Top 20 players of 2022: rain (13)

The 13th spot on the HLTV top 20, powered by 1xBet, goes to Håvard "⁠rain⁠" Nygaard due to his big-match play and award-worthy performances at some of the biggest tournaments of the year.

Top 20 players of 2022: Introduction

rain has already found himself on the HLTV top 20 list twice previously in his career, taking No. 4 in 2017 and No. 18 in 2018 thanks to his excellent performances in big matches and playoffs, as well as his status as one of the most effective aggressive players in the game. He made both of those appearances under the FaZe banner as one of the many jewels in star-studded lineups, playing alongside the likes of Ladislav "⁠GuardiaN⁠" Kovács, Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač, Olof "⁠olofmeister⁠" Kajbjer and Aleksi "⁠allu⁠" Jalli, taking a litany of trophies and spending most of the time in the top spots of the world ranking. A Major title eluded him however, and the infamous ELEAGUE Major 2018 choke in the grand-final of said competition is still referenced to this day.

In the years following rain remained loyal to the FaZe colours, a constant in a roster that would undergo change after change in the chase for success, but his individual fragging and carry-power steadily declined. He became a reliable cog in a machine that still produced trophies in 2019 and 2020 but rarely hit the heights of his years as a top 20 player, with the team never managing to grab a ranking any higher than No. 3 in the world, and more often than not residing at No. 4 or below. 2021 was a year to forget for FaZe as they managed not a single event win, suffered early elimination from many of the tournaments they attended, and rain personally posted his worst average rating for a year, 1.02, since his first year playing CS internationally.

For a more in-depth look at his early career, check out rain's top 20 articles from 2017 and 2018.

Everything would turn around in 2022. Already rain had been reunited with Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen the year before, an IGL who had overseen the Norwegian's best years individually and plenty of tournament wins, but the roster of 2021 simply wasn't up to scratch. The arrival of Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool in FaZe in 2022, a move that had been rumoured for much of the end of the previous year, was meant to change FaZe's fortunes. karrigan had plenty to say about the Estonian rifler's qualities soon after the transfer happened, but this was among the highlights:

”ropz is mechanically gifted in everything he does — movement, smokes, you name it.”

Thus the year began with a sense of optimism for rain and his teammates, a sense that they were well poised to be one of the best teams in the world and compete for trophies.

rain and co. kicked off the year with the BLAST Premier Spring Groups and did so with success, winning every game they played to qualify for the Spring Final. It wasn't without difficulty, they had to squeak two overtime victories over Liquid and were spanked by BIG on Overpass (2-16) in their qualification series, but considering it was the first event with a brand-new lineup, all was well. rain was a solid performer and provided consistent contributions, ending the event with 70.8% KAST, just short of 80 ADR, and a 1.08 average rating. A job well done.

The Spring Groups were merely a precursor to the first Big Event of the year, IEM Katowice, and FaZe's underwhelming performances in 2021 meant they had to first make their way through the Play-In. With mere days to go, disaster struck. ropz, the new signing supposed to usher in an era of dominance for FaZe, was sidelined by COVID, meaning the team were forced to find a stand-in at short notice for at least the early portions of the event. They managed to secure the services of Justin "⁠jks⁠" Savage, and with the Australian in their ranks succeeded in their qualification run. rain put up a monstrous 1.67-rated performance to carry the squad to victory over Sprout, and ended the Play-In with an impressive 1.31 impact rating to boot.

jks continued for the start of the event proper, a routine win over Liquid taking FaZe to the group upper semi-final, where ropz returned to the lineup to help the team take another solid victory, this time over fnatic. rain was in stable and impactful form up to this point, but once again COVID struck FaZe to hamper their tournament run, this time rain himself testing positive, forcing him to play the next match in isolation. He stepped up his game regardless to post nearly 80 ADR and 71 kills in a loss to Natus Vincere in the upper bracket final, but with that defeat FaZe had to begin their playoff campaign in the quarter-finals.

With the playoff matches taking place on stage rain was forced to sit out the rest of FaZe's Katowice run, a run that took them all the way to the trophy. Nevertheless the Norwegian's impactful play in the 9 maps he did feature in for the team, which included at least one stand-out map in each series and a 1.95-rated mauling of fnatic on Overpass, earned him a valuable player nod.

”I felt it was weird to sit there and watch my team play, it was the first matches I have missed since joining FaZe, so it was weird seeing the FaZe banner and not playing. I am happy the guys won of course, but I wish I could have played as well, so it's kind of mixed feelings.”

The veteran rifler only had to wait a few weeks for his chance to shake off the mixed feelings from Katowice, as ESL Pro League Season 15 arrived. Unfortunately for FaZe and rain their run began poorly with losses to ENCE and Outsiders, with rain personally struggling against the latter. The rifler and his squad recovered spectacularly however, first by brushing aside underdogs Sprout, then by confidently dispatching of Vitality, and finally taking a close series over FURIA to make the playoffs. rain was vital in securing victories over Sprout and Vitality, posting excellent ratings in three of the four maps played, although he did struggle to find the same impact against FURIA.

The playoffs began with a 2-1 victory over Players, rain providing excellent impact in the deciding map. His best series of the event followed in a 2-0 victory over Natus Vincere as he topped the charts in ADR (90.6) and kills (48), proving his immense value even against the stiffest opponents. He cooled off somewhat in the wins over FURIA and ENCE, but nonetheless FaZe secured another trophy, with rain still pulling a strong map out of the bag for each series. rain had succeeded in helping FaZe to another tournament win, dispelling the cries that he was surplus to requirements that arose following their Katowice triumph. He also secured an EVP nod for his efforts, his excellent play in some of the key series and maps making that happen.

Kicking off with the start we had was pretty crazy, I don't think anyone in the team expected that big of a boom to the season, but at the same time we knew we had all the pieces to make something great happen. We all thought we would need some months together but that's the magic of karrigan. He is always getting the pieces to work really quick and he did the same thing with this lineup.

The PGL Major Antwerp European RMR was next on the docket for rain and his teammates, and they duly secured a Legends Stage spot with a 3-1 record. rain was in good form, posting a strong 1.17 rating overall and a standout 116.3 ADR performance against Eternal Fire.

What followed for rain, at the PGL Major Antwerp itself, was a tournament performance that would go down in history. After an opening loss to ENCE the rifler strapped his team to his back and carried them through the rest of the group stage. He posted over 100 ADR in the win over Bad News Eagles, tore through Cloud9 with 24 kills and 83.3% KAST, and topped the scoreboards with a 1.30 rating in the series victory over Copenhagen Flames, grabbing himself a 30-bomb on the second map of Ancient. His superlative form did not stop there as rain bullied Ninjas in Pyjamas on Nuke to open that quarter-final series with a map win, although he did cool off for the remaining maps. As if disappointed with his end to that series he was back to his best for a tight semi-final battle with Spirit, dropping 65 kills across both maps, the second going to multiple overtimes, to end with 94.7 ADR and a 1.33 rating sending his squad to the final.

At this point FaZe almost seemed destined to take home the Major trophy, and rain set about making that happen against the clear No. 1 team of 2021, Natus Vincere. On the opening map of Inferno he was a menace, particularly on CT-side where his near-120 ADR helped a struggling FaZe defence get to overtime, where they eventually got the job done. Next was Nuke, something of a specialist map for the Norwegian, and he duly underlined his credentials by utterly tearing Natus Vincere apart. His savant-like play in yard on defence and his potent work finding openings on offence were simply impossible for the CIS side to counter, and he completely dominated the scoreboards by the time the 16-10 victory was secured. His staggering 132.1 ADR, +5 FK diff and 1.85 rating reflected a solo-carry performance on the final map, and brought his rating for the Major overall to an event-leading 1.24, dwarfing the 1.12 of his closest teammates. As such the Norwegian was deservedly awarded the Major MVP award, his first MVP medal since 2017, for his immense impact (1.47, #1 in event) as evidenced by his stellar number of opening kills per round (0.20, #1 in event). What a way to roll back the years and dispel the demons of the ELEAGUE Major final choke.

"The Major is a special memory and something I will never forget, and getting the MVP at my age is of course a special personal achievement for myself and proves that even though you are getting older, you can still perform at the highest level. The confidence level I was at during the Major and feeling like I was in the "zone" during every game helps a lot, but also the preparation we did together as a team and how I worked before every match allowed me to have a really strong performance."

Unfortunately for FaZe, they seemed to suffer a hangover from their long-awaited Major victory. IEM Dallas and BLAST Premier Spring Final followed, and the European mix exited both events much earlier than their dominance thus far in the year would suggest likely. Dallas at least came with a playoff finish, and FaZe were eliminated by eventual winners Cloud9 making the result somewhat forgivable. Less forgivable was their Spring Final performance however, as they only managed a single series win against heavy underdogs paiN before being utterly annihilated by Natus Vincere; they mustered a measly six rounds over two maps against the CIS squad.

The squad did recover in the online Roobet Cup event and marched all the way to the final, before being bested by a surprisingly in-form BIG. It was the perfect tonic for a team who seemed to have lost their way in the previous two LANs. rain managed to secure two valuable player awards for his performances in Dallas and the Roobet Cup, showing that even in weaker team performances he could still provide impact.

IEM Cologne was the final event before the summer player break, and FaZe were heading into the tournament in less-than-ideal shape, even with the Roobet Cup result in mind. Nonetheless they strolled through their group with ease, dropping not a single map as they secured a spot in the semi-finals. rain was once again in dangerous form and a carry force for his team, going positive in rating for every single map and producing a highlight 1.43-rated showing on Inferno against 00NATION. He only got better for the playoffs, starting out by posting 114.5 ADR on the final map against Movistar Riders to book a place in the grand final in style.

Natus Vincere were waiting in said final, and what followed was a grueling five-map affair that needed every ounce of ability rain had to offer to get to FaZe's fourth trophy of the year. He really ramped up for the final three maps, posting a 1.20 rating or better to help get his team over the line. His consistency was excellent throughout the whole run, with only one of his 13 maps played coming in at a sub-1.00 rating, leading him to top his team for rating at the event (1.16). He narrowly missed out on the MVP award, but another well-deserved EVP came his way.

"Going into any vacation with a win is amazing but going into the summer break with all the wins we had during that season was something really surreal. I think no one of us expected that good of a season and our mood and confidence going into the break was at an all time high for sure."

After such a stunning return in the first half of the year, with four trophies and near-complete dominance, it would have been difficult for FaZe to top heading into the second season. Instead they experienced a dramatic downturn in results, which began with the BLAST Fall Groups. FaZe did manage to qualify for the Fall Final, but a best-of-one loss to HEROIC and a series loss to OG suggested they had returned from the break short of their previous form. rain had a forgettable event, posting a fourth-in-team 1.02 rating, which was by no means poor but not up to scratch with his usual level for the year.

Next came ESL Pro League Season 16, and FaZe's group stage performance made it seem that they had shaken off the ring rust. They secured a 4-1 record to make the playoffs, their only loss coming against a G2 side reinvigorated by new signings in the off-season. rain as well was back to his best, providing key contributions like a strong 94.5 ADR showing in the deciding map victory over Outsiders and a 101.1 ADR performance in an opening map win over BIG. rain was then his team's best player as they bested Complexity in the first round of the playoffs. FaZe's run was ended by Cloud9 in the quarter-finals, forcing the team to settle for a 5th-8th place finish, disappointing considering they won the previous iteration of the tournament. rain was not to blame for this however, as his 1.17 rating for the event put him top amongst his teammates and granted him another EVP nod.

Another Major cycle was upon the Counter-Strike world, and FaZe needed to make their way through the European RMR if they were to make an appearance at IEM Rio. It was a task they ultimately accomplished, but not without labouring their way to victories against sides they would surely decimate at peak form. Of the five maps they played against GamerLegion, fnatic and Sprout four went to overtime, but ultimately their 3-0 record secured a Legends Stage berth, regardless of their play in the matches.

The Major itself was nothing short of a disaster. After twice squandering leads to lose a close game 14-16 against Cloud9, they were spanked 6-16 by Vitality to put them on the brink of elimination. A questionable veto against Bad News Eagles set them on the back foot in their elimination series, and they found themselves overwhelmed by the Kosovars' bold and daring play in the final map of Mirage, unceremoniously dumping FaZe from the Major in 15th-16th place. None of the players could walk away feeling satisfied with their performance, and for rain in particular a woeful 4 kill, 0.48-rated performance against Vitality was one to forget. He can take at least some credit from the Cloud9 game however as his 23 kills and 85 ADR put his team in a position to win, even if they could not get it over the line.

Something had gone wrong for FaZe after the player break, and even rain had trouble putting his finger on exactly what it was.

"I'm not really sure why our performance dropped that much, but maybe like you say that the break kinda broke our momentum and we didn't have the best start to the new season, so we didn't really get it back."

There were two events left in the year, BLAST Premier Fall Final and World Final, and FaZe needed to find some semblance of form if they were to end the year without it feeling like a disappointment, despite their stellar play prior to the player break. rain could already count 2022 as a success, both from a personal and team perspective, but there was still some fragging left in the tank to end the year.

The Fall Final in Copenhagen represented a welcome return to form for FaZe as they comfortably dispatched of OG and HEROIC to cruise into the semi-finals. rain was in great shape for both matches, the highlight coming in a 106.5 ADR showing on Ancient against OG. Ninjas in Pyjamas made it to the semi-finals to face FaZe and rain was one of the top performers in two of the three maps played, earning himself a fantastic 122 ADR and 100% KAST on the deciding map to help book a place in the final. The veteran rifler fell off in a hotly-contested final matchup with HEROIC, posting a disappointing 0.87 rating in defeat, but nonetheless his impactful play to help get his team so far earned him yet another valuable player award.

The final event of the year was the BLAST World Final, and FaZe once again seemed to be in the kind of form that could see them challenge for titles, with rain continuing to be a key part of that. They defeated G2 and Liquid to march their way into the semi-finals, with rain providing the firepower needed to put Liquid to bed confidently despite losing the first map, bagging over 90 ADR and 80% KAST on each of the last two maps. FaZe couldn't end their year with another trophy however as they encountered an in-form G2, who swatted them aside 2-0. Regardless it was still a solid result, particularly so considering their woes at the Major, and rain ended his year with a fifth valuable player award.

"Making the final and semis [at BLAST] surely helps our confidence level for this year and was overall great for the atmosphere in the team. We had a couple of really rough losses and ending the season on a kind of high even though we didn't win makes it feel a bit better. It's kinda hard to say but I think if we had ended last in every tournament then something had to be changed of course, but getting further in the tournaments helped us remember we can still win every tournament."

rain is honest about the mixed feelings he has when reflecting on FaZe's year but opines that there are plenty of reasons to be positive.

"I think it feels a bit shit for all of us that we couldn't win another event during the last part of the year, but looking back at it we have only been together with this lineup for a year now and managed to win all the biggest events during that year. So all in all I feel like we had a really successful season."

"The best moment for me was winning the Major and celebrating with my team, family and FaZe guys afterwards. The worst and probably my lowest career point is going 0-3 in Rio. Our expectations were really high and crashing out like that took me a couple months to get off my mind."

When taking stock of his personal performance for the year, he is quick to credit his teammates for their contributions, as well as his own hard work.

"This is gonna sound cheesy but I think the team and the structure made me able to have one of my best years. karrigan has always known how to get the best out of me and how to use me in games. Also think I worked really hard and my motivation has been a lot higher this year than what it has been in the past."

"I had a few years in FaZe where my motivation and will to win was not what it used to be mainly because of roster issues and not really finding my spot in the team. Playing with 3 young and hungry players has made me fall back in love with the game and with all the work that comes with it. Sometimes I forget I'm becoming a part of the old guard but guess it's something that had to happen… knowing the other names that are on this list at my age is something that makes me feel extra proud."

Looking forward rain is optimistic, and hungry for more success.

"Our goal coming back into the 2023 season is to close out our Grand Slam run and get another Major. I think we have all the pieces to keep winning and just because we didn't have the best few months after the summer doesn't mean we can’t bounce back for this year."

Why was rain the 13th best player of 2022?

rain takes 13th place on the top 20 list as one of the most impactful big-match players of the year. This was best evidenced by his 1.12 rating at "Elite" events, which was even better than his overall average, while a 1.17 rating in playoffs of those events and a 1.11 rating in big matches overall goes on to help showcase his impact on FaZe's deep runs.

His displays in the late stages of tournaments led to three of his four awards coming for events FaZe ended up winning: ESL Pro League S15, IEM Cologne, and most importantly his MVP-winning performance at PGL Major Antwerp. He was also awarded another EVP at ESL Pro League Season 16 as the leading man in FaZe's run to the quarter-finals.

rain was most adept at providing consistent damage throughout the year (79.2 ADR, 14th) and at finding opening kills (0.14 per round, 6th), underlining his status as one of the most successful aggressors in the game.

On the other hand, while none of his events were particularly bad, his comparatively unimpressive floor level at several other tournaments prevented him from placing any higher, and despite his strong CT side (1.25) his relatively poor T side (0.92, lowest of top 20 players) brought down his overall numbers.

Bold prediction by 1xBet

rain joins Valeriy "⁠b1t⁠" Vakhovskiy, David "⁠frozen⁠" Čerňanský, and Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač in selecting NAVI Junior AWPer Daniil "⁠headtr1ck⁠" Valitov as his bold prediction for 2023. The young Ukranian topped the rating charts (1.36) for the most recent WePlay Academy League season, and briefly stood in for Natus Vincere at BLAST Premier Fall Groups this year, posting a 1.12 rating over four maps.

headtr1ck has recently been placed on the transfer list by Natus Vincere, with reports suggesting interest from Ninjas in Pyjamas.

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Stay tuned to our Top 20 players of 2022 ranking and take a look at the Introduction article to learn more about how the players were selected.