Cloud9, has formally confirmed the acquisition of the Gambit lineup, which previously competed under the neutral tag “Players” at major competitions. Konstantin “groove” Pikiner, the team’s coach, will continue to work with the team.
The news of the roster sale came shortly after the Russian organization was barred from competing in a number of major competitions, including those run by ESL, BLAST, and the forthcoming PGL Major Antwerp 2022. The ban was imposed on the club due to its links to the Russian government during the current conflict in Ukraine.
Also read: PGL Banned Gambit Esports and Virtus.pro from PGL Major & RMR’s!
The Los Angeles-based organization returns to CS:GO for the first time since March of last year, when it transfer-listed the mostly unsuccessful ‘Colossus’ team led by Henry “HenryG” Greer and announced a temporary break from the game. Cloud9 highlighted the inability to establish a team in North America because of the COVID-19 outbreak as the primary reason for the move at the time.
Cloud9 claimed in the news statement that it will assist the formerly Russia-based team in relocating, but did not elaborate on whether North America is a possibility.
Read more: woxic: “I’m really proud because I’m leading this team!”
Cloud9 has been unable to replicate the Major-winning success of its last lineup, which was led by Jake “Stewie2K” Yip, but the company now has a strong championship challenger in the Russian squad, which will enter the upcoming Major as one of the top three teams in the world.
The team surrounding nafany will be trying to quell community criticism over their LAN record, where they have yet to win a major prize, under the new banner. The lineup had earned a reputation for itself at the start of 2021, winning multiple events during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic, when competition was held online.
Current Cloud9 lineup:
- Vladislav “nafany” Gorshkov
- Dmitry “sh1ro” Sokolov
- Timofey “interz” Yakushin
- Sergey “Ax1Le” Rykhtorov
- Abay “HObbit” Khasenov
- Konstantin “groove” Pikiner (coach)
The new Cloud9 roster’s first event will be the PGL Major Antwerp 2022, which will take place from April 9 to April 22. The Major will begin with the Legends Stage for the team.
