MVP Skin Showcase: ZywOo - IEM Cologne 2024

Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut has once again made a case to retain his number-one spot in the world after Vitality claimed victory this weekend at IEM Cologne 2024. Vitality's superstar stepped up massively in the LANXESS, being integral for their victory in the final particularly, where, against Natus Vincere, he averaged a 1.29 rating over the four maps played. The French sniper averaged a 1.31 rating throughout the entire event, stepping up in big moments, with a 1.34 rating in the playoffs.

This stellar performance netted the three-time best player in the world the MVP award, the twentieth in his ever-growing collection. This MVP award means that he overtakes Nicolai “device” Reedtz on the all-time list of HLTV MVPs, being only one behind the GOAT - Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev, who has twenty-one.

This MVP is his second LAN MVP in Cologne, as the Frenchman won it back in 2019 after he lost the final to Liquid, a victory which won them the second iteration of the Intel Grand Slam. IEM Cologne marks Vitality’s first trophy of 2024, one that felt as if it was coming all year long and ZywOo’s prowess on the server (and his skins) were a big reason why it finally happened in Cologne.

Let’s take a look at the skins used by the MVP of IEM Cologne 2024…

ZywOo started as he meant to go on at IEM Cologne 2024, opening his tournament with a pistol ace in the first round of play, an ominous message sent to all opposing teams right from the off. During this round all kills were found with his USP-S | Kill Confirmed, a great way to describe the round that occurred. The USP-S | Kill Confirmed’s main colors are red and black, which contrast perfectly and cause the design to really pop. On top of that, there is a gray skull being shattered by a bullet, appropriate for the sequence he performed against FURIA. The bullet leaves a fiery trace and causes blood splatter and shards of bone flying from the skull, creating a gorgeous yet disturbing piece of art. A Factory New USP-S | Kill Confirmed, like his, is valued at around $200.

Throughout the tournament, the French superstar was using his trusty pair of Factory New Sport Gloves | Amphibious. These gloves are valued at just under $6K and feature a striking combination of white and blue, with the blue pattern taking inspiration from the blue poison dart frog, an amphibian, as the name suggests. This pattern is very appealing and complements his Butterfly Knife | Gamma Doppler Emerald which he was seen using throughout the event. The Butterfly Knife | Gamma Doppler Emerald meshes one of the most desirable knives with one of the most desirable knife finishes, creating one of the most popular and loved knives in the game. This striking green blade is valued at around $17K and certainly did ZywOo well throughout IEM Cologne 2024.

Alongside Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov, ZywOo is one of the best AWPers in the Counter-Strike scene at the moment and while m0NESY is more flashy, ZywOo is certainly more efficient and consistent. The Frenchman’s AWP was on song in Germany, churning out highlight after highlight throughout the duration of the tournament. ZywOo was using his Minimal Wear AWP | Gungnir, valued at around $12K. The AWP | Gungnir is a stunning blue and white AWP skin, inspired by designs from Norse mythology. This spectacular AWP skin, fit for a Norse Allfather, powered ZywOo and Vitality to the eventual trophy lift at IEM Cologne 2024.

While the Frenchman is known for his excellence with the big green, being the best player in the world, his skills with the rifles aren’t too shabby either. Throughout the event, ZywOo used his M4A1-S | Printstream on the CT side and his AK-47 | Inheritance on the T side. Both are beautiful skins in their own right, the Prinstream has a futuristic sci-fi look, whereas the Inheritance has a regal look, actually taking inspiration from traditional Chinese porcelain. Both in Factory New condition, these rifles' finishes are valued at $400 and $200 respectively.