De bedste danske CS2-spillere nogensinde

Denmark has remained one of the leading countries in the world of Counter-Strike for many years. In this article, we recall the most renowned Danish players who have influenced the scene’s development, as well as the new generation of talents that continues to strengthen the country’s position on the global stage.

acoR

Frederik “acoR” Gyldstrand — born June 24, 1997. He began his professional path in 2015 by joining Infernal Gamerz, where he stayed for just two months. After that he played for several other teams but did not secure major trophies.

In 2019 he joined Tricked Esport, achieving:

• Good Game League 2019 — 2nd place
• DreamHack Open Winter 2019 — 2nd place
• V4 Future Sports Festival — Budapest 2019 — 1st place

His next successful team was MAD Lions, with whom he won Flashpoint Season 1 and its $500,000 prize. In 2021 he joined mousesports, winning Snow Sweet Snow #3 and Flashpoint Season 3.

With GamerLegion, where he played from September 2022 to April 2024, acoR and company took a sensational 2nd place at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023, losing 0–2 to Team Vitality. Over the years acoR has delivered steady, if not headline-making, results and can be considered one of the best Danish players. Over his career he has earned more than $320,000.

b0RUP

Johannes “b0RUP” Borup — born September 29, 1999. He entered the professional scene in 2015 with Team Refuse but had no major victories. His first significant win came with Tricked Esport at Good Game League 2019, where he spent a little over a year.

In 2019 he became an active player for Heroic, achieving:

• DreamHack Open Atlanta 2019 — 1st place
• EPICENTER 2019 — 3–4th place
• #HomeSweetHome: Week 5 — 1st place
• LOOT.BET/CS Season 6 — 1st place
• ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online — Europe — 1st place
• ESL Pro League Season 12: Europe — 1st place
• DreamHack Open Fall 2020 — 1st place

After successful years with Heroic, he played for MAD Lions and Copenhagen Flames without major titles. In 2023 he joined Astralis, taking bronze at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 and CS Asia Championships 2023. Despite numerous roster changes, b0RUP has shown solid play and achievements, with prize money exceeding $220,000.

blameF

Benjamin “blameF” Bremer — born June 10, 1997. He broke onto the big CS stage in 2018 with Epsilon eSports without major trophies. His first big achievements came with Complexity Gaming, where they won:

• BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals
• BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2021
• Spring Sweet Spring #3

From 2021 to 2024 he played for Astralis. Although he couldn’t replicate Astralis’ golden era, he and the team posted results such as:

• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2021 — 3rd place
• Pinnacle Cup Championship — 2nd place
• Intel Extreme Masters XVII — Cologne — 3–4th place
• Brazy Party — 2nd place
• Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 — 3–4th place
• CS Asia Championships 2023 — 3–4th place

In July 2024, after moving to fnatic, blameF won RES European Series #6. He shows confidence and perseverance, and his stints with prominent teams like Complexity and Astralis make him a highly experienced player with around $380,000 in prize earnings.

cadiaN

Casper “cadiaN” Møller — born June 26, 1995. A legendary Danish in-game leader who started his career in 2011, playing for teams such as mousesports, tRICKED eSport, Copenhagen Wolves, SK Gaming, and North, but his major success as a captain came with HEROIC.

With HEROIC, cadiaN won:

• DreamHack Open Atlanta 2019
• ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online — Europe
• ESL Pro League Season 13
• Pinnacle Cup Championship
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022
• BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023

At his debut PGL Major Stockholm 2021, the team placed 3–4th after a 1–2 loss to G2 Esports. At Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023, cadiaN led the team to the final, where they again faced G2 and lost 1–3.

With Astralis, which cadiaN joined in September 2024, the team took 3rd at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025. Although HEROIC never lifted a Major trophy under his leadership, his achievements make him one of the best and most talented Danish captains. Over his career he has earned just over $700,000.

dev1ce

Nicolai “dev1ce” Reedtz — born September 8, 1995. One of the most famous, decorated, and highest-earning Danish AWPers. He began his path back in 2009 with Copenhagen Wolves but without major victories.

The truly star-studded period of his career came with Astralis, who dominated from 2016 to 2019. During that time the team won:

• Esports Championship Series Season 2 — Finals
• ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017
• ELEAGUE Clash for Cash: The Rematch
• ESL Pro League Season 7 — Finals
• ELEAGUE Premier 2018
• FACEIT Major: London 2018
• Intel Grand Slam Season 1
• Intel Extreme Masters XIII — Katowice Major 2019
• StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
• BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019

In 2021 the star Astralis roster split up, and dev1ce joined Ninjas in Pyjamas for a little over a year without trophies before returning to Astralis. Over his stellar career he has earned over $2.16 million, making him not only one of the wealthiest Danish players but also globally. Additionally, he has been in HLTV’s Top 20 nine times (2014–2023).

es3tag

Patrick “es3tag” Hansen — born November 29, 1995. He began his professional career in 2015 with KappaKappa. From 2015 to 2017 he played for multiple teams without notable success. After joining Heroic in 2017, he and the team won:

• Games Clash Masters 2018
• TOYOTA Master CS:GO Bangkok 2018
• DreamHack Open Atlanta 2019

In 2020 he won ESL Pro League Season 12: Europe with Astralis, then joined Cloud9 without major trophies. From 2021 to 2023 he played for NiP, achieving:

• Intel Extreme Masters XVI — Winter — 2nd place
• ESL Pro League Season 15 — 3–4th place
• Global Esports Tour Dubai 2022 — 1st place
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022 — 3–4th place

Though he has no Major wins, es3tag ’s experience across many teams makes him a seasoned figure on the Danish CS scene. He has earned over $270,000.

gla1ve

Lukas “gla1ve” Rossander — born June 7, 1995. Another Danish player of Astralis’ “golden era.” An IGL who began his career in 2010 and played for many teams, he truly flourished at Astralis.

Under his leadership, Astralis delivered incredible results from 2016 to 2019. They won four Majors and a series of prestigious tournaments, and gla1ve ranked 8th on HLTV in 2018.

gla1ve can confidently be called one of the best IGLs of all time. Matching his success is extremely difficult, and he proved that Denmark is one of the most competitive scenes in Counter-Strike.

HooXi

Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen — born May 21, 1995. An experienced Danish IGL who started his professional career in 2015 with myXMG. From 2015 to 2022 he played for a number of teams without major trophies.

His first significant win came with Copenhagen Flames at PGL Major Antwerp 2022: European RMR B, earning $42,500. His real breakthrough was with G2 Esports, where he and the team achieved:

• ESL Pro League Season 16 — 3–4th place
• BLAST Premier: World Final 2022 — 1st place
• BLAST Premier: Spring Groups 2023 — 1–3rd place
• Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2023 — 1st place
• Gamers8 2023 — 3–4th place
• PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 — 3–4th place

In June 2025, HooXi joined Astralis as IGL. Although the team didn’t lift a big trophy, they still finished 2nd at PGL Astana 2025 and FISSURE Playground #1. These results make HooXi an accomplished Danish leader, showing a path from a regular player to a world-class IGL. His winnings amount to around $500,000.

jabbi

Jakob “jabbi” Nygaard — born July 23, 2003. The Danish rifler appeared on the professional scene in 2018 with GoldenGitte. Until 2022 he had no major victories. His first big achievement was 2nd place at Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 with HEROIC. In just over a year with the team, they achieved:

• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022 — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 — 2nd place
• BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 — 3–4th place
• BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023 — 1st place
• BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023 — 1–3rd place

In November 2023, jabbi moved to Astralis. While the team’s results were modest without big titles, they still placed:

• BLAST Premier: World Final 2024 — 3–4th place
• PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 — 3rd place
• PGL Astana 2025 — 2nd place
• FISSURE Playground #1 — 2nd place

Jabbi has proven himself one of the most promising Danish talents of the new generation. Despite his young age, he has already reached the finals of the biggest tournaments and left a mark with HEROIC and Astralis. If he keeps progressing at the same pace, he can become one of the key leaders of the Danish scene in the future.

k0nfig

Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke — born April 19, 1997. He began his path as a professional AWP player in 2015. With Team Dignitas they took 2nd at Global eSports Cup — Season 1 and won EPICENTER 2016.

He also had success with North, finishing 2nd at ESL Pro League Season 5 — Finals and DreamHack Masters Malmö 2017, and winning DreamHack Open Montreal 2017. In 2019 with OpTic Gaming he won DreamHack Open Summer 2019, then joined Complexity Gaming and won BLAST Premier: Spring 2020 European Finals in 2020. With Astralis he spent just under a year, finishing 3–4th at Intel Extreme Masters XVII — Cologne. Next came NiP, where they placed 3–4th at BLAST Premier: Fall Groups 2023.

k0nfig has extensive experience with well-known teams and has earned trophies at several major events. He remains a notable figure on the Danish and global CS scene, with prize money exceeding $530,000.

karrigan

Finn “karrigan” Andersen — born April 14, 1990. One of the best Danish IGLs, who started his career back in 2006. Over the years he has played for many teams, but achieved his greatest success with mousesports and FaZe Clan.

With mousesports he won:

• CS:GO Asia Championships 2019
• ESL Pro League Season 10 — Finals

With FaZe Clan he lifted trophies at:

• ELEAGUE Premier 2017
• Esports Championship Series Season 4 — Finals
• Intel Extreme Masters XVI — Katowice
• PGL Major Antwerp 2022
• Intel Extreme Masters XVII — Cologne
• Intel Grand Slam Season 4
• ESL Pro League Season 17
• CS Asia Championships 2023

karrigan also set a record by participating in the most Majors (20). His achievements make him one of the greatest captains in CS history, with total prize money of over $2.12 million.

Kjaerbye

Markus “Kjaerbye” Kjærbye — a Danish rifler and IGL best known for his performances with Astralis and North. Born April 27, 1997, he began his professional career in 2014. His biggest results came with those two teams.

With Astralis he won:

• Esports Championship Series Season 2 — Finals
• ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017
• Intel Extreme Masters XI — World Championship

He also finished 2nd at ELEAGUE Season 2 and ELEAGUE Premier 2017.

With North, his achievements were:

• DreamHack Open Tours 2018
• DreamHack Open Valencia 2018
• DreamHack Masters Stockholm 2018
• DreamHack Open Sevilla 2019

Kjaerbye made HLTV’s Top 20 twice — 16th in 2016 and 15th in 2017. His total prize money exceeds $620,000.

Magisk

Emil “Magisk” Reif — born March 5, 1998. He gained true fame with Astralis during the team’s 2018–2019 dominance. Together they won:

• ESL Pro League Season 7 — Finals
• ELEAGUE Premier 2018
• FACEIT Major: London 2018
• ESL Pro League Season 8 — Finals
• Intel Grand Slam Season 1
• Intel Extreme Masters XIII — Katowice Major 2019
• StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
• BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019

Magisk made HLTV’s Top 20 five times: 14th in 2016, 7th in 2018, 5th in 2019, 11th in 2020, and 17th in 2023. In 2023 he joined Team Vitality, winning BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 and Gamers8 2023. Later that year he moved to Team Falcons, though he did not achieve notable results with that lineup. His total prize money is over $2.05 million.

sjuush

Rasmus “sjuush” Beck — born January 3, 1999. He began his professional career in 2017 with Ambush E-Sport. His first major victory came with Tricked Esport at V4 Future Sports Festival — Budapest 2019, where the team earned $165,300. With MAD Lions, where he spent over two years, he won Flashpoint Season 1 and its $500,000 prize.

For more than four years (2021–2025) he was on HEROIC’s active roster. During that period the team participated in many events, including victories at:

• ESL Pro League Season 13
• Pinnacle Cup Championship
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022
• BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023

In January 2025 he joined NiP and, after a string of poor results, the team finished 2nd at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025 in September, losing 0–2 to NAVI in the final. sjuush is a strong example of how persistence and hard work pay off. His achievements are truly notable and make him a successful and well-known Danish player, with prize money totaling $750,000.

Snappi

Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer — June 9, 1990. Snappi appeared on the professional scene in 2008 with Playzone. Until 2016 he played for many teams without major victories.

His first trophy came at International Gaming League 2016 — Grand Finals with Heroic. Another win with this team was DreamHack Open Atlanta 2019. In 2021 he joined ENCE, where the biggest team success was 1st place at Intel Extreme Masters Dallas 2023. In his debut PGL Major Antwerp 2022, the team surprisingly exited with a 3–4th place, losing 0–2 to NAVI in the semifinals.

In 2025, with a refreshed roster after a series of setbacks, they won silver at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2025. Snappi has been on the professional scene for over 15 years and has proven his ability to adapt to new challenges. His winnings exceed $490,000, and his achievements and perseverance make him one of the best Danish players. He remains an important figure in global CS.

stavn

Martin “stavn” Lund — born March 26, 2002. He first appeared on the professional CS scene with walkover without notable results. His real breakthrough came with HEROIC, which he joined in April 2020.

With HEROIC, stavn spent a little over three years and achieved:

• ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online — Europe — 1st place
• ESL Pro League Season 13 — 1st place
• PGL Major Stockholm 2021 — 3–4th place
• Pinnacle Cup Championship — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 — 2nd place
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022 — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 — 2nd place
• BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023 — 1st place

In November 2023 he left HEROIC and joined Astralis. With Astralis, stavn failed to qualify for BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, but at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 the team placed 3rd and later 2nd at PGL Astana 2025. His time with HEROIC was the most profitable, bringing him over $530,000.

TeSeS

René “TeSeS” Madsen — born December 12, 2000. He began on the professional scene with local Danish lineups, but truly emerged for a wider audience after moving to HEROIC, where he, like stavn, spent five years. With this team, TeSeS achieved the same landmark results that cemented HEROIC as a world top side:

• ESL One: Cologne 2020 Online — Europe — 1st place
• ESL Pro League Season 13 — 1st place
• PGL Major Stockholm 2021 — 3–4th place
• Pinnacle Cup Championship — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Rio Major 2022 — 2nd place
• BLAST Premier: Fall Finals 2022 — 1st place
• Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2023 — 2nd place
• BLAST Premier: Spring Final 2023 — 1st place

At the start of 2025, TeSeS joined Team Falcons, where he has already achieved significant results: 2nd place at PGL Cluj-Napoca 2025 and his first big post-HEROIC victory — 1st place at PGL Bucharest 2025.

valde

Valdemar “valde” Vangså — born June 12, 1995, and began his professional career in 2016. His early steps didn’t bring notable results, but his real rise came after joining North, where he became one of the team’s leaders and achieved the biggest titles of his career. With North, valde achieved:

• DreamHack Masters Malmö 2017 — 2nd place
• DreamHack Open Montreal 2017 — 1st place
• ELEAGUE Premier 2017 — 3–4th place
• DreamHack Open Tours 2018 — 1st place
• DreamHack Open Valencia 2018 — 1st place
• DreamHack Masters Stockholm 2018 — 1st place
• Esports Championship Series Season 6 — Finals — 3–4th place
• GG.Bet Ice Challenge 2019 — 1st place

From 2019 to 2022 valde played for OG, where his best result was 2nd place at Flashpoint Season 2. Over his career, valde has earned just over $390,000, remembered by fans as one of the most stable Danish players of his generation.

Xyp9x

Andreas “Xyp9x” Højsleth — born September 11, 1995. One of the most famous and successful players not only of the Danish but also the global CS scene. He earned the nickname “Clutch Minister” thanks to countless clutches that repeatedly delivered victory in decisive moments. The brightest period of his career was with Astralis from 2016 to 2019, when the Danish team dominated internationally and set new standards of team play.

During that time, Xyp9x and Astralis won:

• Esports Championship Series Season 2 — Finals — 1st place
• ELEAGUE Major Atlanta 2017 — 1st place
• ELEAGUE Clash for Cash: The Rematch — 1st place
• ESL Pro League Season 7 — Finals — 1st place
• ELEAGUE Premier 2018 — 1st place
• FACEIT Major: London 2018 — 1st place
• Intel Grand Slam Season 1 — winners
• Intel Extreme Masters Katowice Major 2019 — 1st place
• StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 — 1st place
• BLAST Pro Series: Global Final 2019 — 1st place

Throughout his career, Xyp9x made HLTV’s Top 20 four times: 20th in 2013, 13th in 2017, 13th in 2018, and 14th in 2019.

In 2023 he officially ended his playing career and started a new chapter as an assistant coach at MOUZ. His achievements make him one of the best representatives of the Danish scene of all time, and over $2 million in prize money cements his status as one of the wealthiest players in Counter-Strike history.

zonic

Danny “zonic” Sørensen — born June 30, 1986. A legendary Danish coach, rightly considered one of the best in Counter-Strike. He took charge of Astralis in 2016 and over five years built a true era of dominance with the team. Under his leadership the team won all their key titles, including four Majors and the Intel Grand Slam, securing their status as the strongest team of the CS:GO era.

In 2022, zonic joined Team Vitality and in 2023 led them to a historic victory at BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 — the last CS:GO Major. These achievements make him a symbol of coaching excellence in CS, having won the biggest tournaments with two different generations of players and leaving a mark as one of the most successful coaches in the discipline’s history.

So who’s really the best?

Choosing just one is almost impossible. For some, the best will be dev1ce with his trophies and individual accolades; for others, it’s gla1ve or karrigan, who led their teams to the top through leadership. Astralis undeniably made history, dominating the global stage and setting standards for team play, but there are many other Danish players who achieved great results over the years. In the end, every fan decides for themselves who the best is — and that’s the beauty of Counter-Strike.