5 best CS2 riflers of 2023

Counter-Strike's esports scene has been quite exciting ever since players transitioned from CS:GO to CS2. The latter has already seen several major competitive events take place, such as the IEM Sydney and Blast World Final. Some of the best CS:GO players have retained their sublime form in CS2. These gamers include prominent riflers from well-known teams.

Making an impact and boasting impressive statistics consistently is often much harder for riflers in high-level competitions compared to AWPers. The five players listed in this article have stood out particularly well among their peers and mainly use rifles.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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NiKo, ropz, and three other CS2 riflers that stood out in 2023

1) NiKo

G2 Esports' NiKo (Image via ESL)

Nikola "NiKo" Kovač had another impressive year and has remained one of the best CS2 riflers in the world over the past three years. His run before the end of CS:GO was nothing but phenomenal. The spearhead of G2 Esports broke into sites with sheer firepower and raw aim to propel his team to championship victories at IEM Cologne and Katowice.

NiKo had a rough start to CS2 but has slowly started to find his footing. 2024 could very well be the year he lifts the Major trophy that has always eluded him, provided that he returns to his peak form.

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2) frozen

FaZe Clan's frozen (Image via ESL)

David "frozen" Čerňanský was one of the most underrated players in the tier-one scene up until 2023. CS:GO's final year, and CS2's first, saw the Slovak superstar enter the spotlight, with many viewers finally recognizing his incredible gameplay with MOUZ.

frozen was the primary carry on this team with excellent consistency and world-class fragging potential. While MOUZ only managed to clinch a single big event title, this player was an absolute monster on an individual level. It will be highly exciting to see frozen's trajectory with FaZe Clan in 2024.

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3) Spinx

Team Vitality's Spinx (Image via BLAST)

Lotan "Spinx" Giladi was the best lurker of 2023 when considering both CS:GO and CS2. The Israeli star was Team Vitality's backbone in numerous championships throughout this year and complemented Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut's fragging power excellently.

Spinx's aggressive yet smart lurking made him stand out from the competition and allowed him to put up incredible statistics. A trophy-laden year paired with superb individual form earns Spinx a well-deserved spot on this list.

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4) ropz

FaZe Clan's ropz (Image via BLAST)

Robin "ropz" Kool was FaZe Clan's best player throughout the year. The team couldn't carry their superb form into 2023, but this individual was a consistent factor in most of their deep runs at events. With the transition to CS2, ropz hit a new level of gameplay excellence, along with the rest of the team, as they went on to win IEM Sydney.

This player's patient and clever lurking style, paired with his crisp aim, enabled him to be a powerhouse on the server and single-handedly create windows of opportunities for FaZe.

He was also exceptionally good during clutch moments. All these factors combined make ropz one of the best riflers of 2023's CS esports calendar year.

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5) blameF

Astralis' blameF (Image via ESL)

Benjamin "blameF" Bremer is one of the most polarizing players in the CS esports community. The IGL for Astralis has consistently put up impressive ratings for more than three years now, but people tend to call out his passive playstyle by often labeling him a "baiter."

Despite that, it is undeniable that blameF is an integral piece to Astralis' success. He acts as a different kind of opener for the team and is not similar to players like NiKo or YEKINDAR. blameF's superb consistency across various events netted him a 1.23 rating in 2023, which warrants him a placement on this list.