Player of the year 2022 – SnuRk ranks the 20 best players in the scene

This article reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the rest of the admin team.

Here we go again! Another year has come to it’s end. During 2022 we saw two majors take place, and also some fun cups where Minicup held a really high level.

• 7 february-13 april: Winter Cup 2022.

• 13 june-12 august: Minicup.

• 12 september-11 december: Fall Cup 2022.

Just like last year I have gathered the data from these three cups to put together another yearly player ranking. To be on the list you must have played at least 300 rounds. Emphasis is on the stats, but seeing as we divided the teams more based on skill this year – the stats on it’s own can also be a bit decieving.

As per usual strong performances in important games and playoff is valued higher. The success your team has had also plays a big part, especially if you had a big impact in leading your team.

Different type of roles are also being taken into account, although support roles are not as clear in UO as in other titles.

Last but not least it also comes down to my own gut feeling and preferences of watching players in action.

But enough with the babble. Here comes the second season of CoD UO’s own yearly ranking. 

I give you the top 20 of 2022:

#20 MESSY, TcfC (NEW!)

• Total: 1.80 (#29).

• KPR: 0.73 (#32).

• KDR: 1.07 (#28).

”Oh boy. Hardest part must surely be who to leave behind. This year some of the strongest contestants that barely missed out on the top 20-list are Bassie, archiMedes and Windje. Statistically MESSY have Bassie behind him, archiMedes around the same level, and Windje above him this year. However none of them were voted into the allstar team, something MESSY was during Winter Cup 2022 (the first cup of the year). His impact was truly great and he brought an x-factor that helped his team win the title. What places MESSY this low on the list is however an inability to find that form again during the year. He barely played in minicup and only had a few games in Fall Cup, where his numbers significantly dropped”.

#19 kikiii, TMO (NEW!)

• Total: 1.96 (#16).

• KPR: 0.79 (#18).

• KDR: 1.17 (#16).

”Another player taking place in an allstar team this season. The TMO captain had an incredible first UO cup, both individually and as a team where they reached a 4th place, pressuring TcfC twice to a third map. kikiii was the consistent fragger in the team and showed a crisp mp44 being able to both be an aggressor and more passive type of player. We are very eager to see what else the pole got in store for us”.

#18 Gerlo, sugoii6/Dreamteam (NEW!)

• Total: 1.82 (#26).

• KPR: 0.77 (#20).

• KDR: 1.06 (#29).

”What would a ranking be without Gerlo in it? Last year he missed out but in 2022 it was an easy choice to put the dutchmen among the best 20 players. It started with a bit of a rebirth with sugoii6 where we saw glimpses of the old Gerlo putting up massive scores. Later during the year he strengthened Dreamteam and have been a key player to have them reach more success then ever before with a silver and bronze medal during the two last cups of the year. Fragging has never been a problem for Gerlo, but looking at the stats it’s the deaths that are hurting his scores”.

#17 dietchi, sugoii6/FRS (-14)

• Total: 1.87 (#23).

• KPR: 0.75 (#24).

• KDR: 1.12 (#22).

”Of the guys still in the top 20-list, dietchi is the guy taking the biggest hit dropping 14 spots compared to his #3 rank in 2021. The total stats also took a -0.25 hit. It is a New World for the belgian who have seen less activity this year. He sat out minicup and saw himself in slightly different roles in both sugoii6 and FRS. With a lot of fraggers around him I would say he more often then before was put in supportive positions, further away from the action. He also wasn’t unleashed in the same manner as previous year, although we all remember the furious battle between him and Don on germantown in Winter Cup where the two players had more kills individually then the rest of their teammates combined, for a long time of the game”.

#16 cartz, TcfC (-3)

• Total: 1.84 (#24).

• KPR: 0.69 (#44).

• KDR: 1.15 (#19).

”Just like Maximus Decimus Meridius I can hear cartz scream: ’Are you not entertained!?’. Last year I said that with more playtime we will certainly see cartz rise in the charts. Then he goes about to win two trophies, but still loses three spots in the ranking. Just like dietchi though he did drop his numbers this year (-0.17). And sure it’s a tough job finding frags having STVNO and L1mewax as teammates, but not even reaching top40 in kills per round impedes him. What puts cartz high in the list though is that he often have very strong performances when it really matters. He is also a key player to give TcfC balance in their team, and was the third hardest player to kill this year with 0.60 deaths per round”.

#15 skz, vrb/TMO (NEW!)

• Total: 2.11 (#10).

• KPR: 0.88 (#7).

• KDR: 1.23 (#12).

”Tricky to position the frenchmen that narrowly missed out on the list last year. It’s undeniable he has had a great year, the only problem is that most of the boosted stats comes from B-playoff games. The cup with TMO he was barely inside the 30 best ranked players, however the opponents were also on a different level. And it should also be noted that TMO’s results during the cup was above expectations. There is no denying that skz is one of the best rifle players and a very solid peeker. Just how good though we would likely need a full year in a tier 1-environment to judge”.

#14 RnDll, fraggedby (-3)

• Total: 1.99 (#15).

• KPR: 0.80 (#17).

• KDR: 1.20 (#15).

”A step back for RnDll this year. Minicup saw him as the best player statistically, but both majors have been lower numbers then we are used to. Fraggedby as a team have also somewhat stagnated around the 7-8th spot, despite having a consistent lineup with a lot of talent. It has also showed that when the going gets tough, RnDll have not get going. The difference between groupstage games and playoff games is a pretty nasty drop of -0.40 in total. Having that said, when fraggedby succeeds as a team it’s more or less always based on the slovakian putting up a strong game. The feeling is also that he could proove being a very strong individual if playing in an environment on a higher level”.

#13 Ace, FRS (-7)

• Total: 1.95 (#17).

• KPR: 0.80 (#16).

• KDR: 1.14 (#20).

”A full year in FRS have given the croatian a title in minicup and two more major silvers. Just like many other players his stats took a hit compared to last year (-0.38), but Ace have still been a consistent contributor for his team. Just like RnDll his playoff stats are also significantly lower then in the groupstage (-0.35), but worth mentioning is he was the only player with a positive score in his team in the latest Grand final that FRS lost to TcfC. Having played together with him for a full year it’s also easy to see he is finding his role more for every cup, in an already pretty frag-stacked lineup. The feeling is that 2023 could be a good year”.

#12 norberto, TcfC (+3)

• Total: 1.90 (#19).

• KPR: 0.75 (#26).

• KDR: 1.16 (#18).

”Possibly the most important role player during 2022. Since his arrival to TcfC the hungarian team have reached 4/4 major finals and won 3 of them. In my eyes he was the most important player in the Grand finals of Fall Cup a few weeks ago with especially an impressive lockdown on the axis side of Powcamp. A combination of good brains, sharp aim and smooth movement (not least when it comes to jumping) makes norbie a player any team would like to have in their lineup”.

#11 NESTLE, e9/unique (NEW!)

• Total: 2.12 (#9).

• KPR: 0.84 (#11).

• KDR: 1.28 (#8).

”I always had a soft spot for the polish wonderkid. It is an absolute opinion of mine that if NESTLE played consistently in a tier 1 team he could be ripping the scene. You can put literally any gun in his hands and he will be a top 5 fragger with it. But just as previous years his activity have been coming and going. Just like with a couple of players around this rank it’s hard to say just how accurate the placement is. What I know for sure though is that he was a machine in the playoff vs FRS in Fall Cup and singlehandedly stole a map with 42 kills in 36 rounds on Harbor and showing an absolute laser of a ppsh”.

#10 EPIXOR, Fast Evolution (+6)

• Total: 2.77 (#1).

• KPR: 1.07 (#1).

• KDR: 1.70 (#1).

”By far the best player statistically this year. No one is even close to him in any category. But it must be said that these stats are basically coming from playing purely against teams outside of top 8, even in groupstages you often see him miss the hardest games. Having that said it’s not every player that puts up a 55-19 scoreboard in 40 rounds during a B-final. It should also be taken into consideration that Fast Evolution during the year have improved from being a team finishing dead last every cup, to now be a consistant B-playoff winner. But higher then this I dont think we will see EPIXOR in the ranking unless Fevo starts reaching A-playoff or he joins a stronger team”.

#9 cubzyae, eGz (NEW!)

• Total: 2.33 (#5).

• KPR: 0.92 (#3).

• KDR: 1.42 (#5).

”Its been a quick rise in the charts for the belgian who has consistently put up topfragging performances for eGz. Sadly he hasn’t been gaming as consistently. Most of the cups see him fall back into inactivity, reportedly because of computer issues. Even though he suffers same issues there as NESTLE and Epixor, it’s worth mentioning that cubz have much more games against tier 1 or 2 opponents. But it must also be said he didn’t play in either of the major playoffs this year. So the stats are based on groupstages and minicup. The feeling though is that he, just like his numbers show, would be a very impactful player if he had the opportunity to play more. In the minicup, which was purely a playoff bracket, he was afterall #7 best player. So there is no denying his skill”.

#8 Hatcheriii, FRS (-3)

• Total: 2.33 (#4).

• KPR: 0.90 (#6).

• KDR: 1.44 (#4).

”Did Hatcheriii even play this year, you might ask yourself. He sure did. And not only that, he also was voted in the allstar team of Winter Cup. The expectations are always ridiculously high on this man and he needs no further introduction. But to claim a better spot in the ranking there had been a need for more participation in the cups. Hopefully 2023?”.

#7 coldiii, FRS (NEW!)

• Total: 2.53 (#2).

• KPR: 0.93 (#2).

• KDR: 1.60 (#2).

”The second best player statistically in all categories, but also someone who is difficult to place in the ranking. Being a backup player for most of the year in FRS he had a tough role. But if there is something the german machine have showed this year it’s consistent performances. On the highest of levels. The minicup is what is most memorable where FRS won it’s only title this year and coldiii was the unofficial MVP in my book. Calm, collected, smart, reliable are all words that comes to mind when describing him on the server. The kind of guy you don’t notice fragging a lot, but find at the top of the scoreboard game after game. What should also be mentioned is that he played 502 rounds this year despite a backup role in 2 out of 3 cups. That is the same amount of rounds cubzyae, EPIXOR and NESTLE played aswell. So it’s not about small sample size”.

#6 xratEd, sugoii6/FRS (+6)

• Total: 2.07 (#13).

• KPR: 0.83 (#13).

• KDR: 1.23 (#13).

”One of the biggest improvements of the year. The dane has gone from playing a slimmer role as mostly an entryfragger, to now be more of a combo-carry. It showed especially in sugoii6 where he found new heights and was for the first time voted as an allstar team-player. He then followed it up with another allstar-coin in the last major of the year. Inbetween he won the minicup, although statistically not reaching same levels as in both majors. Did put a lot of work into this year to improve, which gave results. He also played the most rounds of any player this year (1152). Especially with mp44 and BAR there are few people matching his level, on both the close and long distances. What’s also improved is his ability to solo-shutdown heated positions during pressure, but also be able to take a step back when needed and not always be aggressive to deal with a situation”.

#5 STVNO, TcfC (+4)

• Total: 2.04 (#14).

• KPR: 0.80 (#15).

• KDR: 1.23 (#14).

”When I joked about exceptional Nvidia skills in last years ranking I didn’t quite know how close it would hit to home in 2022. Fence that… I mean hence that… it’s been very transparent for everyone to see through that STVNO have played mosstly a clean game this year. Being a veteran of the game he didn’t need to tweak his playstyle a lot, only other things. Okej I’ll stop. On a serious note he had a very impactful year and plays a very important role in the biggest of games. His stats are basically the same regardless of groupstage or playoff. With the mp44 I think very few people can match him, especially with hipshots. On top of that he is steadily improving the rifle and is a deadly threat also on the russian maps”.

#4 KarmA, fatality/unique (NEW!)

• Total: 2.17 (#7).

• KPR: 0.90 (#5).

• KDR: 1.27 (#11).

”The rocket of the year. From being just outside top 20 last year to breaching top 5 now. Not a bad year for the croatian who one game after another have been the best or second best player of his teams. What stands out is his capabilities of fragging, regardless of map, team or gun. A very modern player in the sense that he can play flexible, moves around a lot on the maps and both use gamesense and aim. If there was a clock on how much a player was aiming down his sight while moving im fairly certain KarmA would be on top. Extremely careful in his peeking and is probably the most significant BAR-player with his style. What’s missing for higher placements is more team success. Compared to some other top ranked players he dont have as many crucial games where he could have showed what he got”.

#3 Don, Dreamteam (+1)

• Total: 2.11 (#11).

• KPR: 0.83 (#12).

• KDR: 1.27 (#10).

”Another great year for the deadliest rifler in the scene. A big improvement with sprays have been seen this year aswell. Also Dreamteam have positioned themselves as a true contender for the titles. Much thanks to Don’s fragging. When the dutch team reached the final of minicup he was their best player. He also held a really high level and was an allstar player in Winter Cup. Since this year saw more high stakes game be played for Dreamteam it also put more pressure on each individual and the stats seems more accurate and comparable to the likes of FRS and TcfC, but to reach the two top players of the year Don had needed both stronger team performances and even better individual showings”.

#2 TjEEEBi, FRS (+/- 0)

• Total: 2.09 (#12).

• KPR: 0.79 (#19).

• KDR: 1.30 (#7).

”History repeats itself in the top of the ranks. Compared to last year TjEEEBi did take a small hit in his stats, his KPR is exactly the same as last year but he has died more this year. Perhaps an effect of playing many tier 1 games, especially with the new format of the major cup. The fin was an allstar team-player in the first cup of the year, was splendid in minicup, but fell back in the last major where his playoff stats (1,63), although small sample size due to missing 2 out of 4 games, was unusually low. Nevertheless he got a minicup title and two major silvers to show from the year, while consistently being one of the most impactful players of FRS”.

#1 L1mewax, TcfC (+/- 0)

• Total: 2.45 (#3).

• KPR: 0.91 (#4).

• KDR: 1.54 (#3).

”Not gonna lie, this is one of the most impressive sniper games I have ever seen. It’s been a dominant year for L1mewax who defends his title as the best player in the scene. MVP in both majors that TcfC won. And in the minicup he still had the #3 best stats despite a dissapointing exit in lower bracket final. Averaging 2.45 for a full 12 months is ridiculously high and it’s only coldiii and EPIXOR, who played just half as much as L1mewax and a very different calibre of games, that can match those numbers. He also just gotten better during the year and the fact he went 253-162 on 265 rounds in Fall Cup playoffs (2.52 total) in the toughest of environments, with people barely noticing how dominant that was, is proof for how used people now are to see him on top. I guess the only challenge left for 2023 is to also become the best sniper 😉.

Last years ranking:

1. L1mewax.
2. TjEEEBi.
3. dietchi.
4. Don.
5. Hatcheriii.
6. Ace.
7. Bassie.
8. nanaaa.
9. STVNO.
10. archiMedes.
11. RnDll.
12. xratEd.
13. cartz.
14. banksy.
15. norberto.
16. EPIXOR.
17. M4giciaN.
18. marchello.
19. prm.
20. Anglhz.