donk Ranked Best CS2 Player at Big Events in 2025, Surpassing ZywOo and m0NESY

Team Spirit prodigy Danil “donk” Kryshkovets has finished 2025 as the highest-rated player at major Counter-Strike 2 tournaments, overtaking Vitality star ZywOo and G2 AWPer m0NESY, according to HLTV’s Big Event Rating 3.0 statistics.

The 18-year-old rifler topped the leaderboard across 20 HLTV-classified Big Events, cementing his status as one of the most dominant individual performers in the CS2 era.

HLTV Big Events 2025: Top 10 Players by Rating 3.0

Based on HLTV data covering tournaments from BLAST Bounty Spring 2025 to the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, the final rankings are as follows:

1. donk (Team Spirit) — 1.41 rating (140 maps)

2. ZywOo (Vitality) — 1.32 (183 maps)

3. m0NESY (G2 Esports) — 1.26 (166 maps)

4. sh1ro (Team Spirit) — 1.19

5. ropz (FaZe Clan) — 1.17

6. KSCERATO (FURIA) — 1.17

7. Twistzz (FaZe Clan) — 1.16

8. kyousuke — 1.16

9. XANTARES (Eternal Fire) — 1.15

10. frozen (FaZe Clan) — 1.15

Despite playing fewer maps than both ZywOo and m0NESY, donk maintained a significantly higher average rating, highlighting his impact efficiency at the highest level of competition.

Why donk Finished No.1 in 2025

Several factors contributed to donk’s top position in HLTV’s Big Event rankings:

Four Big Event titles with Team Spirit

Four HLTV MVP medals in 2025

Consistently elite stats against top-10 opponents

High-impact rifling in playoff matches

Team Spirit were among the most successful lineups of the year, and donk was the clear centerpiece of their system, delivering star-level performances throughout the season.

donk vs ZywOo vs m0NESY: The 2025 CS2 Superstar Race

While donk leads the Big Event rating metric, the overall “best player of 2025” debate remains competitive.

ZywOo anchored Vitality, a team that frequently held the No.1 spot in HLTV’s world rankings and won multiple premier trophies.

m0NESY continued to be G2’s primary win condition, combining elite AWP mechanics with high playoff consistency.

HLTV traditionally evaluates players using a combination of ratings, MVPs, EVPs, trophies, and performances at the biggest stages, meaning the final Top 20 ranking conversation extends beyond raw statistics alone.

Player Reactions and Verified Quotes

Following Team Spirit’s victory at IEM Cologne 2025, donk spoke about the emotional weight of the win:

“It’s such an amazing feeling. I feel relief right now, very strong relief.”

He also acknowledged that Spirit still had benchmarks to overcome:

“We didn’t face Vitality, and we need to beat them to become the best team in the world.”

Meanwhile, m0NESY previously reflected on the difference in public pressure between his early career and donk’s rise, noting that donk avoided intense expectations until later tournament victories.

ZywOo, for his part, remained active in community interactions throughout the year, even joking publicly about AWP changes during CS2 updates — a reminder of how closely fans followed the rivalry at the top.

What This Means for CS2 Going Forward

donk’s No.1 finish in HLTV Big Event ratings confirms a major shift in the CS2 power balance:

• A new generation of riflers is challenging long-standing superstars

• Team Spirit have established themselves as a consistent title contender

• Individual dominance in CS2 is no longer limited to AWPs

With HLTV Awards and the official Top 20 Players of 2025 still shaping the historical narrative, the rivalry between donk, ZywOo, and m0NESY is set to define the next era of Counter-Strike.