The Starladder Berlin Major just ended last week and teams have already started making roster changes. Over the past few years, this is probably the biggest shuffle, spanning multiple regions. While top teams like ENCE have already made changes, teams like Vitality are yet to confirm their roster moves. There are also numerous rumors about FaZe, Navi and G2’s final rosters.
Natus Vincere
- Danylo “Zeus” Teslenko retired from NAVI after yesterday’s Blast Moscow event. The Ukranian player has been playing for NAVI for over 9 years and has the PGL Kraków 2017 Major victory under his belt. After winning over 50 tournaments, he’s decided to take a break from professional play. He outlined his plans for developing the CIS region and starting his own pro academy.
- Mykhailo “Kane” Blagin, the coach has also announced his exit from NAVI.
- There have been many rumors pointing to GuardiaN joining the line-up but nothing has been confirmed (yet). This is in line with rumors of him being kicked from FaZe and NAVI looking for a primary AWPer.
G2 Esports and Team Vitality
The post-Major French Shuffle is upon us and the top 2 teams have already made some drastic roster moves:
- G2 Esports are reportedly benching Richard ‘shox‘ Papillon and Lucas ‘Lucky‘ Chastang. As per a new report, G2 has transferred shox to Vitality but is still unconfirmed.
- The top 4 ranked team in the world, Vitality kicked NBK earlier this week. If the reports of shox joining the team are true, then we might be seeing him return to his old fragger role. Vitality already has an IGL in Alex and this would free-up shox to be more independent.
- Rumors also say that G2 is looking to get nexa and huNter- from the Crazy line-up to replace shox and Lucky. That said, whatever be the final rosters for the two, exciting times are ahead.
FaZe Clan
A great team on paper, FaZe Clan has been in a slump for over a year now. Since kicking karrigan from the team, they picked up AdreN to form probably the most talented team in the history of CS, purely in terms of raw skill. The likes of olofmeister, GuardiaN, rain, and Niko, all legendary players in their own rights couldn’t piece together a victory and consistent results. After that, they replaced AdreN with the legendary Neo, in favor of a dedicated IGL. While the team looked promising in the start, they didn’t have any results to show for it.
- Following their unsuccessful run at the Berlin Major, they’ve released Neo from the team.
- Rumors also suggest that they will be dropping GuardiaN
- FaZe are looking to pick up coldzera along with AleksiB for an IGL role. AleksiB was recently kicked from ENCE and FaZe will be an interesting place for him. With the former as an IGL, hopefully, Niko will go back to a more frag-heavy role and help the team win some titles.
ENCE and MIBR
- Post-Major ENCE kicked ALeksiB from their line-up and added suNny. They had a middling showing at Blast Pro series Moscow but the team shows promise. Whether they will be able to go back to their World #2 ranking through remains to be seen.
- MIBR added kngV to the roster and had a decent showing at Blast Moscow. This comes after a controversial move to bench coldzera and play the major with their coach zews. They have, however, justified their decision by showing up at yesterday’s event and exciting times are ahead.
Things will become clearer over the next few months with ESL One New York and Dreamhack Masters Malmö regarding where the teams stand and if their roster moves will help them win titles. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available. Stay Tuned.
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