Four New EVPs Awarded Following the Introduction of Rating 3.0

Four New EVPs Awarded Following the Introduction of Rating 3.0

On November 22, 2025, HLTV announced a revision to its “Exceptionally Valuable Player” (EVP) awards for events held earlier this year — specifically those that were evaluated under the older Rating 2.1, before the release of the new system, Rating 3.0. 

With just one event remaining before the annual Top 20 Players of 2025 list is finalized, HLTV said it was an opportune moment “to conduct some housekeeping,” ensuring that all 2025 events were assessed on an equal footing under the updated metrics. 

Because the original EVP lists were based on Rating 2.1 — and lacked access to fully reliable economy-adjusted data — HLTV decided to go back and re-examine the results so that “players are judged on a level playing field.” 

Some players, following this reevaluation, have seen their performance metrics drop compared to the old system. Others, however — four in total — have been elevated from “Honorable Mention” or “Valuable Player (VP)” to the more prestigious EVP status. Below are the four beneficiaries of the reworked awards, along with explanations of how Rating 3.0 influenced the decision. 

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📈 Who Got Upgraded to EVP — and Why

• Valeriy "b1t" Vakhovskiy — His EVP count for 2025 rises to three after being recognized at several super-elite events earlier this year (including IEM Katowice and Cologne). Under Rating 2.1, he had not received an EVP at BLAST Bounty Season 1. But with Rating 3.0 applied, his LAN performance in that event improved to a 1.21 rating, with a +1.49 % “Swing” (impact on round outcomes) and 119.7 ADR (average damage per round) in round wins — enough to justify an EVP nod. 

• João "snow" Vinicius — At the beginning of 2025, his LAN rating stood at 1.18 under the old system, which was good but not sufficient for EVP. After reevaluation, however, his Rating 3.0 soared to 1.39, thanks in part to an especially strong quarter-final against Natus Vincere, where he posted a server-high +5.50 % Swing. Combined with solid eco-adjusted kills and damage, that was enough to finally secure EVP status. 

• Lotan "Spinx" Giladi — During the BLAST.tv Austin Major, his 1.08 Rating 2.1 was borderline and did not earn him an EVP, despite strong moments against teams like Liquid, Aurora and Spirit. Under Rating 3.0, his peaks look much stronger: in the 8 notable map wins, he averaged a 1.38 rating, and 1.27 overall including the semifinal losses — plus he led his team in round wins. With these improved numbers, he now qualifies as EVP. 

• Robin "ropz" Kool — At the time of the IEM Cologne 2025, HLTV had judged his group-stage stats (only 0.77 kills per round win) as insufficient, and even his 1.12–rated semifinal performance was not deemed enough for EVP. But under Rating 3.0, his performance in the playoffs jumps significantly, with a 1.34 rating against MOUZ — enough to grant him EVP status despite earlier group-stage weaknesses. With this addition, “ropz” now has seven EVPs for the year, surpassing his previous personal best of five (in 2019), with still one event left to go.

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Why Rating 3.0 Changed the Outcome

The reason so many previously borderline or undervalued performances now qualify for EVP relates directly to the changes introduced by Rating 3.0. Under the previous metric (Rating 2.1), players were judged largely on raw stats like kills, deaths, and damage, without full consideration of the economic context — i.e., whether kills came against poorly equipped “eco-fragging” opponents, or during rounds where the enemy had significant economic advantages. 

Rating 3.0 brings two major adjustments:

• Economy-adjusted stats: The system now adjusts kills, damage, and other statistics based on round economy. That means kills against well-equipped opponents — or during high-impact rounds — are valued more than kills against poorly equipped players.

• New “Round Swing” metric: A brand-new subrating, Round Swing measures how a player’s actions (kills, damage, clutches, trades, etc.) shift a team’s probability of winning a round. This gives meaningful credit for high-impact plays — clutch kills, trade denials, or multi-kills in critical moments — instead of just rewarding volume.

Because of these changes, players who may have had modest-looking raw stats but delivered high-impact plays — good decision-making, clutch rounds, strong economic-awareness — now receive recognition that better reflects their true contribution to team success.

In other words: under Rating 3.0, “quality over quantity” often trumps raw numbers.

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What It Means for the Rest of 2025

With the EVP lists now revised, the field for the 2025 “Top 20 Players” ranking will be determined based on the more sophisticated, economy-aware Rating 3.0 — giving an arguably fairer representation of overall performance. 

Because some players have seen their rankings improve significantly under the new system, the final end-of-year list might look quite different from what many expected at midyear. In particular, players like b1t, snow, Spinx, and ropz — whose consistent, impactful performances were sometimes overlooked — are now re-established as front-runners.

That said, the switch to Rating 3.0 has not been without criticism. Some analysts and community members argue that the new system — especially Round Swing — might overvalue certain playstyles (e.g., clutch-heavy “stars”) at the expense of consistency across many rounds or maps. 

Still, the revisions mark a clear attempt by HLTV to evolve its metrics — moving beyond simplistic frag counts and embracing a more holistic view of what makes a player “valuable.”