by in
9Pandas on Wednesday joined a long list of Counter-Strike 2 esports teams making roster changes ahead of the 2025 season, with the benching of Artyom “iDISBALANCE” Egorov and Aleksandr “glowiing” Matsiyevich.
Ranked No.33 in the world, 9Pandas opted to freshen up their roster after they failed to make it through Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 European RMR B last week, cutting ties with two of the longest-standing players.
Glowiing and iDISBALANCE joined 9Pandas in April 2023 as a part of a major roster rebuild, alongside Timur “clax” Sabirov, who left the squad for Aurora in August.
During their long stint with 9Pandas, they have not won a single S-Tier trophy; however, they’ve collected a few gold meals from lower-division events, including CCT Season 2 European Series #3, Winline Insight Season 6, and European Pro League Season 20.
The duo also helped 9Pandas qualify for the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 via the European RMR Decider. Unfortunately, the team withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues.
Regardless of their lack of success, the two players have posted positive performance ratings throughout their stay with the Russian team.
Glowiing has averaged a 1.10 rating, while iDISBALANCE ended his 19-month stint with 9Pandas with a 1.08 average.
At the recently finished Perfect World Shanghai Major 2024 European RMR B, glowiing and iDISBALANCE were the worst-rated players on 9Pandas, averaging 1.00 and 0.78, respectively, over eight maps.
Billed as outsiders to qualify for the Major with the best Counter-Strike betting sites, 9Pandas finished the RMR with a 2-3 record.
With the recent changes, 9Pandas’ roster consists of just three active players: Aleksandr “shalfey” Marenov, Daniil “d1Ledez” Kustov, and Evgeniy “r3salt” Frolov.
