FURIA’s yuurih headlines Dust2’s Team of the Month for April

This monthly award is handed out to the most impressive tier-one professional talents of the Americas, as well as the best players inside of the second tier, most notably teams competing in ESL Challenger’s League. Lastly, to highlight the next best upcoming talent inside of the scene, at least one spot is given to the best player in ESEA Advanced throughout each month.

The goal of the award is to continue to spread the good word of the best talents inside the scene today, and to give a platform of discovery to the talent who may dominate the servers of tomorrow. As a part of our continued efforts to improve coverage within the scene, monthly recognition of the best players across the region comes as a natural step in this endeavor.

In our effort to highlight the performances of the region’s best talents, it is only right that coaches receive the proper spotlight as well. Accompanying the five players chosen for the Team of the Month will also be the Coach of the Month, to ensure the mind behind the talent gets their deserved recognition.

Kicking off the list is FURIA star rifler Yuri “yuurih” Santos. yuurih’s eye-popping performances had him leading his domestic peers in statistical performances. His dominance stretched beyond domestic play, as he was the highest-rated player in all of professional Counter-Strike (min. 10 maps) in April, as he and his team finished EPL Season 15 top four, while also claiming the only Legend’s spot at the Americas RMR and earning a finals appearance at the ongoing BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. FURIA’s star finished the month with tremendous stats; a 1.65 K/D ratio, 93 ADR, and a 1.41 rating over fifteen maps in April.

Joining yuurih on the Team of the Month is Liquid’s Keith "NAF" Markovic. NAF’s impact was felt all month long for Liquid, as his performance was pivotal for his team's successes in the Americas RMR and IEM Dallas Closed Qualifier, ending both events in the top three in rating. NAF was a pillar of consistency for Liquid, ending every map this month besides one with a rating over 1.00. NA’s top talent ended the month with a 1.36 K/D ratio, 90 ADR, and a 1.30 rating over the 20 played maps during April.

In the lower ranks of Americas CS, GODSENT’s Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer dominated his peers in the IEM Dallas Closed Qualifier, his only official appearance this month. Although they ultimately failed to qualify for the event, dumau was impressive over the twelve maps played. He ended the event tied for third in rating with NAF, despite his team falling short. dumau ended April with a 1.27 K/D ratio, 88.8 ADR, and a 1.26 rating over twelve maps.

Joining dumau in the ranks for April is Carpe Diem’s rising talent Anthony “CLASIA” Kearney. CLASIA was successful in his activity over the month, ending with a sub-1.00 rating in only five maps in April. Although his team failed to win ECL S40 or qualify for IEM Dallas, CLASIA and company continue to make progress within the domestic scene. CLASIA ended the month with a 1.22 K/D ratio, 87.6 ADR, and 1.23 rating over the 20 played maps.

Rounding out the list inside the echelons of ESEA Advanced is Jack “xCeeD” Holiman of ONET4P. He spent the greater portion of the month a part of Third Impact, but made the transition to his current squad just before the first IEM Dallas Open Qualifier. He made his Advanced debut with the team on April 25th, helping ONET4P start the season on the right foot with a 16-9 match win, in large part thanks to his 21-12 K/D, 89 ADR effort. xCeeD rounded out the successful month with a 1.27 K/D ratio, 89 ADR, and a 1.25 rating over the ten officials recorded on HLTV.

MIBR coach Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima earned the Coach of the Month honors for his efforts in helping his team earn an impressive 12-6 map record in this month's endeavors in ECL, the RMR, and the IEM Dallas qualifier. They completed their undefeated ECL run to qualify for EPL S16 Conference and went nearly undefeated in the RMR, only losing to FURIA while claiming the second of six qualifier spots for PGL Antwerp.

Dust2’s Team of the Month for April is:

• Yuri “yuurih” Santos

• Keith “NAF” Markovic

• Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer

• Anthony “CLASIA” Kearney

• Jack “xCeeD” Holiman

• Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima (Coach)