donk records highest Katowice Group Stage rating since 2015
The Counter-Strike world is alight with excitement as Danil "donk" Kryshkovets is everything that was promised and somehow even more. Ever since he popped on the radar of the general populace, the young superstar has been hailed as the future of Counter-Strike. He even appeared on HLTV's coveted "One For The Future" series, taking a spot alongside CS legends such as Mathieu "ZywOo" Herbaut and Dmitry "sh1ro" Sokolov, now his teammate.
donk first made his appearance known at BetBoom Dacha 2023, taking home the MVP with a 1.31 rating. However, it would be a while before we would see the young star on a LAN against the best in the world. Visa issues prevented his appearance at BLAST Spring Groups 2024, frustrating him and audiences alike. But the temptation makes the heart grow fonder, and given the opportunity, the boy has delivered.
Spirit ravaged their way through Katowice's Play-In, swiftly disposing of Apeks in 13-0 fashion and then winning 2-0 over Mongolz. Spirit was in the main event, simple as that.
The first test in the event was over NAVI. donk cleaned house with a 1.49 rating. Complexity were next; they stood no chance. 1.66 rating. Playoffs secured, now the seeding match. Finally, the team came to stop donk from making a mockery of the pro scene: FaZe Clan. The Intel Grand Slam-winning, Major-winning lineup, powered up with recent roster moves would finally be the team to humble donk. Didn't matter. 2-0. 1.83 rating.
With an average rating of 1.62 over seven maps, donk has now recorded the highest group stage performance at a Katowice since 2015, when the GSL format of the Major allowed olofmeister to blaze through with a 1.70 rating 1.0 over just two maps en route to a Major MVP.
Since 2016, when the current six-team playoff bracket was implemented, Katowice has not seen a group stage performance like donk's. Only three players have ever come close: Nikola "NiKo" Kovač, Nikola "NiKo" Kovač, and Nikola "NiKo" Kovač, in 2016, 2018, and 2023, respectively. Even in these three years, NiKo "only" hit 1.51, 1.51, and 1.50 ratings, over 0.10 below donk's astronomical performance.
The Spodek has, quite simply, not seen a player like donk before, but it will soon. Spirit have advanced directly to the semifinals with their win over FaZe, but there is still one opponent donk has yet to face: the lights. On Saturday, donk will take his first stage with the roar of the audience in front of him. This weekend, he will try to make history again, a habit that he doesn't seem eager to break.
