malbsMd named HLTV's #12 player of 2024 after splendid debut in tier-one

HLTV has named G2's star rifler Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa the 12th-best player of 2024. This is an incredible achievement for the Guatemalan, who made his leap into tier-one Counter Strike under G2 in the second semester of 2024.

malbsMd's nomination comes from an impressive year with both M80 and G2. The 22-year-old became one of the best riflers in the world since the transition to CS2 last year, delivering a superb 1.31 rating in 2024 while donning M80's colors.

The Guatemalan did slow down a bit after his move to G2, albeit due to being moved from star positions to anchor due to role clashes with Nikola "NiKo" Kovač. malbsMd, however, averaged a 1.12 rating over 87 maps with G2 and most notably helped them to win the BLAST Premier Fall Finals and the BLAST Premier World Final, which netted him two Exceptionally Valuable Player (EVP) awards.

malbsMd is expected to return to his original aggressive roles with the imminent departure of NiKo from G2's ranks, which could further boost his impact in 2025.

With this nomination, malbsMd will likely be the best North American player of 2024 as the odds of any other player from North America making the list are slim.