With the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 Champions Stage set to start, we look at the players who could be shining lights for their respective teams in this stage of the competition
Out of the initial 24, only eight teams are still in contention for the Paris Major 2023 title. The surviving teams are here mostly because of their excellent team effort, but each of these teams had someone special who spearheaded their progress. Who will be the standout players at the Paris Major 2023 Champions Stage? Here are our predictions.
Martin “stavn” Lund (Heroic)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 5
Rounds: 131
K/D Difference: +19
K/D: 1.23
Rating 2.0: 1.24
stavn has established himself as a superstar with his consistent brilliance, and he did not let his team down in Paris. He leads the Heroic leaderboard with a 1.24 rating. His lowest rating (1.25) came against Liquid, but it’s also his best performance so far as he topped the Heroic table and played a vital role in his team’s hard-earned win.
Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken (FaZe Clan)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 10
Rounds: 277
K/D Difference: -15
K/D: 0.92
Rating 2.0: 1.03
Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage Stats
Maps: 7
Rounds: 194
K/D Difference: -4
K/D: 0.97
Rating 2.0: 1.03
Twistzz has enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at FaZe after joining the team from Team Liquid in 2021. As the numbers suggest, the rifler has not always been at his absolute best at the Paris Major, but he delivered some crucial performances, including a 1.30-rated display against 9INE, that brought FaZe this far into the competition.
Frederik “acoR” Gyldstrand (GamerLegion)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 5
Rounds: 129
K/D Difference: +19
K/D: 1.26
Rating 2.0: 1.17
Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage Stats
Maps: 9
Rounds: 236
K/D Difference: +41
K/D: 1.33
Rating 2.0: 1.17
acoR has often had to hear accusations that he has not been as good at GamerLegion as he was at MOUZ. The Danish AWPer has brought his A game to the Paris Major 2023 and has silenced his critics. He has averaged 1.17 in the competition, which makes him the second-best-performing GamerLegion player at the Paris Major. The 25-year-old delivered an MPV performance against his old team to knock them out of the tournament.
Keith “NAF” Markovic (Liquid)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 7
Rounds: 192
K/D Difference: +33
K/D: 1.29
Rating 2.0: 1.29
Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage Stats
Maps: 9
Rounds: 240
K/D Difference: +35
K/D: 1.26
Rating 2.0: 1.22
NAF has been at the forefront of Liquid’s resurgence at the Paris Major 2023. After his team started the Challengers Stage with successive defeats, the Canadian provided led the charge as Liquid mounted a comeback to bag Legends Stage qualification. The Intel Grand Slam Season 2 winner showed no signs of slowing down at the Legends Stage and successfully secured Champions Stage qualification for Liquid.
Justinas “jL” Lekavicius (Apeks)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 7
Rounds: 192
K/D Difference: +33
K/D: 1.29
Rating 2.0: 1.29
Paris Major 2023 Challengers Stage Stats
Maps: 9
Rounds: 240
K/D Difference: +35
K/D: 1.26
Rating 2.0: 1.22
jL caught Apeks’ eye with his outstanding performances for MAD Lions. The AWPer lived up to expectations after moving to Apeks and he continued to be the star performer for the Norwegians in Paris. The 23-year-old averaged 1.22 at the Challengers Stage and kicked things up a notch at the Legends Stage to hit the 1.29-mark.
Joey “CRUC1AL” Steusel (Into The Breach)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 8
Rounds: 210
K/D Difference: +29
K/D: 1.24
Rating 2.0: 1.15
CRUC1AL has been crucial to Into The Breach’s excellent Paris Major Europe RMR and Legends Stage campaigns. He averaged 1.15 across eight maps to send his team through to the Champions Stage. ITB’s hopes of progressing beyond the Champions Stage hinge on the Dutchman’s performance.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Vitality)
Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage Stats
Maps: 4
Rounds: 113
K/D Difference: +38
K/D: 1.59
Rating 2.0: 1.38
ZywOo has been the face of the French CSGO scene for a while now, so the limelight was on him whenever Vitality braced Accor Arena at the Paris Major 2023 Legends Stage. As expected, the 22-year-old has excelled in front of the home crowd. ZywOo will be eyeing the Paris Major MVP Award as he bids to make Vitality champions in the first-ever Counter-Strike Major held on French soil.
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