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Cloud9’s Counter-Strike 2 roster has undergone significant changes with the benching of Ilya “Perfecto” Zalutskiy and Abay “HObbit” Khassenov, who are now available for transfer.
Alongside this, the organization has parted ways with assistant coach Ivan “F_1N” Kochugov.
The decision leaves Cloud9 with only two active members: Kirill “Boombl4” Mikhailov and Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov.
It was a great pleasure to compete alongside players of your caliber, @HObbitcsgo and @perfectocsgo
We wish you nothing but success in your future endeavors 💙 pic.twitter.com/YprNIe5gGR
— Cloud9 CS (@C9CSGO) April 22, 2024
Despite the departures, CEO Jack Etienne confirmed via Twitter that Cloud9 is committed to rebuilding the team around Boombl4 and Ax1Le.
This restructuring follows a turbulent period for Cloud9, which started with the departure of Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov to Team Spirit earlier in the year.
The team struggled with an unorthodox no-AWPer approach, culminating in disappointing results such as a first-round playoff exit at the hands of Team Vitality at the Copenhagen Major and poor showings at IEM Katowice and IEM Chengdu.
HObbit joined Cloud9 in April 2022 and achieved success with the team, including winning IEM Dallas and reaching a peak ranking of number three in the world.
Perfecto, signed in July 2023 alongside Denis “electroNic” Sharipov from Natus Vincere, maintained a solid performance despite the team’s struggles, often having to take up the AWP role on certain maps.
Cloud9 now faces a rebuilding phase ahead of their next tournament at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, where they will compete alongside Spirit and MOUZ.
The organization is open to transfer offers for Perfecto and HObbit, signaling a shift in their roster strategy.
Etienne’s reassurance on the organization’s subreddit emphasizes their commitment to the CS2 roster’s future, focusing on the core duo of Boombl4 and Ax1Le alongside coach Konstantin “groove” Pikiner.
The mutual decision aspect of Perfecto and HObbit’s benching, though not included in the initial English announcement, was clarified in a Telegram post in Russian.
The recent departure of electroNic to Virtus.pro marked the beginning of these changes, with Cloud9 opting for a fresh start after the super team failed to live up to expectations.
Despite initial promise, various roster adjustments and unexpected departures hindered their potential, leading to the current rebuilding phase.
