Import talent stars in Dust2.us' Team of the Month for August 2024

Dust2.us has returned once again with our Team of the Month for August to highlight some of the best players currently active in the NA scene. As always, Dust2.us' list consists of two professional-level players, two players from ESL Challenger League, and one standout name from ESEA Advanced. Additionally, the list includes the most impactful coach regardless of tier.

This month's focus is squarely on the international players North America's top organizations have imported in recent months, with the likes of Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak and Fritz "slaxz-" Dietrich and Wildcard's Swedish duo really impressing us during ESL Challenger League Season 48, IEM Cologne 2024, and the Perfect World Shanghai Major Americas RMR NA Closed Qualifier, among other events.

While Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa no longer graces the NA scene with his fragging prowess, we cannot help but feel pride for our homegrown stars continuing to be a beast on G2. Under the leadership of Janusz "Snax" Pogorzelski, malbsMd legitimately looks like he is still playing ECL at times, having ended this month with a 1.28 rating over 16 months, finishing slightly ahead of his Bosnian compatriots. While it is still early days for NA's Guatemalan son, it is clear he has made the transition to tier-one gracefully and it is a joy to watch.

In a similar vein, Liquid's gamble on Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak has been an extremely pleasant surprise, as "Roland Poland" was one of the best AWPers in the world in August 2024. He ended the month with a 1.22 rating over 20 maps while helping to propel Liquid to wins over Complexity, FURIA, paiN, and NAVI. Considering Liquid has long been left wanting for a tier-one AWPer that can be a consistent piece of their team, ultimate's arrival on Liquid is fantastic news all around.

Next up, in ECL the German duo of slaxz- and s1n has been the key to M80's success in that division and beyond. slaxz- is one of the best AWPers in North America right now, and having that in their deck means M80 have a leg up against all but their top opposition. Likewise, s1n is a legitimate wonder as a fragging IGL, being able to keep pace with the stars on his team, especially in the semi-pro NA scene. In ECL in particular, the duo both ended the month with 1.39 ratings over eight months.

Down in ESEA Advanced, Akimbo have been one of the most exciting teams in the division and not just for having a Mongolian core — a true unicorn in the NA scene. All of the players on the team have been exciting to watch, but Maks "laxiee" Andryei is of particular interest, as the 19-year-old is a legitimate frag machine and has been doing great work on Akimbo. With the team on course to win the division we will hopefully be able to see a lot more of laxiee soon.

Finally, the coach of the month is Wildcard's Vincent "vinS" Jozefiak. It is understood that vinS played a large role in building this roster and bringing in the Swedish duo, and with his experience in the Polish scene he and Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz have been doing great things as of late. With the team making the RMR and ESL Challenger Atlanta, we definitely want to see his impact on the LAN stage.

Dust2.us’ Team of the Month for August 2024 is:

• Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa (Pro)

• Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak (Pro)

• Fritz "slaxz-" Dietrich (ECL)

• Elias "s1n" Stein (ECL)

• Maks "laxiee" Andryei (Advanced)

• Vincent "vinS" Jozefiak (Coach)