Major winner Twistzz tops Dust2's Team of the Month for May

At the beginning of each month, Dust2 commemorates the best players inside the North American Counter-Strike scene by awarding five domestic talents over the three major competitive layers as members of Dust2’s Team of the Month.

This monthly award is handed out to the most impressive tier-one professional North American talents, 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 over the month.

The aim of this award is not only to continue to spread the good word of some of the best players in the scene today, but also to give a platform of discovery to rising talents who may dominate the servers of tomorrow. As a part of the mission to improve our coverage within the scene, monthly recognition of the best players across the region comes as a natural step in growth.

In our efforts to continue highlighting the performances of the region’s best talents, it is only right that the coaches receive the proper spotlight. 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 its deserved recognition.

Starting May's list is none other than PGL Antwerp Major winner Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken. FaZe's rifler was pivotal for the international team in pursuit of the Major victory, peaking during the grueling triple-overtime brawl against Spirit on Dust2 to lead the team in rating to secure a grand final berth. His mechanical prowess was on full display during May, as the Canadian talent ended the month second in headshot percentage at 61.5%, as well as third in headshots per round at .43. Besides lifting the Major trophy, Twistzz also impressed weeks later at IEM Dallas to close the month, starting the event with a 1.46 over three maps.

Completing the Canadian pairing on the list is Liquid's Keith "NAF" Markovic. Despite the team's struggles, the star rifler was able to shine with a 1.15 rating over the fifteen maps played in May. His impressive +29 K/D difference at the Antwerp Challengers stage was a catalyst for the team to survive the 0-2 to 3-2 comeback and qualify for the next stage. His presence was felt even further, as he was able to improve in performance at IEM Dallas regardless of the team's shortcomings. NAF's ability to reach high peaks during Liquid's slump only magnifies the skill of the star rifler.

Unsurprising to many, GODSENT's star talent Eduardo "dumau" Wolkmer makes his second consecutive appearance on the Team of the Month. He only continues to improve as a talent inside of GODSENT's lineup, as he looks like the definite "up-next" player inside of Brazil's stacked talent pool. dumau closed the month of May tied for second across all of Counter-Strike with a 1.31 rating (min. 15 maps) across 21 maps played and finished top ten in K/D ratio and difference. All of this was done while leading his team to first at the ESL Challenger Valencia closed qualifier to earn a spot at the Valencia LAN. At eighteen years of age, dumau continues to grow as Brazil's next star.

Not far behind dumau for the month is paiN's Rodrigo "biguzera" Bittencourt. The 25-year-old shined for paiN throughout the entire month, closing May with a 1.23 rating over 35 maps. He was a driving force for the team in pursuit of a Cash Cup victory, but more importantly, he shined bright against Brazilian big brother FURIA at the final of the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown. He had nearly 60 frags over the two maps played, closing the series with a 1.38 to best FURIA 2-0 and qualify for BLAST Premier Spring Final which takes place this month. As the leader in total frags and headshots for the month (min. 15 maps), there is no denying the impact made by biguzera as he aims to be the next star produced under the paiN banner.

Taking the fifth spot inside the lineup is Davenport University's William "spek" Smith. The 19-year-old was near unstoppable for his school this month inside ESEA Advance play, as he led in performance for the team en route to a perfect 6-0 record in May. Through the six games, he averaged 95.8 damage per round and finished with a 1.69 K/D ratio. As collegiate CS continues to grow, Davenport continues to stand tall as one of the leaders in the game. Without a doubt, spek looks to be one of the leading talents coming from the school.

paiN's coach Henrique "rikz" Waku earns the Coach of the Month award for May for the massive strides gained by the growing paiN squad, as they finished the month with a solid 22-7 record, taking down several established teams along the way. They started the month qualifying for BLAST over FURIA and ended the month with a Cash Cup victory over Gaimin Gladiators and Carpe Diem. In between those two victories were a mere two series losses, truly an impressive month for the Brazilian squad.

Dust2’s Team of the Month for May is:

• Russel “Twistzz” Van Dulken

• Keith “NAF” Markovic

• Eduardo “dumau” Wolkmer

• Rodrigo “biguzera” Bittencourt

• William “spek” Smith

• Henrique “rikz” Waku (Coach)