The first season of professional play in Counter-Strike 2 for 2026 is upon us, and regardless of the transfer window not providing anything close to the expectations of many, there is still a plethora of exciting storylines heading into the new year.
From the cardinal changes on Team Spirit, through the international rebuild of Astralis, the formation of 100 Thieves, and the changes on teams like BC.Game, OG, Fnatic, BIG & Heroic, there is a lot to unpack heading into the next couple of months of professional play. However, in this article we will turn an eye towards some of the most exciting players in the Tier 1.5 & Tier 2 scene. These are not complete rookies, quite the opposite. These three players have either already gotten a shot at the highest level or are very close to finally being called up by a prestigious organization.
But for one reason or another, these three rifles are on my personal list for exciting prospects heading into the new year. Whether because of the excitement of seeing them bounce back after an unsuccessful first shot at the highest level, or the anticipation of seeing how they would carry on and surpass the heights they’ve recently reached, each and every one of them is capable of making 2026 their “breakthrough year”.
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3. Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov
We are going to kick the list off with one of the shining diamonds of Jame’s PARIVISION – 19-year-old Russian talent Vladislav “xiELO” Lysov. xiELO is one of the players who were not necessarily on the radar of many prior to the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, where thanks to his 1.13 average rating across all three stages of the event (18 maps), he quickly announced himself to the world as a sharp, fearless and mechanically strong player.
However, I’d argue that the youngster is not what people call a “one-hit wonder”. There’s been many examples of Tier 2 rifles surpassing their limits and overperforming massively at Major events over the years. In some cases names like iM and jL were able to successfully take advantage of the situation and prove themselves on the highest level, establishing themselves as proper Tier 1 competitors. Others, like CYPHER, zweih, regardless of his transfer towards Team Spirit, and some of the players on the Bad News Eagles core, have not been able to quite replicate their Major performances that put them on the Tier 1 radar of many.
What makes xiELO’s case more reminiscent of the cases of guys like iM & jL is the fact that his gradual improvement over the last two years has been pretty impressive, regardless of the lack of Tier 1 events. After starting his career in 2022, xiELO has been able to continuously show improvements both mechanically, and gamesense-wise. During his 2-year-long stint on GUN5 between 2023 and 2025, the flamboyant rifler partnered up with the later to become Heroic’s №1 star and current Team Spirit player – tN1r, and to the surprise of many, I would even say that it was difficult to determine which one was better on the CIS squad.
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Regardless of the difference in roles and tN1R’s versatility and tendencies of being both a player capable of filling in the roles of a star player/rotator, but also a lurk/anchor, xiELO’s capability for creating space and being the spear of the aggressive moves on his teams, both on the T and CT-sides really stood out to me. In spite of his lack of experience, his decision making has never felt “questionable”. He is the type of player that doesn’t have issues coming up with an idea or reaction, and instantly committing to it. A set of skills that was on full display during PARIVISION’s run through to Stage 3 of the most recent Major.
With his already present skillset, the presence and experience of people like Jame and dastan, and the higher amount of opportunities to gather even more playtime on the highest level in the coming months, regardless of whether he chooses to stay on PARIVISION, or leave and join another team, I believe xiELO will be one of the most exciting Tier 2 players to follow throughout 2026.
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2. Alex “Rainwaker” Petrov
‘Insert mandatory Bulgarian mention’. Jokes aside, besides my close connection to the Bulgarian scene and affinity to support the players from my local scene, in Rainwaker’s case, following the development of the Bulgarian scene closely has allowed me to truly draw the line between him and many other players from the region.
For many, the 24-year-old rifle became known with his unsuccessful 3-month-long stint on Team Liquid in 2023. Having played merely 4 tournaments (34 maps), and averaging a 0.96 rating, the Bulgarian’s first and only shot to date at Tier 1 CS was nothing short but a failure. Despite the urge to take the angle of emphasising on Liquid’s lack of consistency, structure, and the tension on the team, alongside with YEKINDAR’s attempt of taking the IGL reigns, I would still consider it fair to simply state that Rainwaker was not ready for Tier 1 Counter-Strike back then. The transition to English communication could be a tricky one, especially for a calm, introverted and quiet person, who is trying to find out what type of a player he wants to be on this level.
However, after being benched by the international team the lurker quickly started proving himself once again. After rejoining the Bulgarian side of 500 Esports, he quickly regained his role of the team’s best player, posting a 1.17 rating in 2024, and a 1.11 rating in 2025, despite of the team’s constant roster changes, lack fo consistency and failure to even get close to the level of the best Tier 2 teams.
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Shortly after the start of the second season of 2025, 500 decided to make the transition and become an international roster, signing the likes of hampus, volt and djL, with CYPHER joining the project later on. That was the opportunity for Rainwaker to prove that he is ready to, once again, play on an English-speaking roster and deliver, and he did just that. With his numbers going progressively up the more time the lineup would get together, himself and volt quickly became the pillars of 500, and we started seeing glimpses of the same prodigy, that made YEKINDAR & daps believe in his capabilities.
Ice-cold in the clutch, great in-game intuition, and capability to make the most out of a tough scenario. Rainmaker is what I like calling a player who’s always able to give himself a chance on the server, and with the experience and lessons gathered over the last couple of years, I believe his level of maturity and confidence has risen significantly.
As of today, Rainwaker is a stand-in for Monte for the duration of BLAST Bounty 2026 Season 1, and played a key role in the team’s upset 2-1 win over Major semifinalist Natus Vincere, ending the series as Monte’s highest player (1.23), and being able to showcase his clutching abilities in a 1v3 on Mirage. It is too early to tell if he stays on Monte or goes somewhere else, but considering his non-conflict and calm character, in-game intelligence and mechanical skills, It would be very surprising to not see him join an international team and prove himself worthy of another shot at a higher level in 2026.
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1. Timur “FL4MUS” Marev
Imagine starting your career as a young rifler coming out of the CIS region, Team Spirit Academy refusing to pick you up, because of not believing in your potential, and still being able to define the odds. Playing for three years in lower level CIS teams, grinding your way up to being picked up by GamerLegion, showcasing your undeniable potential with fantastic performances at RMR & Major events, and getting picked up by Virtus.pro to play alongside one of the most respected and experienced players from your region – electroNic. Sounds like a beautiful story with a happy ending, doesn’t it? Well, that is exactly how the career of 21-year-old FL4MUS was going until the start of 2025.
After his impressive stint on GamerLegion and performance at the PerfectWorld Shanghai RMR & Major, the Russian entry was supposed to become the region’s next superstar. However, instead of allowing this young talent to flourish and become one of the best, Virtus.pro turned out to be his demise. Throughout his 6-month stint with the Russian organization, FL4MUS went through a couple of role and position changes, but it never felt like the freedom and allowance to take risks and chances were there. As a young and inexperienced player, the ex-GamerLegion man found himself on a team full of frustration, changes, tension between the players, and underwhelming results – the worst possible atmosphere for someone trying to learn and develop as a Tier 1 pro. With his individual performance gradually decreasing and the team around him seeming like it was about to fall apart at any moment, FL4MUS quickly found himself on the bench of Virtus.pro, regardless of signing a multi-year contract just months prior.
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The second half of 2025 seemed anything but ideal. Having the opportunity of playing on mixed teams like 9BOOMPRO, and not looking like a transfer to another team was on the table, FL4MUS could focus his attention on one thing and one thing only – getting as sharp individually as he could, and that he did. Averaging a 1.11 rating (1.20 on the T-side) in the last 6 months of 2025, the Russian was able to show glimpses of his old self, and make people believe that this hyperactive, energetic, and willing to take any risk player was still there, waiting for his opportunity to bounce back.
After spending a couple of months on the bench over at VP, he was finally allowed to join another team on loan, and moved over to OG Esports in November of 2025 as a part of the organisation’s new attempt of rebuilding with himself and cadiaN being at the center of the changes.
OG have not played many events since the changes and it’s still unclear if FL4MUS will be able to get back his level on GamerLegion and Nemiga, but regardless of my personal feelings about this iteration of OG, I believe that his talent and qualities are undeniable and getting the right opportunity to play the game as he wants to – with a lot of speed, aggression, and freedom, on the system of a proactive IGL as cadiaN, could be what brings his career back to life. And who knows, maybe 2026 will really be the year where we see FL4MUS get back to the highest level, and establish himself as one of the sharpest rifles coming out of the CIS region.
