TN1R Ranks CS2 Captains: HooXi and Krabeni Land in D Tier

Team Spirit player Andrey “tN1R” Tatarinovich has shared his personal ranking of captains from the tier-one Counter-Strike 2 scene, putting some of the game’s most established leaders at opposite ends of his list.

TN1R placed apEX, magixx, FalleN and karrigan in the highest S tier. At the other end, HooXi and Krabeni were the only two names assigned to D tier, while TN1R left C tier completely empty. The ranking was reported by Cybersport.ru on September 12, 2026. 

Quick summary

Who made the ranking? Team Spirit’s TN1R
What was ranked? Captains from the tier-one CS2 scene
S tier: apEX, magixx, FalleN, karrigan
A tier: Aleksib, xertioN, blitz, max
B tier: Twistzz, Boombl4, huNter-, Jame, kyxsan
C tier: None
D tier: HooXi, Krabeni
Date: September 12, 2026
Source: Cybersport.ru 

TN1R's CS2 captain tier list puts HooXi and Krabeni last

TN1R divided 15 players into five possible tiers, ranging from S to D.

His top category contains four names: Dan “apEX” Madesclaire, Boris “magixx” Vorobiev, Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and Finn “karrigan” Andersen.

Aleksi “Aleksib” Virolainen, Dorian “xertioN” Berman, Garidmagnai “blitz” Byambasuren and Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez occupy the A tier.

The largest group is B tier. TN1R placed Twistzz, Boombl4, huNter-, Jame and kyxsan there.

No captain received a C-tier rating. Instead, the ranking jumps directly from B to D, where Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen and Aulon “Krabeni” Fazlija are the only two names. 

Complete TN1R captain ranking

Tier	Players	Number
S	apEX, magixx, FalleN, karrigan	4
A	Aleksib, xertioN, blitz, max	4
B	Twistzz, Boombl4, huNter-, Jame, kyxsan	5
C	None	0
D	HooXi, Krabeni	2

The table above reproduces the tier placements reported by Cybersport.ru; the source does not provide a detailed explanation from TN1R for every individual placement. 

Background: why TN1R's ranking stands out

The list mixes players with very different leadership backgrounds rather than separating them by experience, team, region or career achievements.

Most notably, TN1R gave his Team Spirit teammate magixx an S-tier placement alongside apEX, FalleN and karrigan. Cybersport.ru currently lists TN1R and magixx together in Spirit's lineup. 

HooXi, meanwhile, is listed with Astralis, while Krabeni is part of FUT Esports. Both are therefore active names around the 2026 competitive landscape rather than purely historical comparisons. 

That context makes the D-tier selections particularly noticeable: TN1R did not simply rank famous captains from different eras, but evaluated players connected to the contemporary competitive scene.

It is important, however, not to read additional criteria into the ranking. The source describes it as TN1R's assessment of tier-one captains but does not publish a scoring methodology covering calling, individual skill, leadership, tactical preparation or tournament results. 

Key details

Detail	Information
Player making the ranking	Andrey “TN1R” Tatarinovich
TN1R team	Team Spirit
Game	Counter-Strike 2
Players ranked	15
Highest tier	S
Lowest occupied tier	D
S-tier captains	apEX, magixx, FalleN, karrigan
D-tier captains	HooXi, Krabeni
Most populated tier	B — five players
Empty tier	C
Ranking methodology	Not detailed in the cited report
Report date	September 12, 2026
Confirmation	Ranking reported by Cybersport.ru

 

Why the TN1R, HooXi and Krabeni ranking matters

Captain rankings are inherently subjective, particularly in Counter-Strike, where an in-game leader's value cannot be measured through individual statistics alone.

Calling quality, mid-round decision-making, preparation, communication, player management and the tactical system surrounding an IGL can all affect perceptions of leadership. A strong team result therefore does not automatically prove that one captain is individually superior to another.

TN1R's ranking is useful primarily as a snapshot of how one active high-level competitor views the current captain pool.

The structure of his list is also revealing. Four players reached S tier, while five were placed in B, yet TN1R did not use C tier at all. HooXi and Krabeni were moved directly into D.

Without TN1R providing detailed reasoning in the cited report, however, the D rating should not be presented as an objective measurement of either player's ability.

Leadership and tactical impact

The tier list should not be treated as a tactical ranking based on documented statistics.

What it does highlight is how differently leadership can be evaluated inside professional Counter-Strike. Some captains can be judged primarily for their tactical systems, others for mid-round calling or team management, while individual fragging can also influence public perceptions.

TN1R's choices cannot safely be attributed to any one of those factors because no full evaluation methodology was provided in the source.

For that reason, the most significant takeaway is the relative placement itself: apEX, magixx, FalleN and karrigan occupy TN1R's highest category, while HooXi and Krabeni occupy his lowest.

Historical comparison

Several names in the ranking have become strongly associated with leadership across different periods and regions of professional Counter-Strike.

FalleN and karrigan, for example, have lengthy histories at the top level, while apEX represents another veteran leadership presence. By ranking all three in S alongside magixx, TN1R's list combines established leadership reputations with his assessment of the contemporary scene.

At the same time, the presence of newer or differently positioned leaders such as xertioN, max and Krabeni shows that this is not simply a legacy ranking.

Because TN1R did not provide a standardized scoring system in the report, comparisons between generations should remain contextual rather than statistical.

Timeline

Date	Development
September 12, 2026	Cybersport.ru publishes TN1R's captain tier list
September 12, 2026	apEX, magixx, FalleN and karrigan are reported as TN1R's S-tier choices
September 12, 2026	HooXi and Krabeni are reported as the only D-tier selections
September 12, 2026	C tier remains empty
October 3–11, 2026	ESL Pro League Season 24 is scheduled as the next tier-one tournament identified by the source

Cybersport.ru reports that ESL Pro League Season 24 is scheduled for October 3–11, with 16 teams and a $1 million total prize pool, of which $300,000 is allocated to players. 

Tournament and ranking impact

TN1R's tier list itself has no demonstrated direct effect on tournament qualification, seeding or competitive rankings.

There is also no VRS change to calculate from the ranking. It is an individual player assessment rather than an official competitive metric.

Its relevance is instead editorial and competitive: future performances by the captains TN1R placed at either extreme will provide additional context for revisiting his selections.

What changes now?

Nothing changes officially for HooXi, Krabeni or any other player because of TN1R's ranking.

The tier list does not represent a Valve ranking, tournament organizer assessment or team decision. There is no indication in the cited report that roster moves or role changes resulted from it.

For CS2 observers, however, the list establishes a clear reference point. Future results can be compared against TN1R's September 2026 assessment, particularly for HooXi and Krabeni after their D-tier placements.

What to watch next

The most useful follow-up will be competitive performance rather than another subjective ranking.

HooXi's results with Astralis and Krabeni's performances with FUT Esports can provide additional context for TN1R's assessment. Likewise, performances from his S-tier selections — apEX, magixx, FalleN and karrigan — will determine how well the top of the list ages.

ESL Pro League Season 24, scheduled for October 3–11 according to Cybersport.ru, is the next tier-one event specifically highlighted alongside the ranking. 

FAQ

Who did TN1R rank as the best CS2 captains?

TN1R placed apEX, magixx, FalleN and karrigan in S tier, the highest category in his ranking. 

Where did TN1R rank HooXi?

HooXi was placed in D tier. He and Krabeni were the only two players in TN1R's lowest occupied category. 

Where did TN1R rank Krabeni?

Krabeni was also placed in D tier alongside HooXi. 

Who was in TN1R's B tier?

TN1R's B tier contained Twistzz, Boombl4, huNter-, Jame and kyxsan, making it the largest category with five players. 

Did TN1R explain why HooXi and Krabeni were D tier?

The Cybersport.ru report does not provide a detailed player-by-player explanation or scoring methodology for TN1R's placements. Therefore, attributing the decision to tactics, individual performance or specific tournament results would be speculative.