In a world of competitive Counter-Strike where there’s a new and up-and-coming pool of promising talents emerging onto the scene every year, you may end up forgetting about the more experienced figures and the ones who h laid out the foundation for our beloved game.

This article focuses on these particular individuals - Players who are beyond their peak, but players who clearly still have a lot to bring to the table when talking about individual firepower.

By looking at all the 28+ year-olds, we’ve found the ten highest-ranked veterans in CS:GO right now, which ended up showcasing a  hard-hitting Scandinavian trio at the very top.

Highest-rated 28+ players in 2022 | Against Top 30 

1. {cflag:DK} Fredrik “roeJ” Jørgensen (Fnatic) | 1.13 Rating / 83.5 ADR - 28 years

2. {cflag:NO} Joakim ”jkaem” Myrbostad (Apeks) | 1.12 Rating / 81.7 ADR – 28 years

3. {cflag:NO} Håvard “rain” Nygaard (FaZe) | 1.09 Rating / 79.9 ADR – 28 years

4. {cflag:BR} Fernando “fer” Alvarenga (Imperial) | 1.08 Rating / 78.7 ADR – 30 years

5. {cflag:DK} Peter “dupreeh” Rasmussen (Vitality) | 1.04 Rating / 71.2 ADR – 29 years

6. {cflag:BR} Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo (Imperial) | 1.02 Rating / 67.5 ADR – 31 years

7. {cflag:SE} Freddy “KRIMZ” Johansson (Fnatic) | 1.02 Rating / 73.5 ADR – 28 years

8. {cflag:SE} Patrick “f0rest” Lindberg (No team) | 1.00 Rating / 72.2 ADR – 34 years

9. {cflag:SE} Jonas “Lekr0” Olofsson (No team) | 0.99 Rating / 73.0 ADR – 29 years

10. {cflag:DK} Thomas “birdfromsky” Due-Frederiksen | 0.97 Rating / 73.7 ADR – 29 years

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roeJ has been Fnatic's highest-rated player since his arrival back in June this year

At first sight, it may come as a surprise that the list only features players from Brazil (FalleN, fer) and Scandinavian countries such as Norway (rain, jkaem), Sweden (f0rest, KRIMZ, Lekr0), and Denmark (roeJ, dupreeh, birdfromsky).

However, these two region/countries are also some of the cornerstones of Counter-Strike having both played a huge role throughout the entire history of the game - also before the birth of CS:GO, with many of the above-mentioned players being former Counter-Strike 1.6 superstars. 

You can also check out our article on the best teenagers in CS:GO right now. Find it down below. 

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roeJ

jkaem

rain

f0rest

dupreeh

FalleN

Lekr0

birdfromsky

KRIMZ

Can they do it again? Copenhagen Flames has been a fairytale story with their two impressive runs at PGL Stockholm and Antwerp, where the Danish underdogs made it all the way to the playoffs at the latest Major in Belgium. Since then the team has been picked apart by the likes of Heroic and Fnatic, while in-game leader Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen is the favorite to take over the reigns at G2. But can the Flames manage to gather another team and take them to the top?

CEO and co-owner of Copenhagen Flames, Steffen Thomsen finds himself in familiar territory, where a new roster has to be put together from scratch. But unlike before, the starting point is not anything near zero.

“We are at another place than before. Our success in the past year has elevated us to a new place both in terms of economy and reputation”.

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The signing of Iulian "regali" Harjău underlines the statement.

“We have found a player, that we believe we can turn into a superstar,” Steffen Thomsen explains and calls the transfer “the perhaps biggest in the history of Copenhagen Flames”.

With the addition of Rasmus "raalz" Steensborg, Thomas "birdfromsky" Due Frederiksen, Johannes "b0RUP" Borup, and Thomas "TMB" Bundsbæk, the experience of the roster is definitely far beyond any previous Copenhagen Flames lineups.

Professionalization on and off the server

Version 3 of Copenhagen Flames will also mark the beginning of a new era for the Organization. Money will be invested into creating the perfect setup for the team to succeed in the future.

“We will make sure, that all the players have the right plan made for them to be able to perform the best way possible. We will also have a bigger focus on data, and how we can utilize this. We will also look to improve our tech department, where we aim to be among the best.”

There will also be changes in the coaching staff. Daniel "Vorborg" Vorborg switched to Evil Geniuses earlier this summer, and while Steffen Thomsen initially thought, that he would take over the position as head coach, he quickly felt it necessary to find a replacement.

“We have signed Benjamin "Cube" Stabell from Fnatic Rising as a coach for the team. He is one of the most exciting prospects on the Danish coaching scene, so we see this as a very good solution”.

With the improved setup and the promising lineup in mind, the expectations from the management of Copenhagen Flames could be sky high. But like in the past, Steffen Thomsen and the rest of Copenhagen Flames have patience with the project.

“We don’t have any deadlines of when the team is supposed to peak. We hope to qualify for IEM Rio, but it might be a little bit too soon. In general, the most important thing is, that we work according to the plan that we made.”

{cflag:DK} Thomas "birdfromsky" Due Frederiksen

regali

raalz

b0RUP

Copenhagen Flames

After a year of great success, Copenhagen Flames is now ready to announce their new lineup for the future.

To replace the likes of roeJ, Jabbi, and nicoodoz, Copenhagen Flames has once again set their eyes on the Danish CS:GO scene. This time though with a little twist. As we here on Pley.gg could reveal yesterday, 19-year-old Iulian "regali" Harjău will also feature in the new lineup. The Romanian has lived in Denmark since 2015 and will be able to communicate with his new teammates in Danish.

Alongside him Rasmus "raalz" Steensborg, Thomas "birdfromsky" Due Frederiksen, Johannes "b0RUP" Borup, and Thomas "TMB" Bundsbæk were also announced as part of the new Copenhagen Flames project. Consistent for all of them is that they have gathered experience from other teams such as Sprout, Mad Lions, Heroic, and ECSTATIC before joining Copenhagen Flames.

Later today you can read an interview with CEO and co-owner of Copenhagen Flames Steffen Thomsen, who talks about the new lineup, and what version 3 of Copenhagen Flames will entail.

Whilst they currently rank as #36 in the world, the European roster of ECSTATIC is probably not a name you have heard many times. Whilst it is by no means a new organization, they have struggled to cement themselves as a tier-one roster. Seeking to change that fact, ECSTATIC have announced a new change to their active CS:GO roster after having benched the team's AWP'er "WolfY".

The 28-year-old IGL in Thomas "birdfromsky" Due-Frederiksen has earned his stripes after many years in the professional CS:GO scene. Almost four years the Dane spent with ECSTATIC after making his name known at Lyngby Vikings.

Now entering free agency, "birdfromsky" will have to look elsewhere to find a new place to call home. Whilst he isn't the youngest of players, the brainy IGL managed to secure an all-time-high ranking of #16 in the world in the early stages of 2022 and could be a valuable asset for any team looking for a new IGL. 

The current ECSTATIC line-up looks as follows: 

{cflag:US} Adam "WolfY" Andersson (benched) 

ECSTATIC

Bad News Eagles and ECSTATIC took to the server for a chance to go to the semi-final at Pinnacle Cup IV. On paper, the Eagles were the favorites but ECSTATIC proved themselves in a big way.

ECSTATIC took the opening pistol round of the Eagles' pick of Dust2. The fun didn't last long though, as BNE only allowed them to take three more rounds throughout the entire game. It was almost not surprising that ECSTATIC only managed to take four rounds, seeing as "juanflatroo" and "sinnopsyy" were absolutely devastating them.

The second map of Vertigo was somehow even more one-sided than Dust2, but this time it was ECSTATIC who did the damage. "birdfromsky" started out very hot, and was soon accompanied by star player "FASHR" who played lights-out throughout the entire game. Noone from the Eagles really found their usual high individual level, which resulted in one measly round at the end of the map.

After that devastating loss on Vertigo, "juanflatroo" was once again ready to take the heads off of the ECSTATIC players. He led them to a 6-1 T side start, but suddenly they had their momentum broken by back-to-back aces, first from "XELLOW" and then from "FASHR". ECSTATIC pulled some rounds back before the break but were definitely not happy as they were down by one round at halftime.

After being down at the half, ECSTATIC pulled a rabbit out of the hat and started the second half with a six-round streak. They kept up the good play and by way of some great calls and "FASHR" doing what he does best, ECSTATIC took down the Eagles while only allowing them 4 CT rounds.

Bad News Eagles - ECSTATIC 1-2 | Pinnacle Cup IV

16-4 (Dust2) | {cflag:XK} juanflatroo - 1.90 Rating / 23-9 K-D / 121.3 ADR

1-16 (Vertigo) | {cflag:NL} FASHR - 2.11 Rating / 22-8 K-D / 139.6 ADR

12-16 (Ancient) | {cflag:NL} FASHR - 1.73 Rating / 33-18 K-D / 117.6 ADR

MVP: {cflag:NL} Dion "FASHR" Derksen - 1.54 Rating / 68-40 K-D / 104.9 ADR

juanflatroo

sinnopsyy

FASHR

XELLOW

Bad News Eagles

Entropiq had the first pick of maps, and with it, they chose Overpass where they would start on the T-side. It started out well for Entropiq who were able to take the first two rounds. The rest of the half was a convincing display from ECSTATIC who were able to take ten rounds in the first half, by way of multiple great retakes and amazing reads that forced Entropiq to save. And if they had none of those there was always "FASHR" who had a great CT-side performance and almost single-handedly won several rounds.

The second half turned things up and down. The CIS-squad was now on the more comfortable CT-side, and they took a dominating nine rounds in a row to start the half, two of which featured two huge quad-kills from "Krad". ECSTATIC were finally able to break the Entropiq's hot streak after removing star AWP'er "El1an" early on. The ECSTATIC side were not allowed more than that, and Entropiq took map one of Overpass at 16-11.

With their map pick, Ecstatic chose Vertigo, the same pick they made when the teams played against each other on day one of the tournament. Back then Entropiq took the win in double overtime, but that did not deter “birdfromsky” and his team.

Ecstatic started the out dominating on the T-side, taking a fast 6-0 lead. Entropiq were able to answer back taking four of the next five rounds, looking to at least go positive on their CT-side, but a well-coordinated Ecstatic team made sure that did not happen. The halftime score was 10-5 in favor of Ecstatic.

ECSTATIC continued their dominance on the CT-side, showing why they picked this map, even though they lost it the last time. Entropiq only managed to win one round in the second half, and the well-oiled Vertigo-machine of ECSTATIC took the victory at 16-6.

The map left over as the decider was Ancient, and after a knife-round win ECSTATIC chose to start on the CT-side.

The map started out very gritty with the teams trading close rounds back and forth. Entropiq carried by consistently great entries from “Lack1”, and ECSTATIC led by crazy plays from IGL “birdfromsky”. The Danish org. were able to break the economy of Entropiq halfway through the first half and strung together seven rounds in a row to take a 10-2 lead. Entropiq were able to take one more round but had to go to halftime with a disappointing 12-3 scoreline.

It looked like ECSTATIC would close it out fast as they went up 14-3, but that is when Entropiq woke up. Led by magnificent holds from “Lack1” and great reads from “NickelBack”, Entropiq were able to come all the way back and pull the game into overtime.

Entropiq were able to complete the comeback, and took the win in overtime at 19-17, thus eliminating ECSTATIC from Funspark ULTI 2021 Finals.

Ecstatic - Entropiq (1-2) | Funspark ULTI Finals

11-16 (Overpass) | {cflag:KZ} Lack1 - 1.24 Rating / 17-16 K-D / 78.2 ADR

16-6 (Vertigo) | {cflag:NL} FASHR - 1.55 Rating / 21-15 K-D / 103.3 ADR

17-19 (Ancient) | {cflag:KZ} Lack1 - 1.77 Rating / 42-26 K-D / 120.6 ADR

MVP: {cflag:KZ} Viktor "Lack1" Boldyrev - 1.42 Rating / 74-59 K-D / 101.9 ADR

El1an

Krad

Lack1

Entropiq

2021 has been a year of transfers on the Lyngby Vikings roster. With the new additions to the squad a total of ten players have represented the Organization this year.

Yesterday three new Danish players were announced to join the active roster, and today the Organization has released their three foreign players.

Out: {cflag:NL} FASHR, {cflag:IL} anarkez, {cflag:SE} hns

The three Danes join Thomas "birdfromsky" Due Frederiksen and Rasmus 'raalz' Steensborg on the new all Danish roster.

	30 days	90 days
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birdfromsky

Player stats

Articles mentioning birdfromsky

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Copenhagen Flames announce new roster

birdfromsky leaves the ECSTATIC nest

ECSTATIC get past the Bad News Eagles in Pinnacle Cup IV!

Entropiq completes comeback and eliminates ECSTATIC

Danish Vikings release three international players

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