The road to the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 has been anything but predictable. The season leading into the final Major of the year was filled with upsets, roster changes, breakthrough performers and fading giants trying to rise again. With FURIA, Spirit, Falcons, Vitality, MOUZ — and possibly even a dark horse — all capable of lifting the trophy, the MVP race is shaping up to be the most chaotic of the CS2 era.
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets — Team Spirit
For the second season in a row, donk enters a Major as the single most intimidating player in CS2. His rise in 2024 was historic, but 2025 has proven it wasn’t a one-year phenomenon — it was the beginning of an era. Spirit’s entire season has been defined by his presence, and every LAN they attended turned into another showcase of his mechanical ceiling. From his outrageous 60–28 performance at IEM Cologne to once again topping the field at IEM Katowice with a 1.45 rating over ten maps, donk has continued to deliver the kind of consistency that bends the competitive landscape around him.
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His underlying numbers make the picture even clearer. Over the past three months, across 38 maps, donk holds a 1.31 Rating 3.0, supported by a perfect 100/100 Firepower score, elite Opening impact at 90/100, and one of the strongest trading profiles in tier-1 Counter-Strike. Even Spirit’s uneven results at events like Chengdu or EPL never changed the pattern — he was always their statistical leader, always the focal point of their wins, and always the player opponents feared the most. The Shanghai Major MVP still stands as his defining achievement, but every tournament this year has looked like he’s preparing to add another.
Donk arrives in Budapest as the most straightforward MVP candidate in the entire field. If Spirit go deep, it will almost certainly be because he once again imposed his style on the bracket. And if they reach the final, it becomes hard to imagine anyone else walking away with the medal.
Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov — Team Falcons
m0NESY’s 2025 season has been a story of turbulence, resilience, and gradual resurgence. After joining Falcons in the most expensive transfer in CS history, he needed time to settle into the new system — and early results reflected that. His performances at Cologne and the Austin stage of the season were below his usual superstar standard. But in the months that followed, he steadily climbed back to elite form, reminding the scene why he was a Top-2 player in the world last year.
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Over the past three months, m0NESY sits at a 1.31 Rating 3.0 across 56 maps, supported by consistently strong showings at nearly every event Falcons attended. Whether it was a top-2 finish at BLAST Rivals, a semifinal run at IEM Chengdu, or deep playoff appearances at EPL and Esports World Cup, he delivered the kind of impact Falcons built their project around. His LAN play regained its sharpness — aggressive opening duels, multi-frag rounds, and the kind of mid-round decisiveness that defines elite AWPers. Even at events where Falcons didn’t reach the final, m0NESY remained the team’s statistical leader, averaging ratings between 1.30 and 1.42 across some of the toughest tournaments of the season.
Now heading into Budapest, he feels much more like the m0NESY fans expect: confident, explosive, consistent, and capable of taking over a series on his own. Falcons are not the clear tournament favorites, but they are one of the most dangerous playoff threats in the field — and if their run goes deep, it will almost certainly be driven by m0NESY’s return to superstar form. His first Major MVP remains a milestone waiting to happen, and Budapest may be the moment he breaks through.
Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut — Team Vitality
Few players in Counter-Strike history have maintained elite form as consistently as ZywOo, and 2025 has been another reminder of why he’s always in the MVP conversation. Vitality’s season has been turbulent at times, but ZywOo never dipped — acting as the stabilizing force behind every deep run the team produced. From a strong finish at IEM Chengdu, where he played 19 maps at a high level, to lifting the trophy at ESL Pro League Season 22, he remained the anchor of Vitality’s structure and the player who kept them competitive even on their rougher days.
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Across the past three months, ZywOo holds a 1.27 Rating 3.0 over 73 maps, and the consistency of those numbers tells the story more than any single match. Whether Vitality were fighting for titles at BLAST Open London or grinding through group stages at Cologne and Rivals, he delivered steady impact: efficient AWPing, low-death rifle rounds, and the trademark late-round calm that has defined his career. Even when Vitality finished outside the top two, ZywOo routinely ended events with ratings between 1.17 and 1.34, keeping them alive far longer than their form sometimes deserved.
Heading into Budapest, Vitality are no longer the unstoppable powerhouse they were earlier in the year — but ZywOo remains one of the safest superstar bets in the entire field. He already owns a Major MVP, he thrives under playoff pressure, and he’s proven time and time again that when the stakes rise, his level rises with them. If Vitality find a deep run in Budapest, ZywOo will almost certainly be at the heart of it — and another MVP medal would surprise no one.
Lotan “Spinx” Giladi — MOUZ
Spinx’s 2025 season has been all about reliability and structure — the qualities that turned him into one of the most consistent riflers in tier-one Counter-Strike. After leaving Vitality at the start of the year, he quickly became the stabilizing force of MOUZ, a team that quietly transformed into a title contender. Whether it was their deep playoff run at Cologne, a top-three finish at ESL Pro League, or semifinals at BLAST Open London and Chengdu, Spinx remained the player MOUZ leaned on when the pace of the match tightened.
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Across the last three months, Spinx holds a 1.14 Rating 3.0 over 48 maps, a number that perfectly reflects his style — not explosive, but constantly impactful. His tournament performances rarely spike to superstar extremes, yet he almost never dips below a solid level either. Even in pressure-heavy scenarios, he delivers clean site holds, disciplined mid-round decisions, and the type of consistency that gives MOUZ a real chance in long playoff brackets. The team’s results mirror his presence: steady, methodical, and far more competitive than many predicted at the beginning of the season.
Heading into Budapest, Spinx stands out as the kind of dark-horse MVP candidate who can rise through sheer stability rather than highlight reels. If MOUZ manage another deep run, especially in a Major this open, Spinx’s combination of experience, low-error rifling, and strong LAN form could easily put him in the conversation for his first Major MVP.
Danil “molodoy” Golubenko — FURIA
molodoy has been one of the most exciting breakout stories of the 2025 season. When he joined FURIA, few expected him to immediately elevate the team to title contention — yet within months, he became the centerpiece of their resurgence. His MVP-winning performance at IEM Chengdu, where he dominated with calm decision-making and aggressive AWPing, marked the beginning of a new era for the Brazilian organization. Since then, FURIA have looked revitalized, collecting trophies at BLAST Rivals, Thunderpick, and FISSURE Playground while consistently punching above their weight at elite events.
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Over the past three months, molodoy sits on a 1.16 Rating 3.0 across 87 maps, an impressive number given the volume of matches and the level of competition FURIA faced. What stands out most is his ability to remain impactful regardless of the opponent or stage: at Chengdu he posted a stellar 1.27 rating, at Thunderpick he delivered another 1.15, and even in FURIA’s more difficult tournaments he maintained a stable level around 1.10–1.16. His blend of aggressive openings, clutch composure, and consistent AWP accuracy makes him one of the most well-rounded rising stars in CS2.
Heading into Budapest, molodoy feels like the perfect dark-horse MVP candidate — a player whose peak can carry his team through any bracket, and whose consistency gives FURIA a real chance at another big run. If the Brazilians find momentum early, there’s every possibility that molodoy becomes one of the defining stories of the Major.
Skin.Club Pick’em Challenge — Your MVP Call Could Win a Dragon Lore
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