The Top Amateur AWPers In CS:GO
Those who choose the role as an AWPer must be patient but also extremely talented. The AWP holds significant damage along with a hefty price tag that could scare off most players. If you don’t shoot your shot it could easily be game over. All bolt-action rifles come with the risk of whiffing which can result in an embarrassing highlight. Some rounds are even dedicated to saving the AWP, which can put a lot of pressure on any amateur sniper in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Some players are always able to wield the powerful weapon on great lengths of pressure resulting in a future with top-tier teams. A lot of these players either roam ESEA at night playing pubs with their friends while others post their clips on social media in an attempt to turn heads.
CHAMPIONSHIP AWPERS
First off is North America’s very own Josh “PwnAlone” Pigue who plays for the New England Whalers. The seasoned pro has spent his competitive years with multiple teams under the role as an AWPer. Most recently his skills have become the centre of attention within A/S-Tier events alongside some of the best teams in North America. His 1.17 player rating doesn’t do him or his sniper skills justice, PwnAlone is a cinematic player whenever he competes for fame. Every time he makes the highlight reel, fans know the clip is a must-watch piece of professional CS:GO. PwnAlone is hands down one of the best amateur AWPers in North America and it’s starting to show.
Chaos Esports Club also has one of the best AWPers in North America, except this player goes by the name of Anthony "vanity" Malaspina. After joining Chaos EC at the beginning of 2020, vanity has proven his spot on the team with his skills as an AWPer. He most recently helped Chaos EC finish first at IEM Beijing after beating out Triumph for the win. In his final set, vanity had the best player rating which totalled to 1.30 along with the most overall damage done. On map one he got a 1v2 and proved he was a threat to all North American teams. As a player, vanity is constantly growing and developing new ways to play competitive CS:GO.
Next is the runner-up from IEM Beijing known as Paytyn "Junior" Johnson. Triumph became Junior’s debut team and allowed him to push boundaries as an amateur AWPer. He’s slayed his way from C to S-Tier events proving he can dominate in any stage of competitive CS:GO. His passion for AWPing was recognised during his time with Recon 5 before the team disbanded. Junior plowed through most of his opponents at IEM Beijing including a 1v2 and 1v4 in his first set against Team oNe. While they’re considered one of the best teams in ESEA, Junior didn’t let that get in the way of his nasty flicks from afar. Triumph made the right choice with acquiring Junior before the rest of North America sent him team contracts.
Click to enlargeOVERLOOKED LEGENDS
An underrated but highly skilled AWPer by the name of Justin “FaNg” Coackley has been putting numbers on the board for his debut team Rugratz. The Canadian AWPer has spent the past two years patiently waiting for a team to recognise him as a worthy pickup. Even though Rugratz isn’t one of the best amateur teams in North America, they still manage to stand their ground in most C-Tier events. At IEM Beijing, FaNg pulled through against the NE Whalers with the most kills, entry frags, and best overall player rating. His talents often go unnoticed but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the best to touch an AWP in amateur CS:GO.
The young star, that AWPs for RBG Esports, has a reputation of hitting round winning shots and goes by Jerric “wiz” Jiang. He just finished his run in the ESEA Mountain Dew League and helped his team finish in eighth-place. Even though that’s not an ideal placement after months of practice, wiz is a relatively young player but does great things with the AWP. RBG became the breakout team that wanted wiz to shine outside of pubs and small monthly challengers. He’s beaten teams like Viero.pro, Third Impact, and even Mythic. As an AWPer, wiz is calm yet focused when he needs to be and has a great understanding of rotations. Hopefully he can carry his team to a top three finish and move onto B-Tier events in the following year.
The AWP has become one of the most well known weapons in both casual and competitive CS:GO. It’s a weapon that can bring great power or even frustration to any player that picks it up. Only certain players are capable of managing their skills as an AWPer and it often shows. All teams require dedicated AWPers for multiple reasons, sometimes players are even lucky enough to show off their skills under funded teams. When it comes to the AWP, practice makes perfect.
Images via Valve