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Strafe's best five from ESL Pro League Season 19
The last ESL Pro League was buzzing with talent. A dose of tapping heads, clever in-game leading, and wielding the big green gun. Just like any competition, some players reign supreme above the rest, and excel in their respective roles.
After all, a one man army can’t win wars. But, a solid combination of players can in fact walk the distance and lift trophies.
That’s why, we at Strafe decided to look at the recent numbers from Malta and give you our best five lineup from the event.
It’s worth mentioning that picking the players was based on their team roles, with a pinch of stats to back our decisions.
Leader
The IGL plays a crucial role in winning trophies. Just like a game of chess, you need the brain and tactical brilliance to move your pieces accordingly.
Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek proved his worth as a leader in this event. And if you somehow missed his matches, well, only calling him “smart” would be an understatement.
The Polish player also led by example, as he scored high in the fragging department. Although he was bested by Dorian “xertioN” Berman, he managed to net a 1.29 K/D with 50 kill-death difference.
Since there isn’t a stat to measure an IGL’s impact and calling, “siuhy” lifting a second in a row Pro League trophy serves as the best evidence.
AWPer/Opener
Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut came on top in two different roles. Despite his AWPing stats falling behind the others, he’s the best candidate role wise.
The event’s MVP was the first to make an impact in most rounds with a 2.94 opening kill ratio. Moreover, with his entry kills, the team had 74% win percent after the first kill.
Additionally, the French star contributed to a total of 50 opening kills, netting him a solid 1.42 first kill rating.
Dorian “xertioN” Berman was tailing him in the percentage of first kill in won rounds with 20%, but ZywOo had the edge with an incredible 22.6%.
The numbers and the statistics might get overwhelming. So in short, Mathieu was a brave front line soldier.
Anchor
MOUZ star performer in Malta takes the spot for our anchor. “xertioN” had a masterclass performance in this event, almost overtaking “ZywOo” for the MVP medal. He had the bomb sites locked on CT sides, denying access even from Vitality and their formidable T side.
Stats wise, “xertioN” had a 1.81 impact rating, 89.5 damage per round, on top 53.7% in the +1 kill rounds category.
The ESL Pro League Season 19 champion was also a contender for the opener role, boasting the second-best overall stats after “ZywOo”.
Lurker
Despite failing at the last step, Lotan "Spinx" Giladi was an important factor in Vitality reaching the grand finals.
Lotan ended the event as the team’s second-best rated player. Moreover, our closer managed to win four clutches out of five, making the most out of his role.
Since joining Vitality back in 2022, he became an important piece of the puzzle in the lineup. Hence, stepping up his game and reaching the top five players’ circle of 2023.
With his impressive fragging ability, the player had a 53.9% success in the +1 kill rounds category as his most notable statistic.
In an event where many excelled, it’s challenging to squeeze a list of incredible talents into a line-up of five. For that, we invite you to share your list with us.
Feel free to comment below or reach us on our social media by tagging @strafeapp on X.
Featured Image Credits: ESL
Read More: ESL Pro League Season 19 main takeaways
