8 Most Overrated Players in CS2
Presenting the most overrated pro players in CS2 is a tough task, as the renewed game iteration has just come out. It would be an easier job for CS:GO, as picking out bright Esports stars who couldn’t keep up over time seems more reasonable.
For instance, a popular streamer and former Liquid player, Mike "shroud" Grzesiek, showed great potential early on. However, he only pulled off a 0.98 rating at major events, even though his fans still hype him nowadays as someone who could take down a GOAT “s1mple.” Another notable example is Adil "ScreaM" Benrlitom, widely known as the headshot machine in the Global Offensive. Nonetheless, neither of his stints with French squads panned out, despite his two appearances in the HLTV two times and top-20 and his victory at the 2016 ECS Season 1 Finals.
Of course, fans of these two players can easily back them up with reasons why those two pros are good players with great skills. Still, the real reason for getting the status of the top overrated players in Counter-Strike is the gap between the hype around and their actual impact. Some of our top overrated players in CS2 also were regarded as future stars in this updated game, but they just didn’t live up to it.
Disclaimer: You’ll see a lot of big names in this ranking, along with some unexpected reasoning, but remember—rankings are always subjective by nature.
Owen "smooya" Butterfield
The British AWPer might not be on the radar of many CS2 fans, but the older crowd definitely remembers him in the CS:GO days. They especially remember Owens’ performances in the BIG, where he spent about a year between 2018 and 2019, with a few-month pause. His most notable achievement was the IEM Cologne 2018 final, where the Germans and “smooya” fell short to NAVI.
While Cologne 2018 was a pretty solid tournament for “smooya,” and he showed he could go head-to-head with some of the best snipers, he couldn’t handle the pressure in the long run. Since then, he's bounced around, changing teams more than 10 times, mostly sticking to second and third-tier ones.
Still, Owen has always kept his social media buzzing, creating the impression that he was ready to jump back into top-level play. Nonetheless, he’s only played four games at major events in Counter-Strike 2, all as a stand-in, and lost three of them. Of course, he’s as young as 25 and quite comparable to others in a position to turn things around, but for now, he looks like one of the most overrated players in CS2.
Florian "syrsoN" Rische
Another player who is mostly associated with BIG Clan is “syrsoN” — a German AWPer who stepped in for “smooya” in the German team to round out BIG’s all-German lineup. 2020 was a dream year for Florian, with him snagging 10th place in HLTV Player of the Year rankings, while BIG took home a couple of online tournament titles, including two DreamHacks and cs_summit 6.
However, Florian’s performance took a dive, and he parted ways with BIG in the summer of 2023, just before the CS2 release, although he had a solid 1.13 K/D performance during his time with the team. The new game iteration reignited his passion, and after brief stints with other teams, BIG welcomed him back in February 2024. Still, “syrsoN” cannot find consistency, posting a disappointing 0.99 K/D rating during his first year, placing him firmly among the most overrated CS2 pros.
Nico "nicoodoz" Tamjidi
CS Majors have always been the stage for some unexpected storylines, and Copenhagen Flames was one of the most exciting ones at Stockholm 2021. While most fans may recognize “HooXi” and “jabbi” from that Danish squad, the star of the show was “nicoodoz,” the AWPer who single-handedly tore through some top-tier teams.
Nico earned an invite from Fnatic, but the UK organization’s shaky results didn’t help him live up to his full potential as the Sniper. Then, “nicoodoz” decided to take a step back and joined the Danish team Preasy, where he delivered a 1.24 rating, but only on the tier-2 scene. HEROIC saw the potential and gave him a shot, trying to replace their captain “cadiaN”, but this move fell flat. Against more competitive opponents, “nicoodoz” managed only a shaky 1.06 K/D during his half-year stint with HEROIC, cementing his place among the most overrated pro CS2 players.
Yuri “yuurih” Santos
Brazil has always produced top-tier talent in Counter-Strike, and “yuurih” is certainly one of them. He joined Furia in late 2017 (even before “KSCERATO”) and has remained with the Brazilian CS powerhouse ever since, though things have significantly changed over time. Thus, Yuri helped win a few trophies with the team in 2020 and even added the Elisa Masters Espoo 2023 title to his name in December. He even cracked HLTV top 20 in 2020 and 2022.
However, his performance at big events dropped from a 1.12 rating in CS:GO to just 1.01 in CS2. Of course, Furia has been facing its own struggles in the new game era, but maybe they’re simply missing those top-tier performances from “yuurih” to take things to the next level. It seems fair to include him among the overrated players in Counter-Strike 2,as the numbers and general impressions don’t lie.
Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov
Another notable IGL on our list of the most overrated CS2 players of all time is Kiril Mikhailov, better known as “BoombI4.” He, like many former NAVI members (except for “b1t”), was one of the players who struggled in his post-NAVI era. However, his time in the CIS squad was golden—he won the Stockholm 2021 Major, Intel Grand Slam Season 3, and a handful of elite trophies.
After being the fifth firepower in Natus Vincere, his stint with 1WIN during 2023 was a bit of a breather, where “BoombI4” delivered a 1.01 rating as an IGL. Cloud9 thought these were good enough numbers to sign him, but his time away from the tier-1 scene reflected his results during the CS2 era —a 0.92 rating. He still looks like he could step up, but unless he finds the right team and improves individual stats, he remains one of the most overrated players in CS2.
Mohammad “BOROS” Malhas
With the status of the best Jordanian prospect, Mohammad Malhas stormed onto the scene in 2022 after joining a Monte squad. An aggressive rifler, he seemed ready to take on even the best teams in the competitive scene, delivering an impressive 1.16 rating with huge potential to grow. Unsurprisingly, “BOROS” became one of the main transfers of Team Falcons in the summer of 2023, but with big money came big problems, including a lack of discipline, which tanked his performance.
With a seemingly stronger team on paper, “BOROS” struggled to stay consistent, delivering only 1.08 K/D throughout the year—well below all expectations. His lack of in-game focus and training discipline became too obvious, leading Falcons to drop him. He then joined Into the Breach, but his rating got even worse — 1.01 K/D. Now, what was once a top prospect in the game looks like a spoiled star, making “BOROS” arguably the most overrated CS2 player of all time.
Abay “HObbit” Khassenov
Although including veterans like “HObbit” may not be so actual in a rating like this, the facts speak for themselves. Some Counter-Strike fans remember Abay as a key player for the ambitious Gambit project alongside rising stars like “sh1ro” and “Ax1Le.” The long-term game followers will also remember him as one of the main heroes of the Krakow Major 2017, where he was instrumental in leading his team to the trophy.
Nonetheless, the transition to CS2 hasn’t been kind to “HObbit,” solidifying his place as one of the more overrated CS players in the game when it comes to building a team around him. For instance, he posted a respectable 1.04 rating at major events in 2022, which dropped to 0.95 during his last year with Cloud9. Unsurprisingly, he joined a new project in July 2024, but doubts linger whether he can ever return to his peak and bring his team back into the elite competition.
Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
No one can doubt the achievements of “FalleN,” whose career dates back to the Counter-Strike 1.6 period and still thrives on the pro stage in CS2. He’s got two CS:GO Majors in a row, two spots in HLTV’s top 20 annual ratings, and more than a dozen elite trophies — that’s enough to call Gabriel Toledo one of the game’s all-time greats, especially given his simultaneous IGL and AWP roles.
However, the last major achievement for “FalleN’s” was ESL Pro League Season 6 in 2017. It wasn’t a surprise when he nearly hung up his gloves after the Rio Major 2022, but at 33, he’s still sniping on the tier-1 stage—a feat worthy of respect on its own.
At the same time, it's easy to see why some people label Gabriel as the most overrated pro CS player. The massive Brazilian fanbase backs their players unwaveringly, and “FalleN” is an icon for them. And that is where the main pitfalls are hidden — fans 'deep admiration for Toledo drives them to support and cheer for him, which pressures teams like Furia into signing him. However, an elite sniper should deliver more than just post a 1.01 rating with the most expensive weapon in the game. As it stands, both Furia and their fans seem to be trapped in a self-made predicament in this case.
