Top 20 players of 2023: stavn (9)

Due to an excellent floor level and his plethora of awards, stavn claims his fourth appearance on the HLTV Top 20 Players of the Year list, powered by 1xBet.

Top 20 players of 2023: Introduction

Martin "⁠stavn⁠" Lund has been a pillar of consistency from the very start of his time as a tier one player, picking up a HLTV top 20 nod in his first full year among Counter-Strike's elite in 2020. In every year since he has found his way onto the list thanks to his admirably high floor level, ability to perform tournament to tournament whilst rarely having an off day, and timely peaks that were key in helping the Dane win a handful of significant LAN trophies with HEROIC.

Not only has stavn been one of the most consistent rifles in the elite echelons of Counter-Strike for the past few years, he has maintained his level throughout a number of changes within the team.

First, stavn endured a revolving door of personnel swaps throughout 2019 which saw him play with eight different teammates. Then, after the squad that rose to prominence in the online era fell off, stavn didn't miss a beat as the team revamped with Rasmus "⁠sjuush⁠" Beck and Ismail "⁠refrezh⁠" Ali. Finally, with the team struggling to find their peak level on LAN, stavn continued to star as the signing of Jakob "⁠jabbi⁠" Nygaard helped bring HEROIC trophies at the end of 2022 and into 2023. It is no surprise then that the young Dane once again finds himself counted among the very best.

For a more in-depth look at stavn's early career, check out his Top 20 articles from 2020 and 2021.

2023 began as a year full of hope for stavn and the rest of HEROIC, with the rifler stating on reflection that "expectations were high." The premier Danish team had finished 2022 as the No. 1 team in the world, had taken second place at the IEM Rio Major, and ended their year with a victory at the BLAST Premier Fall Final on home soil. Whilst the addition of jabbi mid-way through the year had taken some time to settle, once it did HEROIC established themselves as the best team in the world.

After a successful if somewhat labored qualification run through the BLAST Spring Groups, to which stavn was a key contributor, HEROIC arrived in Poland for the first significant event of the year, the Super-elite IEM Katowice. As the top-ranked side in the world HEROIC were of course among the favorites to take the trophy.

The Danes cruised through their group with relative ease, dropping a single map along the way whilst most importantly confidently brushing aside Vitality in the group final. Their performance proved they were in dangerous form, and although stavn was a strong and consistent performer posting five maps with a 1.21 rating or better, he didn't have to do as much as he might have otherwise as the entire squad was shining, particularly jabbi.

The playoffs were a different story, as stavn had an underwhelming showing for a player of his caliber. He struggled to meet his usual level and posted three maps below a 1.00 rating, and considering two of the maps they lost to G2 in the 1-3 grand final loss were close, an in-form stavn might have turned the tides. It was nonetheless a successful showing for HEROIC , and stavn nabbed a VP nod for his group stage efforts.

HEROIC then travelled to Malta for ESL Pro League and stavn proved why he is so highly rated within the scene, as he refused to post two sub-par events for his standards back to back. stavn single-handedly tore Movistar Riders to pieces with a 1.77 rating to open the group stage, dropping a mind-boggling 110 ADR across the series. He cooled off for the remaining group games, but still came up trumps when he was needed, particularly in a tight 16-14 win in the final map against MOUZ, where he was vital in keeping the explosive Dorian "⁠xertioN⁠" Berman quiet.

stavn couldn't carry his team any further than the quarter-finals as a prime Oleksandr "⁠s1mple⁠" Kostyliev performance put HEROIC to bed, but it wasn't for lack of trying as he was the second-best player on the server. His team let him down somewhat in the series, but his 1.24 rating and 1.24 impact rating across the event put him up there among the best, and as such he grabbed another VP award.

Next up was the BLAST.tv Paris Major Europe RMR and HEROIC got the job done with absolutely no fuss, cruising through with straight victories to seal a Legends Spot at the Major. IEM Rio followed and this was a key event for the teams in attendance, as this was where statements would be made regarding form heading into the Paris Major itself.

A statement was indeed made by HEROIC as they stormed to second place behind Vitality, and stavn garnered his first EVP award of the season for his significant contributions. The rifler shined in victories over 9INE and The MongolZ, maintaining a steady level for the group decider with Ninjas in Pyjamas. In a brutally tough quarter-final matchup with hometown heroes FURIA stavn stood tall to help drag his team through a hard-fought series, posting the highest rating in his team and a 1.26 impact rating that emphasized his importance in finding round wins.

After breezing past an underwhelming Natus Vincere, HEROIC were bested by Vitality in close fashion in the grand final, falling short of the trophy once again. stavn led his squad in ADR on Vertigo only to be outdone by a stellar Emil "⁠Magisk⁠" Reif performance, and he struggled along with the majority of his teammates on the final map, being hauled along by jabbi. Regardless stavn was in the MVP race until that final map, and secured yet another EVP instead.

The marquee event of 2023, BLAST.tv Paris Major, was perhaps where stavn put in his best tournament performance of the year. HEROIC cruised past FaZe and Apeks in best-of-ones with stavn as usual providing consistent output, but the young rifler stepped up big time against Liquid in series play. Heading into a decider with the teams seeming evenly matched, stavn went nuclear on Ancient by racking up 30 kills and 100 ADR to solo-carry HEROIC to the playoffs, posting a staggering 2.04 impact rating to boot.

In the playoffs stavn provided the firepower needed to get past FaZe in the quarter-finals, and with many of the favorites eliminated, it seemed HEROIC were destined for a grand final rematch with Vitality. Unfortunately HEROIC had a Mihai "⁠iM⁠" Ivan having the tournament of his life to contend with, and although stavn carried his team to a win on Ancient and provided the stiffest resistance on Inferno, the Danes ultimately succumbed to GamerLegion and exited the Major in 3-4th place.

A disappointing finish for HEROIC no doubt, particularly considering the fact they were in good form, many of the favorites were not, and they got a seemingly favorable semi-final matchup. stavn cannot be faulted, however, as his 1.30 impact rating across the tournament emphasized just how good he was and clinching rounds for HEROIC alongside his usual consistent raw output. Another EVP came stavn's way, and another deep run reinforced HEROIC's status as one of the most consistent elite squads in the game.

stavn maintained his impressive output and impact at IEM Dallas to help guide HEROIC to 3-4th place once again, grabbing another EVP award whilst dominating MOUZ and styling on G2 alongside his teammates in the group stage. The playoff rematch with MOUZ went the other way, but stavn was still a solid performer and almost turned a narrow loss on the decider of Ancient into victory with his play.

HEROIC saved their best finish of the season for last, and it came at the BLAST Premier Spring Final. HEROIC were not to be denied as they marched imperiously to the trophy, with the ever-reliable stavn leading the scoreboards in every single series except the final. The dynamite Dane only had to settle for an EVP award because of a quiet grand final showing against their recent nemesis Vitality where jabbi stole the headlines, and even then it was an incredibly tight MVP race. Some would argue jabbi only got the chance to shine in said final because stavn had carried the team there.

By clinching a trophy HEROIC had turned what might have otherwise been a strong yet disappointing first half of the year into a definite success, with a plethora of top placings and one title added to their resumés. stavn was the consistent driving force behind HEROIC's excellent season, as evidenced by his litany of VP and EVP awards, and his raw damage output was something precious few riflers could match.

stavn is proud when he thinks back on the first half of HEROIC's year. "I feel like we played CS at a top level and were in fairness considered as perhaps the best team in the world at points," the Dane states. "In the end it’s the trophies you are hungry after and not the ranking placements, but still I feel grateful and proud of the level and results we got all in all."

After the summer off-season, something broke down in the HEROIC engine room. They breezed through the BLAST Premier Fall Groups with ease, but beyond that the Danish side only mustered 11 wins from the 23 LAN maps they played with stavn still amongst their number. Having come into BLAST Groups full of confidence and ambition, saying they wanted to end CS:GO as the number one team, their winter season was a wrench thrown into what always seemed such a cohesive and well-oiled machine.

stavn's level, however, barely dropped. There were no more EVPs to be had, but he still racked up VP awards as he attempted to be the grease that guaranteed HEROIC's grinding gears kept turning.

"In general I think it was very hard for the team mentally always being so close to lifting the trophies," stavn says when reflecting on HEROIC's struggles. "Several things had happened, and despite the good feeling about the high level CS we had played up until this point, the losses in the finals and semi-finals were definitely still always in the back of our head. We clearly didn't get the best start and then it contributed to maybe kind of a snowball effect causing a drop off in performance."

The most prestigious tournament of the season kicked off HEROIC's decline, IEM Cologne. In the group stage it seemed all was well, the team made the playoffs after coming out of their group in second place after a narrow loss to ENCE. A gut-wrenching defeat ended their playoff campaign early, however, as bitter regional rivals Astralis comfortably dispatched their countrymen in 2-0 fashion. A superlative overperformance by Christian "⁠Buzz⁠" Andersen certainly played its part but HEROIC were out of sorts across the board throughout the series, including stavn. It was not a disaster, but certainly a disappointment considering Astralis' state at the time.

Gamers8 returned two series wins against lesser opposition in Falcons and GamerLegion, with stavn's rifling prowess a powerful factor in both, but ENCE cast HEROIC aside 2-0 in the semi-final and the second map was a complete blowout. Again, it was not a terrible tournament showing overall, but considering HEROIC's ambitions and propensity for falling short in key moments, questions as to their potential to win more trophies were being asked.

ESL Pro League was the tournament where things truly fell apart. Casper "⁠cadiaN⁠" Møller gave an interview to HLTV pre-tournament speaking of the troubles within HEROIC and stating his belief they were not playing to their principles, and their performance at the tournament itself seemed a testament to this fact.

Read more

cadiaN: "We're not all playing to our philosophies and principles"

HEROIC crashed out of ESL Pro League with a single win to their name over lowly Rooster, registering three straight series defeats to BIG, MOUZ and Monte. Previously the Danes were a team that could only be beaten by the elite, a side that were nigh-impossible to upset, but in Malta they were upset three times in relatively comfortable fashion. stavn might have secured a final VP award of the season, but it was clear that all was not well within the HEROIC camp.

Then, it happened. The now-infamous 'stabbi' drama. jabbi and stavn allegedly gave Heroic an ultimatum, stating the team had to choose between them or cadiaN, only to renege on promises to sign new contracts to set their sights on joining arch-rivals Astralis. The 'stabbi' duo have since released a statement presenting their own version of events, denying such an ultimatum was made, but regardless of the exact truth of the matter, HEROIC fell apart. stavn was benched alongside jabbi, cadiaN decided his future lay elsewhere, and the roster that had been together for so long and achieved so much was in pieces.

Read more

stavn and jabbi share their side of Heroic-Astralis transfer drama in new statement

"Of course it leaves me with a sour taste," stavn admits as he reflects on his departure. "A huge part of my development as a player happened while being in Heroic. Not only did I develop during the years, we grew together and achieved many great things together. I would have loved to leave on a better note, but now I need to focus on the next chapter in my career."

stavn eventually landed his transfer to Astralis, alongside jabbi, and the pair made their debut for their new side at BetBoom Dacha. With little time to practice the event was nothing to write home about as the team exited in joint-last place. "The tournament definitely came too soon for us to be concerned about the end result," stavn states. "We barely had any practice and with media obligations leading up to the tournament we definitely didn't have the best preparation leading up to the tournament." And with that, stavn's year was over.

"I’m really proud to be here again amongst such great players," stavn says of his fourth appearance on the Top 20. "Much of it is the result of, all things considered, a great year in Heroic." Despite considering it a great year, the Dane does admit it still fell a little short of expectations. "I think, despite us all in all being one of the very best teams during the year and winning BLAST before the summer break, we did in truth expect more trophies."

stavn is now fully focused on succeeding in 2024 with his new team, Astralis. "I believe we can build something great here," the Dane states confidently. "We will need more practice and more officials to reach higher levels which we all feel like we definitely will achieve." Of course, the PGL Major on home soil is a particular focus of his. "As a Dane it’s the ultimate tournament. A major and on home soil. I feel hyped and will give it my all to be there."

Why was stavn the 9th best player of 2023?

Making his second consecutive appearance inside the top 10, stavn displayed an excellent floor level throughout 2023 from event to event, putting in just one poor performance all year long at the medium-sized BetBoom Dacha and a 1.10 rating or above at eight of the other nine appearances.

Thanks to this, he secured four Exceptionally Valuable Player awards, including one at the BLAST.tv Paris Major and three more at Big Events, at IEM Rio, IEM Dallas and a near-MVP at the BLAST Premier Spring Final. An impressive resumé already, this perhaps doesn't do his year justice considering he had three more tournaments close to the EVP level at IEM Katowice, ESL Pro League Season 17 and Gamers8.

The Dane particularly stood out as one of the best damage-dealers (81.1 ADR, #5) and put up well above-average ratings more frequently than most (56.5% maps above 1.15, #4), and performed well at the biggest tournaments with a 1.12 Elite rating.

Similarly to previous years his drop-off in playoffs was, however, significant when compared to the players around him, and although he did sport a decent 1.07 rating in Big matches overall, his play against top-ranked opposition (1.08 vs. top 10 teams) was among the lowest in the top 20. These factors prevented him from placing any higher.

Bold prediction by 1xBet

stavn joins cadiaN, Nemanja "⁠huNter-⁠" Kovač and Helvijs "⁠broky⁠" Saukants in naming Linus "⁠nilo⁠" Bergman as his bold prediction for 2024.

The 19-year-old Swede hit an average of 1.22 rating for 2023 and his Metizport lineup, built around a Young Ninjas core, are one to look out for next year.

"I've only heard good things about him," stavn states. "When you watch him play you're in no doubt he has what it takes to become one of the very best."

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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.