XANTARES claims career-first LAN MVP at PGL Masters Bucharest

1-11-2025 19:59

The fifteenth-best player of 2024 has secured his second-ever MVP award.

Ismailcan "⁠XANTARES⁠" Dörtkardeş has earned his first-ever LAN MVP following Aurora's hard-fought victory at PGL Masters Bucharest 2025, where the Turkish side nearly fumbled the best-of-five grand final to Legacy.

Aurora beat Legacy for maiden notable LAN trophy

The star rifler was the third-highest rated player at the event overall, posting an impressive 1.27 average rating across 23 maps played. XANTARES's impact was especially felt in the grand final, where he topped the server with a 1.36 rating and +4.08% round swing.

XANTARES was prevalent throughout the leaderboards in Bucharest, placing second overall in terms of K-D differential (+75), second-highest in ADR (90.7), fourth-highest in KPR (0.82), fourth-highest in round swing (+2.41%), and second-highest in impact rating (1.58).

Despite posting impressive results throughout his lengthy career, this is just XANTARES's second MVP, having previously earned one with BIG at DreamHack Open Summer 2020 Europe in the midst of the online era. This award also adds to XANTARES's tally of three EVPs so far in 2025, having earned them for his performances at BLAST Bounty Season 1, IEM Katowice, and the Esports World Cup.

wow

2025-11-01 19:59

2 replies

2025-11-02 00:07

1 reply

2025-11-04 11:26

nice

GOATTARES

No more jokes, he is the real LANTARES now

5 replies

Where the top ranked team is ranked #9 in the world? It was a tier2 tournament, relax dude

2025-11-02 01:34

4 replies

0/8. They secured #6 place after this tourney. Check back after points are distributed. Even though, they 've been #4 in sometime in 2025.

2025-11-02 09:43

Keyword AFTER. Not the sharpest tool in the shed. So by your definition, if you where ranked top5 EARLIER, its still usable today. AND if you secure a higher ranking AFTER a tournament, that changes the tier of the tournament thats finished. Right, good to know sport

2025-11-02 19:28

Just stop bullshittin' u time waste.

2025-11-09 10:54

tier 1 because astralis was playing

2025-11-02 13:02

First LAN MVP at 30 years of age is quite incredible

2025-11-01 20:00

11 replies

He was already snagging mvps and evps during his time in international roster and more would definitely have come if it wasn't for his decision to go EF/Aurora. Other than that yeah, its really incredible for someone to be getting MVP at 30.

2025-11-01 20:03

10 replies

no the hell he wasnt

2025-11-01 20:14

9 replies

check his profile out newbie, and the tourneys he attended thus far

2025-11-01 20:28

8 replies

1 online mvp

2025-11-01 22:00

What are you smoking old dawg? Where are all them MVPs on he's profile lol. He's a respectable person in the pro scene, and I like him alot. But don't tell lies. He's like NiKo. One of the best who will never achieve Major win. He's highest accomplishment is EVP for major. And 1 top 20 placement in 2024. That's quiet sad tbh.

2025-11-02 03:00

6 replies

lol don't even compare them, Niko had dozens of titles and mvps and he has been in the top 20 for like 10 years he doesn't have only major.

2025-11-02 03:21

One can argue that the comparison is mission context. If Xantares didn't play national team for the most of he's carrier, he would most likely have achieved same as NiKo. If NiKo played only national team (Bosnia) I highly doubt he would have achieved alot more. But then again I can see that it might be a bad comparison. I was mainly using NiKo because they are both some of the best riflers we have had for the past many years.

2025-11-03 13:43

Comparing him to Niko is poor comparison Niko has won every important tourney except the Major and has lot more mvps and evps tbh Xantares finally won 1 LAN tho happy for him :)

2025-11-02 10:38

3 replies

At least the guy is trying to achieve something with five people from his own nation. Believe me, if he had gone to other teams like Niko, he would have achieved much more than a LAN

2025-11-02 12:12

Niko always had top of the top rosters in his team while Goattares always had the underdogs. Him winning a tournament with his own countrymen is its own achievement.

2025-11-02 21:24

Yes that's why I am happy for him and tbh I'm xanty supporter truly goated stuff to stick with the countrymen rosters since he could have even won major with other rosters but that's what stands out for him :)

2025-11-03 05:17

deserved

ggs

0 LAN won to 1 LAN MVP 🔥🔥🔥 the change is unreal

2025-11-01 20:01

In a race from 0 to 100 The hardest part is 0 to 1.

2025-11-03 14:54

no way they are giving mvp for tier 2 tournament, hltv is done.

0/8

2025-11-01 20:04

hltv.org/news/43093/xantares-claims-care..

2025-11-01 20:06

Only savages post links to same page. Just write #24

2025-11-02 01:10

yeah there is no way that CAC has a mvp medal for it

2025-11-01 20:10

both are mickey mouse mvps

2025-11-01 20:16

HLTV has been giving bronze MVP for years brother

bro is from a tier 4 country commenting about tier 2 tournaments lmao

2025-11-03 21:05

lithuania 1 major MVP, turkey ?????

2025-11-03 21:21

I am talking IRL buddy. GDP, nature, history and all that.

2025-11-05 20:17

Well deserved. The mvp of the second most prestigious event after Major, cool

XANTARES top 10 2025?

top10 secured, top5 debate.

2025-11-01 20:30

Well deserved

2025-11-01 20:02

Deserved LANTARES!!!!

still a fucking beast at 30

2025-11-01 20:05

HLTV MVP sponsored by 1xBet Xantarez and Aurora sponsored by 1xBet PGL Masters Bucharest sponsored by 1xBet It's fine 🙂

Lets gooo. Oldest MVP Medalist?

liquipedia.net/counterstrike/HLTV/MVP_Aw.. scrolling through this I couldn't find any other mvp over 30!

2025-11-01 20:11

I guess it was Niko when he was 27 this year (PGL again), but 30 and MVP. Thats another level.

2025-11-01 20:25

rain won mvp on 2023 who he was at 29yo the closest one i think

2025-11-01 20:38

well deserved. one of the goats

2025-11-01 20:07

Well deserved goat. He can die in piece when the time comes. He lifted the thropy!!!

2025-11-01 20:08

2025-11-01 20:09

Wtf he is 30yo? Wasnt he like 25 when he was on BIG like 2 years ago???

That was 5 years ago :(

time flies fast man

2025-11-02 11:45

he joined BIG 6 years ago

2025-11-02 21:31

finally

deserved in his 30

deserved.

Aging like wine. Briliant player

2025-11-01 20:12

GODTares

2025-11-01 20:13

BlameF getting his second evp this year :D others will be wicadia, PR, and prob Lux

2025-11-01 20:20

Mvp at 30. Most players are washed at 20 xD gj choketares

2025-11-01 20:24

LANTARES

2025-11-01 20:26

2025-11-01 20:31

LEGEND!

2025-11-01 20:42

Happy for him

2025-11-01 20:44

30 yo goat

2025-11-01 20:47

GOAT?!?!? where!??!?! ah ah ah ah ah ah ah

2025-11-01 20:52

mvp peek

2025-11-01 20:50

well deserved

tier 2 goat cemented

2025-11-01 20:59

Congratulations to XANTARES. One of the all-time greats is finally on the board with a tier 1 LAN trophy and MVP!

2025-11-01 21:18

Tier1? One top 10 (ranked 9) dude....

2025-11-02 01:35

Yeah, it's classed as a tier 1 medium LAN tournament by HLTV classification, so all accolades coming out of the tournament (including XANTARES' MVP) will be bronze. If it was tier 2, the tournament would be A-Tier and would have zero attending tier 1 teams or even have a tier 1 TO organising the tournament like PGL.

2025-11-02 01:53

One top10 team. Its a tier2, no matter what HLTV thinks about it. And being ranked 9 barely cuts it as a tier1 team

2025-11-02 11:43

Actually there were two attending Top 10 teams in Aurora and 3DMAX. Otherwise I agree, realistically the tournament is more akin to a tier 1.5 tournament but, at the end of the day, you decide whatever it is you want, regardless of what HLTV defines it to be.

2025-11-02 13:10

So freaking about time Way too good to be without

2025-11-01 21:24

that was some real passion from aurora players in the final.

2025-11-01 21:27

2025-11-01 21:28

time for aurora era...

2025-11-01 21:29

Uncle still got it

2025-11-01 21:36

I never thought it would be a mvp worthy tournament. Maybe because it was a Lan, or if they went on the vrs ranking

2025-11-01 21:52

There were 2 top 10 teams in the HLTV ranking (Aurora and 3DMax) by the time it started, and that's considered MVP-worthy

2025-11-01 23:04

Never thought that 3dmax were top 10

2025-11-01 23:27

For real, not even they know how'd they there

2025-11-01 23:33

tier 3 lan mvp

2025-11-01 21:54

nt device’s stomach

2025-11-02 07:40

Congratz!

2025-11-01 22:06

at 30yo

2025-11-01 22:17

so onlinetares meme doesnt exist anymore?...

2025-11-01 22:29

Finally gz xantarress

2025-11-01 22:30

Oh man hes so beautiful I can see angel wings

2025-11-01 23:10

Well deserved, congrats!

Oldest MVP pretty sure

2025-11-02 00:06

Very deserved. GGs Mr. Xantares!

2025-11-02 01:32

finally,deserved

2025-11-02 02:19

those stats are no joke tho, he seemed easily better than everyone else congratz legend

2025-11-02 07:42

ZywoO robbed

2025-11-02 07:48

Glad to see him get his 1st MVP ever

2025-11-02 08:02

thought he was like 25 or something. even though I lost some, still GZ!

2025-11-02 08:20

How would you think that lmao

2025-11-02 10:28

crazy if you think about it , Alhamdullilah bro congrats

2025-11-02 08:35

its just A tier tournament. Aulola highest ranked team in this tournament but almost lost to legacy xD

2025-11-02 11:50

Almost... lol... based on the post-game player statistics, Legacy deserved to win...

2025-11-02 14:47

Copium

2025-11-02 21:26

He deserved it, he carried Aurora on his shoulders...

2025-11-02 14:45

Love to see the amount of turkish flagged numbfucks praising a tier 2 studio tournament. Xantares will retire as a "top tier" rifler with nothing to prove he is one. If the turkish forum users wish to argue I can give you a list of 100 players that are better than him. So they can shut the fuck up and maybe consider overdosing on meds to make this world a better place.

2025-11-02 19:20