Along with the development of CS:GO, 2021 continued to be a year where young talents asserted themselves on the professional stage. Names like sh1ro, Ax1le, and YEKINDAR had an impressive first half of the year with prestigious championships and well-deserved MVP titles. Let’s take a look at the outstanding names that left unforgettable impressions in 2021!
1/ Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov
Team: Gambit Esports.
Age: 19.
Achievements: MVP at IEM Katowice 2021, runner-up at ESL Pro League Season 13.
Rating in 2021: 1.27.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that SH1RO is one of the most impressive names of 2021. The talent of this newly 19-year-old player has been recognized for quite some time, as he was honored by HLTV in the “One For The Future” series back in September 2019. However, stepping into 2021, he and his teammates at Gambit made remarkable progress. The highlight was definitely the championship title at IEM Katowice 2021, one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year, after defeating a series of formidable opponents like Heroic, G2 Esports, Na`Vi, and finally Virtus.Pro in the grand finals. SH1RO himself also received the MVP title with a record of 19 successful clutches in just 17 maps played.
Unlike his CIS teammates like JAME or even s1mple, Sh1ro doesn’t often play aggressively or enter first; rather, he usually supports his teammates from behind. This playstyle often places him in clutch situations, which is one of his greatest strengths. Besides his “big hand” ability, Sh1ro also possesses excellent game sense and remains calm in high-pressure situations.
2/ Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis
Team: Virtus.Pro.
Age: 21.
Achievements: Champion of cs_summit 7, runner-up at IEM Katowice 2021.
Rating in 2021: 1.23.
After joining Virtus.Pro in May 2020, YEKINDAR quickly proved himself and made a mark alongside his teammates on the global professional scene. In the CIS region, they dominated throughout 2020 with dozens of unbeaten matches, including against the giant Na`Vi. Moving into 2021, they continued to maintain this impressive form with the championship title at cs_summit 7 and a runner-up position at IEM Katowice 2021.
Playing as an entry fragger, YEKINDAR is known for his outstanding individual skills and extremely proactive playstyle. His form is also very stable, and together with JAME, this duo has propelled Virtus.Pro to the ranks of top teams in the world and made them a force to be reckoned with.
3/ Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov
Team: Gambit Esports.
Age: 19.
Achievements: Runner-up at IEM Katowice 2021, MVP of ESL Pro League Season 13.
Rating in 2021: 1.20.
Alongside teammate sh1ro, Ax1le is another name that cannot be overlooked when discussing the success of Gambit Esports. At just 19 years old, Ax1le stands out as one of the most consistent players on Gambit, showcasing extremely intelligent gameplay and excellent game sense. Recently, although he couldn’t lead his team to victory in ESL Pro League Season 13 after losing 2-3 to Heroic in the grand finals, Ax1le was still honored as the MVP of the tournament with a rating of 1.28 and an impressive K/D of +137.
4/ Valerii “B1T” Vakhovskyi
Team: Na`vi.
Age: 18.
Achievements: Champion of BLAST Premier Global Final 2020.
Rating in 2021: 0.99.
B1T was promoted from the youth team as the sixth member of Na`vi, showing remarkable growth since the beginning of 2021. Initially only playing on the map Inferno to replace the out-of-form Flamie, this young talent quickly made an impression with excellent performances and progress with each map played, gradually gaining Na`vi’s trust to play on other maps like Overpass and Dust2.
At the beginning of April, Na`vi officially announced that B1T would replace Flamie in the first RMR tournament of the year and at DreamHack Masters Spring 2021. This is undoubtedly a well-deserved reward for the relentless efforts of this young talent; however, some opinions suggest that B1T still lacks experience on certain maps and competing for a top-tier team like Na`vi is a considerable pressure for this newly turned 18-year-old player.
Other Notable Names
Junior
Recruited by FURIA in January 2021 to replace HEN1, Junior quickly adapted and integrated into the fast and unpredictable playstyle of this South American team. Since the beginning of the year, the best achievement Junior and his teammates have reached is a 3-4 finish at ESL Pro League Season 13 after losing to Heroic, the tournament champion, with a score of 0-2. However, FURIA often makes it to the playoffs of major tournaments and maintains a position in the top 10 of HLTV, a commendable achievement considering they have had to compete far from home for a considerable time.
FlameZ
Regarded as one of the most promising young talents in the Israeli CS scene, FlameZ has gained recognition after being predicted by four players: huNter-, NiKo (G2 Esports), syrsoN (BIG), and ropz (Mouz) to be a standout name in 2021. Accolades such as “outstanding”, “noteworthy”, and “promising to be a big star in the future” reflect the potential of this newly turned 17-year-old.
Recently, FlameZ was recruited by OG to replace ISSAA, and at the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2021 held shortly after, they caused a major surprise by defeating Astralis and eliminating the Danish team from the tournament. Although they were subsequently eliminated by a superior G2 Esports, OG fans can fully trust in a bright future for this team.