How ropz made himself the king of CS2 so far

Many are calling ropz the best player in CS2 early into the game, and he has earned that accolade through hard work and carefully considered aggressive play.

"ropz is the best CS2 player and it’s not even close." These strong words were tweeted by Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken in the wake of FaZe’s trophy-winning campaign at CS Asia Championships, and judging by the stats and the sentiment of the community, it’s a hard assertion to argue against.

FaZe are on a three-tournament and 15-game winning streak, largely thanks to the superlative form of Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool. The effervescent Estonian rifler earned back-to-back MVP awards at Thunderpick and CAC for his efforts, and came close to a third at IEM Sydney. He has produced a 1.23 rating so far in CS2, with a 1.29 rating against top 10 opponents, sports over 80 ADR and a whopping 1.24 impact rating — all whilst serving as an overqualified anchor on CT and taking up high-responsibility lurking spots on T.

How has ropz managed to take to CS2 like a duck to water, and what exactly is he doing that has made him so immensely effective in the brand-new game, considering the fact many superstars have struggled to adapt?

The greater the effort, the greater the glory

It’s no secret that ropz is, to quote the man himself, a nerd. He loves the game and professed in a recent interview with HLTV that he was using all the time he had to find new tricks and grenades in CS2.

"I'm just a nerdy kid, you know, I've spent my whole life behind the computer and when I'm back home I did the same thing. CS2 is out and I'm just using all the time I have to find stuff."

The result is not only Nades Out Here having a field day posting ropz’s work to Twitter, but also an edge for FaZe over their opponents, a small margin that is all-important in elite competition. Finn "⁠karrigan⁠" Andersen told HLTV explicitly how important ropz has been in helping FaZe get ahead of the competition on the theory-side of things, and how much he appreciates it: "I just love to have this guy on my team right now."

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karrigan: "ropz is cooking and he let me finish the cook"

When chatting to HLTV for this article, ropz gave his insight on the types of grenades he focuses on finding, and how they have affected his game.

"I probably authored a lot of the new grenades which are now becoming meta. The types of smokes and flashes which could be beneficial in most if not every round. In defaults, taking map control, etc. It definitely helps in individual performance and winning rounds in general, having these new grenades and ideas early."

ropz’s effort and hard work doesn’t just apply to finding new gimmicks or grenades, he told HLTV it applies to other facets of his game. "In my opinion you can always change it up and make a duel more favored to yourself. I like to analyze and replay every duel in my head, to understand what I can do better or what would've been the better option."

There is no doubt that ropz has put in a great effort in order to get himself in the best shape possible for CS2, and now he is basking in well-deserved glory.

The best defense is a good offense

ropz has adapted to CS2 better than any other player, there is no doubt about that, and as we have mentioned it is about more than just grenade lineups. CS2 seems to favor a more aggressive style of play, peeker’s advantage being one of the many factors weighted more heavily in the game.

The 23-year-old star has seen his stats for opening duels take a sizable uptick since CS2’s release when compared to the rest of 2023. His overall percentage share of FaZe’s opening duels has risen from 17.4% to 19.7%, with those numbers going from 15% to 18% on the T side and 19.9% to 21.5% on the CT side.

ropz has also been more active in the mid-rounds compared to previously, at least according to the eye test. His playmaking on the T side has been incredibly potent in rescuing disadvantaged situations for FaZe, such as in this example in the Sydney grand final against Complexity, and his information gathering on CT has been a boon.

ropz believes confidence is a huge factor in his success. "I try to keep my aggression balanced," he states. "I think for me it's a lot about confidence. With more confidence, having a good feel or being 'one' with the game, it's so much easier to read or predict situations."

The rifler feels he goes for the same types of plays as he did in CS:GO, but that his hard work in the new game to find small edges and the success that has garnered has encouraged him to go for them more often.

"I do the same plays in CS2 as I did in CS:GO, but with some improvisation and they probably work more often here so I get a taste for more and go for more. I’ve spent some time figuring out new ways of aggression too, like using the width of the new smokes to my advantage."

Context is king

We’ve explained just how ropz has gone about making himself CS2’s best player, but let’s take a quick look at the context behind his recent performances so we can truly appreciate the magnitude of his achievements.

FaZe are dealing with the ongoing speculation about Twistzz’s future, if one can call it speculation. It seems pretty much certain the Canadian will be returning to Liquid, the only question is when. Not only that, but FaZe are about to enter into same ownership as Complexity and whether the roster continues under the FaZe banner is not certain. ropz has been vital in allowing FaZe to overcome the uncertainty facing the squad and succeed in spite of the context.

Not only that, but ropz made up for some incredibly shaky performances by those around him at CS Asia Championships. It truly was a tournament performance for the history books, as the entire squad struggled to break a 1.00 rating for the whole event, and all had negative KD differentials, whilst ropz posted a stonking 1.22 and +50 in those two categories. You can give his teammates credit for IEM Sydney and Thunderpick, although ropz was the highest-rated playoff performer at the former and their clear best player in the latter, but the CAC trophy rested firmly on the shoulders of the Estonian.

Confidence breeds success

There can be no doubt that ropz has established himself as the best player in CS2 right now. His hard work to move on from CS:GO and adapt to the game, finding every new trick and grenade, has set him up for success, and this combined with his considered aggression has bred a high level of confidence.

For ropz, confidence is perhaps the most important factor. If you want to take something away from ropz's blueprint to apply to your own game, take heed of the Estonian's words:

"I think in the end what helps performance in CS2 is just forgetting about CS:GO, playing with balls and believing you can win every duel."

We will see if ropz can continue his immense form at the BLAST Premier Fall Final next week.

Date	Matches
BLAST Premier Fall Final 2023
22/11/2023	FaZe 10:00 Ninjas in Pyjamas	Match