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YEKINDAR Wins First Career MVP After FURIA's PGL Masters Bucharest 2026 Triumph
Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis, a FURIA player, earned the first HLTV MVP award of his career on Saturday, October 31. He was named the standout player of PGL Masters Bucharest 2026, a Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) tournament that ended with the Brazilian team defeating Nemiga 3-2 in the grand final.
The award capped a campaign in which YEKINDAR posted a 1.27 rating across 21 maps. He raised his level in the grand final, finishing the series with a 1.56 rating, the highest among all ten players.
How Did YEKINDAR Perform at PGL Masters Bucharest 2026?
Over the course of the tournament, YEKINDAR averaged 86 damage per round (ADR) and recorded +2.48% round swing, a metric reflecting a player's impact on the chances of winning rounds. His overall 1.27 rating was the second-highest in the event, behind only Aleksandr “zorte” Zagodyrenko of BetBoom, who finished at 1.31.
YEKINDAR stood out even more in the playoffs. According to HLTV, he led the following statistical categories during the knockout stage:
- Rating: 1.37, the highest in the playoffs.
- Average damage per round: 91.6, the highest in the playoffs.
- Kills per round: 0.82, the highest average.
- Opening kills per round: 0.18, tied for first.
- Round swing: +3.42%, the highest in the playoffs.
How Did YEKINDAR Play in the Grand Final Against Nemiga?
In the best-of-five final, YEKINDAR recorded 82 kills and 57 deaths, along with 99.6 ADR and a 1.56 rating. He had the highest rating on three of the five maps.
His performance stood out even on Ancient, despite FURIA's 13-2 defeat. The Latvian posted a 1.57 rating and was the only FURIA player to put up strong individual numbers. FURIA fought back to win the title with victories on Dust2, Cache, and Nuke.
YEKINDAR's First MVP Marks a Career Milestone
Although YEKINDAR had already been recognized among the world's best players, he had never won an HLTV MVP medal. He finished eighth in the 2021 year-end rankings and 15th in both 2022 and 2025, while also earning 12 EVP honors, recognizing players who stood out at tournaments.
The award also marks a comeback for the player following a difficult spell at Team Liquid. Speaking to HLTV after his victory, he reflected on the doubts he had faced throughout his career:
“Finding strength and being able to overcome all the doubts ... this was something very important for me.”
The Bucharest triumph was FURIA's second consecutive title, following its Thunderpick World Championship 2026 victory less than two weeks earlier.
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Featured image credit: FURIA
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