StarLadder 2026's EVP and All-Star Lineup
Several players earned nominations for their performances in Barcelona.
ZywOo had already picked up four MVPs in the first half of the year, but Vitality's dip in form forced him to wait for a fifth. At StarSeries, though, he stopped waiting, dragging his team to the title with a 1.50 Rating and 1.24 KPRW.
With an overall Win Probability Change of +6.13%, the MVP race was already beyond doubt by the time the grand final began, with ZywOo charging out of mid on Cache with an AK-47 in hand. Usually reserved about individual honours, ZywOo admitted that ending this dry spell was a relief: “At least I wanted to get one MVP in the second half of the season,” he told HLTV after the match. “Just to have more confidence, and to win a trophy. So I think that will come with it. It feels good to have this MVP now.”
Brazilian player KSCERATO
With molodoy dealing with eye issues, KSCERATO had to carry a heavier burden, and he has unquestionably stepped up with a Rating above 1.20 across four consecutive events. He was even better at StarSeries, posting a 1.26 event Rating and 89.9 ADR, enough to earn the top EVP spot despite FURIA falling short of the final. He stood out on seven maps—only two fewer than ZywOo—including key wins over MOUZ and MIBR. KSCERATO was also the only player able to hold his own against elite opposition, recording a 1.23 Rating against top-10 teams while the next-best mark among his teammates was just 0.97.
Finnish player Jimpphat
We said there was no real MVP race, but if there had been one, Jimpphat could have pushed ZywOo for the award. A poor final put an end to that case, but before then he was excellent, posting a 1.41 Rating in MOUZ's map wins on the way to the final and earning Player of the Map honours three times. Dismantling Vitality in the upper-bracket final may not have carried elimination stakes, but it showed that the Finn's ceiling remains extremely high. After several quiet years, this is his first EVP since IEM Rio in late 2024, with ash delivering on the promise to make him a star anchor again.
Estonian player ropz
ropz was clearly the second star in Barcelona, but he still delivered plenty of value with a 0.98 KPRW, a 1.28 Rating in map wins, and a 1.24 Rating across Vitality's six maps on the final day.
Aside from a poor showing in the upper-bracket final against Aurora, this looked more like the ropz from the first season than the one who had averaged just a 1.06 Rating since July. On that Sunday, he excelled on Cache against FURIA, posting 113 ADR in the first half to set the tone for Vitality's dominant day and evoke the form they showed in the first half of the year. It is easy to focus on ZywOo's heroics, but ropz returning to form could be just as important on the road to the Major.
The best players at StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026, in order, are as follows:
France's ZywOo, Brazil's KSCERATO, Finland's Jimpphat, and Estonia's ropz
Honourable Mentions
flameZ was as strong as ropz across the final two series, but he had less to do with the wins that came before the last day, so he missed out. Wicadia made a late push for EVP with a 1.17 Rating in the playoffs and Aurora's team-high 1.15 Rating in the final. However, he was not especially central to Aurora's run to the final, and his Rating in map wins was only 1.05.
insani and tomaszin both came close to a nomination on the strength of their excellent group-stage performances, but neither cleared the bar after underwhelming against FURIA—the only TOP 10 team MIBR faced. w0nderful did everything he could in the elimination match against MOUZ, but could not prevent Navi from suffering another group-stage exit. mo0N also stood out in magic's losing match.
All-Star Lineup
Unlike usual, only two players from the championship team made the cut: apEX and MVP ZywOo. KSCERATO edged out ropz for the Closer spot, while Jimpphat was the easy choice for the other anchor role. The Opener slot was a tougher call between flameZ and insani, but insani comfortably beat him in KPRW (1.16 vs. 0.84) and was more important to his team’s results.