Azbayar Senzu Munkhbold entered the list of the best players of 2025 according to HLTV and finished in 13th place. For the 19-year-old opener of The MongolZ, this is not only a personal achievement, but also a historic breakthrough for all Mongolian CS: his performances were the foundation for the team’s run to the BLAST.tv Austin Major grand final, the Esports World Cup title, and a series of deep finishes at top tournaments.
Asian roster
Senzu became the first player from a fully Asian roster to make the HLTV Top 20 and at the same time the first representative of Mongolia in this ranking. Amid fierce competition in 2025, he managed to stand out thanks to his aggressive style, consistent impact in group stages and, most importantly, a series of brilliant playoff performances in the second half of the season.
The year turned out to be contrasting for him: from failures in his first arena matches to true “coming of age” in the playoffs of the Austin Major and the championship run at the Esports World Cup. At the end of the season Senzu was benched by The MongolZ due to burnout, but by that time he had already cemented his status as one of the main stars of the new generation.
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Why Senzu finished 13th
The basis for Senzu’s entry into the Top 20 was the volume of high-quality performances at big LAN events. Over the season he collected four EVP awards, three of them at Big Events, including the Esports World Cup and FISSURE Playground 2. He received another EVP for his performance at BLAST.tv Austin Major, where The MongolZ reached the final and he finished the tournament with a rating of around 1.30.
At the same time, Senzu maintained a strong overall level across the season: high ADR, KPR, and a significant share of maps with a 1.30+ rating in matches against top-10 teams, despite playing the far-from-comfortable role of aggressive rifler. More limited attendance at elite events and uneven showings early in the year did not allow him to climb higher, but the combination of peak form stretches, EVP awards and his contribution to team results made the 13th position fully logical.
Key tournaments of Senzu’s season
1. BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
The main turning point of the year for Senzu was the Austin Major. It was here that he finally broke the playoff curse he had carried since the Perfect World Shanghai Major. In the group stage the Mongolian player delivered a powerful series of maps with ratings well above one, and the decisive match versus G2 on Dust2 turned into Senzu’s personal show — with a record number of frags and key clutches in overtime.
In the playoffs he kept up his level against FaZe and paiN, playing a number of matches with 1.30+ ratings and becoming one of the main factors in The MongolZ reaching the region’s historic Major final. Despite losing to Vitality in the title match, Austin cemented his status as a player capable of handling arena pressure.
2. Esports World Cup 2025
The second key stage was the Esports World Cup victory in Riyadh. For The MongolZ it was their first S-tier title, and for Senzu a tournament where he combined consistency with explosive maps. The team progressed step by step through strong opponents, and in the final against Aurora it was Senzu who closed the series with a phenomenal performance on Nuke: high ADR, multi-frag rounds and a rating that effectively guaranteed him an EVP.
The EWC title answered those who considered The MongolZ merely “underdogs with a good storyline.” After Riyadh the team climbed to the top of the rankings, and Senzu firmly established himself as the roster’s leading star.
3. FISSURE Playground 2 and other performances
At FISSURE Playground 2, Senzu again ranked among the most valuable players of the tournament, setting an ace record and producing several series where his aggressive entries decided maps. Although the Mongolians lost the final to FURIA, the event reinforced the view that Senzu can consistently perform at a high level on the arena stage.
The season was supplemented by confident group-stage showings at IEM Katowice, ESL Pro League S21–22, IEM Dallas, and other events. Even when he sometimes dipped in playoffs, his strong opening maps often provided The MongolZ with a comfortable cushion to escape groups.
Senzu’s role in The MongolZ throughout the year
Senzu served as The MongolZ’s primary opener and one of the main damage dealers. He was given initiative in the riskiest entries and was often the first to take duels in key positions. This style inevitably brings volatile stats, but even under such conditions Senzu managed to maintain high average impact and at times almost single-handedly broke the defenses of top teams.
Beyond raw mechanics, he became The MongolZ’s “temperature gauge”: when Senzu hit his rhythm and began to dominate duels, the team instantly became more aggressive and confident. During his slumps, on the contrary, the team lacked his openings and first kills — particularly noticeable at the end of the year.
Season statistics and playing style
By the end of 2025 Senzu kept an overall rating above 1.10 on a large map sample, while posting one of the highest KPRs among aggressive riflers. A significant share of 1.45+ maps shows how high his peaks were, especially on Dust2, Mirage, and Nuke, where he regularly won opening duels and created space for teammates.
In the first half of the season there were many arena-stage struggles — a series of sub-0.9 ratings in his first five Big Event playoffs. However, from Dallas through FISSURE Playground 2 Senzu markedly improved specifically in “big matches,” raising his average playoff rating to a level comparable with other Top-20 players. This progress, combined with the number of EVP awards, allowed him to outpace competitors for a place in the ranking.
Career context and historical significance for Mongolia
Senzu’s story is a condensed journey of Mongolian CS: from local internet cafés and first streams with friends to big arenas and a Major final. He debuted for The MongolZ as a teenager, went through a turbulent period in NKT, returned home, reunited with coach maaRaa and within a few years became the face of the region’s strongest team.
For Mongolia itself, his entry into the Top 20 is a historic milestone. After three consecutive Majors with the old The MongolZ core, it seemed the team had reached a ceiling, but the emergence of young stars such as Senzu, mzinho and 910 proved that the country can systematically produce talent and compete with tier-one giants on a permanent basis.
What this means for the Asian scene
Senzu’s appearance in the HLTV ranking without a move to a European or North American organization is a powerful signal for the entire Asian scene. For the first time, a player from the region entered the Top 20 while remaining in a fully “homegrown” roster rather than as a legionnaire in a Western club. This broadens perceptions of elite CS2 geography and shows that strong competition and proper structure within the region can bring a team to world-class level without a forced move to Europe.
In the short term, the success of The MongolZ and Senzu will likely encourage organizers to increase Asian slots at major tournaments and push clubs to scout more actively in Mongolia and neighboring countries. In the longer term, it may stimulate the emergence of new academies and professional infrastructure in the region.
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13th place in the HLTV ranking
Senzu ends 2025 in 13th place in the HLTV ranking, with four EVP awards, a BLAST.tv Austin Major final, an Esports World Cup title and a series of standout performances at top events. Despite early-season problems and a forced break due to burnout at the end of the year, the Mongolian rifler managed to combine individual explosiveness with real impact on team results.
For The MongolZ he has already become a key figure of their most successful season, for Mongolia — a symbol of a new developmental stage of the scene, and for global CS2 — further proof that talent can emerge anywhere in the world. If Senzu manages to recover after his pause and return to play, he is fully capable of climbing even higher in future rankings.
