On December 18, Team Spirit announced radical changes to its Counter-Strike 2 roster, benching two players at once: newcomer Ivan “zweih” Gogin, who joined the club in July 2025, and veteran Leonid “chopper” Vishnyakov, who had represented the club since early 2022. Sergey “hally” Shavayev, TS head coach, on zweih:

Replacing Vanya was very difficult for us. We truly see great talent in him, and at the same time he is an excellent teammate. If we had the opportunity to have a roster of more than five players, we would gladly continue working together. However, it is obvious to me that he gravitates toward different in-game roles, and he also needs to grow stronger, in every sense, in order to compete on equal terms at the highest level. I sincerely wish him the best possible career. He is young, talented, and smart, and he has everything it takes to reach great heights. I am sure we will meet again on the server.

Sergey “hally” Shavayev

To replace them, management decided to bring back Myroslav “zont1x” Plakhotia, who had rested and resolved his issues, and also to hand the captain role to Boris “magixx” Vorobyev. Here is how the Team Spirit head coach commented on the changes on his personal Telegram page:

Myroslav and Borya are our old acquaintances; everyone knows what they are capable of, and the trophies we won together speak for themselves. Borya will have to master a new role for himself as captain, but I am confident that he has everything needed to become one of the best in it. Myroslav, in turn, has rested and will return to his roles with renewed strength.

Sergey “hally” Shavayev

Team Spirit ’s next tournament with the updated roster will be BLAST Bounty Winter 2026: Closed Qualifier, which will take place from January 13 to 18 in an online format. 32 teams will compete for 8 spots at the lan stage.