With the last world championship level tournament (the IEM VI World Championship) long gone, and even the medium-sized tournaments having died out, now feels like the appropriate time to take stock of the great teams in CS history. In this series I will count down the best five man, four man, three man, two man teams and single players in CS history in terms of prize money won.
In the second edition I'm presenting the top 50 quartets (four man units) in CS history, by prize money won.
The top 10:
1. $588,528 -
Pentagram/FX/AGAiN/ESC ( NEO, kuben, TaZ and loord)
This one really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, Na`Vi may have pipped them to the top of the five man line-up list but these four Poles have played together longer and won more than anyone else at the highest level of CS, and it's not close. This four man unit has been the core of both of the golden five line-ups, with LUq and pasha, winning multiple majors with each.
While other line-ups have adapted to suit the tempo of the time, bringing in skilled players or team-players as needed, this four man set-up has been the same, minus a small handful of events, for over six years. That they've managed to stay relevant and return to the top each time is a testament to the special chemistry this group has shown throughout their whole careers.
2. $383,111 -
fnatic 2006-2008 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and Archi)
This line-up is the one which made the fnatic name famous in CS history, grinding out a ridiculous amount of top three finishes across three whole years of play. They struggled to become champions in their first year, and then had to deal with a drop-off while adapting to the change of ins in place of Tentpole, but once they hit their best shape this foursome showed that consistently good teamplay and execution delivers a higher standard of results than simply ramming a line-up with stars and hoping for them to win games individually.
Not the best tactical team in CS history, or even close, and far from the most skilled, the speciality of this team was their excellent team-play, operating as one unit seemingly at all times.
3. $379,936 -
Na`Vi 2010-2012 ( markeloff, Edward, starix and Zeus)
These Ukrainians are the only line-up in the top 10 of this list which could actually have kept climbing, cut short by the end of competitive 1.6. Had they been able to continue for another year it seems certain they would have made it to second place, though first place would be quite a stretch. Obviously I could have picked any of the four of them, so it is no slight against ceh9 that I didn't include his name above.
What made this four man unit so good was how well they fit together, as though the line-up were designed by some mastermind of the game. Nobody could have known how well the different pieces would come together, but put them in their respective spots and the Na`Vi magic appeared. Even in the years when event wins weren't coming frequently this team have continued to play to a certain elite standard, never dropping out of the world's top five teams, and win incredible matches.
When one considers how frequently roster changes were made throughout the history of the CIS scene it is a credit to their understanding of the magic they possess that this team has never pulled the trigger on any potential changes. They haven't always won, since 2010, but they've always been an amazing CS team.
4. $290,977 - fnatic 2009-2010 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and GeT_RiGhT)
The key component this unit had was the ability to move people around in the roles they occupied in the team, and still find success as a result of it. With Gux in 2009 they put GeT_RiGhT and f0rest alongside the youngster to power them to monster wins, with cArn and dsn taking more support-based roles. Then, with Gux departed and THREAT acquired, we saw dsn make something of a return to being a second-star calibre player, behind f0rest and GeT_RiGhT. That was still good enough to get them into some finals and even win one over Na`Vi.
Bringing back Gux in late 2010 didn't work out as well as they'd hoped, but I get the feeling this is a unit that could have been placing top three at events for many years after, if they'd figured out how to stay together.
5. $283,294 -
NoA/mTw 2007-2009 ( Sunde, ave, zonic and MJE)
This is another line-up which survived a drastic change to their team, except this time it made them even better. With hpx as their AWPer the NoA team of 2007 were good enough to become championship level contenders, but would always lose the big match that mattered the most. When whiMp came in, the Danish team-play dynamo, it allowed them to shift Sunde into an aggressive pick-heavy AWPing position, and thus the 2008 era mTw unit was born.
What made this unit so great is that they had no central star, but almost every player in the line-up could have been the second or third best player on another top team in CS. With potential stars willing to sacrifice and play roles this Danish team was very versatile and dynamic, which allowed ave to display the full spectrum of tactics he had in his brilliant mind. Coupled with ave's anti-strats this unit became the most devastating tactical weapon CS had ever seen.
6. $260,369 -
mouz 2007-2010 ( cyx, 
gob b, Kapio and TIXO)
Here's another line-up, along with Na`Vi, that was cut short of its potential. With cyx's tragic death we'll never know how far up the list they could have gone, but as high as fourth seems pretty reasonable. It's also fitting that they come after the mTw core, since I think their strengths reside in similar areas. Again this is a core with players who could have been off playing in other teams as the stars of those line-ups, but instead they found roles which fit together to produce something much more impressive than the sum of their parts.
They weren't used tactically the same as mTw, rather flowing with gob b's spur-of-the-moment calls and reads, but the result was quite similar. The gore era line-up accomplished more than the roman one, but then again they didn't have as much time in the latter case. There was also that brief dalliance with cash in 2009.
7. $244,971 -
coL 2004-2006 ( fRoD, Storm, warden and tr1p)
Once this core got together they knew well enough to leave alone from meddling, though they did get their hands burned with a switch of exodus in for sunman in late 2005. This group knew how to win, something rare for a North American team, in as much as they did it as team, not a disparate group of individuals all out for themselves.
When their game was on this team could compete with any in the world, when their game was off they fell quite a way for a top team, but didn't waver and make drastic changes. fRoD may have been the star, but it was a lot more than just fRoD's efforts which made this the greatest NA CS team of all time, they had their personnel in just the right positions.
8. $212,290 - FX/AGAiN/ESC 2010-2012 ( NEO, kuben, loord and pasha)
This permutation of the second golden five first got their outing at WEM 2009, where TaZ was staying home, and would go on to have a legacy impressive in their own right, outside of the one built with LUq.
9. $204,431 - SK.swe 2003-2004 ( HeatoN, Potti, ahl and fisker)
This line-up seemingly made sense to everyone when it was put together. After SK's CPL Summer success in 2002 they'd ditched the two Norwegians, XeqtR and DarK, which proved to be a big mistake. Reeling to find a line-up which worked in the server they brought in fisker and ahl from 2easy/team9. Reuniting ahl with Potti and HeatoN was a no-brainer, here was a stable player who didn't need the spotlight and would compliment their star power games.
Early on in 2003 they had struggled to win events, not due to the talent but match-ups deep in tournaments. When they got elemeNt that all changed, the legendary 2003 began and the team was unstoppable. People perhaps forget how dominant this core was, going entire tournaments without a single map loss. The CS world was less developed in terms of how to put together a team, but this unit was ahead of the curve and in some ways the blueprint for how later teams would be assembled.
10. $152,079 - SK.swe 2007-2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and Tentpole)
When Tentpole and walle came over to joined former NiP team-mate RobbaN in SK it seemed like the logical fit, with SK just on their way back from the wilderness outside of the top two in Sweden. NiP had waned and it was time to bring the boys back together in the blue and white colours. That they got to use players like SpawN and zet, also former NiP players, throughout their time helps explain the success the line-up managed. This was a familiar mix of players who played well together and would have their breakout moments to win a tournament or place top two.
The big problem this unit had was existing in the time of other giants in CS, meaning they always had to play second or third fiddle to someone else. Even if they won a medium-sized event the majors always eluded them. In terms of skill this line-up was stacked for its time, they just never had the right chemistry or tactical approach to allow them to compete with the all-time great line-ups they were going against.
The entire top 50:
1. $588,528 - Pentagram/FX/AGAiN/ESC ( NEO, kuben, TaZ and loord)
2. $383,111 - fnatic 2006-2008 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and Archi)
3. $379,936 - Na`Vi 2010-2012 (markeloff, Edward, starix and Zeus)
4. $290,977 - fnatic 2009-2010 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and GeT_RiGhT)
5. $283,294 - NoA/mTw 2007-2009 ( Sunde, ave, zonic and MJE)
6. $260,369 - mouz 2007-2010 ( cyx, gob b, Kapio and TIXO)
7. $244,971 - coL 2004-2006 ( fRoD, Storm, warden and tr1p)
8. $212,290 - FX/AGAiN/ESC 2010-2012 ( NEO, kuben, loord and pasha)
9. $204,431 - SK.swe 2003-2004 ( HeatoN, Potti, ahl and fisker)
10. $152,079 - SK.swe 2007-2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and Tentpole)
11. $151,897 -
wNv.gm 2005-2006 ( Jungle, Sakula, tK and alex)
12. $139,471 - mTw 2010-2011 ( ave, zonic, minet and trace)
13. $138,436 - mousesports 2003-2005 ( Blizzard, neo, gore and Roman R.)
14. $129,924 -
project_kr/eSTRO 2006-2009 ( solo, termi, bail and hee)
15. $122,625 - SK.swe 2011+2012 ( f0rest, GeT_RiGhT, RobbaN and face)
16. $119,644 - SK.swe 2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and face)
17. $117,525 - 3D 2005-2006 ( Rambo, 
shaGuar, Volcano and method)
18. $109,232 - EG 2009-2010 (
lurppis, fRoD, n0thing and Storm)
19. $108,500 - NiP 2006 ( zet, ins, RobbaN and walle)
20. $104,801 - NoA 2006-2007 ( ave, Zonic, MJE and hpx)
21. $103,019 - hoorai/69n-28e/roccat/GamePlay ( lurppis, ruuit, naSu and contE)
22. $99,275 - 3D 2005-2006 ( Rambo, Volcano, Dominator and method)
23. $91,500 -
NoA 2004-2005 ( elemeNt, Naikon, shaGuar and method)
24. $85,861 - 9.esu 2003 ( vesslan, quick, Luchesse and luciano)
25. $84,750 - aTTaX 2007-2008 ( mooN, roman, paN and approx)
26. $82,518 - NoA 2004-2005 ( elemeNt, Naikon, XeqtR and method)
27. $82,255 -
MiBR 2006-2007 ( cogu, fnx, nak and bruno)
28. $79,000 - 3D 2002-2003 ( Rambo, Ksharp, Bullseye and moto)
29. $77,607 -
emuLate 2007-2009 ( mSx, R!Go-, MaT and HaRts)
30. $77,044 - WeMade FOX 2009-2010 ( solo, termi, glow and bail)
31. $71,155 - MiBR 2006-2008 ( cogu, fnx, nak and bit)
32. $68,881 - NiP 2001 ( HeatoN, Potti, Hyb and MedioN)
33. $68,435 -
Virtus.pro (LeX, ROMJkE, Edward and Zeus)
34. $65,048 - aTTaX 2007-2008 ( mooN, Roman R., paN and approx)
35. $62,922 - Virtus.pro 2004-2007+2011 ( LeX, F_1N, Snoop and Sally)
36. $59,952 - NiP 2005-2006 ( zet, ins, HeatoN and walle)
37. $59,780 - The-Titans 2004 ( eGene, Eraz, KK and Drally)
38. $57,907 - TyLoo 2009-2010 ( alex, GoodRifle, xf and KarL)
39. $55,250 - M19 2002 ( kALbI4, MadFan, Nook and Rider)
40. $55,022 - MYM.ru/M5 2010-2012 ( Dosia, Fox, ed1k and ROMJkE)
41. $53,300 - Begrip.se 2005 ( f0rest, Tentpole, RobbaN and IsKall)
42. $51,436 - Lions/WinFakt.se 2010-2012 ( THREAT, kHRYSTAL, FYRR73 and niko)
43. $50,201 - roccat/GamePlay 2008 +PwR 2009 ( ruuit, naSu, plastE and contE)
44. $50,000 - aTTaX 2006 ( mooN, roman, Kapio and CHEF-KOCH)
45. $49,649 - SK.swe 2007 ( SpawN, fisker, RobbaN and allen)
46. $47,755 - MiBR 2007-2011 ( bruno, fnx, nak and bit)
47. $47,398 - EYE 2004 ( vilden, Hyper, archie and GudeN)
48. $43,378 - lunatic-hai 2005 ( cliper, bebe, maL and enemy)
49. $43,500 - MiBR 2008 ( fnx, nak, bit and btt)
50. $40,000 - LnD 2001 ( steel, reek, Boromir and Simonak)
I will return with the top trios, in terms of prize money won, soon.
In the second edition I'm presenting the top 50 quartets (four man units) in CS history, by prize money won.
The top 10:
1. $588,528 -
Pentagram/FX/AGAiN/ESC ( NEO, kuben, TaZ and loord)This one really shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, Na`Vi may have pipped them to the top of the five man line-up list but these four Poles have played together longer and won more than anyone else at the highest level of CS, and it's not close. This four man unit has been the core of both of the golden five line-ups, with LUq and pasha, winning multiple majors with each.
While other line-ups have adapted to suit the tempo of the time, bringing in skilled players or team-players as needed, this four man set-up has been the same, minus a small handful of events, for over six years. That they've managed to stay relevant and return to the top each time is a testament to the special chemistry this group has shown throughout their whole careers.
2. $383,111 -
fnatic 2006-2008 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and Archi)This line-up is the one which made the fnatic name famous in CS history, grinding out a ridiculous amount of top three finishes across three whole years of play. They struggled to become champions in their first year, and then had to deal with a drop-off while adapting to the change of ins in place of Tentpole, but once they hit their best shape this foursome showed that consistently good teamplay and execution delivers a higher standard of results than simply ramming a line-up with stars and hoping for them to win games individually.
Not the best tactical team in CS history, or even close, and far from the most skilled, the speciality of this team was their excellent team-play, operating as one unit seemingly at all times.
3. $379,936 -
Na`Vi 2010-2012 ( markeloff, Edward, starix and Zeus)These Ukrainians are the only line-up in the top 10 of this list which could actually have kept climbing, cut short by the end of competitive 1.6. Had they been able to continue for another year it seems certain they would have made it to second place, though first place would be quite a stretch. Obviously I could have picked any of the four of them, so it is no slight against ceh9 that I didn't include his name above.
What made this four man unit so good was how well they fit together, as though the line-up were designed by some mastermind of the game. Nobody could have known how well the different pieces would come together, but put them in their respective spots and the Na`Vi magic appeared. Even in the years when event wins weren't coming frequently this team have continued to play to a certain elite standard, never dropping out of the world's top five teams, and win incredible matches.
When one considers how frequently roster changes were made throughout the history of the CIS scene it is a credit to their understanding of the magic they possess that this team has never pulled the trigger on any potential changes. They haven't always won, since 2010, but they've always been an amazing CS team.
4. $290,977 -
fnatic 2009-2010 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and GeT_RiGhT)The key component this unit had was the ability to move people around in the roles they occupied in the team, and still find success as a result of it. With Gux in 2009 they put GeT_RiGhT and f0rest alongside the youngster to power them to monster wins, with cArn and dsn taking more support-based roles. Then, with Gux departed and THREAT acquired, we saw dsn make something of a return to being a second-star calibre player, behind f0rest and GeT_RiGhT. That was still good enough to get them into some finals and even win one over Na`Vi.
Bringing back Gux in late 2010 didn't work out as well as they'd hoped, but I get the feeling this is a unit that could have been placing top three at events for many years after, if they'd figured out how to stay together.
5. $283,294 -
NoA/mTw 2007-2009 ( Sunde, ave, zonic and MJE)This is another line-up which survived a drastic change to their team, except this time it made them even better. With hpx as their AWPer the NoA team of 2007 were good enough to become championship level contenders, but would always lose the big match that mattered the most. When whiMp came in, the Danish team-play dynamo, it allowed them to shift Sunde into an aggressive pick-heavy AWPing position, and thus the 2008 era mTw unit was born.
What made this unit so great is that they had no central star, but almost every player in the line-up could have been the second or third best player on another top team in CS. With potential stars willing to sacrifice and play roles this Danish team was very versatile and dynamic, which allowed ave to display the full spectrum of tactics he had in his brilliant mind. Coupled with ave's anti-strats this unit became the most devastating tactical weapon CS had ever seen.
6. $260,369 -
mouz 2007-2010 ( cyx, gob b, Kapio and TIXO)Here's another line-up, along with Na`Vi, that was cut short of its potential. With cyx's tragic death we'll never know how far up the list they could have gone, but as high as fourth seems pretty reasonable. It's also fitting that they come after the mTw core, since I think their strengths reside in similar areas. Again this is a core with players who could have been off playing in other teams as the stars of those line-ups, but instead they found roles which fit together to produce something much more impressive than the sum of their parts.
They weren't used tactically the same as mTw, rather flowing with gob b's spur-of-the-moment calls and reads, but the result was quite similar. The gore era line-up accomplished more than the roman one, but then again they didn't have as much time in the latter case. There was also that brief dalliance with cash in 2009.
7. $244,971 -
coL 2004-2006 ( fRoD, Storm, warden and tr1p)Once this core got together they knew well enough to leave alone from meddling, though they did get their hands burned with a switch of exodus in for sunman in late 2005. This group knew how to win, something rare for a North American team, in as much as they did it as team, not a disparate group of individuals all out for themselves.
When their game was on this team could compete with any in the world, when their game was off they fell quite a way for a top team, but didn't waver and make drastic changes. fRoD may have been the star, but it was a lot more than just fRoD's efforts which made this the greatest NA CS team of all time, they had their personnel in just the right positions.
8. $212,290 -
FX/AGAiN/ESC 2010-2012 ( NEO, kuben, loord and pasha)This permutation of the second golden five first got their outing at WEM 2009, where TaZ was staying home, and would go on to have a legacy impressive in their own right, outside of the one built with LUq.
9. $204,431 -
SK.swe 2003-2004 ( HeatoN, Potti, ahl and fisker)This line-up seemingly made sense to everyone when it was put together. After SK's CPL Summer success in 2002 they'd ditched the two Norwegians, XeqtR and DarK, which proved to be a big mistake. Reeling to find a line-up which worked in the server they brought in fisker and ahl from 2easy/team9. Reuniting ahl with Potti and HeatoN was a no-brainer, here was a stable player who didn't need the spotlight and would compliment their star power games.
Early on in 2003 they had struggled to win events, not due to the talent but match-ups deep in tournaments. When they got elemeNt that all changed, the legendary 2003 began and the team was unstoppable. People perhaps forget how dominant this core was, going entire tournaments without a single map loss. The CS world was less developed in terms of how to put together a team, but this unit was ahead of the curve and in some ways the blueprint for how later teams would be assembled.
10. $152,079 -
SK.swe 2007-2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and Tentpole)When Tentpole and walle came over to joined former NiP team-mate RobbaN in SK it seemed like the logical fit, with SK just on their way back from the wilderness outside of the top two in Sweden. NiP had waned and it was time to bring the boys back together in the blue and white colours. That they got to use players like SpawN and zet, also former NiP players, throughout their time helps explain the success the line-up managed. This was a familiar mix of players who played well together and would have their breakout moments to win a tournament or place top two.
The big problem this unit had was existing in the time of other giants in CS, meaning they always had to play second or third fiddle to someone else. Even if they won a medium-sized event the majors always eluded them. In terms of skill this line-up was stacked for its time, they just never had the right chemistry or tactical approach to allow them to compete with the all-time great line-ups they were going against.
The entire top 50:
1. $588,528 -
Pentagram/FX/AGAiN/ESC ( NEO, kuben, TaZ and loord) 2. $383,111 -
fnatic 2006-2008 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and Archi)3. $379,936 - Na`Vi 2010-2012 (markeloff, Edward, starix and Zeus)
4. $290,977 -
fnatic 2009-2010 ( f0rest, cArn, dsn and GeT_RiGhT)5. $283,294 -
NoA/mTw 2007-2009 ( Sunde, ave, zonic and MJE)6. $260,369 -
mouz 2007-2010 ( cyx, gob b, Kapio and TIXO)7. $244,971 -
coL 2004-2006 ( fRoD, Storm, warden and tr1p)8. $212,290 -
FX/AGAiN/ESC 2010-2012 ( NEO, kuben, loord and pasha)9. $204,431 -
SK.swe 2003-2004 ( HeatoN, Potti, ahl and fisker)10. $152,079 -
SK.swe 2007-2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and Tentpole)11. $151,897 -
wNv.gm 2005-2006 ( Jungle, Sakula, tK and alex)12. $139,471 -
mTw 2010-2011 ( ave, zonic, minet and trace)13. $138,436 -
mousesports 2003-2005 ( Blizzard, neo, gore and Roman R.)14. $129,924 -
project_kr/eSTRO 2006-2009 ( solo, termi, bail and hee)15. $122,625 -
SK.swe 2011+2012 ( f0rest, GeT_RiGhT, RobbaN and face)16. $119,644 -
SK.swe 2009 ( walle, RobbaN, allen and face)17. $117,525 -
3D 2005-2006 ( Rambo, shaGuar, Volcano and method)18. $109,232 -
EG 2009-2010 ( lurppis, fRoD, n0thing and Storm)19. $108,500 -
NiP 2006 ( zet, ins, RobbaN and walle) 20. $104,801 -
NoA 2006-2007 ( ave, Zonic, MJE and hpx)21. $103,019 -
hoorai/69n-28e/roccat/GamePlay ( lurppis, ruuit, naSu and contE)22. $99,275 -
3D 2005-2006 ( Rambo, Volcano, Dominator and method)23. $91,500 -
NoA 2004-2005 ( elemeNt, Naikon, shaGuar and method)24. $85,861 -
9.esu 2003 ( vesslan, quick, Luchesse and luciano)25. $84,750 -
aTTaX 2007-2008 ( mooN, roman, paN and approx)26. $82,518 -
NoA 2004-2005 ( elemeNt, Naikon, XeqtR and method)27. $82,255 -
MiBR 2006-2007 ( cogu, fnx, nak and bruno)28. $79,000 -
3D 2002-2003 ( Rambo, Ksharp, Bullseye and moto)29. $77,607 -
emuLate 2007-2009 ( mSx, R!Go-, MaT and HaRts)30. $77,044 -
WeMade FOX 2009-2010 ( solo, termi, glow and bail)31. $71,155 -
MiBR 2006-2008 ( cogu, fnx, nak and bit)32. $68,881 -
NiP 2001 ( HeatoN, Potti, Hyb and MedioN)33. $68,435 -
Virtus.pro (LeX, ROMJkE, Edward and Zeus)34. $65,048 -
aTTaX 2007-2008 ( mooN, Roman R., paN and approx)35. $62,922 -
Virtus.pro 2004-2007+2011 ( LeX, F_1N, Snoop and Sally)36. $59,952 -
NiP 2005-2006 ( zet, ins, HeatoN and walle)37. $59,780 -
The-Titans 2004 ( eGene, Eraz, KK and Drally)38. $57,907 -
TyLoo 2009-2010 ( alex, GoodRifle, xf and KarL)39. $55,250 -
M19 2002 ( kALbI4, MadFan, Nook and Rider)40. $55,022 -
MYM.ru/M5 2010-2012 ( Dosia, Fox, ed1k and ROMJkE)41. $53,300 -
Begrip.se 2005 ( f0rest, Tentpole, RobbaN and IsKall)42. $51,436 -
Lions/WinFakt.se 2010-2012 ( THREAT, kHRYSTAL, FYRR73 and niko)43. $50,201 -
roccat/GamePlay 2008 +PwR 2009 ( ruuit, naSu, plastE and contE)44. $50,000 -
aTTaX 2006 ( mooN, roman, Kapio and CHEF-KOCH)45. $49,649 -
SK.swe 2007 ( SpawN, fisker, RobbaN and allen)46. $47,755 -
MiBR 2007-2011 ( bruno, fnx, nak and bit)47. $47,398 -
EYE 2004 ( vilden, Hyper, archie and GudeN)48. $43,378 -
lunatic-hai 2005 ( cliper, bebe, maL and enemy)49. $43,500 -
MiBR 2008 ( fnx, nak, bit and btt)50. $40,000 -
LnD 2001 ( steel, reek, Boromir and Simonak)I will return with the top trios, in terms of prize money won, soon.
