Top 20 players of 2023: NertZ (14)

Thanks to his fantastic raw output and significant contributions to ENCE's deep runs, NertZ makes his first-ever appearance on the HLTV Top 20 Players of the Year list by 1xBet.

Top 20 players of 2023: Introduction

Often a love for Counter-Strike is a family affair, passed down through the generations as enjoyers of the older versions share their passion with their siblings and relatives, and for Guy "⁠NertZ⁠" Iluz, his origin story is no different. "I saw my brother's friends playing when I was 8 years old," the now-24-year-old reminisces. "I started playing with them and slowly I fell in love with the game."

As is often the case with talented youngsters, one relatively recent glaring example being that of Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool, accusations of cheating were soon leveled at NertZ as he made his first tentative steps towards competitive play. "At the age of 12 I started playing in local teams in 1.6, and at some point a lot of people didn't want to play in front of me because they thought I was a cheater," remembers NertZ. "So I stopped playing for one year. I won't forget that I cried to my mother," the Israeli rifler laughs, seeing the funny side of what might otherwise be a frustrating memory.

In another world that might have been the end of NertZ's fledgling career, but once again the powerful bonds of family came through to push him back into Counter-Strike. "After a year of not playing my cousin calls me and says come back to play, so I returned to play and was with my cousin, Ziv "⁠zi⁠" Tuaf, on the team almost my entire early career." It was at this time that NertZ realized that Counter-Strike was something he wanted to pour his life into. "It started as a hobby, but then when I heard about a website called HLTV, I downloaded a demo and in my first demo I watched I felt like I belonged here."

NertZ's competitive career began in earnest in 2017 when, towards the end of the year, he took part in the IeSF World Championship with Uniquestars. A top-eight finish was all NertZ's squad could muster, but his personal performance was incredibly promising for a player at his first international LAN, with his excellent 0.44 headshots per round and 1.31 impact rating alluding to the skill and assertiveness that defined his playstyle.

Soon after, Uniquestars managed to make it through the Middle East & South Asia qualifier for the FACEIT Major 2018 Asia Minor, that era's equivalent of the Asia RMR. NertZ hard carried his team through said qualifier, posting a 1.40 rating over seven maps, and he continued his excellent performance in the Minor itself.

Uniquestars could only muster a single series win at the event, a 2-0 win over a 5POWER side that counted a youthful Andrew "⁠kaze⁠" Khong amongst their number, but NertZ was a beast despite his team's failure. He racked up the eighth-highest rating in the event, and his 1.16 impact rating and 88.2 damage per round (2nd in event) alluded to his tendency to get actively involved in rounds, rather than be a passive presence.

Much of NertZ's appearances in HLTV-recorded matches during his first forays into international competition came in attempts to qualify for Majors with Uniquestars, Finest and NOM. Coming from the Israeli scene, which as previously mentioned was not well-developed, the best chances NertZ got to showcase his talents was in the Major circuit. Whilst he never made it to Counter-Strike's marquee event, his vital role in his team's efforts in their attempts in the IEM Katowice 2019 qualifier (1.36 rating) and StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 qualifier (1.25 rating) emphasized his potential to play at a higher level.

A vitally important piece of context to all of NertZ's burgeoning career is that for much of it, he was forced to play part-time due to military service. "NOM and Finest were teams I played part-time, as I was in the army for 3 years so I couldn't play competitively." There is no doubt that this hampered NertZ personally, and as the best player in his teams, it was a significant blow to their efforts in general.

"Imagine you have a dream and someone takes it away from you, and for potentially the most important years of CS, you just can't play competitive CS. For me, it was a big hit," NertZ states. "It will sound a bit cocky, but I was the best player in Israel for a couple of years and everything changed when I joined the army. I saw flameZ, xertioN and Spinx becoming world class players, and I could have joined them."

NertZ had precious little time to spend on the server whilst serving his enlistment. "It was so exhausting. I remember that every time I came back home I was spending my time on CS, I barely saw my family and friends." Still, even in this tough period, NertZ knew he wanted to try his utmost to make competitive CS a career. "I remember a call with my father during my last year in the army, I was telling him to give me one year in CS and if I can't get paid, I will start to work. We argued about that, he said that I was delusional and that I couldn't get paid from a video game."

Whilst NertZ is sometimes weighed down by thoughts of what could have been, he also appreciates the positive that came out of his time serving in the army. "I sometimes think to myself what could have happened if I was spending those extra years in CS, sometimes it’s tough, but on the other hand I got some positive values as a person that help me inside and outside the server."

As with many players from regions and countries without the well-developed sub-top scenes of places like Denmark or Sweden, FACEIT Pro League was instrumental in allowing NertZ to showcase his skills after he left the army and catch the eye of professional organizations. "After I finished my military service I finally had time to play a lot and improve, and a month after I finished my service I qualified for FPL." NertZ topped the leaderboards and emerged victorious from his very first month in FPL, and it wasn't long before Endpoint came knocking.

Towards the end of 2021 NertZ signed for Endpoint, an organization renowned for scouting obscure talent and eventually moving them on to top teams joining fellow rising middle-eastern star Mohammad "⁠BOROS⁠" Malhas on the roster. Finally NertZ had the platform needed to showcase his ability, a team with which he could tussle in Europe’s tier two scene and prove whether or not he had the capability to step up to tier one in the future.

The early signs were promising, as NertZ showed up in a big way during his first event with the team, EPL Conference Season 15. Stellar maps against the likes of Eternal Fire, Sprout and GODSENT proved the Israeli was a player well worth keeping an eye on, but it wasn't all smooth sailing from the very get-go. "I had difficulty playing at the beginning, I was in the role of the lurker, which I think I am not suitable for," NertZ says when reflecting on his early Endpoint days. This fact showed.

A string of underwhelming showings followed his promising start at EPL Conference, with four of his next five events returning ratings around the 1.00 mark or lower as the year ticked over to 2022. NertZ did manage to build up a head of steam as the year wore on, however. He provided by far the stiffest opposition as Endpoint lost to fnatic in a BLAST qualifier in March, posting a 1.21 rating in an 0-2 loss. In April he led the way as Endpoint narrowly missed out on IEM Dallas qualification, battering Nexus with a 1.71 rating before again serving as the shining light against tier one opposition, his 1.14 rating in an 0-2 loss to BIG far outstripping the 0.90 of the team's other star, BOROS.

All of these performances merely served as a build up to NertZ's most significant showcasing of his immense talents, which came mid-way through the year at ESL Pro League Season 16. NertZ performed admirably against tier one opposition despite his team picking up only a single victory, returning a 1.19 rating that put him amongst the highest-rated in the event, in the same league as players like Mareks "⁠YEKINDAR⁠" Gaļinskis and Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller.

The single victory Endpoint did score was a significant one, and it was almost solely down to the prowess of NertZ. The Israeli star produced nearly 100 ADR in a 2-0 win over Natus Vincere, the highlight of which was a 115 ADR, 1.73-rated solo carry performance on Dust2. His impact rating for the series was a staggering 1.73, proving that even in the face of the best players Counter-Strike had to offer, he would still show the stones necessary to make plays and carry his team.

NertZ continued to serve as Endpoint's best rifler, and arguably best player, as 2022 continued. With the departure of Markus "⁠Kjaerbye⁠" Kjærbye in October NertZ was able to change his role to one he was more comfortable with. "I changed my role after Kjaerbye left the team to the map control, and it was more comfortable for me to play because we played on the fly and I am a player that takes a lot of initiative in the game." This change only served to enhance NertZ's production on the server.

After a slightly shaky adjustment period Endpoint settled into their new setup, with NertZ's countryman Nikita "⁠HeavyGod⁠" Martynenko coming in to fill the spot left absent by Kjaerbye. Over the next few months NertZ went on a spree that saw him earn a 1.19 rating or higher in seven of the eight events he played, the most impressive being a 1.24 rating over 17 maps as the rifler guided Endpoint to a 4th place finish in EPL Conference Season 17. Inevitably top teams were going to take notice, if their interest had not already been piqued by NertZ's Pro League showing earlier in the year.

ENCE were the team who decided to put their faith in NertZ. The Israeli is appreciative when reflecting on his Endpoint days and how they helped him earn his shot on a tier one team. "I barely spoke any English when I joined Endpoint, I knew some basics but it was definitely a language barrier. Endpoint helped me out with the language, and also developed me to know what kind of a player I am."

NertZ had big shoes to fill when he arrived in ENCE. Although he was directly replacing Valdemar "⁠valde⁠" Bjørn Vangså, he was in essence a replacement for his countryman Lotan "⁠Spinx⁠" Giladi, who had departed ENCE mid-way through 2022 after a string of excellent tournaments had catapulted ENCE to the No. 2 spot in the world rankings. valde couldn't make up for the departure of Spinx, with Marco "⁠Snappi⁠" Pfeiffer stating in an interview that the team just hadn't been able to click with the Dane, and thus NertZ represented ENCE's second stab at filling the star rifle position vacated by Spinx.

Fittingly NertZ's first event for ENCE was the very same battleground where he had captured the attention of many tier one fans, ESL Pro League. The previous season had seen NertZ decimate Natus Vincere single-handedly, and once again his tier one credentials would be tested in ESL's flagship tournament.

It was a debut tournament to remember for NertZ as ENCE marched to a top four finish in no small part due to the riflers immense impact (1.24), even if he had some quiet series in terms of overall fragging. Carry performances against ATK and Rare Atom were no surprise, but his powerhouse showing against G2 was the highlight moment, one that emphasized NertZ's ability to carry against even elite squads. A 1.40 rating, staggering 1.71 impact and just shy of 90 ADR against the then-No. 1 team in the world rankings was mightily impressive, and helped ease the pain of being a virtual non-factor in the ill-fated semi-final matchup with Cloud9.

Next came a vitally important campaign for ENCE: the BLAST.tv Paris Major circuit. ENCE faced stiff opposition having been drawn for the tougher of the two European RMRs, thus qualification was far from guaranteed. Losses against Monte and FORZE left ENCE staring in the face of disaster on day one, and NertZ was far from happy with his personal performance, saying "I didn't help the team much" when looking back on the tournament. Despite this, he was still confident. "I knew inside of me that we were going to qualify. Maybe I convinced myself, but I really had a good feeling."

NertZ's feeling ended up proving prophetic, and it was the Israeli's own contributions that were most vital in manifesting his vision to become reality. First he smashed iNation with a 1.63 rating in a 2-0 victory, rescuing his team's shaky performance on Mirage with 17 second-half kills on CT to deny a potential decider. Then he ran through 500, serving up 121 ADR, 30 kills, and a 1.90 rating in a 16-8 victory on Nuke.

NertZ saved his best work till last, with everything on the line against a top-quality side in Cloud9. The Israeli rifler was simply too hot to handle for the Russians as he racked up 62 kills and 100 ADR in a 2-0 victory, earning himself a server-leading 1.42 rating for his efforts.

After the brief and unsuccessful online sojourn that was Brazy Party, NertZ rocked up with ENCE in Paris for the Challengers Stage of the Major, and the team began their campaign in France in wildly successful fashion. Three straight victories over OG, Ninjas in Pyjamas and most impressively FaZe saw ENCE cruise into the Legends Stage, and whilst NertZ was not the clear carry as during the RMR, his steady contributions (1.10 rating) in a team effort were nothing to be sniffed at.

Everything came unstuck for ENCE as their Major campaign ended in the Legends Stage. An opening win against Bad News Eagles and a close battle in a defeat to Vitality seemed to suggest they had the chops to go further, but disappointing losses to Into the Breach and a Ninjas in Pyjamas side well short of the elite sent ENCE packing.

Despite the Legends Stage exit NertZ came out of ENCE's Major exploits with further credit added to his stock. He dragged his team through the RMR, was a solid contributor to their successful run through the Challengers Stage, and was by far their best player in the Legends Stage. His 1.45 and 1.38 ratings against Bad News Eagles and Vitality were a huge factor in why ENCE won against the former and competed so well against the latter, and he offered the stiffest resistance against ENCE as his team crashed out of the event.

Any grumblings over their Major performance were quickly dispelled, however, when ENCE arrived on American soil for IEM Dallas. ENCE marched through their group without fuss, taking down FaZe along the way. NertZ's 1.38-rated demolition of FaZe on Overpass was his most significant contribution.

First place in the group earned ENCE a semi-final berth, and there they rematched FaZe. It was a much closer affair this time around and included a mammoth 31-28 overtime brawl in the deciding map, but ENCE triumphed, and NertZ's efforts on Anubis were key in getting his team to the third map.

After triumphing in a map of the year contender to secure at least a top two finish, the grand final itself was underwhelming, but NertZ and his team won't care. ENCE outclassed MOUZ 2-0 to grab their first trophy after falling at the final hurdle so many times before, with their newest additions Álvaro "⁠SunPayus⁠" García and NertZ leading the way. NertZ grabbed his first EVP nod of the year for his efforts, and although SunPayus grabbed the MVP award and the headlines, NertZ's rifling prowess and high impact were undoubtedly vital in giving ENCE the extra edge needed to take home a trophy.

NertZ had helped ENCE take a trophy, finally, and catapult them back to the upper echelons of the world ranking, but there was more to come. IEM Cologne was the next elite event they attended, and once again they made the grand final, cruising through their group and brushing aside Major winners Vitality in the semi-final.

Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov were too hot to handle in the final itself, with the former having an all-time tournament performance, but nonetheless ENCE proved NertZ had been the missing piece to put them back amongst the elite, the extra ingredient needed to make them a tournament force again. The Israeli had quite a poor tournament by his standards (0.97 rating) but his immense impact in key moments, the most iconic coming in the group stage match against Heroic, were enough to bag his third VP nod of the year.

ENCE concluded their spree of grand final appearances with Gamers8, and NertZ was back to his best in terms of raw output. The prior few tournaments had seen SunPayus serve as the carry force for ENCE, but NertZ wrenched that title back from the Spaniard for this event by topping the scoreboards against Liquid, Cloud9 and HEROIC to drive his team onwards to the final. ENCE had to settle for another second place finish and NertZ dropped off in the final, but as the Israeli had put the team on his back up to that point, he secured his second EVP award.

ENCE returned from the player break to immediately put together another deep run, this time at ESL Pro League Season 18, and NertZ claimed yet another EVP in what was arguably his best tournament performance of the year. He produced an immense 1.33 impact rating and 1.29 rating (fourth in event) as ENCE comfortably marched to the semi-finals, and although they came unstuck against MOUZ, NertZ was one of the best players present at another significant tournament.

The end of the year was a strange time for NertZ and ENCE, and not just because the game transitioned to the new version, CS2. The team could only manage a 5-6th place finish at the first CS2 LAN, IEM Sydney, and NertZ had his weakest Big Event of the year, returning a 0.94 rating. The performance could be forgiven as the scene had only just switched to the new version, but it was at this time that rumblings over the future of the squad began to be heard. Snappi was rumored to be a target for the ambitious Saudi-backed Falcons project, and with their talismanic IGL potentially on the way out, rumors soon followed regarding the rest of the team.

ENCE still made top four at the CS Asia Championships, and with a stand-in no less. A lesser-attended event would likely have been one ENCE could have won with their full squad in tow, but nonetheless they emphasized their credentials as an elite team by battling well despite the circumstances, and NertZ picked up his fourth and final EVP award by being one of the best players in attendance and the carry behind ENCE's success.

Then, it happened. Snappi and Eetu "⁠sAw⁠" Saha, the iconic duo who had earned so much credit for ENCE's success, left the team, to be replaced by Lukas "⁠gla1ve⁠" Rossander and Jakub "⁠kuben⁠" Gurczyński. Reports of ENCE players either joining Snappi at Falcons or departing for elsewhere only intensified, and as such the year was essentially over for the squad. NertZ did manage to pick up a final VP award at Elisa Masters Espoo, but ENCE were a shadow of their former selves at this event and the BLAST World Final, and their highly successful year unfortunately ended with a whimper.

"I feel we did insane damage with the time we had together in ENCE," NertZ states when reflecting on the year. "We didn’t have superstar players but for me the success we had is because of the friendship and respect we had for each other, literally everyone sacrificed when they needed to do it so for me that's why we played so well. I believe we could have won at least two more tournaments, but we just choked. I believe we could do even better if we had stayed together, but the moment I knew Snappi and sAw were leaving, everything fell apart."

NertZ's immense first year in tier one play earned him plenty of admirers, and he has ultimately chosen to join sAw at HEROIC for the year ahead. "I had couple of offers during my time in ENCE. I had a lot of doubts about the team I wanted to join, but I can say at the end of the day I'm happy that I joined Heroic."

An appearance on the top 20 list is a source of pride for NertZ, and he is looking forward to another successful year with HEROIC. "It feels great to be in the top 20 in my first year in tier one. I have to thank my teammates in ENCE, without them I couldn't be here. For next year, my goals are being a consistently top five team, make many playoffs, and of course win some trophies."

Why was NertZ the 14th best player of 2023?

NertZ earned a place on the top 20 list in his first year in tier one play in no small part due to his fantastic raw output. With a 1.15 rating (#14), 0.73 kills per round (#12), 78.7 ADR (#17), and 1.19 Impact rating (#10) he stood out statistically from most players who finished around him in the top 20, had the sample size to back it up, and generally maintained that level when against top opposition (1.09 rating vs top five teams, #16).

The Israeli rifler also stood out compared to the list as a whole in several key areas. He was one of the best multi-fraggers of the year (5.3% of rounds with 3+ kills, #6), one of the best clutchers (52 1vsX won, #6), and one of the best at producing carry performances (36.3% of maps above 1.30 rating, #5).

He was a big contributor to ENCE's success in 2023 with his four EVPs, which include one elite event (Gamers8), two big (ESL Pro League Season 18 and IEM Dallas), and one medium (CS Asia Championships), as well as one near-EVP in ESL Pro League Season 17. As one of the standout players in ENCE's many deep runs, he also contributed greatly to their round wins with 1.01 KPR (#7) which, along with his tournament peaks and excellent raw numbers, helped him make a case for as deep as 14th on the list.

He couldn't climb any higher on the list as his lows at IEM Cologne and Sydney, combined with missing out on an opportunity to showcase his level against the best at IEM Katowice before he joined ENCE, meant he finished the year with just a 1.01 rating at "Super-elite" events and 1.04 at Elite events, which was among the lowest in the list. He also had one of the biggest drop-offs in big matches (1.04 rating vs. his 1.15 average).

Bold prediction by 1xBet

NertZ went for ENCE Academy player Paavo "⁠podi⁠" Heiskanen as his bold prediction for 2024, a player he is familiar with after being part of the same organization for the better part of a year.

"From the time I talked with him, I saw a mature person that wants to be in the next level and I believe he has the skill to be here in few years. Teams should keep an eye on him."

podi has established himself as the firm carry of ENCE Academy in his year-and-a-half with the team, producing a promising 1.18 rating over 2023. His play has only improved in recent times, as evidenced by his recent excellent 1.26 rating over 12 maps in CCT Central Europe Series 8.

---

Stay tuned to our Top 20 Players of 2023 ranking and take a look at the Introduction article to learn more about how the players were selected.