Legacy AWPer Santino “try” Rigal threw a sharp verdict into the ongoing AWPer debate this week. Speaking to the media, he named ZywOo, m0NESY, and sh1ro as the three elite snipers right now, but stressed that the Frenchman sits in a league of his own. “Mathieu is the undisputed top 1, Ilya is not even close to his level,” Rigal said, a comment that hits different because it comes from a fellow sniper who understands the role’s demands, consistency requirements, and the difference between a mechanically gifted player and a true superstar.
The veteran didn’t create a long list of candidates. He only highlighted those three, which itself shows how these players have defined top-tier AWP play over several seasons. But the real sting came from how he separated the first and second spots. Rather than calling it a close race, Rigal described a large distance he sees between ZywOo and m0NESY. That take stands out in a year where m0NESY often gets named as the main challenger for the number one sniper title.
Consistency vs. Peak Mechanics
ZywOo’s value hasn’t come purely from AWP flicks for a long time now. He influences rounds with rifles, in clutch scenarios, during opening duels, and simply by breaking up opponent setups through individual talent. That versatility makes him hard to stack directly against other AWPers. If m0NESY is usually seen as a fast, aggressive sniper with flashy mechanics and a very high skill ceiling, ZywOo presents himself as a more complete player. He might not steal the highlight in every round, but he almost always remains the most reliable winning piece on the server.
Rigal’s view also didn’t question m0NESY’s place in the top three. The young Russian has earned his reputation as a top-tier AWPer, often becoming his team’s key weapon in the toughest matches. Yet Rigal’s words show that even if much of the scene views m0NESY as ZywOo’s main rival, some professionals see a real gap between them. The gap might not just be about stats, but about how stable and repeatable each player’s impact is from tournament to tournament.
- Rigal stated ZywOo, m0NESY, and sh1ro are the best three AWPers right now.
- He described the separation between ZywOo and m0NESY as significant, not a thin margin.
- m0NESY’s style is linked to speed, explosive aggression, and high-end mechanics.
- sh1ro is seen as a colder, more methodical AWPer who stays effective without big hype.
sh1ro Holds His Spot
It also matters that Rigal kept sh1ro in that top three. The Russian sniper rarely gets the same volume of conversation as the two bigger names, but his inclusion makes sense. Sh1ro plays a disciplined, systematic style. He doesn’t always generate the loudest highlights, yet he consistently ranks among the best-performing AWPers on the elite stage. Rigal’s top three therefore looks balanced: ZywOo as the wide-ranging dominator, m0NESY as the brightest young aggressive sniper, and sh1ro as the steady, elite-level professional who rarely drops off.
ZywOo’s influence goes beyond just AWPing. His ability to impact matches in many situations gives him an edge that pure sniper comparisons often miss. Rigal’s perspective highlights that consistency factor: while m0NESY can explode, ZywOo almost always delivers a high, reliable level. That difference creates the large gap Rigal referred to.
What Rigal’s View Means for the Narrative
The most interesting part of Rigal’s statement isn’t that he placed ZywOo at number one—that has been a common view for a while. It’s that he described the distance between ZywOo and m0NESY as very large. In the current season where m0NESY regularly gets discussed as the primary threat to ZywOo’s throne, this assessment suggests the battle might be less even than public opinion suggests. Rigal accepted both m0NESY and sh1ro as part of the elite three, but he clearly pulled ZywOo up to a separate platform.
| Player | Style and Perceived Status |
|---|---|
| ZywOo | Universal dominator, stable match-winner across all roles |
| m0NESY | Explosive, aggressive sniper with high ceiling but less stable |
| sh1ro | Pragmatic, disciplined, consistently elite but quieter noise |
| Rigal’s hierarchy | ZywOo clear number one, large gap over second place |
| Common fan/narrative view | Often treats m0NESY as close rival, but Rigal sees separation |
As long as active players keep offering these evaluations, the ZywOo vs. m0NESY discussion will stay one of the major individual talking points in CS2 right now. For his part, Rigal has made it clear: ZywOo doesn’t just sit at the top—he occupies a separate tier that no other current AWPer reaches, according to the source’s information from the professional scene.
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