Team Spirit triumphs, and donk sets a new standard. PGL Astana 2025 concluded with a dominant victory by Team Spirit, who defeated Astralis 3:1 in the grand final. The central figure of this success was 18-year-old Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, who was awarded the MVP title of the tournament.
With a 1.50 rating, +112 K-D, and a 1.52 K/D over 15 maps, donk proved once again that he is the brightest young talent in modern CS2. His aggressive style, mastery in site entries, and clutch stability were decisive in Spirit’s road to the championship. But while he is leading the charts of the tournament, he wasn’t the only star in Astana.
sh1ro (Team Spirit) — Rating 1.25
15 maps | K/D: 1.37 | K-D: +71
Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov once again showed why he remains one of the best AWPers in the world. While donk stole the spotlight, sh1ro provided the foundation — calm, calculated, and controlled. His clutch potential, defensive reliability, and seamless synergy with donk were key to Spirit’s dominance.
Highlights:
- Reliable in every round — among the highest KAST at the event
- Clinical playoff AWPing
- Flawless discipline and no wasted moves
FL1T (Virtus.pro) — Rating 1.24
14 maps | K/D: 1.27 | K-D: +54
Evgeny “FL1T” Lebedev was the driving force behind Virtus.pro’s campaign in Astana. Playing as a second-entry rifler, he consistently closed out trades, held afterplants, and clutched key moments. This was one of the best events of his career, backed by strong consistency and high-impact rounds.
Highlights:
- Among the top clutch performers of the tournament
- Maintained strong impact across all stages
- A central figure in VP’s top-9 finish
malbsMd (G2 Esports) — Rating 1.24
13 maps | K/D: 1.15 | K-D: +29
Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa was a breakout star for G2 at the tournament. The Guatemalan entry fragger brought raw aggression and fearless opening duels that gave G2 momentum even in the toughest series. His playstyle is a perfect blend of risk and confidence.
Highlights:
- One of the most active entry fraggers of the event
- Consistent early-round impact
- Emerged as G2’s new engine when the team needed energy the most
sjuush (Ninjas in Pyjamas) — Rating 1.22
14 maps | K/D: 1.24 | K-D: +52
Frederik “sjuush” Nielsen carried his disciplined, Heroic-style gameplay into NiP and became an unbreakable anchor on the map. His ability to hold bombsites alone, execute pixel-perfect retakes, and bring impact through silence helped NiP exceed expectations.
Highlights:
- One of the best site anchors of the tournament
- Reliability and composure in clutch moments
- Map-to-map consistency without a single weak showing
r1nkle (Ninjas in Pyjamas) — Rating 1.21
14 maps | K/D: 1.41 | K-D: +75
Artem “r1nkle” Moroz was one of the tournament’s biggest revelations. With the highest K/D (1.41) among the top 5 and second-best K-D after donk, the Ukrainian AWPer showed remarkable confidence, particularly in high-pressure games — including a standout performance against Virtus.pro.
Highlights:
- Sharp AWPing under pressure
- Strong support on trades and retakes
- His best big-stage tournament so far
While donk operated on a whole new level and claimed the tournament crown, this supporting cast defined the competitive context of the event. sh1ro was the backbone, FL1T the stable force, malbsMd the fearless attacker, sjuush the immovable anchor, and r1nkle the rising prodigy.
PGL Astana 2025 made it clear: the new generation is not in the shadows anymore — it is shaping the CS2 elite right now.
