Professional CS2 Players’ Talismans: What Helps Them Gain Confidence and Brings Luck at Tournaments?
Some can’t part with their favorite toy, others believe in symbols and objects, while some consider such things superstitions. Undoubtedly, each of us has encountered talismans or at least heard that for many people they are important attributes in life. Professional Counter-Strike players are no exception – some quite openly talk about their “lucky” items, while we had to meticulously search for others’ secrets.
A talisman can be anything – from an ordinary plush toy to jewelry worth thousands of dollars. In this article, we’ll tell you about various types of talismans, and most of them belong to top-tier players. So you won’t even be able to doubt their importance and effectiveness.
Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek
This young Polish captain is most likely the first to come to mind when talking about gaming talismans. His famous rubber chicken appeared quite often during performances for MOUZ, but in Liquid we see it much less frequently. Could this be the reason for siuhy’s decline and the entire new roster?
Actually, Kamil chose a very suitable talisman, as chickens are a very recognizable symbol in the Counter-Strike community. Broadcast operators and directors often made original and amusing inserts with the rubber chicken during siuhy’s matches. We hope we’ll still see Liquid’s IGL with his talisman behind the monitor.
Valerii "b1t" Vakhovskyi
Sometimes players part with their talismans not by their own choice, and NAVI’s main star had to experience the loss of his beloved toy. The little donkey was with Valera long before the start of his professional career and accompanied him from his very first major LAN tournament – PGL Major Stockholm 2021. As we know, his first Major was victorious, and then the team had a whole streak of tournament wins including IEM Katowice and Intel Grand Slam.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2022, b1t lost his talisman and was very upset about it. Valera’s next victory came only in 2024, and notably, also at a Major, but this time in Copenhagen. That’s how it goes – lost the talisman and was deprived of victories for almost 2 years
Mihai "iM" Ivan
It’s good that a Romanian esports player appeared in b1t’s career, who brought his own talisman – a soft toy in the form of Pokémon Bulbasaur. By the way, he can also be seen with another Pokémon, but one that looks more like a duck – Psyduck. Honestly, looking at iM’s gameplay at some tournaments, you get the feeling that talismans really help him. Sometimes he delivers great performances, and in some matches he simply forgets how to play CS and makes stupid mistakes. Don’t let go of your plush friends, iM!
Finn "karrigan" Andersen
Let’s move away from the topic of toys and pay attention to one of the most titled and successful players in the game’s history. “All means are good in war” – this is definitely the Danish captain’s motto, who is ready to use any methods to achieve victory. Psychological attacks on opponents through trash talk, picking maps he’s never played, making loud noise with a rattle, or kicking a teammate before a Major and taking s1mple.
Talismans haven’t passed him by either, and here karrigan turned to the power of semi-precious stones. If you didn’t know, this is quite a common amulet and each stone is responsible for different aspects, and there are even “personal” stones that are calculated by birth date similar to natal charts. Finn places several stones right next to his mouse pad, and most likely his set includes: aventurine, citrine, rose quartz, amethyst, lapis lazuli, jasper, and other stones. By the way, Team Spirit’s sniper sh1ro could previously be observed with a similar “setup.”
Artem "ArtFr0st" Kharitonov
As you’ve already understood, a talisman can be anything, even a piece of clothing, like ArtFr0st’s. He didn’t officially claim that the cap worn backwards brings him luck – maybe it’s just an integral part of his style. However, at one of the recent LANs, a heated argument broke out because of it. Astralis players didn’t like that BB Team’s sniper would play on stage wearing a cap, as in their view, the noise-canceling headphones wouldn’t fit as tightly to his head. Artem ignored all of Astralis’s arguments and played in the cap anyway. The player would hardly have shown such principle if this cap didn’t have special meaning for him, right?
Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov
Who said that talismans should be with you from childhood and can’t be bought for any money? Ilya Osipov called a Louis Vuitton bracelet in the form of a four-leaf clover worth over $2000 his talisman. The four-leaf clover is a fairly well-known symbol of luck, commonly associated with Irish culture. Maybe m0NESY got confused with all those Leprechauns and clovers and decided to mix everything to make it work for sure? Though Ilya doesn’t even remember how it appeared on his wrist – “Either I bought it myself or someone gave it to me. I’ve been wearing it for about two years now.”
William "mezii" Merriman
Last fall, the Briton had a daughter, and at one of the recent tournaments this spring, journalists noticed this keycap with a photo on mezii’s keyboard. Esports players are practically never home due to constant travel, so having something nearby that reminds you of loved ones is a common story. For example, Aurora’s captain MAJ3R depicted his children on a Major sticker in Austin.
Shahar "flameZ" Shushan
It’s already obvious that everyone has their own concept of a talisman – more precisely, it’s not always aimed at attracting luck or achieving results. Some don’t hesitate to turn to higher powers for help, but in the game they rely only on themselves. Vitality player flameZ said he doesn’t have a talisman, but always carries a prayer given by his mother.
“It always lies in my wallet, and now it’s with me too. It’s kind of like a prayer for safe travel, I always read it before flights. But this isn’t my gaming luck talisman. In the game I have nothing except my mouse and other gear.”
Rasmus "HooXi" Nielsen
Actually, a talisman doesn’t even always have to help with something – it can predict results. In summer 2024, HooXi missed the tournament in Dallas because he was at his own sister’s wedding. While the team was going toward the championship, the captain turned to an “expert” and asked how his team’s matches would end – 100% result, G2 left as champions! I wonder if the duck warned the Dane that right after this tournament he’d be kicked from the team? After all, HooXi couldn’t not ask about this, right?!
Christopher "GeT_RiGhT" Alesund
If you got the feeling that talismans are a new trend of our times, here’s an example of one of the main legends of the CS scene who took a plush bear with him to matches. At the dawn of CS:GO, NIP were an unbeatable team, but at the end of his career, the Swede stopped carrying the teddy bear with him. Another mystery of gaming decline revealed?
