Top 20 players of 2024: malbsMd (12)

malbsMd lands in the 12th spot on the Top 20 Players of 2024 ranking by 1xBet and SkinClub off the back of his mightily impressive second half of the season.

Top 20 players of 2024: Introduction

One of the most impressive talents to come out of North America in recent memory, and the sole player to make it big from his home country of Guatemala, Mario "⁠malbsMd⁠" Samayoa’s rise is well documented. malbsMd got his start with Counter-Strike when he was just seven years old, watching his father play against bots during his downtime while working from home. He would continue to play Counter-Strike with his father until he stopped working from home, leading him to step away from the game for a few years.

malbsMd returned to Counter-Strike after acquiring a computer for schoolwork, and when lower-back issues limited his ability to pursue his other passion of soccer, he dove into the game. The combination of his young age and impressive natural talent led to accusations of cheating and several bans on local 1.6 servers. Following the release of CS:GO in 2013, he got started on ESEA, alternating between the older 1.6 to play with friends and the more graphically intensive Global Offensive to play on his own.

malbsMd switched fully to CS:GO in 2015, and after grinding out pick-up games, he received the call to play for the Guatemalan national team. At just 13 years of age, he made his HLTV debut in the World Championship 2016 North American Qualifier, against a Canadian national team that featured Damian "⁠daps⁠" Steele, Kory "⁠SEMPHIS⁠" Friesen, and Russel "⁠Twistzz⁠" Van Dulken. The Guatemalan team got trounced 1-16, with their sole round victory coming from an ace from the young malbsMd. Days later the highlight received its own post on HLTV.

malbsMd went on to play in various Latin American sides in ESEA Open, but never stuck around for any meaningful length of time. The young rifler plied his trade with Jaguar's Venezuelan squad, but a toxic environment led to him departing the team in the middle of a match, a move which the team’s owner described as a mistake that would impact his career. After taking a reprieve from playing with teams, working on his own individual form in the interim, Jaguar called upon malbsMd for his services once again in 2018, this time on the main team instead of the Venezuelan contingent.

"They knew I'd had problems in the Venezuelan team," malbsMd shared in a lengthy 2021 feature interview. "But I wouldn't be going back there, they wanted me to join the main squad this time around with many known players in the region."

malbsMd worked his way up to ESEA Main with Jaguar, hopping ship to play ESEA Advanced with Geostorm until he made it to the top of the domestic circuit with ESEA MDL side Forty Six and 2. After a rough season, malbsMd and his compatriot Javier "⁠cruzN⁠" Cruz made the move to FULL SEND, linking up with a Colombian core that took the Latin American scene by storm. A runner-up finish at the ESL LA League Season 3 Finals earned the team a place in ESL Pro League Season 9 and a signing by Costa Rican organization Infinity.

A win over Denial at EPL earned Infinity time in the event’s second stage against Cloud9, eUnited, and Ghost as well as a place in Season 10, but malbsMd and the rest of the team struggled against the higher-tier North American opposition. Season 10 of Pro League was even more difficult, as Infinity bowed out in last place after being unable to score a win over their opponents in the LATAM group.

malbsMd was now on the hunt for greener pastures. A potential move to American side Singularity was foiled by the COVID-19 pandemic and reluctance from Infinity to let malbsMd go. The young rifler also declined an opportunity to spend time with Argentine squad Isurus, unwilling to make the move to Brazil while trying to finish his education. In May 2020, malbsMd received an invitation to join TeamOne, a Brazilian team residing and competing in North America, after trialing the young gun following the departure of Alencar "⁠trk⁠" Rossato to MIBR. To adjust to their new Spanish-speaking teammate, the team utilized Portuñol, a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, to communicate until malbsMd got a firmer grasp on Portuguese.

"I fit in really well from the first match," malbsMd shared. "I joined the team not knowing a single word of Portuguese, but I began to pay attention and I started to associate different words. A lot of people were amazed by how I went from not speaking any Portuguese to being able to communicate and even write a bit in just a couple months."

malbsMd and his Brazilian teammates fared well in North American online play, securing deep runs in DreamHack Open Summer, ESEA MDL Season 33, IEM New York, and DreamHack Masters Winter. As a reward for their efforts in NA, TeamOne got the opportunity to compete in Europe several times in 2021, flying out to participate in the IEM Katowice and IEM Cologne Play-Ins, as well as ESL Pro League Seasons 13 and 14, although the Brazilian side struggled to make a dent in these outings.

malbsMd spent the latter half of 2021 continuing to grind out Cash Cups, open qualifiers, and other online events that cropped up in North America, but the new year offered malbsMd a dramatic change as 00NATION came knocking.

At the outset, the roster 00NATION was assembling looked highly promising, pairing two of Latin America’s most impressive talents in malbsMd and Santino "⁠try⁠" Rigal with veteran rifler Marcelo "⁠coldzera⁠" David. Unfortunately, 00NATION proved to be just a brief stop in malbsMd’s career, as the Guatemalan was benched after just six months with the team after failing to qualify for PGL Major Antwerp.

“This moment was not the best for my career; I would definitely describe 2022 as the worst year in my career [and this] was the lowest moment of it,” malbsMd says when reflecting on his time with 00NATION. “I’m just really thankful to coldzera for teaching me a lot of stuff. He’s a super smart guy and even nowadays he is still messaging me trying to hype me up; for example, he did that after the loss in the Major semifinals, so I really appreciate that from him!”

After his limited tenure with 00NATION, malbsMd returned to the familiar faces of TeamOne in August 2022, going on to add nearly another eight months to his tally with the team. The itinerary was more of the same; going deep in domestic online competitions but falling short at bigger LANs, with a second-to-last finish at the IEM Road to Rio Americas RMR, and dead-last placings at ESL Challenger Rotterdam and the BLAST.tv Paris Major Americas RMR. Despite the rough LAN showings, malbsMd showcased impressive form in his second bout with TeamOne, maintaining a 1.15 average rating.

“I would probably say it was not the best decision to make,” malbsMd says about returning to TeamOne. “But I always believed in things having to happen a certain way in order for everything to be as it is now, as every moment is a lesson.

“After this, I really thought about retiring as I didn’t think I would have another chance or opportunity to play on a high level, but it ended up really nice now.”

Following TeamOne's failed venture at the Paris Major RMR, TeamOne put a halt to their Counter-Strike division in mid-April 2023, leaving malbsMd to bide his time on the Brazilian organization’s bench. After nearly three months of being on the sidelines, he found his new home as a part of M80’s foray into Counter-Strike, joining an American core, European captain Marcus "⁠maNkz⁠" Kjeldsen and veteran coach Rory "⁠dephh⁠" Jackson.

“At this point, I was already in talks with M80, I was talking to Swisher every day asking him about any news from Sykko about bringing me into the team, I was almost begging for an opportunity at this point. These 3 months of being on the bench really showed me how important effort is and how much I need to play and ‘grind’ in order to succeed.

“When I finally got the ‘You’re in’ with a contract from M80 I would say I changed my mindset, [just wanting] to become the best player in the world again, and I think this is the moment that took me to where I am now.”

malbsMd and the rest of M80 hit the ground running in North America, dominating ESL Challenger League Season 46 and falling just short of qualifying for IEM Sydney after losing to Complexity in the qualifier. Last-place finishes at ESL Pro League Season 18 and the Thunderpick World Championship in September and October prompted a change, with another European player, German AWPer Fritz "⁠slaxz-⁠" Dietrich, being brought on to replace Adam "⁠WolfY⁠" Andersson.

M80’s final LAN of 2023, and the first with slaxz- in tow, was ESL Challenger Atlanta, which was quickly soured by the news that captain maNkz would be unable to attend as a result of visa issues. This forced coach dephh to make a return to the server, which did little to prevent M80 from bowing out of the American event in 7-8th place.

Although M80 were still finding their footing on LAN, malbsMd continued to look as impressive as ever, mustering a 1.19 rating during his time with the organization in 2023. With spots locked down at the IEM Katowice Play-In and ESL Pro League Season 19, he had a lot to look forward to as 2024 loomed.

malbsMd kicked off his breakout year with a straightforward run through the North American closed qualifier of the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR, racking up a 3-1 record to book their place in the Major qualifier in Monterrey, Mexico. The Guatemalan played a crucial effort in M80’s wins over Rocket, Liquid, and Nouns, as well as in their close loss to Peter "⁠stanislaw⁠" Jarguz’s Wildcard thanks to his 1.37 rating, the fifth-highest in the online qualifier.

M80 kept up their online success with another successful qualifier campaign, this time in the IEM Chengdu North American closed qualifier. They snagged a spot in the Chinese event after a successful run through the lower bracket, culminating in a 2-1 victory over Liquid in the final. malbsMd was the star of the show throughout the qualifier, posting a 1.33 rating against Liquid and maintaining an event-high 1.35 overall rating.

M80’s first LAN outing of 2024 was tinged by the sudden departure of in-game leader maNkz from the team’s active lineup, forcing coach dephh to play both the IEM Katowice Play-in and PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR in his stead. M80 kicked off their run in the former event with a 10-13 opening loss to GamerLegion, bouncing back with a quick and easy win over Rooster before bowing out with a loss to local side Rebels. malbsMd departed Katowice with a 1.15 rating after dominating the Aussie side.

Nearly a month later, malbsMd and the rest of M80 made their next appearance at the PGL Major Copenhagen Americas RMR. The team followed up a tight opening win over ODDIK with a one-sided loss to Imperial, putting them on the brink of elimination early thanks to the cut-throat Americas RMR format. malbsMd shined against Wildcard (1.42 rating) to put M80 in touching distance of the Major, but a loss to former teammate coldzera’s Legacy, hinging on a single round, put their Major dreams to rest. malbsMd concluded his time in Mexico with a stellar 1.32 rating, the sixth-highest of the event, as he missed out on another Super-Elite appearance.

“I always had my eyes towards making the Major and staying one round away from it really crushed my heart,” malbsMd shares regarding M80’s Copenhagen Major RMR campaign. “[It hurt] even more because I wanted to make it with M80, as they also deserve big things.”

M80 finally acquired the services of a new captain with the signing of Elias "⁠s1n⁠" Stein in late March, announcing their withdrawal from IEM Chengdu at nearly the same time. M80 made up for the lost LAN event with another successful qualification campaign, this time qualifying for the Esports World Cup at Liquid's expense, with malbsMd topping the charts in the online qualifier with a 1.44 rating.

M80 crossed the pond for their next LAN opportunity in Malta for ESL Pro League Season 19, in what would prove to be malbsMd’s breakout event and earn his next contract. s1n’s men rebounded from an opening loss to BetBoom with a close win over Sharks, only to receive a daunting matchup against G2 in Group B’s lower bracket. In a stunning turn of events, M80 bested Nikola "⁠NiKo⁠" Kovač and company in a tight three-map series, with malbsMd’s 1.25 rating spearheading the North American side’s efforts. After another loss to BetBoom and a win over TYLOO, M80 faced off against G2 for a second time; the loser would go home while the winner headed to playoffs. This time around M80 were not able to fulfill their underdog dreams, faltering in the rematch despite malbsMd’s 1.27 rating. When it was all said and done, malbsMd exited EPL Season 19 with a stunning 1.26 overall rating, the fifth-highest of the event.

“I have to mention my ace against G2 and beating them,” malbsMd shares when discussing the highlights of his year. “These kind of moments as an underdog are really special and I can remember everyone from M80 screaming, laughing and just enjoying the game. It just became a really special moment in my heart.”

M80 returned to North America, losing out to Nouns in the semi-final of the NA Revival Cup in their first event back, but malbsMd helped his team get revenge in the Thunderpick World Championship NA Qualifier, posting a 1.29 rating against Nouns to secure a place in the European online event.

malbsMd’s final LAN outing with M80 came at IEM Dallas, where the young Guatemalan posted his worst event rating of the year (0.76) after suffering losses to FaZe and HEROIC that sent them packing in last place. Despite the sour result, malbsMd departed Dallas with the earth-shattering news that G2 was interested in his talents.

“I found out on May 29th, right after the HEROIC game,” said malbsMd in an interview with DarfMike after his addition to G2. “My agent messaged me, and I was like ‘Are you trolling me, or are you being serious?’

“I was expecting some offers to come my way, but out of every possible team that I had in my mind to give me an offer, I never thought about G2.”

malbsMd capped off his time at M80 with a runner-up finish in the ACE North American Masters BLAST Premier Qualifier and a first-place finish in ESL Challenger League Season 47 North America, earning his team a spot in EPL Season 20. In the former event, malbsMd racked up an event-high 1.35 rating, and a 1.38 in the latter.

malbsMd’s first venture donning black and white alongside fellow new addition Janusz "⁠Snax⁠" Pogorzelski was at the Esports World Cup. In Riyadh, the newly refurbished G2 hit the ground running, bagging a second-place finish after a loss to Natus Vincere, after previously scoring wins over The MongolZ, Spirit, and Virtus.pro. Although having to adjust to new anchor roles, new teammates, and a higher level of play, malbsMd top-fragged in their three map wins in the two hardest matchups against Spirit and Natus Vincere, finishing the event somewhat underrated at 1.06 by two off Nuke performances in the same matches.

“The most difficult aspect has definitely been of course playing against higher tier teams, but also having to re-learn a new role in a completely new tier was really hard for me,” malbsMd says. “It’s still hard I would say, but it’s funny to me to compare my T side to my CT side. I wish I could’ve made them even but everything is about time and learning. Other than that, I’ve enjoyed these last six months better than ever.”

malbsMd picked up the pace at his next outing, the BLAST Premier Fall Groups. The young rifler posted a 1.18 rating across the event, helping G2 lock down a place in the Fall Finals after securing two wins over Ninjas in Pyjamas and a win over FaZe.

malbsMd and the rest of G2 got off to a slow start at IEM Cologne, faltering in their opening series to an in-form SAW, but the international squad rebounded after trouncing Spirit in their first elimination match. The Guatemalan went on to take charge for G2 in the team’s remaining lower bracket games, paving the way for wins over Astralis and paiN with 1.65 and 1.64 ratings, respectively. This earned malbsMd the opportunity to play in the Cathedral of Counter-Strike, but only briefly, as G2 were sent packing with haste from the quarter-finals by MOUZ. In the end, malbsMd concluded the prestigious event with an impressive 1.29 rating, the fourth-highest overall.

G2 kept up their Cologne momentum with a deep run at ESL Pro League Season 20, marching to playoffs after group-stage wins over KOI, 3DMAX, and MIBR. malbsMd contributed to G2’s quarter-final bout with Liquid with a 1.32 rating, but struggled against Natus Vincere in their semi-final series, mustering a 0.83 rating against Aleksi "⁠Aleksib⁠" Virolainen’s men. He ultimately departed Malta with a 1.17 event rating, the second-highest on the team behind superstar AWPer Ilya "⁠m0NESY⁠" Osipov, the rough exit game keeping him off his first EVP mention.

The new-look G2’s first trophy of the year came at the BLAST Premier Fall Final, where Snax’s troops bagged wins over top sides FaZe, Spirit, Vitality, and Natus Vincere to secure the title in Copenhagen. En route to earning his first Big Event trophy and EVP, malbsMd posted a 1.10 event rating, with his standout performance being his 1.41 rating against Vitality in the semi-finals and a team-leading 1.51 in the trophy-winning map four against Natus Vincere.

After the thrilling high of securing victory in Denmark, G2 immediately plummeted at IEM Rio, as the international side departed without notching a single win. malbsMd put up a team-high 1.28 rating in G2’s opening loss to HEROIC, but struggled in the elimination series against Eternal Fire (0.61 rating), culminating in a 0.85 average, his second-lowest rated event of the year. “Rio is something I would [like to] forget; it felt like we didn’t arrive at all and we didn’t even get the chance to play at the event,” malbsMd shares when reflecting on his low point with G2.

The team’s trip to the BLAST Premier World Final in Singapore looked like it might also end in disaster, with G2 enduring a 0-13 loss in the first map in their series against Liquid, but they rebounded with the remaining two maps to secure a win against Twistzz’s side. malbsMd shined (1.27 rating) in G2's next match against Spirit to secure a 2-0 win and a semi-final spot, where they would likewise take down Vitality thanks to a stellar performance from m0NESY (1.55 rating). G2 concluded their run in Singapore with a 3-0 sweep over Spirit in the final, securing their second trophy with their new lineup just on the cusp of the Perfect World Shanghai Major. malbsMd rounded out the World Final with a 1.13 rating as the team's third star, enough to earn the Guatemalan his second EVP award of the year.

“Winning both BLAST events is something I will never forget, always celebrating next to huNter- makes it really nice as I feel like I created a really nice friendship with him and he’s been super nice to me.”

G2 got off to a solid start in malbsMd’s first European RMR, racking up a 2-0 record after a straightforward win over Ninjas in Pyjamas and a far closer one against 9 Pandas. The French underdogs of 3DMAX shipped the favorites to the 2-1 pool despite malbsMd’s 1.22 series rating, but Snax’s troops rebounded with a hard-fought win over Spirit. After four failed attempts to qualify for a Major through the Americas RMRs, malbsMd finally achieved his Major dreams in Shanghai, posting a 1.14 rating in the process, the second-highest on his team behind NiKo (1.18 rating).

“It’s an indescribable feeling, honestly,” shared malbsMd in an interview with HLTV immediately after qualifying. “Never achieving this feeling of making it to the Major and getting my sticker in a game was actually frustrating me a lot. I saw players that I thought I was better than actually getting a sticker already, and it was frustrating me that it was taking so long.

“I just feel super proud. Putting my flag in a Major is just something that I always dreamt about, and I finally made it.”

Once at the Major itself, G2 stumbled in the first match, falling to The MongolZ in a 10-13 loss. The team bounced back in their remaining Elimination Stage matches, cruising past BIG and 3DMAX before stamping out FaZe to secure their place among the top eight. An in-form HEROIC gave G2 some trouble in their quarterfinal match, but a strong showing from NiKo (1.44 rating) ultimately allowed them to prevail. G2’s season met its end after their semi-final rematch against FaZe, with the team sent packing by a red-hot performance from Robin "⁠ropz⁠" Kool (1.45 rating). malbsMd struggled to put up solid numbers at the Major, concluding the event with a 1.03 overall rating, a superb Mirage decider against HEROIC his only positive in five playoff maps.

“I had this little thought, ‘You gotta help NiKo,’ in the back of my mind [during the Major,] and I also wanted to see Ilya as number one this year,” malbsMd says. “I was really pressuring myself to play my best ever, but this is the worst thing someone can do. We also got sick at different stages of the Major so this didn’t really help either. It wasn’t meant to be, I would say.”

“2024 felt like a blessing, everything was nice. There’s only two things I wanted to make possible, which are taking M80 to the Major, and helping NiKo win a Major; other than that I’m just more than thankful for this year and I’m looking forward to making 2025 the same or better.”

Regarding his individual goals for 2025, malbsMd has his sights set on improving his placing in next year’s Top 20 players list. “I achieved all of my goals in my career in just six months, so I can definitely make it better in a whole year for 2025.”

“I’ll just grind my heart off and I’ll be the best I can. I know people always say this but this is really something that motivated me a lot and I’ll just play as much as I can. I want to be the best player in the world but I have this kid named Ilya on my team, so I’ll also do my best to get him to be number one, and [earn] a Major trophy just as I wanted for this year.”

Why was malbsMd the 12th best player of 2024?

malbsMd secures a place on the Top 20 players of 2024 list in his first year in tier one. Despite only joining G2 mid-way through the year, the Guatemalan accumulated a decent enough sample thanks to a highly successful second season and performed outstandingly most of the time he did turn up.

malbsMd's 1.15 rating for the year is the joint second-highest of the players so far on the top 20 and better than many above him, and he maintained it at the Big (1.13, 9th) and Elite Event level (1.13, 8th) thanks to his ability to hit map peaks more often than most (40% maps above 1.30, 5th).

More so than most on the list, the 22-year-old stood out regardless of pressure — a 1.10 arena rating (9th), 1.08 in big matches (10th), 1.16 under threat of elimination (7th) — and no matter the opposition — a 1.09 rating against top 5 teams (8th), 1.10 against top 10 teams (7th) and 1.11 against top 20 teams (7th).

That ability allowed him to secure two Exceptionally Valuable Player nods in G2's wins at the BLAST Premier Fall Final and BLAST Premier World Final, two Elite-level events, and accrue several more peaks where he just narrowly missed out on awards, at ESL Pro League Season 19, Esports World Cup, IEM Cologne and ESL Pro League Season 20.

“This is a really special moment for me, something I really had my eyes and my heart aiming for,” malbsMd says regarding making the Top 20 list. “To see how important my effort was during this year is relieving, and just makes me hungry for more next year.”

But for his impressive stat sheet, malbsMd was held back by a lacking sample in the first half of the season, during which he missed out on several Big Events and more chances to rack up the number of awards those above him did. That included IEM Katowice and PGL Major Copenhagen, two Super-Elite events that he didn't make up for later in the year due to the quiet Perfect World Shanghai Major performance. His disappearances at IEM Dallas and IEM Rio were also a drawback.

Bold prediction by 1xBet

For his bold prediction, malbsMd shouted out his replacement on M80, American up-and-comer Mason "⁠Lake⁠" Sanderson. After plying his trade with largely unknown domestic sides, the young rifler has fit nicely into M80, averaging a 1.13 rating in his five months with the team so far.

“Ever since I first saw him on Carpe Diem I knew he was really good, I even remember telling Swisher to keep an eye on him as I saw he ‘had the moves,’ malbsMd says. “When he joined M80, he had a lot of pressure and he dealt with it really well, and I’m really proud of him; he has a lot of room to be one of the best!”

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Stay tuned to our Top 20 Players of 2024 ranking and learn more about how the players were selected in our introduction article.