of the best fraggers among captains, skillfully handling grenades as well.
#4. Szymon “kRaSnaL” Mrozek, Monte – 0.206
Remembering Monte's journey from rags to riches this year, everyone recalls different members of the Ukrainian-European lineup. However, in our opinion, kRaSnaL is the most underrated among them. The Pole takes on all the dirty work, but even in such conditions, he often delivers powerful highlights.
#3. Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, Monte – 0.225
Another Monte player opens the top-3 best supports of the year. After being kicked out of NAVI last year, Viktor truly proved that he wasn't the problem. In his current team, sdy brings not only in-game contributions but also significantly unites the collective off the server. With him, Monte has a truly bright future.
#2. Johannes “tabseN” Wodarz, BIG – 0.226
BIG had a rather modest year, rarely making the headlines. However, the team finished the year well, winning the CCT Online Finals 5. As for tabseN, he surprisingly performed well against strong opponents. His 11 years of pro-scene experience helped, but it's still worth paying extra attention to Wodarz.
#1. Dan “apEX” Madescler, Vitality – 0.255
This Frenchman needs no introduction – a successful 2023 in terms of titles for Vitality speaks for itself. Previously, Dan faced criticism, and his impact was questioned, with suggestions for the club to sign someone with more firepower. Now, the critics are silent – apEX has proven his superiority as a captain, he kills vigorously, and his grenade damage statistics deserve special praise.
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