Danil “molodoy” Golubenko was the biggest surprise in Counter-Strike during 2025. He was an unknown sniper who joined FURIA just before the BLAST Austin Major. By the end of the year, he had won two MVP awards and stood alongside legends like Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov and Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut.

Because AWPers often struggle in the current CS2 meta, many fans wonder why more teams don’t copy FURIA’s strategy. They ask why teams can’t simply find talented snipers from lower levels of play. However, Martin “STYKO” Styk believes that chasing the “next molodoy” is not the right approach.

The Perfect Landing

STYKO believes that while molodoy is a generational talent, the team he joined played a huge role in his success. He explained that “where you land matters a lot.” If molodoy had joined a team without experienced mentors like Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo or Mareks “YEKINDAR” Galinksis, he might not be where he is today.

It is hard to argue with that logic. FalleN is known as one of the most influential figures in Counter-Strike history. He didn’t just lead teams; he helped bring an entire nation into the spotlight of the esports world.

YEKINDAR is also a strong leader. As a former in-game leader, he has received praise from both his current teammates at FURIA and his former teammates on Liquid for his communication and organization skills.

Furthermore, YEKINDAR shares a similar culture and language with molodoy. Being a rookie thrown into a top-tier team mostly made up of Brazilian players, having YEKINDAR there was essential for molodoy’s smooth transition and success.

“It is not just about finding a talented player,” STYKO said. “It is about having the ability to help them mature, win trophies, and keep communicating when things get tough. I admire this FURIA team because it is not just about molodoy being a genius; it is about FURIA making him a genius.”

A Tough Meta for Snipers

It is also important to remember that molodoy appeared during a time when many AWPers are struggling. Players of his caliber are rare, and while his style could change the game, STYKO points out that the current meta is stacked against snipers.

“I asked a few AWPers during the Major why they were struggling, and I got different answers,” STYKO said. “Some blamed the playstyle. Many AWPers have to do the dirty work and support the riflers because rifles are so strong in CS2. This means holding angles is more dangerous than it used to be.”

There is also less focus on the AWP itself. Players like m0NESY and ZywOo use rifles very often and succeed with them. This happens because their skill makes any weapon deadly, and the MR12 format limits the economy needed to support a full-time AWPer.

But maybe this is a good thing. STYKO comes from an era where AWPers were the main stars of every team. He says he likes that the AWP has “become more of a utility weapon than the carry weapon it used to be.”

Molodoy’s Approach to the Meta

If you follow esports long enough, you know that metas are always changing. The same is true for Counter-Strike, though the shifts are sometimes less obvious than in games like VALORANT.

One of molodoy’s strengths since joining FURIA is that the team largely ignores the current meta. Instead of forcing their AWPer to use rifles and throw utility, they build strategies around him. They put him in positions where he can be a true star with the sniper rifle, and it works very well.

Mauisnake pointed this out, and STYKO reinforced it by saying, “molodoy has figured it out. We might be talking about more AWPers next year as more people figure out what molodoy has done. That will be an interesting meta shift.”

It was already clear that Vitality relied more on ZywOo as an AWPer during their winning StarLadder Budapest Major campaign. As other teams try to copy FURIA’s unlikely success late in 2025, they might not need to find the next molodoy. Perhaps they just need to trust the players they already have.