MIBR headlines Dust2.us’ TOTM for May 2023

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

This monthly award is handed out to the most impressive tier-one professional Americas talents, as well as the best players inside of the second tier, most notably teams competing in ESL Challenger League. Lastly, to highlight the next best upcoming talent inside the scene, 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. You can find the all-time TOTM appearance list here.

Starting this month's list is Liquid's star rifler Keith "NAF" Markovic, a talent that continues to be a pillar of consistency for his team, regardless of the overall result. After slipping in two of his first three games to start the Challengers Stage, but rallied back in a big way to end with a 20-kill average over the final six maps. His return to form was a massive catalyst for Liquid making the playoffs, and despite them bowing out in the quarterfinals, NAF managed to end the event tied for third in rating.

Making his second appearance on the list is Paytyn "junior" Johnson, EG Black's AWPer that is also becoming rather consistent himself amidst the lower echelons of NA CS. He ended the month with just a hair under 80% of his 23 maps played over a 1.0 rating. Since his return back in January, junior has been on fire in an EG Black lineup that is looking rather good right now.

Joining the list are MIBR's star talents Felipe "insani" Yuji and Henrique "HEN1" Teles, who were fantastic for their team this month in pursuit of an eye-popping 35-9 map record, 79.5% win rate. HEN1 continues to show that he can keep up with the young stars, posting a 1.28 rating over the month with the AWP. As for his teammate, insani has been nothing short of incredible since joining the lineup. Over the 44 maps played, he had seven 30-bombs. That breaks down to 15.9% of games in May, insani had 30 frags. Nearly one in five games, he is dropping 30. It doesn't need to be stated, but he has star written all over him.

Former Strife rifler David "J0LZ" Jolin rounds out the players list with his rather impressive eleven-game stretch in May for WITHOUT WARNING. His month ended with a 1.59 K/D ratio, 102 ADR, and .94 frags per round, earning him a spot on this month's TOTM.

Taking his throne back as the top-selected coach is MIBR's Bruno "BIT" Fukuda Lima, giving the organization their third selection this month. As mentioned before, their 35-9 map record is tough to match, especially with them taking first in ECL S45 to end the month.

Dust2’s Team of the Month for May 2023 is:

• Keith “NAF” Markovic

• Paytyn “junior” Johnson

• Felipe “insani” Yuji

• Henrique “HEN1” Teles

• David "J0LZ" Jolin

• Bruno "BIT" Fukuda Lima (Coach)