Dust2.us' ECL TOTY 2022

Another competitive year of Counter-Strike is in the books, and at all tiers of American CS we saw high-level play throughout. Familiar faces at the tier-one level made their mark all year, while some fresh faces across the Advanced and Challenger stages of competition shone through the cracks as potential prospects for the future. As we break down the highest points of the year in our region, these are the players and coaches that made the most impact across the Challenger level of CS competition.

Challengers TOTY

• Michael “Swisher” Schmid (ATK)

1.14 rating in 2022
Winner, ECL S42
Winner, eight Cash Cups

Swisher was the rifler spearheading the star role for ATK as they laid waste to their tier-two contemporaries throughout the year. Besides the eight Cash Cups he helped win for his team, he also dominated in three different seasons of ECL with a 1.20+ rating each time. Swisher's efforts helped ATK secure their first international outing in the form of the IEM Rio Americas RMR, and although his squad was unable to make a deep run, Swisher and his men now know that international events are within their reach. Swisher’s phenomenal 2022, featuring an average rating of 1.14, will give the player confidence heading into the team's all-important ESL Pro League Season 17 Conference showing.

• Jonathan “b0denmaster” Bodenhalm (ATK)

1.14 rating in 2022
Winner, ECL S42
Winner, eight Cash Cups

A second ATK player finds themselves on our TOTY as ATK’s Swedish AWP import was a menace all year. b0denmaster, like Swisher, was a crucial piece of ATK's success against ECL-level competition, as he averaged a 1.19 rating across the four seasons he played this year, with a 1.14 rating across the entire year. b0denmaster's move to North America has proved to be quite lucrative, with the Swedish AWPer securing significantly higher average ratings compared to his tenure with Lilmix in Europe. Additionally, b0denmaster attended his first top-flight international event with ATK, the aforementioned IEM Rio Americas RMR, an experience that the import will surely be looking to replicate as the 2023 season kicks off.

• Jerric “wiz” Jiang (EG Black, Carpe Diem, RBG)

1.09 rating in 2022
Finalist, ECL S43
Winner, three Cash Cups

With stellar back-to-back showings in ECL, wiz has skyrocketed to the forefront of the conversation regarding top domestic AWPers. Averaging a 1.14 rating during his six-month tenure with Evil Geniuses Black, wiz certainly made a strong case for himself as a replacement for the main squad's outgoing Tsvetelin "CeRq" Dimitrov. His debut with Sanzhar "neaLaN" Iskhakov's men at the BLAST Premier Spring Groups will undoubtedly be a trial by fire, especially considering that this will be the young AWPer's first international LAN, but if he can harness even a fraction of his potential showcased in ECL he will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in Copenhagen.

• Jeorge “jeorgesnorts” Endicott (EG Black, Nouns, Gaimin Gladiators)

1.13 rating in 2022
Winner, six Cash Cups

Another piece of the Evil Geniuses Blueprint project has fit into our TOTY, with jeorgesnorts proving himself as one of the region's top talents after a strong year. Without a doubt jeorgesnort's breakout event of the year was the IEM Rio Americas RMR, where the young gun fought tooth and nail to help his squad try and reach the Major. Although Nouns ultimately fell short in this goal, this did not stop jeorgesnorts from posting an astounding 1.21 rating across the eight maps played at the event, putting him on the radar of Evil Geniuses. With his strong form showing no signs of stopping since linking up with Evil Geniuses Black, jeorgesnorts will undoubtedly be a player to keep tabs on heading into the 2023 season.

• Alvin “Alvin” Bui (Villainous, UYU)

1.14 rating in 2022
Finalist, ADV S42

When talking about North America's top AWPs, the focus of the conversation certainly leads towards wiz, but Alvin has been quietly working his way up the ladder in this regard. Although Season 43 of ECL was not a strong one for Villainous, Alvin was still able to show his worth with a 1.26 average rating, the highest average rating of any player who played the full season. Alongside a strong 1.14 average rating across the whole year, Alvin will absolutely be a prospect to watch out for in Season 44 of ECL.

• Daniel “sprayxd” Kogan (ATK)

61% win rate
Winner, ECL S42
Winner, eight Cash Cups

Under the guidance of sprayxd, ATK secured their strongest year to date in 2022. Aside from locking in their first international appearance, sprayxd and his men posted a strong 61% win rate, with 161 maps won, earning sprayxd the honors of Challengers TOTY coach for 2022. With the ESL Pro League Season 17 conference fast approaching, sprayxd and his men will be looking to capitalize on another opportunity to compete internationally amongst the best of the best.