TOP 20 PLAYERS OF 2022: YEKINDAR (15th Place)

Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinskis returns to the list of top players of the year according to 1xBet, making a difference for Team Liquid thanks to his outstanding impact and world-class performance as an entry fragger.

TOP 20 PLAYERS OF 2022: INTRODUCTION

YEKINDAR first appeared on the radar in 2017 when he made his debut on HLTV alongside his fellow countrymen from the Wolsung team.

He then moved around the CIS region for two and a half years, honing his skills and impressing with strong individual performances alongside players like the experienced veteran Dmitry “hooch” Bogdanov, whom he impressed during his time with the Latvian team, and players of his generation, such as Alexey “NickelBack” Trofimov and Alexey “El1an” Gusev.

The Latvian had to wait until 2020 to get his big break when he signed with Virtus.pro in May, replacing the departing Timur “buster” Tulepov. YEKINDAR was brought into a team that was in a period of stagnation, having finished last in four out of the last five LAN tournaments, and his presence helped rejuvenate the team’s form.

YEKINDAR’s invitation proved to be the right decision in the grand scheme of things; the team went from being on the brink of the top 30 at the time of his contract signing to being on the cusp of the top 10 by the end of the year. The newcomer had a clear impact, performing excellently during this transitional period, with an average rating of 1.15 for the year, contributing to first-place finishes for the international lineup in online tournaments like Flashpoint 2 and IEM New York CIS 2020 – a step up from his 1.11 rating during his 18 months with the pro100 team before his arrival.

Those interested in a deeper dive into YEKINDAR’s history and biography can do so through his article from the top 20 of 2021 on HLTV.

YEKINDAR’s breakout year came in 2021 when he sat in the green for all but one of his 13 tournament appearances and even secured EVP (Event’s Most Valuable Player) at cs_summit 7 – Virtus.pro’s only victory that year, as well as at ESL Pro League Season 13, IEM Katowice, and IEM Fall CIS.

YEKINDAR also didn’t falter during his Major debut in Stockholm, leading the team with a 1.09 rating throughout their 5-8th place run in the Valve-sponsored tournament, which was remarkable considering his relatively limited experience at such a prestigious event.

Strong performances throughout the year were also evident despite his sacrificial role as an entry fragger, which simply involves creating space, often at the expense of his own statistics. The Baltic sniper sat atop the rating with the highest percentage of opening kills per round (0.18) along with a 53% success rate. Given all his individual accolades, team statistics, and results, he was named the eighth-best player of 2021.

TournamentEvent	Team (place)	Rating 2.0 (in team)	ADR	KPR	DPR	Impact	KAST	Award
IEM Katowice	(5-6th)	1.04 (3rd, -1%)	75.1	0.67	0.69	1.16	67.5%
EPL S15	(17-20th)	1.07 (3rd, +4%)	76.9	0.70	0.69	1.14	68.4%
PGL Major	(12-14th)	1.05 (1st, +6%)	78.2	0.72	0.70	1.17	63.2%
IEM Cologne	(5-6th)	1.05 (4th, -2%)	75.7	0.67	0.68	1.19	67.7%
EPL S16	(2nd)	1.18 (1st, +15%)	88.6	0.77	0.73	1.50	66.5%	EVP
IEM Rio Major	(9-11th)	1.00 (3rd, +2%)	75.9	0.68	0.71	1.11	64.7%
BLAST Fall Final	(3-4th)	1.27 (1st, +17%)	87.5	0.81	0.69	1.63	70.1%	EVP
BLAST World Final	(2nd)	1.08 (2nd, +4%)	79.9	0.69	0.69	1.20	69.1%	EVP

ESL Challenger February opened Virtus.pro’s seasonal calendar. The international team, which held the fifth spot in the world rankings, returned from the break in excellent form and kicked off the new year on a high note.

Defeating 9z, Movistar Riders, and Complexity, the multinational lineup easily navigated through the eight-team tournament and demolished FURIA in a ruthless final, winning the event without dropping a single map.

YEKINDAR’s mastery in the server couldn’t be compared to what was seen in the tournament; the Latvian player achieved an incredible rating of 1.61 across six maps, 0.30 rating points higher than his closest competitor, more than enough to secure the top spot for his team and make a strong start to 2022.

Virtus.pro aimed to continue this form at IEM Katowice, the first major event of 2022, and everything seemed to be going according to plan for the international roster. They made it to the playoffs, defeating Copenhagen Flames and Ninjas in Pyjamas in the group stage. However, their attempt to go even further and secure a top-four finish ended quickly when the powerful Heroic easily defeated the international lineup 0-2, forcing YEKINDAR and company to start their time at Spodek Arena from the quarterfinals.

Virtus.pro’s defeat at the hands of the Danes continued in the $1,000,000 tournament’s elimination stage. The Russian-Kazakh-Latvian lineup exited the flagship event in 5-6th place after a 0-2 loss to G2, failing to recover after a grueling 3-2 defeat in the first map of the three-map series.

Although YEKINDAR was unshakable in Virtus.pro’s initial victories in the group stage, the Latvian player struggled when things got tough, ending two series against Heroic and G2 with a map rating of only 0.98. These disappointing entry fragger performances also highlighted a weakness in Virtus.pro’s game – the team often had difficulties securing wins when YEKINDAR wasn’t performing, and they heavily relied on him.

Despite the two losses, YEKINDAR still enjoyed a successful start to the year as he finished Virtus.pro’s run through IEM Katowice with a 1.04 rating in the middle of the starting field, but compensated for it with a high impact rating of 1.16. Furthermore, his 1.61 rating from ESL Challenger February was still fresh in people’s memories, and a 5-6th place finish in the first major event of the year could not be considered a disappointment.

By the end of IEM Katowice, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a significant event that, like many industries worldwide, had an impact on the Counter-Strike circuit. Several key tournament organizers, notably ESL and BLAST, began distancing themselves from organizations associated with the Kremlin, and Virtus.pro found itself in the spotlight.

The five-man roster was forced to compete under the neutral name “Outsiders” thereafter, and YEKINDAR was already aware of the potential consequences of the conflict a week after it began, stating in early March, “if there are any regulations or restrictions related to the arrival of my teammates from Russia to tournaments, visa issues, or rules from the organizers themselves, it is quite likely that some changes will be made.

Despite the uncertainty, Outsiders embarked on the ESL Pro League Season 15 competitions, but their performance suddenly came to an end. During their stay in Germany, the international team achieved only two victories, defeating FaZe (2-0) and Sprout (2-1), and suffered defeats at the hands of FURIA, ENCE, and Vitality, exiting the tournament in 17-20th place.

Despite the early exit, YEKINDAR showcased impressive results, landing in the green zone in four out of six primary categories and earning a decent rating of 1.07, as well as a higher impact rating of 1.14 and ADR of 76.9. The turbulent world situation was an evident factor behind the team’s lower performance, somewhat dispelling people’s concerns about the lineup’s recent underperformance in the last two events.

The next stop on the uncertain team’s calendar was perhaps one of the most crucial events in their schedule – the PGL Antwerp Major RMR, where a ticket to one of Valve’s two sponsored events this year was up for grabs. The path to Major qualification was far from easy, and the multinational team found themselves on the brink of elimination by the end of the second day of the tournament with a 1-2 record after losses to BIG (8-16) and MOUZ (12-16).

Outsiders held onto their Major dreams by a thread, securing victories against Dignitas and SAW with minimal margins to secure a spot in the $1,000,000 Major tournament.

YEKINDAR had low numbers in the final series against the Portuguese collective, but he was a key cog in the Outsiders machine for most of the Major qualification tournament. His team-leading rating of 1.11 and an impressive 84.4 ADR were critical in keeping the CIS team’s chances alive when elimination from the Major cycle was a real possibility.

The May Major PGL Antwerp marked YEKINDAR’s last appearance with Outsiders, confirming reports circulating for several weeks before the tournament that his days with the team were numbered. Nonetheless, things initially looked promising: a 3-1 victory in the Challengers Stage sharply contrasted with their shaky campaign in the RMR just a month earlier.

This confident form in the initial stage, where the Latvian fragger once again led his team with a superb 1.18 rating, soon faded as they reached the 16-team final stage; the team with a neutral name exited the tournament in 12-14th place, with only one victory against Vitality. It was a victory hard to write home about, considering the fact that the Franco-Danish lineup was far from reaching its peak after the international reshuffle.

YEKINDAR’s performance met high standards even in the face of an uncertain future for the team. He was the only real standout player in the team, earning a 1.05 rating, the highest on the team.

Although he noticeably lagged in terms of KAST (63.2%) and was more prone to death (0.70 DPR), he compensated for these shortcomings with ADR (78.2), KPR (0.72), and a strong impact rating (1.17). Shortly after the team’s exit from the Major, he was moved to the inactive roster, putting an end to his two-year career as a rifler.

“VP [Virtus.pro] was my first top-tier team. Jame and Buster gave me a lot of in-depth knowledge about CS, which made me the player I am today, so of course, it was sad to in some way betray them by leaving. But we all ended on a good note and remain friends to this day. Everyone understood my decision.”

YEKINDAR didn’t stay on the sidelines for long, rejoining the action in June when Liquid came knocking as they were looking for a replacement for Richard “shox” Papillon, who had recently moved to the bench after finding the balance between life in North America and Europe too challenging.

The Latvian rifler was hired just in time for IEM Cologne, and the team immediately exceeded all expectations. After an initial loss to Spirit, they bounced back, navigating through the lower bracket, defeating 00NATION, Cloud9, and FURIA on their way to a prestigious LANXESS Arena appearance.

“In Liquid, I saw the opportunity to create my own character, come into a team with ideas, and improve in these aspects. At this point in my career, I value this much more. And, of course, communicating with Liquid, I felt how professionally and warmly they treated me.”

Liquid’s time in the Counter-Strike cathedral was short-lived: the team suffered a defeat against Movistar Riders with a score of 1:2 and exited the Big Event in 5-6th place, but YEKINDAR’s impact was felt far and wide.

Damian “daps” Steele, the new head coach, praised his new import at LAN in Germany for what he brought to the previously young roster and laid the foundation for a potential long-term partnership between the two sides.

Furthermore, Liquid had a strong campaign at the event even without YEKINDAR, showcasing outstanding stats: his 1.05 rating ranked fourth in the quintet, and he was only surpassed by in-game leader Nick “nitr0” Cannella.

YEKINDAR truly came into his own in a Liquid jersey at the team’s next event, BLAST Premier Fall Groups, after resuming play following a break from competition. The Latvian clearly thrived under the pressure, considering his substitute status, and it proved to be a key factor that helped Liquid successfully, albeit somewhat laboriously, navigate the group stage in Copenhagen.

They advanced to the knockout stage’s second round after hard-fought victories over G2 (16-12) and compatriots from Complexity (16-14), then were outclassed by Natus Vincere (4-16).

Liquid’s quest to secure a spot in the tournament’s Fall Finals took another step forward when they scored another hard-fought win against Ninjas in Pyjamas (2-0) and then convincingly defeated Heroic (2-0), claiming 1-3rd place overall.

YEKINDAR was especially deadly throughout the event, only his second appearance with Liquid, posting an incredible 1.32 rating across nine played maps – second-largest rating at the event after Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, and also positive in ADR (93.3), KAST (76.2%), and impact (1.39).

“The transition went fairly smoothly; language wasn’t an issue, and when I arrived, I just felt the respect my teammates had for me, which allowed me to bring in some ideas and be on the same page with them.”

“As it’s my first move to a top-level team, it was great to learn about the personalities and characters of such great players and compare them in some way to my previous teammates, but, of course, you come to the conclusion that all players in this world are different, and you can learn a lot from these differences.”

The group stage of ESL Pro League Season 16 is soon approaching for Liquid, and the North American roster got the job done in the first week of the event. With victories over Movistar Riders, Evil Geniuses, and, finally, Cloud9, they secured a spot in the playoffs with a 3-2 record, although two losses made the situation uncomfortably close.

Potentially benefiting from the lack of downtime between the group stage and the start of the knockout stage, Liquid calmly and collectedly navigated the playoffs, reaching the grand final after another victory over Cloud9, this time in a three-map series that had something for everyone.

Soon, Liquid faced off against Vitality in the grand final showdown. The series was absolutely uncompromising, and it took five maps to separate the two teams. At one point, Liquid even led 2:1 and was within touching distance of its first trophy since 2019.

Unfortunately, Vitality managed to snatch the victory when all was said and done, forcing the North American Squad to play a fifth map after winning in overtime on Overpass, and then, capitalizing on the momentum shift, clinched the final battlefield, Vertigo, with a score of 16-11.

“Obviously, the advantage was that opposing teams didn’t know how we played, and a tremendous amount of work and theorizing [helped Liquid succeed]. The honeymoon phase allowed us to believe in success and find motivation to give our all, and now these results of the half-year will give us even more motivation.”

It was a tough loss for Liquid, who were on an upward trajectory after YEKINDAR’s arrival, and the trophy was just a few rounds away from becoming theirs. Despite the defeat, YEKINDAR earned his first EVP of the year, with his performance in the grand final being particularly noteworthy.

He often kept his team alive when they faced adversity and finished the game with 116 kills and a 1.14 rating. YEKINDAR was also in championship-level form for most of the tournament, which was a significant advantage for the North Americans, and he ended the tournament in Malta with a 1.18 rating and an exceptional 1.50 impact rating. His only below-average statistic was DPR, which was 0.70.

By November, all eyes were on the Major in Brazil, and the $1,250,000 prize pool event had been discussed for months as it was the first event sponsored by Valve to be held outside of Europe or North America.

Liquid arrived at the tournament as one of the favorites after finishing second in ESL Pro League Season 16, and they benefited from securing a spot in the Legends Stage after topping the regional Major Ranking event a month earlier. However, at the start of the Brazilian Major, everything went terribly wrong, and Liquid found themselves in a tough spot after a 2:16 loss to MOUZ.

The North Americans made a convincing comeback, securing much-needed victories over Sprout and Natus Vincere to get closer to a playoff spot, but disaster struck again: a 1:2 loss to Heroic and Spirit resulted in the team finishing in a less-than-ideal 9-11th place – a disappointing outcome after reaching the ESL Pro League finals just four weeks prior.

Things didn’t go any better for the new Latvian addition to the team, who earned just a 1.00 rating, his lowest on major events all year. Furthermore, his only above-average statistic was a 1.11 rating, while all other statistical data didn’t live up to his star form.

“[The modest performance at IEM Rio was] a combination of factors, I would say. We played very well in boot camp before the tournament, but we couldn’t apply that form to the tournament itself. There was a lack of standout performances, which led to some uncertainty in macro decisions.”

“We managed to gain a lot of experience in Rio. Understanding the right schedule, preparation, and in-game roles were key aspects that played a crucial role in us not going further, but it gave us a direction for improvement. As for my individual level, I wasn’t fully focused as I needed to be, and the loss of macro-game balance made me reflect and lose concentration.”

After the unsuccessful campaign at the Major, Liquid headed across the Atlantic to Denmark to participate in the BLAST Premier Fall Finals.

YEKINDAR’s strong performances allowed his team to advance from the group stage, with a 1.27 rating in the North American squad’s 2-0 win over G2 giving way to an even higher 1.25 rating against Natus Vincere – a coveted result proving that their victory over the Ukrainian team at the Major was no fluke. These outstanding performances against the world’s 13th and 3rd-ranked teams carried over into the playoffs, and the Latvian posted an even higher 1.30 rating in the semi-final against Heroic.

Luck didn’t favor Liquid despite YEKINDAR’s world-class form, and they suffered a 1-2 series defeat, with both losses on the map not being competitive (10-16, 19-17, 9-16). However, YEKINDAR returned home from the Danish tournament without empty hands and earned his second EVP of the year thanks to an impressive performance throughout the tournament, where he finished second with a rating of 1.27, just behind his compatriot Helvijs “broky” Saukants (1.29).

Liquid completed their Counter-Strike calendar at the BLAST World Final in Abu Dhabi. They secured a spot in the $1,000,000 prize pool tournament thanks to their position in the BLAST global rankings, and their first challenge came in the form of former outsiders YEKINDAR. In the first match against his former teammates, the Latvian rifler secured a victory, although he was significantly quieter in the game, earning a 0.99 rating and a 43-52 K-D score over three played maps.

YEKINDAR’s modest start carried over to Liquid’s second game against FaZe, where this time he had an average rating of 0.97, losing to the champions of PGL Antwerp Major with a score of 1:2. However, he woke up from his slumber at the beginning of the team’s playoff Journey. Liquid secured home victories with scores of 2:1 against Natus Vincere and OG, results made possible thanks to YEKINDAR’s ratings of 1.38 and 1.21 in the two elimination series.

“Of course, I felt some interest in that match [against Outsiders], I wanted to see how it feels to play against them now. But it’s important to understand that the game is not YEKINDAR-Outsiders, but Liquid-Outsiders, so you focus the same way as against any other team.”

Liquid faced G2 in their last official game of 2022, with the title of Big Event winner and the opportunity to end their three-year trophy drought at stake.

Despite YEKINDAR appearing rejuvenated after a relatively calm group stage, he was absent again in the decisive match; by the end of the best-of-three, he had a rating of 0.73, placing him at the bottom of the tournament leaderboard.

YEKINDAR’s inability to perform in crucial moments proved fatal to Liquid’s chances of winning the $1,000,000 tournament and ending the year with a silver trophy in their cabinet. Liquid settled for second place, concluding a year that showcased YEKINDAR as a world-class player, although not always consistent.

“The Rio Major gave me an understanding of where I need to go individually, but it’s still a long way ahead. Yes, I just wanted to play better, and I just want to improve and become better and better as a player, teammate, and person with each tournament.”

Why YEKINDAR Became the 15th Best Player of 2022?

YEKINDAR started the year well, albeit not impressively, with Virtus.pro and Outsiders, which alone wouldn’t have earned him a spot among the world’s best. Unfortunately, it was his move to Liquid that made him a true contender to return to the top 20 players of the year for the second year in a row. His performances as the team’s leader fueled his new team’s rocket fuel, helping them secure second place at ESL Pro League Season 16 and the BLAST Premier World Final, as well as reach the semi-finals at the BLAST Premier Fall Final.

“Winning a big tournament has always been not only mine but also our [Liquid’s] goal. And now we see that we are getting closer and closer, we will do everything to get the maximum from each tournament, and even if we don’t win, we will learn and prepare for the next one. That’s our mentality.”

Furthermore, by the end of the year, the Latvian became one of the most influential players in the world, finishing 2022 with an impressive impact rating of 1.30. His exceptional 1.14 rating against top-five teams and an unmatched 0.17 opening kills per round often provided Liquid with a constant flow of advantageous situations.

These performances were largely driven by YEKINDAR’s world-class accuracy in the game, where he had the highest headshot rate per round (0.43). He also demonstrated proficiency in kills per round (18.3%). His inclusion in the top 15 in this category was highly beneficial for his team as they capitalized on these advantageous situations 82.4% of the time.

On the other hand, YEKINDAR’s regular absence at Elite-level competitions, where he posted a subpar top-20 rating of 1.05, significantly contributed to him not securing a higher spot on the list. The Latvian also had one of the lowest Big Match ratings out of the entire top 20, placing just slightly above Valeri “b1t”.

YEKINDAR’s rating for 2022 was 1.05. His playstyle often put his teams in a situation where they would live or die by his sword. 24.3% of the rounds Liquid lost were when the Latvian died first, and they were only able to win 35.1% of rounds where YEKINDAR didn’t get any kills, which is the lowest among all players featured in this ranking.

“The brightest moment of 2022 was the EPL final, where we played for 8 hours or more, and I enjoyed every second of it. At that moment, I had a smile and fire in my soul, and these are the moments I play for.”

“The lowest point this year would be Rio or Antwerp, because of the placements and the overall feeling during the tournaments. I learned a lot from these competitions, and they gave me direction in understanding what needs improvement both individually and as a team.”

Bold Prediction from 1xBet

YEKINDAR mirrors Jame “Jame” Ali’s bold choice of predictions, also favoring Alexander “KaiR0N-” Anashkin, who was benched by “Aurora” back in November. The Russian youngster was part of the team that made it all the way to the IEM Road to Rio Europe RMR, where he posted the second-best result in the team (0.93), securing a 15-16th place finish in the Major qualifier.

In addition to that, the 18-year-old player made a name for himself during his short three-month stint with Spirit Academy, where he was the primary carry for the team that placed fourth in WePlay Academy League Season 3. The Russian youngster displayed a powerful rating of 1.22 over 15 maps played in the academy tournament, earning him a spot among the top five players of the competition.

Keep an eye on our top 20 players of 2022 ranking and check out the introductory article to learn more about how the players were selected.