How Donk Threw the 2025 Season

The 2025 season was supposed to be a year of total domination for donk. After a blazing start and several major victories, it seemed that both he and Team Spirit were ready to take everything. But as the year went on, the team more and more often stopped just one step short of real success. The results remained solid, yet the sense of progress gradually faded. This article is about how a strong season can still leave the feeling of a missed opportunity.

From Breakout Star to Unrealistic Expectations

For donk and Team Spirit, the 2025 season looked successful overall. The year started with a victory at BLAST Bounty Spring 2025, immediately setting very high expectations. From that point on, Spirit were seen as a team capable of fighting for every major title, and donk as one of the leading players of the year.

At Intel Extreme Masters Katowice 2025, the team came very close to another trophy, but in the final they were soundly defeated by Team Vitality, losing 0–3. It was after Katowice that a familiar pattern emerged: Spirit almost always reached the playoffs, but stopped at 3rd–4th place, failing to take the final step toward the grand final.

The only true breakthrough came at PGL Astana 2025, where the team managed to win the tournament and prove that they could close things out. However, at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, Spirit once again exited in the playoffs, raising questions about their consistency yet again.

In the second half of the year, the team reminded everyone of their strength with victories at Intel Extreme Masters Cologne 2025 and BLAST Bounty Fall 2025. But after that, the results declined, and their confidence in-game became less convincing.

Heading into the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, Spirit were among the favorites, but not the clear number one. The tournament ended for them with a 3rd–4th place finish after a 0–2 loss to Vitality — a result that looks respectable on paper, but didn’t live up to the expectations formed at the start of the season.

When Aggression Stopped Working

Individually, donk is one of the strongest players on the scene. He has outstanding aim, a strong understanding of opponents, maps, and in-round situations. Very often, Team Spirit win precisely because of his firepower and confident plays. Donk isn’t afraid to break standard rules, go beyond set tactics, and take responsibility — and in many matches, it truly works. Yes, there are occasional maps where he finishes with lower numbers, but such games are rare.

Over the year, donk played 159 maps with an average ADR of 97.1, KAST of 77.6%, and a 1.42 rating — exceptional numbers even by top-tier standards. The problems appear in the most important matches: sometimes he lacks sufficient support from his teammates, as seen for example in series against Team Vitality. In other cases, his own overconfidence becomes an issue — overly aggressive and risky decisions are not always justified. This was especially evident at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, where several poor decisions in key rounds worked against donk and prevented Team Spirit from taking the next step.

A Wasted Year or a Necessary Lesson?

The answer to the question How Donk Threw a Season is not as harsh as the title might suggest. Donk didn’t fail the season in a classic sense — in terms of results and statistics, it was one of the strongest years of his career. The issue lies elsewhere: after such a strong start, expectations became too high, and both donk and Team Spirit couldn’t consistently meet them in the most crucial moments. Too many tournaments ended with 3rd–4th place finishes, when the team was already close to the final but failed to make the last step.

In reality, donk “lost” this season not because of poor performance, but due to a combination of factors: excessive confidence in high-pressure matches, a lack of consistent support from the team, and the fact that top opponents learned how to read and counter his aggressive style. At the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025, this became especially clear — risky decisions that had previously brought success worked against him this time. As a result, the season looks less like a failure and more like an important lesson: raw talent and elite aim alone are not enough to dominate an entire year at the highest level.