We unveil the 10 nominees for the Best Slayer EMEA award category based on the votes of our esteemed judges. But who made the cut?
The Apex Awards are right around the corner! Today we are looking at EMEA's best Slayer. A Slayer is normally the initiator or aggressive player of the team. Typically playing movement Legends to enable pushes or to weave around fights. The criteria for the Slayer position includes skill level, performance in competitive and notoriety to name a few.
Nominations
Can "Taisheen" Öztürk
21-year old Can "Taisheen" Öztürk is the heart of the SCARZ Europe team, which is ironic given how many hearts he stops. Taisheen was awarded the Apex Predator award for Most Eliminations during the ALGS Championship EMEA and commands the respect of both his teammates and his peers.
Brynn Crompton "Brynn" Corbet
Brynn Crompton "Brynn" Corbet is a 19-year old British mouse & keyboard player who competed for Endeavour in ALGS Year 1. Endeavour went on to place 6th in the ALGS Championship EMEA, with Brynn finishing top 10 in the kill leaderboards for Day 3 of the highly contested group stage. Moving forward, Brynn will be representing Chinese organisation Invictus Gaming in the upcoming ALGS Year 2 Pro League, alongside his British Endeavour teammates Cameron "Noiises" Walker and Jamie "Blasts" Levine.
Rasmus "maydeelol" Zettergren
24-year old Rasmus "maydeelol" Zettergren cemented himself as one of Europe's finest talents of the future during the ALGS Year 1 while playing for the orgless Nessy. Although the team did not excel in the ALGS Championship finale, Maydeelol made his mark in the Summer and Winter Circuit Playoffs. In fact, the Swede is ranked #8th in EMEA in terms of ALGS Points across the whole of Year 1.
John "Hakis" Håkansson
Outside of being a phenomenal player, Swedish John "Hakis" Håkansson is also one of the figure-heads of the Apex Legends pro scene in Europe, fighting for change and improvements. In-game leader for Alliance, Hakis is one of the OGs of Apex Legends in EU and was a familiar face at the top of the kills leaderboards throughout ALGS Year 1.
Lev "taskmast33r" Grigoriev
Lev "taskmast33r" Grigoriev is a rather elusive player to the ALGS fanbase. Even his 'about us' section on his Twitch is completely blank, as is his Liquipedia photo slot. That said, the 22-year old Russian lets his play do the talking and while we may not know much about him, we know players should fear him. Taskmast33r is the 3rd most successful CIS player in Apex history and was part of Fire Beavers during ALGS Year 1, the team that came out of seemingly nowhere to challenge for the ALGS Championship title.
Mikkel "Mande" Hestbek
Mikkel "Mande" Hestbek is one of Apex Legends' most successful professional players and 2nd highest earning European player of all time (5th worldwide). The Dane finished the ALGS Year 1 on a high, with his team SCARZ Europe winning the EMEA Finals and netting himself $88,000. However, in Mande's now iconic post-win interview, he said it wasn't about the money but the "brotherhood" between him and his teammates. The clip became one of the standout moments of the ALGS EMEA Championships.
Maksym "Max-Strafe" Stadniuk
A former Battalion 1994 competitor, Maksym "Max-Strafe" Stadniuk is a 25-year old mouse & keyboard player from the Ukraine. During ALGS Year 1, Max-Strafe competed for Natus Vincere and typically delivers best when the stakes are high. His highest placements during the year were 1st in ALGS Summer Circuit #2 and 2nd in the ALGS Winter Circuit Playoffs. In the ALGS Championship EMEA Finals, Max-Strafe secured 11 kills, placing him in the top 10 most prolific fraggers.
Konstantin "Hardecki" Kozlov
18-year old Konstantin "Hardecki" Kozlov is the youngest nominee for Best Slayer EMEA, but his name has become synonymous with Gambit Esports' success in Apex Legends. Hardecki played a major role in Gambit's phenomenal comeback during the ALGS Championship EMEA Finals after the team got off to a rough start on Day 1. By the end of the groupstage Hardecki was #2 on the kills leaderboard, dealing 19,736 damage to secure 41 kills and 15 assists. Despite only joining Gambit in May 2020, he made an invaluable instant impact in the ALGS.
Dan "rpr" Ušić
The third SCARZ Europe player in the nominees for Best Slayer is Croatian Dan "rpr" Ušić, who was the final piece of the puzzle when Mande and Taisheen were trying to create the perfect trio. In the ALGS, the SCARZ IGL rpr has spared no prisoners come crunch time in the ALGS Championship EMEA Finals. He pulled out 14 kills, the #3rd highest on the day. Rpr is the 2nd highest earning Croatian esports player of all time off the back of the glorious 1st place at the ALGS Year 1 finale.
Simon "Vaifs" Bellini
When it comes to loyalty, Simon "Vaifs" Bellini is as loyal as they come. The 27-year old joined Alliance almost immediately after Apex Legends launched in April 2019 and has been with the organization ever since. The mouse and keyboard player is the oldest nominee for Best Slayer EMEA and finished joint #1st with team-mate Hakis for ALGS Points in Year 1, amassing 11,850 Points.
Look out for our Finalists announcement on September 6th
There you have it, our 10 nominees for Best Slayer EMEA based on the votes from our esteemed panel of judges; a mix of ALGS broadcast talent, players and managers.
We will be announcing the 3 finalists for the Best Slayer EMEA award on September 6th and the winners on September 8th!