malbsMd named HLTV Rookie of the Year finalist

HLTV have announced their finalists for the Rookie of the Year, Team of the Year, and the Women's award finalists for 2024. Despite falling just two series short of a dream end to 2024 at the Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024, G2 will see their North American import, 22-year-old Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa, nominated alongside the young Major champions, 17-year-old Danil "donk" Kryshkovets and 19-year-old Myroslav "zont1x" Plakhotia, for HLTV Rookie of the Year.

Though it is unlikely that malbsMd wins this award over a Major MVP that is 5 years his junior, the nomination and being selected as a finalist is a nod to his 1.23 HLTV rating over the past twelve months, which is third best in the world over that span. He sits tied with Joshua "INS" Potter with 36 more maps played than the Australian, and trails only donk with a 1.37 rating and his teammate Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov who sits at 1.27.

The HLTV Awards 2024 will take place on January 11th, 2025. Denis "seized" Kostin will be presenting the honor to either malbsMd, donk, or zont1x.