We're 33% done with 2020, so we have compiled a list of the CS:GO players that have won the most money this year so far. If you can guess who's the top earner without looking, we'll give you a special shout-out in the next newsletter. We didn't believe our eyes either.
#10 XANTARES, tabseN - $28,300
Team: BIG
The best German player and the best Turkish player occupy the 10th place in 2020. BIG kicked off the season with a bang, winning DH Open Leipzig before the World went sideways. They might tell you that without bug, there's no BIG, but these two lads still managed to clinch a respectable spot with some online victories to pad their numbers. They're slightly above their BIG compatriots due to $500 in prize money respectively from FPL.
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - DH Open Leipzig 2020, $10,000
- 1st - HomeSweet Home Cup #1, $6,000
- 1st - HomeSweet Home Cup #2, 6,000
#9 nitr0 - $28,700
Team: Team Liquid
Liquid has been rather lacklustre this year, with a 5-6th place in Katowice and a 4th place at Blast Premier. They did however bounce back to win a ESL Pro League North America, against a competition that evaporated like... liquid in the sun? nitr0 also grinded a bit of FPL NA to clinch the spot he likes the most - 2nd.
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - EPL S11 NA, $12,000
- 4-6th - BLAST Premier Spring Season, $7,000
- 5-6th - IEM Katowice 2020, $3,000
#8 Stewie2K - $29,550
Team: Team Liquid
Yes, nitr0 got second because Stew-boi actually one-upped him by grinding out FPL NA placements in two months, and won a Mythic Cup in early January to the tune of $500. Stewie2K is most winning NA player in 2020 so far, and it might be the last trophy he'll get his hands on this season.
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - EPL S11 NA, $12,000
- 4-6th - BLAST Premier Spring Season, $7,000
- 5-6th - IEM Katowice 2020, $3,000
- 1st - Mythic Cup 5 - $500
#7 JW, flusha, krimz, Brollan, golden - $30,000
Team: Fnatic
If anyone said they saw it coming that Fnatic would win EPL EU, we'll believe them. The Swedes kicked off their year with a 3-4th place in Spodek at IEM Katowice and then went on to bink $110,000 by taking down Astralis in the Grand Final of ESL Pro League Europe. Split between 5, that makes for a $30,000 pay-day so far.
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - EPL S11 EU, $22,000
- 3-4th - IEM Katowice 2020, $8,000
#6 kennyS, nexa, huNter, shox, Amanek - $34,400
Team: G2
Coming in at almost double the prizemoney of his cousin, NiKo, huNter definitely has the upper hand in the Kovač-rivalry. Even if he wants to tell you that he's trying to emulate everything that NiKo is doing, huNter has been one of the best players in Europe this year. Together with G2 he almost won IEM Katowice 2020 (almost being the key word here), and also managed to qualify for Blast Premier 2020 Spring Finals.
Notable results (per player):
- 2nd - IEM Katowice 2020, $20,000
- 1-3rd - BLAST Premier Spring Season, $10,000
#5 karrigan, ropz, frozen, w0xic, chrisJ - $39,400
Team: Mousesports
Mousesports has been conspiciously up and down in 2020, even more so than usual. They won an upgraded ICE Challenge (aizyesque still raves about North winning the 2019 edition, claiming it was a "big LAN") in February and clinched a $100,000 cheque along with it. They also got to the EPL EU finals, and took Fnatic to the 5th map. Two weeks later they lost 2-0 to North. Can we start calling Karrigan "Mr Swing King" soon?
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - ICE Challenge 2020, $20,000
- 2nd - EPL S11 EU, $13,000
#4 FalleN, TACO, kNgv, fer, meyern - $56,200
Team: MIBR
We all thought that MIBR was eventually going to work their kinks out, but bringing TACO back, wonderkid meyern in and kicking zews have yet to prove effective. Indeed, MIBR anno 2020 has been relegated to a T2 team by their own franchised league-officials. At least MonteCristo said that Flashpoint, which is where MIBR made most of their money in 2020, did "extremely good considering that we had tier-two Counter-Strike teams". Here's some free advice Monte, don't go to Brazil in the immediate future.
Notable results (per player):
- 2nd - Flashpoint S1, $50,000
- 2nd - EPL S11 EU, $13,000
#3 flamie, s1mple, Boombl4, electronic, Perfecto - $78,600
Team: Natus Vincere
The best team in the World, winners of IEM Katowice, number one on HLTV's rankings, but not #1 in either the money-rank or aizyesque's list of ballers. The weirdest part of this 3rd place is not that Na`Vi isn't the top earner of 2020, but that s1mple hasn't played 200 FPL games this month.
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - IEM Katowice 2020, $50,000
- 1-3rd - BLAST Premier Spring Season, $10,000
- 2nd - ICE Challenge 2020, $10,000
#2 Bubzkji, acoR, sjuush, roeJ - $107,800
Team: MAD Lions
No you're not reading this wrong, and yes this is MAD Lions sitting (almost) on top of the 2020 prize money rankings. While all the Tier 1 teams managed to get into ESL Pro League, the old Tricked squad became "The best of the rest", by winning Flashpoint Season 1 and $500,000. You can't really fault their mother organization for taking a bet with a Top 15 team, where no one else wanted to, and now the Danes are following in some pretty big footsteps.
The only thing that is more insane than this is that...
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - Flashpoint S1, $100,000
#1 AcilioN - $111,688
Team: MAD Lions
...AcilioN is sitting on top of the World in 2020. 3 months ago he played in Copenhagen Flames, guiding the 5th best Danish team to an impressive victory in UMG League Season 2, for which he earned $10,000. And that's actually why he's the highest earner of 2020 so far. That one win sets him apart from the rest of MAD Lions, where he replaced HUNDEN just before Flashpoint S1. Talk about timing.
For someone that has the record as the most kicked player in the Danish T2 scene, how's that for an underdog story?
Notable results (per player):
- 1st - Flashpoint S1, $100,000
- 1st - United Masters League S2, $10,000
