Cloud9’s future in CS2 unclear as org releases last active player
C9’s time in Counter-Strike might be over — again.
Cloud9’s latest participation in CS2 has come to an end, with their last active player, Timofey “interz” Yakushin, saying goodbye on January 13.
People who wish for C9 to continue in Counter-Strike are left guessing about the team’s future within the esports scene. There’s been no information regarding their participation in CS2, and as the new season begins this week, C9 is noticeably missing from the schedule entirely.
Interz gone as C9’s presence in Counter-Strike shrinks further
Given Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynenko joining G2 to replace NiKo, Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov and Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhaylov moving to BetBoom, and the young talent Kaisar “ICY” Faiznurov going to Virtus.pro, Cloud9’s CS:2 team seems to be in a state of disarray.
Konstantin “Groove” Pikiner and Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy are currently the only players left on the team, but it’s uncertain if they will continue with the squad for a longer period. The team has not signed up for the initial BLAST Bounty or any other tournament so far, and due to the majority of the roster leaving, their Valve Regional Rankings (VRS) have been reset.
Consequently, without the organization signing a core team ranked in VRS (Valorant Ranked Series), any future Challengers 9 (C9) squad will have to compete in open qualifiers and lower-level tournaments to regain a spot at significant events such as majors once more.
2024 saw a disappointing denouement for my beloved C9 in CS2, a year that left more to be desired. The team exhibited promising vitality during the early months of the year, even managing a top eight finish at the PGL Copenhagen Major. Yet, the anticipation was immense for our sky-blue warriors, and they fell short of the high expectations set upon them, failing to scale the lofty heights we had envisioned.
Initially, Team C9 had no issues securing spots for major events in 2023 and 2024. However, as the season progressed, chances began to diminish significantly, as the team was frequently eliminated from tournaments right away. A glimmer of optimism arose in July with the introduction of player ICY, but it ultimately proved unsuccessful.
At the Shanghai Major, C9 narrowly qualified but unfortunately had a quick exit, managing only one victory against Fnatic.
Where to for C9 now?
If Groove and Perfecto leave their teams, C9 could begin anew – and they’ve got a chance to recruit more talent. One potential addition is Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyljev, who continues to sit on Natus Vincere’s roster.
GO veteran demonstrated moments of extraordinary skill.
There hasn’t been much talk about it yet, as Cloud9 team members haven’t spoken publicly about the future of the CS2 project. In the past, they have released statements regarding similar matters, like when they left CS:GO back in 2021 due to COVID-related issues.
Currently, there’s an absence of an active roster from the organization and no updates are being shared. As a result, the community is left to speculate. If C9 intends to continue participating in CS2, they have approximately five months to finalize their roster and climb the VRS rankings leading up to the BLAST Austin Major.
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2025-01-14 10:40