kennyS reveals his AWPer tier list for pro CSGO players

Who better to create an AWPer tier list than the player who got it nerfed?

During a stream on December 8, Kenny “kennyS” Schrub revealed his tier list for the greatest AWPers in the history of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. His list includes who he believes is the greatest AWPer of all time, and who he thinks is overrated by the community. The list is not ordered within its individual tiers.

• GOAT – s1mple
• S Tier – dev1ce, FalleN, GuardiaN, JW, and ZywOo
• A Tier – cadian, Jame, mou, pashaBiceps, Skadoodle, and sh1ro
• B Tier – broky, CeRq, chrisJ, fox, HEN1, m0NESY, nitr0, oskar, smooya, and syrsoN
• C Tier – arT, mantuu, and woxic
• D Tier – acoR, allu, Gratisfaction, and Lucky

According to kennyS, the absolute best AWPer of all time is Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. Natus Vincere’s star sniper makes a strong case as the greatest overall CSGO player of all time, so of course he belongs in the GOAT tier for AWPers. From crazy crossovers to random acts of kindness, s1mple is a CSGO icon in more ways than one.

Other contenders for the top of the list include modern top players like Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz of Ninjas in Pyjamas and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut of Team Vitality. The other A-tier AWPers imply that this is an all-time list rather than a current ranking. All five enjoyed peaks at the very top of CSGO. 

The middle ranks of the AWPer tier list reveal who kennyS respects, but doesn’t consider among the greatest. The strangest inclusion is probably Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, who has yet to play above the developmental level. The rising talent is currently a hot topic in the post-major shuffle. It’s still strange to see him in the same tier as more established talents such as Owen “smooya” Butterfield and Florian “syrsoN” Rische.

The bottom of kennyS’ AWPer tier list is equally interesting. The most surprising D-tier ranking is Aleksi “allu” Jalli. The controversial Finnish player was a major part of ENCE’s success and has had notable stints international, but is also known for his streaky play. kennyS has previously stated his low opinion of the Finnish AWPer, which may sway allu’s placements on this AWPer tier list.

Where does kennyS rank on the AWPer tier list?

The most notable name not on this tier list is kennyS himself. This is an understandable stance to take, as it’s impossible for him not to view his career without heavy bias. If kennyS did include himself, where would he end up on the list?

There are two seriously important factors to consider. The first is his full career accomplishments. While currently inactive, kennyS was a top-level threat for many years. He was the backbone of the original VeryGames roster and was a star player for Titan and EnvyUs after that. His best performance was at DreamHack Open Cluj⁠-⁠Napoca 2015, where EnvyUs took the CSGO major trophy and kennyS was recognized as the MVP of the tournament. 

The second factor is in his influence on the game. Perhaps no other AWPer has changed the game like kennyS. His aggressive AWPing style led to a massive nerf to the AWP’s scoped movement speed in 2015. This means that every time a player scopes in, they can feel the effects of kennyS’s insane AWP skills.

With all that in mind, kennyS would probably wind up in the S tier on a list of the greatest AWPers in the history of CSGO. Considering his humble attitude, kennyS could rate himself in the A tier. He was widely considered the greatest AWPer of all time before the s1mple era, so putting him any lower would be a disservice to the early days of CSGO.