These players could become the MVP of PGL Major Copenhagen 2024
The CS2 Major is an extremely significant event in the history of the new game. The tournament winner will be forever remembered by fans as the first team to claim this title. The current technical state of the game and the changed form of the players compared to the last CS:GO Major in Paris add extra interest.
If someone had said a year ago that the best player of the last decade, Alexander “s1mple” Kostylev, would voluntarily skip an event of this level, they would have been called crazy. But that’s the reality now. With the transition to CS2, the balance of power has changed significantly, and players who didn’t even participate in the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 are in the spotlight.
Let’s take a look at who is shining at the pro level now and aiming not only for the championship in Copenhagen but also for the title of MVP.
donk
In the summer of 2023, Team Spirit Academy player donk was promoted to the main roster of the organization. From the very beginning, he began to demonstrate excellent results and even helped his team win at the LAN tournament Dunav Party. After that, many started paying attention to donk and dispelled their skepticism about his previous performances. With the transition to CS2, the young talent has blossomed even more and quickly adapted to the new game. While others complained about the “raw version,” Danila would log on and destroy opponents.
The new year started off as good as it gets for him. At 17, he practically single-handedly secured the title of IEM Katowice 2024 and became the tournament MVP. By the end of February, he became the best player in various statistical categories and is unlikely to slow down. The only “disappointing” tournament for him was the Major qualifiers, which he finished with a Rating 2.0 of 1.24! When such performances are considered unsatisfactory, expectations of being named the Major MVP become quite justified.
m0NESY
A couple of years ago, this Russian player was just as much of a young talent as donk. In two years of performances on the pro scene in the international mix G2, he managed to win IEM Katowice 2023, IEM Cologne 2023, and Blast Premier World Finals 2022. Everyone had become so accustomed to Ilia’s strong performances that they started forgetting about his age. He’s only 18, and he has already won several prestigious trophies and twice made it into the top 10 players of the year according to HLTV (9th and 4th place).
At some point, m0NESY set too high standards for himself. The player is so confident in his abilities at such a young age that he is not ready to accept any result other than victory. To reach a new level, he desperately needs to win the Major, which he is capable of delivering to his organization. He has already secured qualification for this tournament, finishing the RMR with a Rating 2.0 of 1.61. All that remains is to finish what he started and lift the coveted trophy in Copenhagen.
ZywOo
When talking about potential MVPs of the Major in Copenhagen, how can we not mention the best player of last year? In addition to this, the Frenchman is the reigning champion of BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023.
The transition to CS2 wasn’t easy for him, and many haters already started rubbing their hands and talking about the decline of his career. At first, zywOo really couldn’t find his game with the AWP. He constantly tried to find aggressive frags, as he did in CS:GO. The advantage of “peeking” caused many problems for many snipers, forcing them to retrain and find new positions for playing with the sniper rifle.
It took Mathieu several months, and already in December 2023, he managed to win his first title in CS2, claiming the title of the most valuable player. A cool-headed character and hard work help the player reach new gaming heights. It is thanks to him that Team Vitality is one of the main favorites to win the first Major in CS2. ZywOo is one of those cases where the “most obvious” option is not a risky prediction for the MVP of any tournament.
frozen
The year 2024 kicked off with significant changes for this player. Towards the end of 2023, he unexpectedly found himself in one of the world’s top teams, alongside players with incredible experience and dozens of victories under their belt. In FaZe, he was tasked with replacing Twistzz, who decided to return to Liquid. Such a surreal leap in his career should provide even more motivation for future triumphs. There’s no doubt that frozen is gaining a wealth of experience from his new teammates and is not feeling any pressure.
What pressure could there be when you open the scoreboard and see such nicknames alongside yours? Confidence in his teammates should help unlock the full potential of this young sharpshooter. There might not be a better opportunity or a better team for winning the Major, so frozen should grasp it and ignite the fire in the eyes of his teammates.
At IEM Katowice 2024, he already showed signs of this, although no one could have stood up to donk that evening. It was evident that frozen fulfilled his role and provided FaZe with the necessary impetus, the reason for which he was acquired.
xertioN
Mouz is a true phenomenon in the modern CS scene. The team consistently performs well at tier-1 events, but they’re not often in the spotlight or considered favorites. However, they are currently ranked as a top-4 team globally, secured 3-4th place at IEM Katowice 2024, and confidently went through the RMR tournament with a score of 3-0. In the decisive match, they defeated Team Spirit 2-0, with xertioN making a significant contribution to this victory.
Recently, Mouz re-signed their academy graduate, who has been with the organization for over 4 years. At the end of last year, he placed 3rd in the “Best Entry Fragger” category at the HLTV Awards, only behind Niko and rain. Considering Mouz’s current form, they could go very far, largely due to xertioN’s successful early-round actions. He might be one of the less obvious choices, but he fully embodies the underrated strength of the team he represents.
FL1T
Another team that doesn’t always make it into the favorites’ list but ended the year ranked 5th by HLTV. For the entire Virtus.pro team, transitioning to CS2 was a boost. Each player saw a significant increase in their KDA ratio, and FL1T emerged in a new light, becoming more confident and aggressive.
Over the last 3 months, he’s been ranked 4th in terms of Rating 2.0, with only donk, m0NESY, and ZywOo ahead of him. The choice of Evgeniy as a potential MVP is directly related to his team. Virtus.pro are already in the Legends stage, and they will have enough time to prepare for each opponent. The meticulous and hardworking approach of the team should give them an advantage over the others, and FL1T must play a crucial role in any potential triumph.
How close our predictions were, we will find out very soon. PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 will take place from March 17 to March 31. It’s on the last day of March that we will learn the name of the MVP of the first Major in CS2 history.