Over the past three years, the CS2 team, The MongolZ, has risen from the ashes, won several big tournaments, secured a silver medal at a major, and climbed to the top of global esports.
How did a squad from a country with a population of just 3.5 million manage to surpass the most prominent names from far more developed esports regions so quickly?
Back in time
The story of The MongolZ began in 2013, when Tuvshinbileg “oroitsonboroo” Lkhagvasuren decided to create an esports organization that would become a home for Mongolia’s best players. At the time, the most popular esports discipline in the country was Dota 2, so the organization’s first roster was built around that game.
Two years later, The MongolZ also formed a Counter-Strike lineup – the most popular entertainment among teenagers in Ulaanbaatar’s internet cafés. Founding members included Enkhtaivan “Machinegun” Lkhagva, Temuulen “Zilkenberg” Battulga, and Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat, the team’s current coach.
The squad’s first significant achievement was winning Intel Extreme Masters X Taipei in 2016. It was followed by another triumph at ASUS ROG Masters 2016 and several more competitions, but the overall results weren’t strong enough to secure a stable position among the top teams.
One of the biggest issues was the lack of support from the government and sponsors. The players didn’t have the resources to train properly, and getting visas for international tournaments was a constant challenge. To fix the situation, management repeatedly rebuilt the roster and unsuccessfully sought assistance.
Finally, at the end of 2022, the last players left the team, and The MongolZ effectively ceased to exist.
2023: The MongolZ rise from the ashes
The MongolZ’s story could have ended there. Fortunately, the situation with esports support in Mongolia has improved, and a new generation of esports athletes, ready to conquer the highest levels, has emerged in the country.
At the beginning of the year, one of the strongest CS rosters in the country was IHC Esports, featuring Garidmagnai “bLitz” Byambasuren, Sodbayar “Techno4K” Munkhbold, Baatarkhuu “Bart4k” Batbold, Tuvshintugs “Annihilation” Nyamdorj, and Chinguun “hasteka” Bayarmaa. The squad completed the Asian qualifiers for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 and was preparing to compete for a spot at the Asia-Pacific RMR.
Intending to become the best team in Asia, the players decided to start fresh. On April 3, 2023, the entire roster, along with coach Erdenedalai “maaRaa” Bayanbat, left IHC Esports and acquired rights to the name The MongolZ.
The international brand 1xBet, which had previously sponsored IHC Esports, believed in the new project and became the official partner of the young squad. The support of 1xBet, with its extensive experience in esports, helped players get back on their feet, providing the opportunity to develop and train in Europe at the best boot camps alongside top teams.
2023: The MongolZ break into Top 20
Since the roster remained the same, the tournament operator has given The MongolZ permission to replace IHC Esports in the Asian qualifiers for the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023. Just a week after the rebrand, the team completed the task and headed to the capital of France for their first-ever major! The MongolZ’s performance wasn’t outstanding – just one win in the group stage, finishing 20th-22nd. However, the experience was invaluable.
In May 2023, the squad removed two players due to poor results. Bart4k was regularly the worst-rated, and ANNIHILATION lacked consistency.
Baatarkhuu “Bart4k” Batbold was replaced by his younger brother, Ayush “mzinho” Batbold, who was just 15 at the time – an inexperienced but highly promising player. The smiling teenager later admitted that he got into esports thanks to his grandmother. At 12, he really wanted to play Counter-Strike, but he couldn’t afford a computer. He literally begged his family for help, and ultimately, it was his grandmother who took out a pensioner’s loan to buy him a gaming PC.
The team invited Usukhbayar “910” Banzragch to take over the role of primary AWPer. By that time, he had already begun to shine as part of Clutch Gaming. His path to esports was no less challenging – he started as a Dota 2 player, achieved some success, but ultimately decided to switch to Counter-Strike. In the early days of his career, Usukhbayar lived in Darkhan, 200 km from Ulaanbaatar, where regional tournaments were held. Often, he could only afford a one-way ticket to the capital, hoping to win enough prize money to make the trip back home.
In September 2023, the squad’s oldest player, Chinguun “hasteka” Bayarmaa, left the roster. At 25, he no longer felt comfortable in such a young lineup and chose to make room for the next generation. His spot was immediately taken by 17-year-old rifler Azbayar “Senzu” Munkhbold from Team NKT.
Interestingly, almost all of the players knew each other long before joining The MongolZ, not only through regional esports events. At one point, bLitz and Techno4K competed against each other at the Mongolian Junior Chess Championship, while mzinho and Senzu have been friends since early childhood.
The team’s first competitive year was predictably spent polishing their synergy and searching for effective strategies, so their ranking fluctuated from 19th place in August to 50th in November. Nevertheless, by the end of 2023, The MongolZ had firmly settled around the 20th spot in the HLTV rankings and no longer suffered any significant dips.
2024: The MongolZ debut in Top 10
At the start of 2024, Valve, the developer of Counter-Strike, launched its own official team ranking system. From that moment on, tournament organizers began issuing invitations based on the Valve Global Ranking (VRS). The MongolZ immediately landed at a relatively high 25th place in this new system.
The previous year was one of the most successful for The MongolZ. The team won several international tournaments, including eXTREMESLAND 2023, MESA Nomadic Masters Spring 2024, YaLLa Compass 2024, and the Thunderpick World Championship 2024. The Mongolian squad also qualified for both majors of the season, finishing 15th at PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 and 5th at Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024.
Before the second major in 2024, 1xBet Mongol decided to support their partners by creating a vibrant mural dedicated to The MongolZ in the center of Mongolia’s capital. Now, every resident of Ulaanbaatar can see the full lineup, depicted in a unique cartoon style, on the side of a building near the Statue of the Beatles.
The total prize money earned in 2024 exceeded $1 million, which allowed The MongolZ to enter the top five most financially successful teams of the season, following NAVI ($1.6M), Team Spirit ($1.4M), and G2 Esports ($1.2M).
The cumulative impact of their strong performances throughout 2024 led the squad to break into the Top 10 for the first time in July. They finished the season in 4th place in the Valve rankings and 7th place in the HLTV rankings.
2025: The MongolZ become world’s best CS2 team
In 2025, The MongolZ rose from national recognition to global esports stardom. Officially named to Mongolia’s national team in February, the squad later thrilled fans in Ulaanbaatar with a special show match against their 2016 predecessors, where veteran Zilkenberg impressed despite the younger roster’s victory.
Though early in the season they struggled to claim titles, consistency pushed The MongolZ into HLTV’s Top 5 by May. Their breakthrough came at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, defeating FaZe Clan and paiN Gaming to reach the grand final against powerhouse Vitality. Despite a valiant effort and nationwide support at 3 a.m. local time, they fell short but secured silver — the best Asian result in Counter-Strike history — and climbed to 3rd in HLTV rankings.
By autumn, The MongolZ went on a medal spree, including gold at the Esports World Cup 2025. On September 29, they reached #1 in both HLTV and Valve rankings, officially crowned the world’s best CS2 team.
Still young, The MongolZ now stand as Asia’s top squad, with one dream left to achieve: winning a Counter‑Strike Major.
