PGL Astana 2026 Fantasy Picks: 9z Stars Join donk Among Best Playoff Choices

The PGL Astana 2026 playoffs are set to begin, and Fantasy players are heavily investing in Team Spirit stars and the breakout 9z roster after their impressive Swiss stage performances.

Danil “donk” Kryshkovets and Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia currently lead Fantasy ownership with 37% pick rates, making Team Spirit the safest foundation for most playoff lineups. However, the biggest story heading into the arena stage is the rapid rise of 9z players Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez and Luciano “luchov” Herrera.
(Source: HLTV)

9z Become Surprise Fantasy Favorites at PGL Astana

South American squad 9z entered PGL Astana 2026 as underdogs but quickly became one of the tournament’s biggest surprises after securing a flawless 3-0 Swiss record.

Their playoff run started with a dominant 2-0 victory over PARIVISION. During the series, luchov produced one of the strongest individual maps of the tournament on Inferno, while Franco “dgt” Garcia delivered a standout performance on Ancient.

9z then shocked Falcons in a dramatic 2-1 series. The victory marked one of the first major setbacks for the new Falcons lineup led by Finn “karrigan” Andersen. After trading Mirage and Nuke, 9z closed the series with a crushing 13-1 win on Dust2.

The team secured a playoff spot after defeating MOUZ 2-1, becoming the first roster to qualify for the PGL Astana playoffs. Throughout the event, luchov established himself as one of the highest-rated players of the Swiss stage, which explains his growing popularity in Fantasy contests.

max Praises luchov After Breakout Tournament

Following the victory over MOUZ, 9z captain max praised his teammate during an interview with HLTV:

“luchov is an amazing player. I wanted him a few years ago, but we couldn’t buy him.”

max also explained that the team arrived in Kazakhstan determined to prove they could compete against elite opposition:

“We came here to prove ourselves against the best teams.”

The comments reflected the confidence surrounding 9z ahead of the playoff stage.

9z Coach BIT Discusses Tier-One Experience

Earlier in the tournament, 9z coach Bruno “BIT” Fukuda Lima admitted the team still lacks consistent experience against top-tier competition.

“We never know how good we’re going to be because we’re not used to playing those teams.”

Despite that, 9z adapted quickly and became one of the most dangerous playoff contenders in Astana.

Team Spirit Players Remain Safe Fantasy Picks

While 9z players offer high-value Fantasy upside, Team Spirit stars remain the safest premium options.

donk continues to be one of the highest-impact riflers in Counter-Strike, while zont1x provides strong consistency at a lower Fantasy salary. Spirit advanced to the playoffs after defeating FURIA 2-1 during the Swiss stage.

Spirit player Boris “magixx” Vorobiev also praised teammate Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich for his recent improvement:

“He’s pretty impressive.”

magic Complete Miracle Playoff Run

Another major storyline of PGL Astana 2026 is magic’s incredible recovery from a 0-2 start in the Swiss stage.

The team won three consecutive elimination matches to secure a playoff berth in their first tier-one LAN event. Player Nikita “tenzy” Kochenyuk described the roster’s rapid growth after qualification:

“Our development is going rapidly.”

magic will now face 9z in one of the most anticipated quarter-final matchups of the tournament.

PGL Astana 2026 Playoff Teams

The eight playoff teams are:

Team Spirit

9z

MOUZ

Falcons

Aurora

FURIA

G2

magic

The playoffs use a single-elimination bracket with BO3 matches and a BO5 grand final.

Best Fantasy Picks for PGL Astana Playoffs

Top Premium Picks

donk (Spirit)

zont1x (Spirit)

Best Value Picks

max (9z)

luchov (9z)

High-Risk, High-Reward Picks

tenzy (magic)

dgt (9z)

With momentum, confidence, and strong recent ratings, 9z players have become some of the most attractive Fantasy investments of the entire tournament heading into the PGL Astana 2026 playoffs.