Team ranking: October 2023
Myriad changes play out in this month's team ranking as FaZe return to the top.
October marked the competitive scene's switch to Counter-Strike 2, as all competitions transitioned to the new game during the month. We were treated to the first CS2 Big Event LAN at IEM Sydney, as well as two high-profile online events in the Roobet Cup and Thunderpick World Championship.
A handful of smaller online competitions held in different parts of the world also unfolded, including the Europe and Americas BLAST Premier Fall Showdowns, CCT East Europe Series 3, and Copa BetBoom, alongside a few local LAN tournaments.
For new readers or those in need of a refresher, here's a summary of how the HLTV World Ranking by 1xBet works:
Our team ranking is based on teams' achievements over the past year (with severe decay in points throughout each month), recent form over the last two months, and performance in recent events in the last 3 months.
Each team is required to have a three-man core in order to retain their points. Online matches and tournaments are included, but with a diminishing factor which means they cannot make a big difference among the top teams, and mainly serve to put new teams on the map.
Below is the current top 30 table as of Monday, November 6, which goes more in-depth into how the points are distributed — or you can check our special page, where you will be able to find the latest, weekly version of our ranking. You can see the lineup for each team by hovering over their name in the table.
POINTS
FaZe rise to No. 1 in the ranking
After they struggled in the closing stages of the CS:GO era, FaZe came back with a bang in CS2. Their ascent to No. 1 in the HLTV ranking was fueled by a return to form that secured them two titles in the space of two weeks.
Their first came at the inaugural CS2 Big Event LAN held at IEM Sydney, where FaZe emerged victorious after they beat MOUZ, ENCE, and Complexity in the playoff bracket to secure the trophy.
Fuelled by their triumph in Sydney, FaZe returned to online play and secured another tournament victory at the Thunderpick World Championship. Despite the challenges posed by the online format, Finn "karrigan" Andersen and company lost just two maps on their way to the title and $250,000 grand prize.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the team, with GameSquare's acquisition of FaZe and the rumors connecting their star rifler Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken to Liquid clouding the roster's future, FaZe have put their best foot forward at the start of the CS2 era and look set for a fruitful end to 2023.
Virtus.Pro, Complexity enter top 10
Two teams that seem to have improved after the release of CS2 are Complexity and Virtus.pro, who embarked on tournament runs that catapulted them back into the prestigious top 10 of the HLTV ranking.
Complexity, the underdog story of IEM Sydney, surprised many with their unexpected journey to the grand final. Despite falling short against FaZe in the final showdown, Complexity's incredible run showed a glimpse of a pecking-order shift at the start of CS2. While they couldn't recapture that form at the Thunderpick World Championship, where they exited in the group stage, their breakout performance in Sydney gave the North American fanbase a glimpse of a better future.
Meanwhile, Virtus.pro showcased good form in an online setting and clinched the title at the Roobet Cup and secured a second-place finish in the Thunderpick World Championship. Despite both events being conducted online, Virtus.pro's success earned them the necessary ranking points to reclaim their spot among the top 10.
Roster changes cost top teams
As the landscape of competitive Counter-Strike adjusts to the release of CS2, several prominent teams grappled with unexpected challenges, which led to significant shifts in the ranking. Vitality, who were first less than a month ago, recently lost Emil "Magisk" Reif and thus dropped fifth place.
Natus Vincere also face uncertainty as their talisman AWPer, Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev, recently took a hiatus of unconfirmed duration. The organization already added Ihor "w0nderful" Zhdanov as a replacement but still slipped to seventh the ranking.
Ninjas in Pyjamas were another team to embark on a challenging journey as they embraced a period of rebuilding. The team is undergoing a transformative phase after adding new IGL Alejandro "alex" Masanet to their roster, and the Ninjas fell to No. 27 as they aim to redefine their identity.
Simultaneously, HEROIC faced a staggering blow as they dropped out of the top 30 entirely. The departure of key players Martin "stavn" Lund, Jakob "jabbi" Nygaard, and Casper "cadiaN" Møller, means that the Danish organization finds itself outside of the top 30 for the first time since May 2020.
BetBoom, Aurora, Looking4Org enter top 30
While some teams dropped down the rankings after the release of CS2, others made the most of the opportunity to shoot up in the world ranking. BetBoom, led by Vladislav "nafany" Gorshkov, made a resounding statement with their playoff appearance at IEM Sydney, which propelled them to No. 15.
Aurora and Looking4Org were the other two newcomers to the top 30 list. Aurora's semi-final finish at the Roobet Cup got them closer to the world's best and marked the beginning of what promises to be a promising journey in CS2 for the young team.
Meanwhile, Looking4Org made waves with their performances in multiple tournaments, including a second-place finish at CCT East Europe Series 3 and a victory at ESEA Autumn 2023 Cash Cup 2. Their consistent podium finishes in online events gave them enough points to squeak in at No. 30.
Shahar 'flameZ' Shushan
Freddy 'KRIMZ' Johansson
Christopher 'dexter' Nong
Jamie 'keita' Hall
Mateusz 'mantuu' Wilczewski
David 'frozen' Čerňanský
Ádám 'torzsi' Torzsás
Jimi 'Jimpphat' Salo
Håvard 'rain' Nygaard
Russel 'Twistzz' Van Dulken
Robin 'ropz' Kool
Helvijs 'broky' Saukants
Alejandro 'alex' Masanet
Daniil 'headtr1ck' Valitov
Abay 'HObbit' Khassenov
Josh 'oSee' Ohm
Aleks 'Rainwaker' Petrov
Maximiliano 'max' Gonzalez
Nicolás 'buda' Kramer
Matias 'HUASOPEEK' Ibañez Hernandez
Tiago 'JUST' Moura
Adam 'adamS' Marian
Pavle 'Maden' Bošković
Justinas 'jL' Lekavicius
Aleksandar 'CacaNito' Kjulukoski
Andrew 'kaze' Khong
Nikola 'NiKo' Kovač
Nicolas 'Keoz' Dgus
Johnny 'JT' Theodosiou
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