KingT’s players to watch at Stage 1 of the Major

The expert on CS2’s hidden “world of players” selected the ones most likely to explode at the IEM Cologne Major.

Like the football World Cup, the Majors are Counter-Strike’s most fertile ground for the emergence of star players.

Last year, we had zweih appear on Nemiga at Austin, who surprised strong opposition with well-timed lurks and clean headshots.

Boombl4 emerged at the first Major of 2018, making a miracle run before getting exposed in the playoffs. Three years after, Boombl4 would win NAVI its only CS:GO Major as the in-game leader.

CS history is littered with stories like these, starting at Majors. While most of us are caught off-guard by them when we tune in, some people spot the story of these players long before we do.

That is the case of KingT, one of CS2’s foremost talent-scouting content creators. Discovering a “world of players” in Tier-2 during the online era of esports, he has helped us provide a list for the best lesser-known players to watch at Stage 1 of the IEM Cologne Major.

koala: Brazil’s next closer

Brazil’s xyp9x regen, a dedicated anchor, lurker, and closer. Delivers incredible firepower from hyperpassive and supportive roles and positions.

Like KingT says, koala of the South American team, Sharks, is by nature a passive player. He attempts an opening duel only 15% of the time, and maintains a 1.09 rating across 2026 in LAN tournaments.

The dream anchor, he gets a multi-kill in over 17% of rounds (more than b1t), mostly on CT-side.

koala’s low opening attempts display his passive style, and his clutching stats (only slightly below ropz’s in 2026) show he is a late-round force.

On average, he is alive 1 minute and 10 seconds of every round, over half of the round time. He is proficient with utility, doing over 130 utility damage per map on average.

As KingT says, koala is not a flashy player, being in supportive positions. However, that is something Brazil lacks since TACO’s retirement, and koala may become a staple for Brazilian teams to come.

gr1ks: “combat AWPer extraordinaire”

Formerly of Aurora Young Blood and, briefly, Heroic, this guy is a combat AWPer extraordinaire. If he gets comfortable and loose on T-sides BIG will cook teams.

More of a known quantity, gr1ks has played for teams like HEROIC and now BIG, since emerging as a prospect on Aurora’s academy side. However, he has yet to emerge as a real star in CS2.

His 2025 was disappointing, managing only a 0.94 rating on a lackluster HEROIC side.

His switch to BIG in 2026 has been a step in the right direction, with much more aggression and flair.

The key stat to highlight is that gr1ks goes for nearly 50% more openings, unleashed on BIG.

Unlike koala, gr1ks is on a team with potential to make a run at Cologne. An aggressive piece on a structured BIG side, with that explosive close-range sniping, he can be an x-factor for their success.

nilo: a “no-brainer”

Another prospect hamstrung by HEROIC, nilo was not able to play for most of 2025, despite being one of the scene’s most touted prospects – which KingT’s statement reflects.

Prior to MaiL09’s ascension out of FPL, nilo was the no-brainer pick for “most exciting Swede”.

For the first six months of 2025, nilo was not able to play due to HEROIC fielding a 6-man roster, which took a toll on nilo’s level.

This year, nilo is back to his best, with an impressive 1.14 rating on LAN (1.20 on CT-side) leading an inconsistent albeit explosive HEROIC side. However, like with koala, his team might be the bottleneck.

He still has all the qualities that made him that way – the aim, the feel, the poise – and if Heroic don’t collapse around him he can take them far.

Starry: “Amongst the sharpest Chinese riflers”

Starry is the bright spot on an unpredictable Lynn Vision team, only at the Major thanks to winning a tournament in which they did not play a single match in the playoffs.

Despite the unusual qualification circumstances, Starry is no doubt one of China’s highest prospects, not dropping below a 1.11 rating for any LAN event in 2026.

An all-rounder, Starry is a strong opening and clutch player for Lynn Vision.

According to KingT, Starry’s strong opening and clutch play is key for Lynn Vision getting through Stage 1 of Cologne.

He’s been the amongst the sharpest Chinese riflers for a while, it’s just a question of consistency. His final form will unlock Lynn Vision’s finest play.

JBa: NA’s last hope

To cap off the list, there is a somber note to the last prospect. Instead a youngster on the rise going into Cologne, JBa is a talent who seemed ripe for explosion but has faded away as stakes climbed.

It would be insane for him to finally deliver under pressure when it’s at it’s heaviest.

With North American (NA) teams becoming more and more feeble at the top end of CS2, JBa’s move to M80, one of the region’s most exciting teams, seemed like a no-brainer for both sides. He was one of the few real NA prospects in a sea of disappointments for the region.

While JBa has not dropped off massively statistically, he has not blossomed in the way onlookers like KingT have expected him to.

The slight change that has occurred is that he is more of an opening player, perhaps trying to find impact in the otherwise passive game he is known for. While last year he won over half of his 1v1 rounds, and was last alive over 10% of the time, those patterns have reversed now.

Still, KingT maintains that JBa is one of NA’s few hopes remaining for the future.

As NA’s final hope I have to keep my fingers crossed that this guy finally will [deliver at IEM Cologne].

Stage 1 Begins on Tuesday

Tune into the start of the IEM Cologne Major on Tuesday, June 2nd. These are the matches where the aforementioned prospects will join the server.

12:30 CET – Lynn Vision vs M80 (Starry vs JBa)

14:30 – HEROIC vs Sharks (nilo vs koala)

15:30 – BIG vs Team Liquid (gr1ks vs Liquid)