Looking back at how s1mple became the supreme in 2018: a lone hero helped NAVI conquer the world

The 2024 HLTV TOP 20 is about to kick off, and fans are very curious about who will win the title of the strongest professional player of the year. This title is hard-earned, and s1mple is the best proof of it. Do you still remember how he overcame difficulties in 2018, squeezed out the popular device, and became the elite among the elites at that time?

2018 was his peak year, but for the newbies who just joined the CS circle, s1mple's record was unknown. He won the second annual TOP 1 title in his career and led the NAVI team to win the Major event. Where did this player rise from? We must first talk about the situation of the NAVI team in 2017. In the PGL Major competition that year, Zeus led the team to the finals, while NAVI was frustrated and was eliminated in the group stage.

In the depressed NAVI, it still shines

However, s1mple became the MVP player of the tournament with his outstanding performance. In the three games he lost, he killed more than 30 people by himself. He seemed brilliant on the surface, but who could understand the bitterness of fighting alone? This feeling of leading the team can make people breathless, not to mention that the team lost and the atmosphere was tense, so s1mple was under even more pressure.

Seeing the failure in the Major event, the team took quick action, reorganizing the lineup, removing GuardiaN and seized, until Zeus joined and took over as the commander, and then brought seized back, but ultimately lost due to his ability to adapt, and was replaced by electroNic.

The team's poor performance did not affect s1mple's performance. In 2018, he became a feared figure with his godly shooting skills, allowing the world and opponents to witness his courage to turn the tide. He was dubbed a lone hero, holding up the sky for NAVI, and was eventually selected as one of the TOP 8 players.