The title of best sniper is up for grabs in 2025. Even though the AWP serves a singular purpose, the playstyle when wielded amongst Counter-Strike elite dramatically varies. sh1ro and m0NESY have both emerged as 2025’s premier AWPers. Two AWPers, both from Russia duke it out in this specific ‘best in role’ superlative while neither of them have a claim for player of the year (a two horse race between ZywOo and donk). Despite a dominant 2024 and true stake to the claim of best AWPer in the world, m0NESY’s title as Counter-Strike’s best with the sniper may escape him as sh1ro has proven infallibly consistent.
Why ZywOo Doesn’t Count
Before figuring out 2025’s best AWPer so far, ZywOo is a hybrid. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ZywOo is the most well-rounded player in the game, has a ceiling with every weapon that would rank him in the top 5 of each and can be dropped into practically every situation and thrive. However, I am comparing pure AWPers in 2025. The weapon which ZywOo has the most kills with in 2025 is the AK47. As of the time writing this, 29% or 622 of his 2118 kills this year have been with this particular rifle.
The AWP falls just behind with 619 kills. Under 30% of his kills are with an AWP. For comparison, 43% of m0NESY’s kills are with the AWP and 46% of sh1ro’s kills are with the AWP. For the sake of future-proofing, I find it unlikely that I would consider anyone a pure AWPer if under 40% of their kills are with the sniper. If you combine m0NESY or sh1ro’s M4+AK kills, neither sum would surpass their total AWP kills on the year.
m0NESY: The Flashy Prodigy
Now let’s get into it. Per the eyetest and by the fervor which has amassed surrounding his stardom, the 20-year old Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov has won over scores of international fans due to his lightning fast flicks, cutting edge late-round utility usage, and daring positioning. If there was any second coming of s1mple it might be in a fledgling state on BC.Game but it truly manifests in m0NESY. In the 3 years since m0NESY has entered Tier 1 in 2022, according to HLTV he has been the 7th, 4th, and 2nd best player in the world. This year, I currently have him ranked as my 5th best player.
sh1ro: The Relentless Perfectionist
In the other corner is sh1ro, one of the most polarizing AWPers in Tier 1. The 24-year old Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov splits Counter-Strike punditry into 2 firm camps, that sh1ro is manipulating the statistics for his own gain or that this is one of the most efficient AWPers we have ever seen throughout the history of Counter-Strike. There were times in the last 10 months when dusT and Ynk came to agreement (in rare fashion) as they both downplayed sh1ro’s ability. dusT has rated torzsi above m0NESY as recently as 3 months ago and Ynk said during the Grand Finals of the Shanghai Major that he could “name 5 AWPers that are better than him.”
Sh1ro does not care about being the sexiest AWPer or pulling off mind-blowing highlights. He is unapologetically himself and knows that his passive, tripwire style is the perfect complement to donk’s unbridled aggression and space-taking. Ever since his initial promotion to Gambit from the Youngsters, sh1ro has never failed to prove himself as a Top 10 player according to HLTV: 4th, 3rd, 8th, and 6th in order. In 2025 so far, I have him a single rank above m0NESY.
Two Different Styles of AWPing
Most hardcore fans and pundits will argue that comparing two players of different roles is generally unfair to the less prioritized player in a team’s scheme. Whoever is given more gun drops, assisted more frequently by teammates’ flashes, or is allowed to bait harder will generally have the better statistical output. It’s rarely considered inconceivable to compare two players that occupy the same role of AWPer. However, sh1ro is one of the most passive players in all of Top 20 teams in regards to opening kills (a general indicator for aggression) whereas m0NESY lands slightly above average even when including riflers for opening attempts. These are two very different breeds of AWPers. I’d be hard-pressed to consider them the same species despite occupying the same genus.
The Numbers in 2025
At first glance, m0NESY’s numbers in 2025 do outpace sh1ro’s. When filtering for LAN results among Top 20 teams, m0NESY is 0.05 Rating above sh1ro (using Rating 3.0), has slightly 0.5% better Round Swing, and 0.03 kills per round more than sh1ro. Many people would call it there. The biases are confirmed and the flashier AWPer has better numbers. However, context has to be added.
Big Stage Performances: The Deciding Factor
sh1ro has been better in the tournaments that are more prestigious, in the moments that mattered more. It goes without saying that not all tournaments are created equally in the CS circuit and sh1ro really takes a lead when factoring in the performances on various stages that both players find themselves on. m0NESY’s fatal flaw this year came on the biggest of stages. In Stage 2 of the Austin Major, m0NESY did not only drop the ball for Falcons on Day 1, he almost singlehandedly destroyed their Major dreams. A 0.67 and 0.55 Rating in opening day matches versus Lynn Vision and B8 left Falcons nearly despondent. sh1ro did not necessarily put forward the most convincing Major performance (1.01 Rating) but he did handle business in the Swiss stage before getting clobbered by Mouz in the playoffs.
Elite Events: Katowice, Cologne, Lisbon
Now let’s take the other 2 elite events of the calendar, Katowice and Cologne. sh1ro put up a 1.05 and 1.15 Rating respectively in both of those. This is nothing to be excited about for what is supposed to be the AWPer of the year but once again, m0NESY had to 1-up him. m0NESY put up an entirely pedestrian 1.00 and 1.06 at both events. sh1ro collected EVP (Exceptionally Valuable Player) honors for his performance in Germany whereas m0NESY’s individual hardware for these elite events of the year remains a void.
In what I even consider to be the 4th most important event of 2025 thus far, BLAST Open Lisbon (16 team LAN, all #1-10 teams in attendance, arena playoffs) sh1ro showed m0NESY up once again. sh1ro practically did a victory lap over m0NESY at this with a 1.23 over 1.12 Rating difference with memorable, highlight reel levels of impact. sh1ro also collected an EVP medal at this.
Flash vs. Cold Blood: Who’s Really the Best?
It goes without saying that m0NESY’s plays are more memorable. The impossible clutches that are made to seem plausible due to the Flash’s lightning speed. sh1ro on the other hand is cold, calculating. When sh1ro plays the second fiddle, it doesn’t seem possible that he could also be the best in his role for the year. Shaping one’s perspective to accept the reality that sh1ro has been more stable and simply better on the biggest stages despite the fact that m0NESY was the arena darling of 2024 is not an easy grasp but needs to be accepted in the aim for objectivity.
