And the 1st place of our Top 20 players of 2010 list goes to the best awper of the year, the most consistent player and the player who showed his best performances at the most prestigious tournaments of the year. For all those reasons and several more, our Player of the Year is Yegor "markeloff" Markelov.

Basic information

Player: Yegor "markeloff" Markelov
Team: Na´Vi
Age: 22

Team achievements in 2010:

1st - IEM4 World Championship, ESWC, WCG, Arbalet Cup Dallas, DreamHack Winter, Arbalet Cup Best of Four, Arbalet Cup Asia
2nd - Arbalet Cup Europe, ASUS ENC
3rd - GameGune, IEM5 Global Challenge Shanghai, ASUS Summer

Stats from major LAN tournaments in 2010:

Kills per round: 0.78
Deaths per round: 0.53
Rating: 1.22 (?)
Maps played: 127
MoM: 23 times top rated in a match
Best tournament: ESWC
Best map: de_tuscan
Most notable stats: most awp kills (1042), most consistent player (80% of matches rated above 1.00), 2nd best entry fragger

Just like the rest of the current Natus Vincere lineup, Yegor "markeloff" Markelov wasn't considered an international star in the time that led to the formation of the Ukrainian top team at the end of 2009. However, he was considered one of the best Ukrainian players for quite a while, so including him in that team which had the highest goals wasn't unexpected. Prior to that, he hadn't achieved any notable international success, so what followed in 2010 was quite a ride for both him and his team.

Who would have guessed?

After the way Markelov performed at his first tournament in 2010, the IEM4 European Championship Finals, probably no one predicted big things for him during the year. He put up a string of average performances and didn't get himself noticed in any way on KerchNET's path to 5th place, only being the team's 4th best player. However, he didn't disappoint either as he recorded a 1.03 rating, even though that would end up being his worst tournament of the year. He also showed good signs of his awp skills, recording 74 kills and having a great awpKPR of 0.26.

At their next tournament, Arbalet Cup Asia that took place in Kazakhstan, Markelov played much better while his team managed to win their first title of the year. He ended up with a 1.15 rating (3rd best in the team), playing well in practically every match, especially in the group stage encounter against TyLoo when he outawped his opponents 17-1.

However, that was not even close to his best, as he would then explode at the tournament with the biggest prize purse of the year, IEM4 World Championship ($100,000). Na´Vi managed to win this prestigious tournament and Markelov was instrumental on their way to success. He finished with a 1.26 rating, only slightly behind his teammate Sukhariev, while also being by far the best awper of the tournament with an impressive 0.38 awpKPR. He was also super consistent, with 11 of 12 maps rated above 1.00. He excelled on several different occasions, starting with their opening match against compLexity, where he posted 23 awp kills and a 31-9 score, and then another 20 awp kills against WeMade FOX. Later he also shined in the semi-final against EG where he was the top rated player during the 2 maps, especially doing well in the second one with a 29-15 score in a close 16-13 win. In addition to that, he won 8 1vsX rounds for his team during the event. So with all of those things considered, his overall performance could definitely be deemed MVP-worthy, even though no official award was given.

A month later, Arbalet Cup Best of Four was held in Kiev, and Na´Vi managed to finish first once more in front of SK and fnatic, this time on their home turf. Markelov had an excellent tournament, recording a 1.27 rating, the best of all players. He also used the big green brilliantly, finishing with 0.27 awp kills per round, much more than his closest follower. This time official awards were given and Markelov was expectedly named the Best AWP of the tournament. He was also the most consistent player of the event, having a rating above 1.00 in 13 of 15 maps, as well as the best clutcher, winning an impressive 13 rounds when left alone.

Another Arbalet Cup followed in May, this time one dubbed Europe and held in Stockholm, Sweden. Na´Vi played brilliantly until the final, where they were defeated by fnatic after 3 maps, while Markelov had another great performance finishing with a 1.18 rating (4th best at the event). He was again incredibly consistent playing well in 10 of his 11 maps with ratings above 1.00 and was also again amazing with the AWP, having 0.31 awp kills per round, which was recognized by the tournament organizers as he received another trophy for the Best AWP. He particularly excelled with the big green in the second map of the final against fnatic, as he outawped the Swedes 21-1 in his team's 16-12 victory which brought the overall score to 1-1.

DreamHack Summer followed in June, another event held in Sweden, and it turned out to be the worst one of the year for the Ukrainians, as they were knocked out at the quarter-final by SK Gaming after two extremely close maps. Markelov didn't excel this time, having a solid 1.07 rating without any really good or bad performances. This was also the tournament where he used his awp the least in the entire year, only recording 23% of his kills with it (0.15 awpKPR), which ended up with a not so good outcome for Na´Vi.

The chance for redemption came soon, as only around ten days later, Na´Vi traveled to France for ESWC. They managed to win another very prestigious event, overcoming none other than SK Gaming in the final and taking revenge for the DreamHack Summer defeat. Markelov finished with an excellent 1.26 rating, the best of his team and 5th best at the event, while having another impressive awp performance (0.32 awpKPR). He was again incredibly consistent with 11 of 12 maps rated above 1.00. But most importantly he excelled when it mattered most, being the top rated during the semi-final against mTw and during the final against SK, putting up some incredible performances. In the 3rd map against mTw, he finished with a score 21-4, while later he outawped SK 30-1 during the first two maps of the final. He also had 3 aces during the tournament, two of them in the final against SK. All of that made him the best candidate for the MVP of ESWC, which the users of our site voted him to be after the tournament.

Markelov's impressive ace in the semi-final of ESWC

Another awp ace by Markelov in the final of ESWC

A trip overseas followed, as Na´Vi attended Arbalet Cup Dallas and continued their winning ways by defeating mousesports in the final and winning the tournament with the second highest prize purse of the year ($80,000). Markelov performed great again, this time as the second best in his team with a 1.20 rating. The award for the Best AWP slipped through his hands this time, although it wouldn't have been undeserved if he did get it, as he shared the best awpKPR of the event (0.26). His best performance came in the semi-final when he recorded scores of 17-7 in the 2nd and 22-8 in the 3rd map against EG.

Upon their return to Europe, Na´Vi immediately took part in GameGune, where they finished 3rd after defeats to Frag eXecutors and fnatic. Despite the team's underachievement compared to the previous couple of events, Markelov recorded his best rating of the year, an incredible 1.43, while having his best ever DPR (0.46 deaths per round). His awp continued in the same manner as in Dallas, having a 0.26 awpKPR, although this time the third best at the event. He also managed to have a rating above 2.00 on 3 different occasion, including matches against dignitas and k1ck.

Right after the Spanish event, Na´Vi traveled to China for IEM5 Global Challenge Shanghai. They ended up in 3rd place once more, while Markelov had another good performance overall (1.16 rating). He was top rated in three maps, of which his best one was during the group stage draw against TyLoo as he recorded a 31-18 score, of which 20 were awp kills.

Markelov also led his national team to 2nd place in ASUS ENC, as he was their best rated player with a 1.10 rating. Even though he didn't impress often, he still had some good performances including the match in the semi-final against Russia, where he had one of his best highlights of the year during the second map, winning a 1vs4 situation:

Winning a 1vs4 situation in the semi-final of ASUS ENC

The next tournament for Na´Vi came a while later in October, and it was a major one – World Cyber Games in Los Angeles. The Ukrainians brought further glory to their nation by taking the gold at this event, overcoming mTw in an amazing final. Markelov played well in every match and finished as his team's best rated and one of the best rated players at the event with an impressive 1.31 rating. He was also the best awper of the tournament with an excellent 0.33 apwKPR. His best individual performance came in the first map of the quarter-final against Spanish team bet4gamers when he had a 28-10 score, while he was also excellent in the final, recording a 1.25 rating overall during the 3 maps and having 23 awp kills in the last map.

Markelov during the WCG final against mTw

Their second trip to China followed in the beginning of November, when they took part in WEM. Na´Vi ended up in 4th place, while Markelov played well in every match, especially in the one against Evil Geniuses when he recorded a 25-5 score in their 16-3 win. That helped him earn a 1.27 rating, the best of all players at the event.

Markelov also performed very well during the online stage of IEM5 European Championship, as Na´Vi qualified for the LAN Finals without any trouble. He was the team's best rated player with a 1.23 rating, only slightly ahead of the rest. He had several great performances, while the best one was against .no when he put up a 27-10 score in the 2nd map.

At the end of November, the last tournament of the year awaited and it was the third visit to Sweden by Na´Vi, this time for DreamHack Winter. They finally managed to come out as winners, defeating mTw in the final. Markelov was his team's second best player with a great 1.20 rating, but more importantly his AWP has never been more influential. He recorded an astonishing 0.46 awp kills per round (58% of his kills at the tournament), his highest of the year, having more than 10 kills with the big green in 6 of his 11 maps.

3 amazing awp kills against fnatic

The most impressive player of 2010

Conquering the world out of nowhere is definitely a dream of many new teams, and Markelov and the rest of Na´Vi give those teams hope that anything can happen within a year, or even a few months. At the end of 2009 they were just another new Ukrainian top team, and now one year later they are all considered world class players in a world class team.

During 2010, Markelov was the most consistent player, having an astonishing 80% of his matches with at least a 1.00 rating. He also had by far the most kills with the AWP (1042, which was 296 more than the closest follower), along with an impressive average of 0.30 awp kills per round (although at this he was 2nd best, as Michael "Friis" Jørgensen had an even more impressive 0.38 awpKPR). Markelov was also the 2nd best entry fragger, just slightly behind Heldt from mTw and far in front of the rest. He also showed during a few tournaments that he is one of the best clutchers (8 1vsX rounds won at IEM4 World Championship and 13 at Arbalet Best of Four).

In addition to his killing abilities, a special mention must be given to his unbelievably low death rate of 0.53 DPR, which means he survived 47% of the rounds he played, making him by far the hardest to kill of all players. Particularly impressive is that he managed to survive in more than 50% of rounds in 3 major tournaments (IEM4 World Championship, Arbalet Europe and GameGune), something that no other player did so many times, probably in the history of the game and certainly in 2010.

He had 12 notable top three finishes during the year, including 7 titles at international tournaments. The most impressive ones were of course IEM4 World Championship, ESWC and WCG, along with Arbalet Cup Dallas, DreamHack Winter, Arbalet Cup Best of Four and Arbalet Cup Asia.

As far as personal achievements go, he received two Best AWP awards for his performances with the big green at Arbalet Cup Best of Four and Arbalet Cup Europe. More importantly, even though unofficially, he was the MVP of the three biggest tournaments of the year – IEM4 World Championship, ESWC and WCG.

In conclusion, Markelov was the most consistent player and the most successful awper along with many other impressive stats; he was the best at the most important tournaments and played excellent in many important matches. With all that considered, he was the obvious choice for the 1st place on our Top 20 players of 2010 list.

Recommended demos of Yegor "markeloff" Markelov in 2010:

Opponent	Map	Event	Score	Demo
TyLoo	train	Arbalet Asia (Group stage)	26-18	POV
coL	train	IEM4 World (Group stage)	31-9	POV
WeMade FOX	train	IEM4 World (Group stage)	26-15	HLTV
EG	train	IEM4 World (Semi-final, map 2)	29-15	HLTV
UNiTED	tuscan	Arbalet Best of Four (day 2)	31-12	HLTV
fnatic	tuscan	Arbalet Best of Four (day 3)	34-11	HLTV
forZe	inferno	Arbalet Europe (Group stage)	25-14	POV
fnatic	train	Arbalet Europe (Final, map 2)	25-14	POV
mTw	tuscan	ESWC (Semi-final, map 2)	44-29	HLTV
mTw	train	ESWC (Semi-final, map 3)	21-4	POV
SK	train	ESWC (Final, map 2)	23-9	POV
EG	train	Arbalet Dallas (Semi-final, map 2)	17-7	POV
EG	inferno	Arbalet Dallas (Semi-final, map 3)	22-8	POV
coketa	dust2	GameGune (Group stage)	37-7	POV
dignitas	inferno	GameGune (Group stage)	22-7	POV
k1ck	inferno	GameGune (Lower semi-final)	26-7	POV
TyLoo	dust2	IEM5 GC Shanghai (Group stage)	31-18	HLTV
bet4gamers	inferno	WCG (Quarter-final, map 1)	28-10	HLTV
mTw	tuscan	WCG (Final, map 2)	33-21	HLTV
mTw	train	WCG (Final, map 3)	30-25	HLTV
EG	tuscan	WEM (Lower semi-final)	25-5	HLTV
.no	nuke	IEM5 European Championship	27-10	POV
fnatic	inferno	DH Winter (Quarter-final, map 3)	30-17	HLTV

If you missed our previous article about Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund click here, or if you want to see who else is on the list, head over to our Introduction article here.

What do you think about the performance of Yegor "markeloff" Markelov in 2010? Does he deserve the number 1 spot? What was your biggest impression of him this year? Feel free to leave a comment on this topic and stay tuned to HLTV.org during 2011. With this article we conclude our Top 20 players of 2010 series and we hope you enjoyed our countdown in the past 20 days.