Highlight Skin Showcase: ZywOo 1v4 clutch against Astralis

With Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev out of the picture, it was assumed that Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut would once again take the mantle as the best player in the world in 2024, but it hasn’t been as simple as that. Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov has been a known quantity in the Counter-Strike scene since his days with NAVI Junior which netted him a spot on G2. Therefore the Russian prodigy taking another step forward to challenge ZywOo comes as a surprise to nobody but it was the emergence of another contender for the world’s best player that took the community by storm. 17-year-old Danil “donk” Kryshkovets was promoted from Spirit Academy in July 2023 and ever since has been a force in tier-one Counter-Strike. He made his presence particularly known when he blitzed the field and helped Spirit lift the IEM Katowice 2024 trophy, winning the MVP award with a staggering 1.70 rating.

Despite going toe-to-toe with a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old, ZywOo has managed to remain at the top of the scene, performing remarkably in what has been a lackluster year for Vitality so far. The international quintet has failed to win an event in 2024, despite making two finals at both IEM Dallas and ESL Pro League Season 19. Eager to get a trophy under their belts, Vitality set out to top the group at the BLAST Premier Fall Groups and that they did, qualifying directly for the Fall Finals along with G2, Liquid, Spirit, Natus Vincere and Astralis.

A key part to this success, as always for Vitality, was ZywOo’s dominance, with one of his best maps coming against Astralis on the deciding map for qualification. It was on Nuke where he managed to win a vital 1v4, a crucial round in an important match. Admittedly, Astralis did misplay quite a lot during the clutch, gifting the Frenchman multiple 1v1 fights. But, if you give ZywOo an inch, he’ll take a mile. 

The French sniper won the clutch not with his signature bolt action, but with the AK-47, showcasing his versatility and prowess even without the AWP in hand. Throughout the clutch, ZywOo’s mechanics and top level decision making were on full display, winning an exchange against an overpeeking Martin “stavn” Lund before hitting precise shots onto both Victor “Staehr” Staehr and Nicolai “device” Reedtz. He finished the clutch by outmaneuvering Alexander “br0” Bro and then executing the young Dane with a clean headshot.

Let’s take a look at the skins on display during this spectacular play from the world’s best.

For the gloves the Frenchman was sporting a pair of Sport Gloves | Hedge Maze in Minimal Wear condition. The Hedge Maze gloves are a bright, vibrant pair of gloves, partnering perfectly with the flashy displays ZywOo puts on during matches. The Sport Gloves | Hedge Maze feature areas of green and white, with the contrast making the gloves particularly eye-catching. The Sport Gloves | Hedge Maze in Minimal Wear condition are valued at just over $9K.

To complement these gloves, ZywOo has paired it up with one of the most expensive knives in the game - the M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened. Now, this knife only sells for between $1-2K, so why is it so expensive? Well, it is because it is a blue gem, specifically the number one pattern - pattern 601. This specific M9 Bayonet | Case Hardened features an almost entirely blue play side, making it one of the prettiest and most desirable knives in the entire game, fitting for the number one player.

The gun with which the talented Frenchman found all his kills was the AK-47. ZywOo was using his AK-47 | Inheritance, a weapon finish added recently in the Kilowatt Case. (Find out more about the Killowatt Case here). The Inheritance's design is based on traditional Chinese porcelain and Delft blauw art, with the main colors being blue and white with striking gold accents. To complement these areas of gold, ZywOo has placed four LEGIJA (Gold) | Krakow 2017 stickers on the gun. This craft will cost you just over $5K, with the stickers costing $1.5K each and the Factory New AK-47 | Inheritance costing around $250.

Like many top tier professionals, the Frenchman gets gifted skins by collectors, explaining his outlandish inventory, with ZywOo’s appropriately, being fit for a king.