Top 20 players of 2019: ZywOo (1)

Mathieu "⁠ZywOo⁠" Herbaut takes the No.1 spot in our ranking of the top 20 players of 2019, powered by Xtrfy and LOOT.BET, after a remarkable year that is consigned to the history books.

Top 20 players of 2019: Introduction

For most world-class players, the path to stardom has many twists, turns and bumps. Normally, they begin their grind at a local level and progressively move up the ladder, and even when they eventually become part of the elite, it takes them a few years before they can consistently perform against the best and brightest in the game.

But for ZywOo, it was different. Long before he joined his first professional team, he already seemed to be destined for greatness. The only questions were when he would decide to take the next step in his career and which team would be lucky enough to have such a promising talent in their ranks.

As recently as three years ago, ZywOo's name was making the rounds as a prospect with the potential to wake the sleeping giant of French Counter-Strike from its slumber. It was in 2017 that he started to compete on a regular basis, first with E-Corp and then with WySix, but his first match on record on HLTV.org actually dates back to late 2016, when he played for a mix team called nevermind in the open qualifiers for ECS Season 2’s Development League.

"I started playing CS:Source with my brother and my cousins when I was seven years old. We were mainly playing FFA, surf and this kind of funny stuff. I played my first LAN with them when I was just nine.

"Afterwards, I turned to CS:GO and started playing a lot on FACEIT with my brother. I also played a bit for [French team] dizLown. In 2016, I joined an international mix called Nevermind with players like nexa, EMENK and even ropz for a match or two. We played a lot on FACEIT and also tournament qualifiers."

By mid-2017, ZywOo was already a star in the making, his early exploits lauded by none other than French Counter-Strike legend Richard "⁠shox⁠" Papillon. And those who were unaware of his existence got to know him when he became the first entry in our "One for the future" series of articles, which have shed light on the game's most promising young talents. Only 16 years old at the time, ZywOo also made headlines that summer as he was invited to play in FPL, initially on trial, which gave him the chance to hone his skills and continue to build up his reputation and name.

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Even with Envy - whose coach, Damien "⁠maLeK⁠" Marcel, had been impressed while watching him play at Gamers Assembly - already hot on his trail, ZywOo continued to postpone playing on a professional level to finish high school. In the meantime, he continued to wreak havoc in the French sub-top, eventually helping aAa, who had recruited his WySix team, to pick up a domestic title from ESL National Championship Summer 2018, where he averaged a stunning 1.70 rating in the series against MAXISAUCISSE and LDLC.

"It was a mutual effort and agreement between my mother and me. Well, to be honest, my mother did not leave me any choice and I totally respect it. She was afraid that I would fail to become a professional or that I would underperform in the future and struggle to stay at the top.

"She wanted me to have the minimum education to be able to do something besides playing and to continue my studies afterwards.

"[shox’s praise?] I was happy and flattered, but I’m not really the kind of person to pay attention to what other people say. I was fully focused on the game and my goals."

In October 2018, he bid adieu to aAa and finally turned professional as Vitality entered CS:GO with a team featuring the core of the Envy roster that had won the DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca Major in 2015. He wasted little time in demonstrating his ability as he powered the team to win the DreamHack Open event in Atlanta with a tournament-high 1.49 rating, turning heads with his back-to-back 2.00+ rated maps in the semi-final series against Complexity.

"Vitality was an easy choice. I wanted to continue my journey to the top, and Vitality was the best opportunity for me, especially because it was a French project with some of the best players in the world… How could you refuse to play with the 'Tank'? [laughs].

"I was contacted by several international teams, like Misfits and HellRaisers, but the biggest opportunity was Vitality. I instantly accepted their offer.

"I wasn’t really surprised by how I played in Atlanta because I was just playing the same way I had been playing online. Individually, I was as confident as I had been during our practices against the same type of teams, and it worked out really well at DreamHack Atlanta. However, I was not really confident in my team play as I had just started playing at this level. I was still making some mistakes.

"I didn’t have any specific individual goals for 2019. It was more of a discovery year for me. All the events, all the traveling… It was new to me. My only goal was to gain experience, so that I could make almost no mistakes in-game, and to be able to continue to improve."

Vitality picked up where they had left off as they began 2019 by attending the Europe Minor after coming through the closed qualifier in December. The French team, who had replaced Vincent "⁠Happy⁠" Schopenhauer with Alex "⁠ALEX⁠" McMeekin before the turn of the year, were made to work hard in the double-elimination playoffs, but close victories against Valiance and North saw them finish in second place and book a spot at the Major, with ZywOo returning home with a 1.36 rating - 32% higher than the team's average.

The 19-year-old carried his imperious form into the Major itself, averaging a 1.33 rating as the team recovered from a slow start to make it through the New Challengers Stage with a 3-1 record. But his troubles started once the big names started coming in. He ended four of the nine maps that he played in the New Legends stage with below-average ratings as Vitality finished 9th-11th following defeats to Natus Vincere, Renegades and Ninjas in Pyjamas. ZywOo's high peaks saw him end the tournament with a year-low 1.14 rating, with this being also the only event where the French youngster was not unrivaled in his team in terms of rating as he was joint-best with Dan "⁠apEX⁠" Madesclaire.

"We had only been playing together for a few months and it was our second international event. We were still in an early stage and, unfortunately, we didn’t manage to qualify for the playoffs. It was not a big failure in my opinion as we needed more time to improve.

"Personally, it was my first Major and I had a little bit of pressure. It was also the first time that I was away from home for that long a period, for such an important tournament… It was not that easy."

Vitality would require some more time to be able to measure up against the best in the game. At StarSeries i-League Season 7, they went out in the quarter-final stage after losing to NRG, with ZywOo making the tournament's leaderboards for ADR (87.1) and KPR (0.83) but still finishing outside the list of standout performers - the last time that would happen in 2019.

ALEX's charges picked up their first title of the year at Charleroi Esports, a small international event that also featured the two best teams in France. Besides outshining Kenny "⁠kennyS⁠" Schrub in the battle of the AWPers, ZywOo turned in a tournament-high 1.32 rating as Vitality secured an important trophy before travelling to Los Angeles for cs_summit 4.

The stakes were now much higher as Vitality were facing a stacked field of contenders that included IEM Sydney champions Liquid and IEM Katowice finalists ENCE, but the Frenchmen held their own, topping the round-robin stage with an 8-2 record before defeating the tournament's marquee names in the single-elimination bracket. ZywOo ended all but one of the 15 maps that he played with above-average ratings and hit incredible highs, especially in the harder matches, to lead nine stats categories, including Rating (1.33), ADR (86.6) KDD (+111) and KPR (+0.86), and leave sunny Los Angeles with his first MVP medal in the bag.

"The most important thing was to gain experience as a team and individually. I had almost no international LAN experience and when you start winning tournaments, you can gain confidence for the rest of the season.

"I do not care about what people say of our tournament victory at Summit. I just focus on my team and the game. It’s always good to win titles, especially when the team is still in the building process."

Vitality were given a reality check at their next event as they crashed out of DreamHack Masters Dallas in 5th-6th place after losing to the emerging FURIA. Despite his team's early exit, ZywOo made the EVP list after posting some solid numbers: 1.33 rating, +56 KDD and four Player of the Map picks.

The French prodigy then elevated his game to guide Vitality to their first Big Event victory, at the ECS Season 7 Finals. After a sub-par performance (by his standards) against North in the group stage, he picked up the pace and ran amok in the playoffs, in which he averaged a stunning 1.76 rating to help his side dispatch NRG and FURIA. For his role in the team's title-winning campaign (7/10 maps with 1.30+ ratings, 1.41 tournament rating, 1.46 impact, six Player of the Map picks, seven clutches and a 92.2 ADR), ZywOo was named the event's MVP.

"We just wanted to prove that Vitality deserved to be in the top five at this time, which we did… I was very happy with my performances."

After the ECS Finals came one of the most stacked tournaments of the year, ESL One Cologne. It was far from a walk in the park for Vitality, who found themselves on the brink of elimination after losing their opening game to Ninjas in Pyjamas, but ZywOo remained a steady contributor for the team. And just like in London, he went into an even higher gear in the playoffs as he dominated NRG (1.87 rating, 108 ADR and +31 KDD) and Astralis (1.36 rating, +23 KDD) before his team lost the final against Liquid, which brought his playoff rating down to 1.33.

For the first time in his career, ZywOo clinched an MVP medal despite not being on the winning side, which goes to show just how far ahead he was in terms of individual numbers: +132 KDD, 1.33 rating, 11 clutches, 0.86 KPR and 12/17 map with 1.15+ ratings.

"I remember that during this period, we were basically losing 99.9% of our opening matches. It was some kind of 'habit' that we needed to break for this tournament. But then it happened again [laughs]. But we managed to bounce back and we had a very good run to the grand final.

"On the mental side, it was one of the hardest tournaments I have competed in, and I truly think it was one of the best events I have played with Vitality. It was also my best memory of the year. Playing in front of the crowd in Cologne was absolutely incredible. I had never played in front of so many people, in such an atmosphere."

Before the player break there would be one more tournament, IEM Chicago, where Vitality had to settle for a top-four finish after once again falling short against Liquid. This time around, he was far from being a contender for the MVP medal, but he still put in a respectable 1.20 rating, 18% higher than the team’s average, despite recording his worst ADR of the year (79.3).

Vitality returned to action at the StarLadder Major, where they suprisingly struggled in the New Challengers Stage against CIS minnows Syman and DreamEaters. The French team looked reinvigorated as the tournament reached the New Legends Stage, but they could not go beyond the quarter-finals after being upset by AVANGAR, who would go on to reach the final.

Just like in Katowice, ZywOo went through peaks and troughs as he struggled to find consistency, but his overall impact (1.22 tournament rating, five 1.30+ rated maps and three Player of the Map picks) was enough to earn him a place on the EVP list, albeit at the very bottom.

"We were very inconsistent in Berlin and had a very complicated first week. However, we recovered well for the second week and managed to qualify for the playoffs and secure Legend status.

"I would say that our main opponent at this Major was ourselves. The result was not so bad despite the disappointment of losing to AVANGAR. They were in very good shape but we clearly had a chance."

ZywOo returned to his best form at DreamHack Masters Malmö, where he was once again named the MVP. He averaged a 1.53 rating as Vitality, who had replaced Nathan "⁠NBK-⁠" Schmitt with shox after the Major, finished second to Astralis in Group A, and then put in great performances against MOUZ (1.28 rating) and Natus Vincere (1.34) in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But the lack of a true supporting cast ended up proving costly for the French outfit as they lost the final to fnatic despite a lights-out performance from ZywOo, who ended the series with a 1.38 rating after topping the scoreboard on all three maps.

In the Swedish city, the 19-year-old continued to raise the bar for consistency: he ended all but one of the 15 maps that he played with 1.15+ ratings and surpassed the 1.30 rating mark on ten occasions, showing up on the tournament leaderboards in 12 categories.

"We were satisfied with our results considering how difficult of a challenge it had been for shox to join a team after such a long period as an in-game leader for G2 and to adapt quickly to a new system, new players, a new IGL, etc…

"It was not an easy process for him, but he did his very best and adapted pretty well."

Vitality’s honeymoon period with shox ended right after Malmö. The team missed out on qualification for the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals - one of the "Big Five" events of 2019 - and finished just top-eight at StarSeries i-League Season 8 and top-four at IEM Beijing. ZywOo was among the EVPs of both events, impressing especially in Belek, where his tournament-leading 1.34 rating was a staggering 36% higher than the average of his team.

ZywOo saved his best for last and continued his dominance in the Counter-Strike scene with another remarkable run at EPICENTER, where Vitality lost one map on the road to the title, in the final against MOUZ. The 19-year-old averaged a 1.53 rating (a career record at Big Events) and posted a 97.3 ADR and a 1.65 Impact (both year-high stats for him) to power his team to another successful run and scoop his fifth and final MVP medal of the year.

"We wanted to finish the year on a high note and prepare for 2020 in the best conditions. Our only goal was to win EPICENTER as we had finally had some time to practice with Richard [shox].

"There was not any secret behind my performances, but we had three weeks to practice. I was just so hungry for the tournament to start to show everyone that Vitality were back in business after that difficult period."

Why was ZywOo the best player of 2019?

The numbers leave little doubt that ZywOo dominated the game in 2019. With an average 1.30 rating, five MVP medals and just as many EVPs, ZywOo was a top performer in the biggest stages and had a year that matched the best in history.

He was ranked first for damage per round (86.1) and second for kills per round (0.83) and percentage of multi-kill rounds (21.9%), but what truly elevated his game and made him the most impactful player of the year (1.40 Impact rating) was his ability to both open up and close out rounds. He had the second-highest opening kills per round ratio (0.14) and the fifth-best success in opening duels (61.3%), while he was just outside the top-five in terms of clutches, with 61 1vsX situations won.

"I don't really have words to describe it, it's pretty incredible! None of this would have been possible without my teammates, my family, Vitality, the staff or Prodigy Agency.

"I’m still young and this was my first year at the top. It was an amazing year, but I think I still have a lot of experience to gain and things to learn. I honestly think that the future can be even better, considering the resources that Vitality are putting at our disposal and the support around me."

Another key factor behind ZywOo's No.1 spot is his consistency. He ranked sixth for KAST (74.5%) and second for map-to-map consistency, with 83.6% of above-average rated maps. He also never had a tournament that could be considered bad or average (his lowest event rating was 1.14), coming away with at the very least an EVP at 10 of his 12 events, and decent Valuable Player selections at the other two.

He had more MVP medals than any other player, with two of them (ESL One Cologne and DreamHack Masters Malmö) coming at the "Big Five" events and rivaling the biggest peaks that were witnessed in 2019. His other three MVPs came at less competitive tournaments but were some of the most convincing awards of the year, with his 1.53 rating at EPICENTER being the highest that anyone had during the year.

ZywOo did not falter when it comes to the "Big Five", the most competitive tournaments of the year (the two Majors, ESL One Cologne, DreamHack Masters Malmö and the ESL Pro League Season 10 Finals), boasting the highest-ranking overall at 1.28. But perhaps the most impressive aspect about his year was that he averaged a stunning 1.33 rating in the playoffs of Big Events - which was by far the best in the world and even higher than his yearly average.

With all this in mind, ZywOo becomes the youngest player to be ranked first in an HLTV top 20, eclipsing Marcelo "⁠coldzera⁠" David, who had done it at the age of 21, and matching the Brazilian's feat of being named the best player in the world in his first full year as a professional player. He also enjoyed a year that can join Christopher "⁠GeT_RiGhT⁠" Alesund's 2013 and Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev's 2018 as one of the most impressive of all time.

"ZywOo is without a doubt the best player I have ever played with, with kennyS being a close second,” apEX told HLTV.org. "To be the best player in the world in a rookie year is something I did not imagine when we started our journey, back in August 2018. Of course we all knew he was talented, but to be named the best is something else.

"He is one of the best teammates I have ever had. He wants to play for the team, he is a great guy, not cocky at all. He hasn’t changed at all since we started the team. He is what French teams had been needing for a few years. I’m really happy and proud to play alongside him."

Bold prediction

ZywOo became the third player in this top 20, after Ludvig "⁠Brollan⁠" Brolin and Nicolai "⁠device⁠" Reedtz, to predict a great year for Nicolas "⁠Plopski⁠" Gonzalez Zamora, who has been on Ninjas in Pyjamas’s books since mid-2019.

Nicolas "⁠Plopski⁠" Gonzalez Zamora

"He is a very talented player who is already doing a lot of damage. I'm sure he will do great things in the future!"

This was our Top 20 players of 2019 ranking. Take a look at the Introduction article to learn more about how the players were picked. This year's ranking is supported by:

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