Talent predicts: Which upcomer will shine in the second half of 2024

So far in 2024, we’ve witnessed the rise of donk and m0NESY truly putting his name in the best player in the world conversation for the first time in his career.

Two incredibly young players, they represent the next generation of CS pros, but who will be joining them?

We asked the BLAST Premier talent to give their prediction on young players who will step up and shine in the second half of 2024.

Photo: Michal Konkol

The talent predictions

Anders

It’s hard to define "upcoming" but I'm giving this one to malbsMd, he's someone I've had my eye on for a long time now, and it's great to see him making waves.

Pimp

I'm super super excited to see malbsMd joining G2. He is an unpolished diamond who's now moving into a new tier of CS2. Adding on top of that he most likely will have to switch quite a lot of roles to fit within G2, the pressure is on.
He's an amazing player from a mechanical POV, no doubt about it, but there is so much more to being a great player. I'm excited to see if he got it, and I'm willing to bet he does.
Will he become a new star or just a fantastic role player? I’m not quite sure, but I'll put money on him being a great addition to G2.

Photo: Michal Konkol

TechGirl

I'm not brave enough to put my head on a chopping block and say there is one particular player who will shine, but I will say this: I think there are a few players who, if given the space they need to perform their roles, could really come into their own in the second half of 2024.
He's not the superstar and he's not the player that is going to get a huge amount of attention but I think br0 is a fantastic addition to Astralis and he really presents the selflessness needed for his role. He's had a few months to settle in now and if the other parts of the Astralis puzzle can come together I think he will be a core piece in ensuring that lineup's success.
In a similar vein if NAVI can find winning form in the second half of the year we'll hopefully see w0nderful grow in confidence on the AWP.
In a magical dream world, malbsMd alongside two of the best players in the world should, on paper, shine, but I think fans of the Guatemalan may be disappointed.

launders

m0NESY was the best player in the first season, I would bet he will be the best again, provided G2 can make semi-deep runs.

Photo: Stephanie Lindgren

Maniac

To nobody’s surprise donk will be looking to grab his first #1 HLTV player of the year unless G2's gamble pays off or ZywOo carries Vitality to meaningful trophies. As long as Spirit maintains deep runs at elite events donk will be the front runner of CS2.