The qualification for the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 in the European region brought together not only the strongest teams, but also individually powerful snipers who had a huge impact on the outcome of the matches. AWP has always been a key weapon in a team's arsenal, capable of changing the course of a game with one accurate shot. And although not all of the best snipers from the qualifiers made it to the majors, their style of play, ability to take responsibility at important moments and incredible accuracy deserve special attention.

In this selection, we have gathered the five best AWP players based on the statistics of the number of AWP kills per round, damage they inflicted, and overall impact in matches. All of these players have played at least 4 maps in the tournament, playing against the strongest opponents in Europe. Let's start with the fifth place.

5. sl3nd (GamerLegion)

The final result of the team: 12-14th place (1-3, elimination from the Swiss Stage)

Although GamerLegion's sniper failed to help the team advance, he left a pleasant impression with his performance. The team started with defeats against Nemiga and Fnatic, managed to win 500, but again lost to SAW in the elimination match. sl3nd played steadily, using AWP at key moments and gaining important frags, which secured him a place in the top snipers of the tournament.

AWP Kills per round: 0.277

AWP ADR: 26.56

Matches: 4

4. podi (ENCE)

Final result of the team: 8th place (3-2 in Swiss, elimination in Play-In)

ENCE successfully passed the Swiss stage, beating 500, SAW and Fnatic. However, in the play-in stage, they lost to B8 with a score of 1-2. podi was a key player in these matches, especially standing out for his consistent play with AWP. His accurate shots allowed the team to stay in the matches and sometimes even get back into the game.

AWP Kills per round: 0.299

AWP ADR: 25.68

Matches: 6

3. hyped (BIG)

The final result of the team: 9-11th place (2-3, relegation)

BIG had a chance to fight for the exit, but defeats by 9Pandas and Astralis crossed their path. However, hyped demonstrated impressive shooting with the AWP, averaging over a third of his kills per round with the sniper rifle. Even in losing matches, he kept the bar high, which allowed him to be in the top 3.

AWP Kills per round: 0.345

AWP ADR: 31.33

Matches: 5

2. story (SAW)

The final result of the team: 9-11th place (2-3, elimination)

SAW became one of those teams that stopped a step before the playoffs. The team defeated B8 and GamerLegion, but failed to cope with BetBoom Team, 9Pandas, and ENCE. Despite this, story became a real leader of the team. His AWP shooting was almost flawless, and his kills per round put him in second place among all snipers.

AWP Kills per round: 0.461

AWP ADR: 38.60

Matches: 5

1. SunPayus (Heroic)

The final result of the team: 1-2 place (access to the major)

Heroic qualified without defeat, beating Nemiga, ENCE, and PARIVISION. SunPayus became the main character of these matches. His accuracy and timing with AWP were decisive - he made almost half a kill in each round and was the leader in terms of AWP damage. The Spaniard became the main AWP ace of the qualifiers.

AWP Kills per round: 0.484

AWP ADR: 46.84

Matches: 4

SunPayus, story, and hyped are the three best AWP players in terms of accuracy, stability, and match impact. However, only Heroic and ENCE managed to go further. sl3nd and podi also performed well, showing promise for future tournaments. The fight for sniper dominance in CS2 is only gaining momentum, and we look forward to seeing them play on the stage of BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025.

At the same time, these players have demonstrated that the role of AWP in CS2 remains fundamental. Time will tell which of them will shine the brightest on the big stage.