Team Spirit is the team built around donk, the most explosive rifler of the CS2 era. With veteran AWPer sh1ro behind him, Spirit won the Perfect World Shanghai Major in 2024 and have been the most decorated team of the second half of 2026, with PGL Astana, the Esports World Cup and BLAST Open Porto already in the trophy cabinet.
This profile explains who plays for Spirit, how the team rebuilt after a disappointing end to 2025, and why they are one of the favorites for the PGL Major Singapore.
Spirit at a glance
| Organization | Team Spirit (Russia) |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Majors won | 1 (Perfect World Shanghai 2024) |
| In-game leader | magixx |
| Star player | donk |
Current roster
| Player | Role | What he brings |
|---|---|---|
| donk | Rifler, entry | The team’s main threat, a player who wins opening duels at a rate few can match |
| sh1ro | AWPer | Patient, low-risk sniper who closes the rounds donk opens |
| magixx | In-game leader | Returned for 2026 and took over the calling for the first time in his career |
| zont1x | Rifler | Returned for 2026, a flexible support player |
| tN1R | Rifler | Joined from HEROIC in 2025, adds utility and a calmer presence |
The organization
Spirit started as a Dota 2 organization and is best known in that game for winning The International twice, in 2021 and 2023. Its Counter-Strike team spent years as a solid but second-tier side until it promoted a teenage donk from its academy in 2023. Within a year he was one of the best players in the world.
How Spirit got here
The Shanghai Major in December 2024 was the moment everything clicked. Spirit beat FaZe Clan 2-1 in the final, donk was named MVP and he finished the year as HLTV’s best player in the world. In 2025 the team added IEM Cologne, beating MOUZ 3-0 in the final.
The end of 2025 was harder. After an early exit at the StarLadder Budapest Major, Spirit made two changes on December 18: magixx and zont1x, who had played for the team before, came back into the lineup, while chopper and zweih moved to the bench. magixx took over the in-game leader role, something he had never done before.
The rebuild worked. In 2026 Spirit won PGL Astana in May with a 3-0 final over Falcons, the Esports World Cup in August and BLAST Open Porto in September, where they won all five matches and dropped only one map.
How they play
Spirit’s system is designed to give donk as many opening duels as possible and to make sure his teammates are close enough to trade. Early 2026 statistics showed the team throwing more flashbangs for him than in 2025, and donk’s success rate on opening kills went up sharply. When he gets the first kill, Spirit play very fast and rarely give opponents time to reset.
sh1ro is the counterweight. He takes few risks with the AWP, plays for the late round and is often the last player alive in clutch situations. The combination of the most aggressive rifler and one of the most patient snipers in the game makes Spirit very hard to read.
The risk is that opponents who stop donk’s first duel can push Spirit into slower, more tactical rounds, which is where the new calling structure is still being tested.
2026 so far
- Titles: PGL Astana (May), Esports World Cup (August) and BLAST Open Porto (September).
- MOUZ rivalry: lost the BLAST Bounty Summer final to MOUZ, then beat them 3-1 in the Porto final.
- BLAST Rivals Hong Kong: beat FUT Esports 2-1 and G2 2-1 to top Group B and go straight to the semi-finals. sh1ro (1.29 rating) and donk (1.26) led the win over G2.
What to watch at the Major
Spirit start the PGL Major Singapore in Stage 3 on December 2. They arrive as the most in-form team of the second half of the year, and a second Major would confirm donk’s generation as the new face of Counter-Strike.
FAQ
Who is donk?
Danil “donk” Kryshkovets is Team Spirit’s star rifler. He joined the main roster as a teenager in 2023, won the Shanghai Major in 2024 and was named HLTV’s best player of 2024.
Has Team Spirit won a Major?
Yes, the Perfect World Shanghai Major in December 2024, beating FaZe Clan 2-1 in the final.
Who is Team Spirit’s in-game leader?
magixx, who returned to the team in December 2025 and took over the calling for 2026.
More team profiles
Compare Spirit with the rest of the elite in The Tier S CS2 Teams of 2026, or read about their rivals MOUZ, Team Vitality and Team Falcons. Follow the November event at BLAST Rivals Hong Kong 2026.