After BLAST Open Porto 2026, the discussion about Danil “donk” Kryshkovets’ historical status reached a new level. The Russian rifler continues to collect individual awards at a pace that already forces comparisons not only with the best players of the present, but also with the main candidates for the title of the greatest rifler in Counter-Strike history.
donk has already surpassed NiKo in MVPs at big tournaments
After the end of BLAST Open Porto, donk reached the mark of 10 MVPs at big tournaments. This allowed him to overtake Nikola “NiKo” Kovač, who currently has 9 such awards, and move into clear fourth place among all players in this ranking.
This is already a very strong signal in itself, because we are not talking simply about another trophy or one good tournament. At 19 years old, donk already has more big MVPs than one of the greatest riflers in the entire history of the discipline, and this automatically moves him from the category of “super talent” into the category of players of historical scale.
Only three legends remain above him
Ahead of donk on this list right now are only ZywOo, s1mple, and device. The Frenchman has 25 MVPs at big tournaments, the Ukrainian has 14, and the Dane has 11, meaning the Russian rifler is only one award away from third place.
This detail is exactly what makes his progress even more impressive. For most players, even getting into such company would already be the limit of career achievements, but for donk it looks only like an intermediate stage, because he continues to collect awards at a pace that almost no one can stop for now.
But the question of the greatest rifler is not closed yet
Despite donk’s breakthrough in the number of MVPs, it is still too early to make final conclusions about his place in history. The reason is simple: when the conversation is about greatness not over a short stretch, but over the full distance of a career, it is not only the number of highest individual awards that matters, but also stability for years ahead.
This is where NiKo still keeps a very serious historical reserve. The Bosnian has 53 EVPs, and this number perfectly shows how long he remained an elite player even at tournaments where he did not take MVP. In other words, donk can already win the argument about peak level or the speed of collecting awards, but in terms of the length and size of the legacy, NiKo is still ahead.
The difference between peak and longevity is key here
In donk’s case, the main argument right now is the incredible intensity of his domination. He is accumulating MVPs very quickly, regularly becomes the best player at big events, and already has a résumé that would remain unreachable for many riflers even at the end of their careers.
In NiKo’s case, the main argument is different: he stayed at the top level for years, changed teams, eras, and teammates, but still remained among the strongest. That is why this discussion now essentially comes down to the classic question: what matters more — a historically powerful peak or many years of superstar-level stability.
donk is already putting pressure on other historical positions
Looking wider, donk has long stopped being just a contender for a place among great riflers. He has already surpassed many iconic names in the race for the most prestigious individual awards and is now directly approaching players who, until very recently, were considered almost unreachable in historical lists.
It is especially important that all of this is happening not against the background of a random flash, but during a period when Spirit are consistently fighting for titles. In other words, his MVPs do not exist separately from team success, but are backed up by real deep runs at big tournaments, which only strengthens the value of every new award.
The discussion has already begun, but it is too early to deliver a verdict
After BLAST Open Porto 2026, it became obvious that comparing donk with NiKo in a historical context no longer looks premature. By the number of MVPs at big tournaments, the Russian has already moved ahead, and this fact alone is a colossal achievement for a player who is still at an early stage of his career.
However, the final answer to the question of the greatest rifler in history is still far ahead. donk has already gathered arguments for a very serious claim, but to finally remove all doubts, he will need not only to continue his current pace, but also to turn this peak into a long historical distance that NiKo has already managed to cover.
