Danil “molodoy” Golubenko was arguably the Counter-Strike revelation of 2025. A comparatively unprecedented AWPer surprisingly signed by FURIA forward of the BLAST Austin Main, he ended the yr with two MVP awards and along with his title held up subsequent to the likes of Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.
It’s no shock, then, as AWPers proceed to battle within the rifler-dominant CS2 meta, that the common viewer asks why extra groups can’t simply do what FURIA did and discover spectacular AWPers from decrease down the CS ladder.
Nonetheless, what may come as a shock is that Martin “STYKO” Styk doesn’t suppose that groups essentially must be aiming to take action.
Styko thinks focusing on the “subsequent molodoy” received’t work. Picture Credit score: StarLadder
The Good Touchdown
STYKO’s opinion is that though molodoy is a generational expertise, and that “the place you land issues loads.” He added: “If molodoy had gone to a workforce with out FalleN or YEKINDAR, who’re each nice mentors, then I’m undecided he can be the place he’s proper now.”
It’s arduous to argue in opposition to. Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo is called some of the influential gamers in Counter-Strike historical past, a determine who didn’t simply lead groups but additionally led a complete nation into Counter-Strike relevance.
Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinksis, too, is a transparent management determine. A former IGL himself, the Latvian has been praised by each his present teammates on FURIA and former teammates on Liquid for his capability to speak and set up.
On high of that, YEKINDAR can be somebody from an analogous tradition to molodoy, who speaks the identical language as him. As a rookie who was thrown into tier one on a majority Brazilian workforce, having YEKINDAR there has possible been integral to the younger AWPer’s success.
“It’s not solely about discovering that participant, but additionally being able to make him mature sufficient to play nicely, elevate trophies, and sustain communication when issues are tough. That’s one thing I like about this FURIA workforce, it’s not about molodoy simply being insane, it’s about FURIA making him insane.” STYKO advised Esports.internet.
It’s been a protracted look forward to FURIA to succeed in these ranges. Picture Credit score: PGL
It’s additionally essential to not overlook that molodoy seems to be a generational expertise in a time the place many AWPers are struggling. Gamers like him don’t come round usually, and though his utilization of the AWP may shift the meta, as Alex “Mauisnake” Ellenberg steered in our interview with him, STYKO is fast to level out how stacked the present meta is in opposition to snipers.
“I requested a number of AWPers all through the Main why they may be struggling, and I obtained blended solutions. A few of them blamed playstyle, the place a variety of AWPers are required to do a variety of soiled work when it comes to supporting riflers as a result of rifles are so sturdy in comparison with CS:GO, and that additionally implies that holding angles is extra disadvantageous than it was.” STYKO stated.
There’s additionally an absence of deal with AWPing. Gamers like m0NESY and ZywOo play with rifles loads and to nice success, a consequence of each their respective ability making whichever weapon they maintain largely irrelevant and MR12 inserting a limiting issue upon the cumbersome economic system required to assist an AWPer.
However possibly that isn’t a nasty factor. STYKO comes from a time the place AWPers have been the dominant drive for many groups, and he says he likes that the AWP has “turn out to be extra of a utility weapon than the carry weapon it was.”
Picture Credit score: ESL
In the event you’ve been round any esport lengthy sufficient, you’ll know that metas are ever-changing. The identical is true for CS, though these meta shifts could also be much less apparent most often than in different video games like VALORANT.
Certainly one of molodoy’s strengths since coming to FURIA has been that the workforce has largely ignored the meta. As an alternative of getting their AWPer put up with utilizing rifles and throwing utility, they construct methods round him, placing him within the place to be a real star with the gun and to nice impact.
Mauisnake pointed it out, and it’s one thing STYKO bolstered by saying “molodoy has figured it out. So we may be speaking about extra AWPers subsequent yr, extra folks will work out what molodoy has and that can be an fascinating meta shift.”
It was already evident that Vitality have been trying extra in the direction of ZywOo as an AWPer throughout their successful StarLadder Budapest Main marketing campaign, in order that trickles all the way down to different groups who look to reflect FURIA’s unlikely late-2025 success, possibly they don’t have to exit and discover the following molodoy. Possibly they simply have to put belief in what they have already got.
