IEM Krakow Playoffs Fantasy: donk and ZywOo Cost the Same

At the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Kraków 2026 playoffs Fantasy game, one of the most intriguing storylines for fantasy players ahead of the single-elimination bracket is the pricing parity between two of Counter-Strike 2’s biggest stars: Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut. In a notable twist from usual trends, both players have been assigned the same Fantasy price of $235,000 and have nearly identical pick counts among participants drafting their playoff rosters — a rarity in HLTV Fantasy pricing models where donk is often more popular or valued higher. 

Tournament Structure and Format

IEM Kraków 2026 features a six-team, single elimination playoff bracket with a third-place decider, following the group and stage events earlier in the week. The playoff matches, including quarter-finals and semi-finals, are best-of-three, with the grand final played in a best-of-five format. Both Team Spirit (donk’s side) and Team Vitality (ZywOo’s squad) benefit from starting straight in the semi-finals due to their strong stage results, while the remaining four teams must fight from the quarter-finals. 

These structural nuances matter heavily for Fantasy point calculation: teams that begin deeper in the bracket have fewer matches but stronger theoretical upside if they succeed, meaning individual performance projections are often more complicated than simple kill counts or ratings. 

What This Price Parity Means

Both donk and ZywOo being locked at $235k is significant for a few reasons:

• It reflects how fantasy participants have interpreted their respective expected impact and chances of success in the playoffs. Normally, donk — known for his explosive rifler numbers and high percentile ratings — would be more expensive or more commonly picked relative to others.

• The equality signals that the fantasy community might be split on which of the two will carry greater point scoring value through the playoffs, especially as both teams are among the strongest left in the bracket.

Fantasy strategies now become chess games where players must decide which superstar is worth the cap space. Since donk and ZywOo are mutually exclusive in most draft constructions (you generally have to pick one or the other due to price constraints), fantasy coaches are pushed to evaluate deeper metrics such as team structure, map pools, and multi-kill potential rather than relying on a single “safe pick.” 

Why Both Players Are Popular Picks

While the article does not dive into detailed stat lines, recent tournament results help underwrite the high interest in both players:

• ZywOo, the legendary French AWPer for Team Vitality, has been dominating performances throughout Kraków. In a series against Aurora, he finished with a 1.78 rating, an enormous figure at this level, and led Vitality into the semi-finals with growth in multi-kill and clutch production.

• Donk, a prodigiously talented rifler for Team Spirit, has been among the higher rated players across the tournament as well, appearing frequently in fantasy suggestions and analytical discussions due to his aggressive playstyle and impact potential. While exact ratings from the playoffs were not detailed in HLTV’s Fantasy post, community discussions and third-party stat tracking showed that donk remained one of the top-rated performers in earlier stages of the event.

Crucially, these performances align with each player’s career reputation: ZywOo has been recognized multiple times as one of Counter-Strike’s greatest players, with a résumé that includes multiple Major championships, dozens of HLTV MVP awards, and HLTV Player of the Year honors dating back several seasons. Meanwhile, donk has cemented himself as a leading figure of the modern CS2 era, winning HLTV Player of the Year in 2024 and receiving top rankings in subsequent seasons. 

Beyond the Big Two: Other Fantasy Considerations

The article also highlighted MAJ3R as a surprisingly strong fantasy option entering the playoffs. His playoff price remains at $170k, and he has been among the top five most picked players so far. Such high pick frequency likely reflects both affordability and lookahead strategies by fantasy players who want to balance star power with support roles and budget flexibility. 

Additionally, the set of prizes for the Fantasy event includes seasonal points and in-game skins sponsored by partners such as Hellcase, with high end rewards for top performers including AK-47 | Asiimov (Minimal Wear) and Glock-18 | Gold Toof (Field-Tested). 

Broader Context: IEM Kraków 2026 and Player Value

IEM Kraków has quickly established itself as one of the premier CS2 LAN events of the early 2026 season, with a substantial prize pool of over $1,200,000 and a rich field of top teams from around the world.  Fantasy pricing across such events typically reflects recent results, team strength, and individual performance metrics like kills per round, multi-kills, rating, and match impact.

That donk and ZywOo are priced exactly the same — and with similar pick percentages — speaks not only to their respected stature within competitive CS2, but also to how close the fantasy community sees their contributions in the crucial playoff matches. For fantasy managers, this parity introduces a rich tactical choice: do you invest heavily in upside through ZywOo’s consistent elite fragging, or lean on donk’s explosive rifle performance and potential matchup influence?

Regardless of the pick, the fact that these two titans occupy identical Fantasy costs captures the excitement of the IEM Kraków playoffs — an event where every decision, whether in real matches or in Fantasy rosters, could be a key factor in ultimate success.