ZywOo Passes s1mple and device Combined in Big Event MVP Awards

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut has reached another historic Counter-Strike milestone. Following his MVP performance at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, the Team Vitality superstar now owns 26 HLTV Big Event MVP awards — one more than s1mple and device have combined.

Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev has 14 Big Event MVPs, while Nicolai “device” Reedtz has 11. Their combined total is 25, according to HLTV’s current MVP archive. ZywOo moved to 26 after dominating StarSeries Fall, where Vitality lifted the trophy.

Quick Summary

Record: 26 Big Event MVP awards
ZywOo: 26
s1mple: 14
device: 11
s1mple + device: 25
ZywOo's advantage: +1
Total career MVPs: 33
Major MVPs: 3
Record-setting event: StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026
Current team: Team Vitality
Data verified: September 22, 2026

 

ZywOo Moves Past s1mple and device Combined

ZywOo extended his historic MVP record after leading Team Vitality to the StarSeries Fall 2026 title.

 

The latest milestone came at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, where ZywOo secured the 33rd overall HLTV MVP medal of his career.

More importantly for this particular historical comparison, it was his 26th MVP at an event classified by HLTV as a Big Event. HLTV's current archive lists s1mple with 14 and device with 11, giving the two former record-holders 25 combined.

The distinction between Big Event MVPs and all career MVPs is important.

ZywOo has not surpassed the combined career MVP total of s1mple and device: 33 is still below their combined 40. The new record concerns specifically HLTV's Big Event MVP classification, where ZywOo leads 26-25.

That clarification makes the achievement both accurate and easier to understand than simply saying ZywOo has “more MVPs than s1mple and device combined.”

 

What Happened at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026?

ZywOo's 26 Big Event MVP awards now exceed the combined total of s1mple and device, who have 14 and 11 respectively.

 

ZywOo's record-breaking medal followed a dominant individual tournament.

HLTV recorded a 1.50 tournament rating for the French AWPer. His closest challenger by overall rating was KSCERATO at 1.26, while ZywOo produced a 1.51-rated performance in Vitality's grand final victory over Aurora.

His tournament leaderboard included:

HLTV listed ZywOo first at the tournament in ADR, kills per round, deaths per round and Round Swing.

Frenchman played 13 maps during the tournament and received the 33rd MVP medal of his career.

 

ZywOo vs s1mple and device: Historical Comparison

The significance of the record becomes clearer when looking at who ZywOo has passed.

For years, s1mple and device represented two different models of Counter-Strike greatness.

s1mple built his legacy around exceptional individual peaks and was named HLTV's No. 1 player in 2018, 2021 and 2022. His extraordinary 2021 campaign included eight MVP awards across the calendar year.

Device's legacy was closely connected with the Astralis dynasty. His career résumé includes 19 overall HLTV MVP medals and two Major MVPs.

ZywOo has now moved beyond both in several individual award categories.

Current HLTV MVP comparison

The numbers are based on HLTV's MVP archive as of September 22, 2026.

 

Timeline: How ZywOo Reached the Record

ZywOo's climb accelerated dramatically during the CS2 era.

The key turning point came in early 2025.

At IEM Katowice, ZywOo tied s1mple at 21 overall MVP medals and 14 Big Event MVPs.

Just over a month later, ESL Pro League Season 21 gave ZywOo his 22nd overall and 15th Big Event MVP, putting him alone at the top of both categories.

By the end of 2025, he had produced an eight-MVP season and become the first player to collect three Major MVP medals.

 

Key Details

 

Why the ZywOo, s1mple and device Comparison Matters

This is more than another addition to an already large individual trophy collection.

ZywOo only entered top-level international Counter-Strike in earnest in 2018-19. By comparison, device and s1mple accumulated elite-level achievements over much longer portions of the CS:GO era.

In August 2024, ZywOo's IEM Cologne MVP was only his 20th career medal. At that point he had just moved past device's 19 and remained one behind s1mple's 21.

By September 2026, the picture had changed dramatically:

ZywOo: 33 total MVPs
s1mple: 21
device: 19

The Big Event comparison is even more striking because it isolates MVP performances at the higher tier of events in HLTV's classification.

It should not, however, be treated as a complete or objective answer to debates about the greatest Counter-Strike player. MVP counts are one historical metric among many; Major titles, longevity, yearly rankings, team success, statistical peaks and competition across different eras provide additional context.

 

The 2025–2026 Run Changed the Record Book

ZywOo's recent accumulation of MVPs is central to the milestone.

He won eight MVP awards during 2025, matching s1mple's overall single-year tally from 2021. All eight of ZywOo's 2025 awards came at Big Events, setting a record in that category and surpassing device's previous mark of seven from 2018.

He then opened 2026 with another exceptional run.

At IEM Krakow, ZywOo earned career MVP No. 29 and Big Event MVP No. 22 while recording a 1.59 tournament rating — his best Big Event rating at that point.

PGL Cluj-Napoca brought No. 30, where he posted a 1.39 rating.

IEM Rio then delivered his 31st overall medal after a 1.56 playoff rating across seven maps.

StarSeries Fall has now pushed the career total to 33 and the Big Event total to 26.

 

A collection of ZywOo's standout plays with Team Vitality, providing gameplay context for his rise to the top of Counter-Strike's MVP leaderboard.

 

Impact Analysis

Historical impact

The clearest impact is on the all-time individual award leaderboard.

ZywOo is no longer merely ahead of s1mple or device individually in Big Event MVPs. His total now exceeds their combined number.

That creates a new statistical benchmark for future elite players.

Major legacy

ZywOo also holds the standalone record for Major MVP medals with three.

He moved ahead of device and coldzera, who have two each, after winning the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 MVP.

Team impact

The latest individual award also came alongside team success rather than in isolation.

Vitality won StarSeries Fall after defeating Aurora in the grand final, meaning ZywOo added both another championship and another individual medal to his résumé.

VRS impact

TBD for this article.

The MVP award itself is an HLTV individual distinction and does not directly award Valve Regional Standings points. Any VRS consequences should instead be evaluated from Vitality's tournament results using the relevant Valve ranking update.

 

What Changes Now?

Nothing changes mechanically inside professional CS2 because of the record. HLTV MVP medals are individual media awards rather than a competitive qualification mechanism.

Historically, however, the benchmark has shifted.

For years, reaching the totals accumulated by s1mple and device represented the upper boundary of modern Counter-Strike individual awards. ZywOo has now created significant separation in overall MVPs and has pushed the Big Event record to 26.

His current HLTV profile lists 33 total MVPs and three Major MVPs.

 

What to Watch Next

The most immediate question is how far ZywOo can extend the record before the end of 2026.

HLTV noted after StarSeries Fall that his 26 Big Event MVPs put him two awards away from exactly doubling s1mple's total of 14.

Another important benchmark is his yearly performance. ZywOo became the first player to receive HLTV's Player of the Year award four times after finishing No. 1 in 2025, breaking what had been a tie with s1mple at three.

Whether his remaining 2026 results lead to another No. 1 finish cannot be determined yet.

 

FAQ

How many MVP awards does ZywOo have?

ZywOo has 33 HLTV MVP awards as of September 22, 2026. His latest came at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026.

Does ZywOo have more MVPs than s1mple and device combined?

It depends on the category. ZywOo has 26 Big Event MVPs, compared with 14 for s1mple and 11 for device — 25 combined. However, ZywOo's 33 total career MVPs do not exceed their combined overall total of 40.

How many MVPs does s1mple have?

HLTV currently lists s1mple with 21 career MVP medals, including 14 at Big Events and one Major MVP.

How many MVPs does device have?

Device has 19 career HLTV MVP medals, including 11 Big Event MVPs and two Major MVPs.

Who has the most Major MVP awards?

ZywOo currently leads with three Major MVP medals. Device and coldzera have two each in HLTV's archive.